Majestic Indochina - Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia Tour

Hotel accommodation in Luang Prabang.

In the afternoon tour of the city that is set on the upper course of the Mekong and was the ancient capital of the kingdom of Lane Xang (Unesco World Heritage site). Here you will visit some temples built during the ancient kingdom: Wat Visoun, Wat Aham, Wat Xieng Thong and you will climb to Wat Chom Si, on Phu Si hill to watch the sunset. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
 

Breakfast in the hotel.

For those who wish, you can wake up at dawn to attend the alms of the monks, a show that puts the visitor in touch with the real life of Buddhist monks. Morning departure by speedboat to go up the Mekong, through the spectacular scenery that enchanted the nineteenth century explorers. The dense vegetation gives space to the village in which the very strong national liquor, Lao Lao, is distilled and orchards ripped from the flood of the river are the place where artisans produce silk yarn and manufacture paper from the bark of the trees. You can also climb to the sacred caves of Pak Ou, that in the course of centuries-old pilgrimage, were filled with thousands of Buddha statues.

Lunch during the excursion.

On the way back we will stop on the right bank, in front of Luang Prabang, for a short and relaxing walk in the village of Xieng Maen, once famous for the processing of river algae, from which a path surrounded by thick vegetation branches off connecting to a former monastery now abandoned by the cult. Here only a few monks live, now elderly, in a silent and mystic quietness that induces meditation.

Later on return to Luang Prabang to plunge into the colorful world of a market of artisan products, which opens at sunset on the road that runs between Phu Si, and the ancient Royal Palace.

Dinner at a local restaurant and overnight at the hotel.
 

Breakfast in the hotel. In the morning, visit the National Museum located in the building of the old Royal Palace, built in 1904. Today it houses a rich collection of objects belonging to the treasure of the royal family and especially the Phra Bang, the gold statue 83 cm high that, according to tradition, is a symbol of the kingdom of Lane Xang from the thirteenth century.

Lunch in a local restaurant.

Later on, transfer to the airport for the flight to Hanoi. Upon arrival, after the withdrawal of luggage, meet your guide and transfer to hotel. In the afternoon visit of the capital Hanoi, situated on the south bank of the Red River. Hanoi, in fact, means "within the Red River." The typical places to visit are: the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, where his embalmed body lies (exterior), One Pillar Pagoda Chua Mot Cot which was and still is the symbol of Hanoi, the Pagoda of the Stone Lady Chua Ba Da and St. Joseph Cathedral.

This is followed by a ride on the rickshaw to visit the 36 oldest neighborhoods, and finally you will attend a Water Puppet Show, unique in the world. Dinner at a local restaurant and overnight at the hotel.
 

Breakfast in the hotel. In the morning visit to the temples of the capital, that of Literature, Van Mieu built in the 11th century in honor of Confucius and his four loyal students and that of his father, where usually a short concert of traditional music performed by Vietnamese musicians dressed in traditional clothes of the northern villages is held. Finally visit Jade Temple, Den Ngoc Son, located on the lake of the "restored sword" and the Quan Thanh, Den Quan Thanh, God protector of the city.

Lunch in a typical restaurant.

Following departure to the famous Halong Bay, formed by thousands of limestone islets rising from the sea. Before reaching the bay, visit the village of Bat Trang where locals produce pots, and later pagoda Chua But Thapn in Bac Ninh. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
 

Breakfast on board a junk.

During the morning you will continue the discovery of Halong Bay with its beautiful scenery that winds through the myriad of islands, islets, rocks and reefs where there are caves full of stalactites and stalagmites. You will also visit the largest limestone cave in the bay, Sung Sot cave or the "Surprise cave".

Lunch on board the junk.

When finished, return to the pier, transfer to Hanoi airport for the flight to Danang.

Transfer to Hoian and accommodation in private rooms. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
 

Breakfast at the hotel.

Departure to visit Myson.

Then return to Hoian for lunch in a local restaurant.

In the afternoon visit the Japanese bidge, the Chinese congregation and the Ancient House, built over 200 years ago.  In the late afternoon continue on to the pier for a boat ride along Thu Bon river, admiring the villages along the banks and the charming sunset.

Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast in the hotel. Drive to Danang. Upon arrival, visit the Cham Museum, built by the French in the year 1915. Following departure to Hue and on arrival, hotel accommodation in the reserved rooms.

Lunch in a local restaurant.

Following visit the Imperial Citadel built by the emperors of the Nguyen Dynasty. At the end rickshaw ride to Dong Ba market. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
 

Breakfast in the hotel.

