ADHVAN representative will receive you at Hanoi airport and transfer to the hotel.

Check-in & relax. The day will be at leisure.

Overnight will be in Hanoi.

Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, is rich with culture thanks to an eclectic mix of influences including French, which is evident through the fine old colonial buildings and tree lined boulevards. Meet your local guide in the morning to discover the city, taking in sights including Ho Chi Minh Complex, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, The Presidential Palace, Ho Chi Minh’s house-on-stilts and the nearby One Pillar Pagoda.

Enjoy traditional local fare for lunch before visiting the Temple of Literature (Vietnam’s first university, built in 11th century), the Tran Quoc Pagoda (the oldest pagoda in Vietnam), Sword Lake and Ngoc Son Temple. Finish the day with a ride on a three-wheeled cyclo and discover the vibrant Old Quarter of Hanoi.

Overnight will be in Hanoi.

Pack an overnight bag ready for your trip to Halong City (approximately a four-hour drive away with a break en route). Upon arrival, meet the crew of the traditional junk boat, your home for the night in breathtaking Halong Bay.

After boarding, enjoy lunch on board before visiting a Pearl Farm dedicated to growing and harvesting pearls using ancient Vietnamese traditions. This area is also ideal for kayaking.

Late in the afternoon we visit the magnificent Sung Sot Cave for beautiful views across the bay before enjoying sunset cocktails and dinner back on board.

Overnight will be onboard cruise.

Wake up to spectacular views of the bay and indulge in a traditional Tai Chi session on the sundeck with complimentary tea and coffee. Cruise through the bay, soaking up beautiful sights including Thien Cung and Dau Go Caves and Coc Ngoi Islet. Take a seat on deck and admire the passing views. Enjoy brunch while cruising back to Halong Dock, where you’ll disembark and return to Hanoi.

Back in Hanoi, the rest of the evening is at your leisure. Your local guide will be on hand to make recommendations on what to do and where to eat.

Overnight will be in Hanoi.

This morning after breakfast we transfer to the airport for our flight to Luang Prabang. You are met on arrival at the airport and transferred to your hotel to freshen up from your flight before enjoying a tour of the city with your local guide. The first stop is the former Royal Palace, now the National Museum, where you will learn about the history of Laos. Continue on foot to Wat Mai temple, a temple renowned for its golden bas-relief, and Wat Sensoukarahm temple, which features a beautiful dazzling golden façade. Next we visit Wat Visoun, the shrine of Wat Aham.

The evening is at your leisure and your local guide will be on hand to assist with any arrangements you may wish to make.

Overnight will be in Luang Prabang.

This morning we visit Wat Xieng Thong temple, the most revered temple in Luang Prabang. Located at the end of the peninsula, close to the Mekong, this temple was built in 1560 by King Setthathirat and is decorated with ornate carvings and mosaics.

Afterwards we board an upstream cruise on the Mekong River, which gives us a panoramic view of the tranquil countryside. We’ll make sure to stop at the Pak Ou Caves, sanctuaries consisting of two large caverns, both repositories for thousands of Buddha images. We will also stop at some of the villages that dot the Mekong, including Ban Xanghai where the local rice wine is produced.

We return to Luang Prabang and continue to Ban Xangkong, a village well known for silk hand weaving and making traditional Saa Paper – we enjoy a demonstration and get to meet some of the locals whose families have been mastering this art for generations. We return to Luang Prabang where we climb to the top of Phousi Mount for an enjoyable exploration of the sacred, gilded stupa as well as a beautiful sunset view of the city and the Mekong River.

After a beautiful sunset we explore the night markets, where you can find a wide collection of handmade textiles by local and hill tribe people in the surrounding towns before returning to the hotel for and evening at leisure.

Overnight will be in Luang Prabang.

This morning we visit the Khouangsi Waterfall, stopping en route to visit some of the ethnic minority villages and see how these colourful people live their daily lives. Once at the falls you can enjoy a swim in the turquoise pools or walk along the forest paths.

We return to Luang Prabang for lunch before we continue to the airport for our flight to Siem Reap. On arrival in Siem Reap, you are met and transferred to your hotel and an evening at leisure.

Overnight will be in Siem Reap.

This morning after breakfast you meet your local guide for a full day of temple touring. The Angkor Archaeological Park is visually, architecturally, and artistically breathtaking and one of the most important archaeological sites in South-East Asia, if not the world. Stretching over some 400sq km, including forested area, the park contains the magnificent remains of the different capitals of the Khmer Empire, from the 9th to the 15th century. You could spend weeks exploring the ruins, but on this day tour, you will have a chance to see all the highlights.