Visit Thien Mu Pagoda, a symbol of Hue and Buddhism, and the Tomb of the 4th Emperor Tu Duc. Then transfer to the airport to board the flight to Saigon.

Upon arrival, transfer to the hotel and accommodation in private rooms. Lunch in a local restaurant. After lunch visit to the colonial buildings of Saigon like Notre Dame Cathedral, the Palace of Post and Telecommunications, and Ben Thanh Market in the first district, so as to have an overview of this part of the city. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
 

Breakfast in the hotel. 

Departure to the Mekong Delta and on arrival at the dock in Caibe boarding on a traditional boat to explore the countless branches of the river. Visit the floating market of Cai Be where you can admire the production of candy, the rice paper used to make spring rolls and that of puffed rice.  

Lunch in a typical restaurant.  

After lunch you will continue navigating through one of the tributaries of the Mekong to the city of Vinhlong, where there will be the meeting place for the car transfer to Can Tho, on the border with Cambodia. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
 

Breakfast in the hotel. Departure by boat directly from the hotel to visit the large floating market of Cai Rang. After returning continue by land to Chau Doc, where you will have lunch at the hotel. Afterwards continue by boat to the village of Cham fishermen for a visit. At the end departure by land to the last visit of the day, the temple of the local Goddess Ba Chua Su.

Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
 

Breakfast at the hotel.

From Chau Doc travel on a motorboat to the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh. On arrival meet the local guide and transfer to the hotel.

Lunch in a local restaurant.

The day continues with sightseeing in the classic part of the capital of Cambodia: the National Museum, a precious casket that contains the masterpieces of Khmer sculpture from the fifth to the thirteenth century, the area of the Royal Palace with the Throne Room, where still today the Sovereign grants its hearings, and the adjacent Silver Pagoda complex.

Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
 

Breakfast in the hotel. Transfer to the airport for the flight to Siem Reap.

Upon arrival, transfer and hotel accommodation. Following departure to visit a fishing village. In fact on the road that leads to the foot of Phnom Krom, on the shores of lake Grand, dozens of boats that are home to the floating houses in the village of fishermen are moored: a "nomadic lake" community moving on the waters of the Tonle Sap to follow the fishing seasons and have their homes here. Not only that, the schools, the church, the shops, public offices and fish farms are all built on barges and floating platforms that rise and fall following the regular rhythm of the floods of the lake.

This is a spectacular insight into the customs of life of Indochinese coastal populations.

Lunch in a typical restaurant. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
 

Breakfast at hotel.

Full day excursion to the temples of Angkor: the largest archaeological site in the world where 276 monuments of primary importance were classified. Among the several worth visiting, you should not miss a visit to the fortified town of Angkor Thom with its imposing walls and the beautiful doors erected in the late 12^th century by the great King Jayavarman VII. He also ordered the construction of the Bayon in the center of the fortified quadrilateral. The Bayon is the most enigmatic and fascinating of all the temples built by the Khmer. Ta Prohm is the great Buddhist monastery that Yayavarman VII consecrated in 1186 and that archaeologists have deliberately left in the state in which it was found.

Giant trees rise in the maze of the tower-sanctuaries, huge roots wrap the galleries, dense shrubs sprout from the roofs of each building and the visitor is no longer able to distinguish the work of man and the creations of nature. The most celebrated temple is surely the one of Angkor Wat, the undisputed architectural and artistic masterpiece of Khmer.

It boasts beautiful reliefs that offer spectacular testimony of figurative art of sublime refinement. This temple was built when in Italy the cathedral of Pisa was consecrated and in Paris Notre Dame was being built. It is the emblem of Cambodia and also the symbol of the magnificent South-East Asian Middle Ages.

Lunch in a typical restaurant.

Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast in the hotel. Full day dedicated to visit the temples. One of the oldest sacred buildings of Angkor is the Prasat Kravan, dated 921 and consisting of five sanctuaries in elegant shapes, dedicated to the worship of the god Vishnu and constructed of brick all lined up on a pedestal facing east. Here the brick was widely used in 952 to build the Mebon, the temple that stood on an artificial island in the middle of the East Baray reservoir.

Only nine years later, the king Rajendravarman erected the Pre Rup, the magnificent temple mountain in warm ocher colors. The golden period of Jayavarman VII is the period of the great Prah Khan Buddhist shrine, the Temple of the "Holy Sword", the monastery of Banteay Kdei, the Citadel of monastic cells, the enigmatic and spectacular sacred pools of Neak Pean, the "entwined serpents" and the pool of public ablutions, the Srah Srang. Lunch in a typical restaurant. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
 

The end of our tour has come. After breakfast, you will have free time until the transfer to the airport.