You will start with a visit to the South Gate of Angkor Thom where you can take a quiet optional walk along the wall and through the jungle to a hidden temple. Then visit the temples of Bayon, Baphoun and Terrace of Elephants and Leper King.

Take a break with a local lunch before you visit Angkor Wat. Angkor Wat is one of mankind’s greatest achievements, and the intricate carvings at the temple of Angkor Wat demonstrate the skill of the Khmer builders. It was constructed in the jungle in the early 12th century, then - two centuries later - was mysteriously abandoned by the Khmer civilization. Finish the day with an unforgettable sunset from the top of Pre Rup Temple.

Overnight will be in Siem Reap.

Rise very early this morning for a special experience as you join local Buddhist monks for chanting and meditation.

Head back to the hotel for breakfast before departing to a local village for your cooking class. You will learn to make delicacies such as mango salad and fish amok in a beautifully restored traditional Khmer house surrounded by endless rice fields and sugar palm trees.

After enjoying your creations for lunch, we will enjoy a boat ride on the Tonle Sap Lake at Kampong Phluk Village. This is the largest permanent fresh-water lake in South East Asia and flows into Tonle Sap River, joining the Mekong in Phnom Penh. We will see a fishermen's "floating village" with floating schools, floating police station, etc.

We return to our hotel in the late afternoon and the evening is at your leisure.

Overnight will be in Siem Reap.

This morning after breakfast you fly to Ho Chi Minh City where you are met on arrival at the airport and transferred to your hotel for check in before going for lunch, where you’ll dine with the locals at a restaurant renowned for one of Vietnam’s most famous dishes – pho.

Visit the Reunification Palace, the former palace of President Thieu and his predecessors. Today a museum and venue for official receptions, it features the private rooms of the president, the “War Room” from where the South Vietnamese forces were controlled, and the room where the North Vietnamese army finally took control in 1975. Nearby more iconic city landmarks, the Post Office and the Notre Dame Cathedral, which were built between 1877 and 1883. Built in Neo-Romanesque style, Notre Dame is the major seat of the Catholic religion in modern Vietnam. Continue to the War Remains Museum, where you can learn about the Vietnam War. Final site for the day is Ben Thanh market, where a wide selection of goods is on offer.

The rest of the evening is at your leisure.

Overnight will be in Ho Chi Minh.

This morning you pack an overnight bag and leave behind busy Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), driving to the Mekong Delta. There are many fruit farms and gardens on the way, so we enjoy a stop at Tam Vu – a busy and colourful market where we enjoy some of the local dragon fruit - known as a natural medicine for health and beauty. There are also some great photo opportunities along the way so we will stop and take advantage of this.

We take the ferry to Tan Thanh Island crossing the Mekong River while your local guide introduces you to the famous land of beauty that many Nguyen Dynasty concubines came from: Tu Du Queen and Nam Phuong Queen. On arrival we jump on motor bikes for the journey to the villages where we learn all about Mekong life - and the importance of coconut trees, rice and the local fruits.

Spend time rowing along the emerald village canal on traditional sampans before arriving at a local restaurant for a tasty lunch in a coconut garden.

After lunch, we continue our trip to Can Tho where on arrival the rest of your day is at leisure.

Overnight will be in Can Tho.

Awake to the beauty of the river, ready for another exciting day of sightseeing in the Mekong Delta. After breakfast we travel to Can Tho - well known for the Cai Rang floating market, where hundreds of local boats drift on the Mekong River and sell local agriculture products. Explore the small channels of the Mekong delta around Cai Be with a small sampan or by foot. Marvel at the sheer abundance of exotic fruits, vegetables and skilfully handcrafted regional products. Pull up to the boats to talk and bargain with the merchants.

Afterwards, visit some of the local factories making candy and cakes, or cruise through the green waters to see local houses, lush orchards and ship-building yards.

Head back to Ho Chi Minh City where the afternoon is yours to relax by the pool or you may choose to do some final shopping or sit in a café watching the world go by.

This evening enjoy farewell dinner and toast the end of a wonderful tour through Indochina.

Overnight will be in Ho Chi Minh.

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel before heading to the Cu Chi Tunnels, which are located in an area known during the American War in Vietnam as the ‘Iron Triangle’ because of its strength of the Communist insurgency. Cu Chi was also the end of many caravan paths that fed down from the Chinese border, across mountain borders with Laos and into the Mekong Delta – later known as the ‘Ho Chi Minh Trail’. The network of tunnels, which is several stories deep in some areas, features trapdoors, living areas, storage facilities, weapon factories, field hospitals, command centres and kitchens.

Return to Ho Chi Minh City where you will be transferred to the airport for your flight back home / onward destination with pleasant memories of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia Expedition.

END OF THE JOURNEY