14 Days Splendours of Indochina Tour Package

Duration: 14 Days / 13 Nights
Priced From: $6649 pp dbl. occ.
Dates:  Mar, Jul, Sep, Nov, Jan

Hong Kong • Ho Chi Minh City • Danang • Hoi An • Hue • Hanoi • Halong Bay • Luang Prabang • Siem Reap • Angkor Wat • Phnom Penh

This is one of only six ideas that we have designated HOLIDAYS OF A LIFETIME. This is a very special inclusive and exclusive vacation.

provides a professional escort who takes care of all the day to day details … all the way.

Virtually everything is included from North America back to North America. Don't expect just another escorted tour … You'll be on "the best escorted tour."

Day 2. Arrive Hong Kong/Ho Chi Minh City. Cross the international dateline and "lose" a day, which will be regained on your return trip. On arrival in Hong Kong, change planes and continue to Ho Chi Minh City where you are met by a representative and transferred to your hotel. The remainder of the afternoon is at  leisure to freshen-up and relax. Tonight you will be treated to a sumptuous dinner at the Vietnam House Restaurant. Duxton Hotel. (2 nights) D.

Day 3. Ho Chi Minh City.Today, journey once again out of the city to visit the Cu Chi Tunnels, a network of underground passages from where the North Vietnamese waged guerilla warfare initially against the French and later, the Americans. Return to the city for lunch. In the afternoon, enjoy a tour of Ho Chi Minh City which will include the former Presidential Palace, the History Museum, the Notre Dame Cathedral and Dong Khoi Street, the former centre of high fashion. There will also be time for a delightful performance of Water Puppetry. In the evening, you will embark on an amazing dinner cruise on the Bonsai Cruise along the Saigon River which provides fantastic views of the city. BLD.

Day 4. Ho Chi Minh City/Danang/Hoi An. Fly today to Danang, one of the oldest cities in Vietnam full of rich, cultural history including the Cham Museum, which you will visit. Continue to Hoi An, an extraordinary jewel of a town which has managed to remain untouched. With its traffic-free streets, this ancient seaport is frozen in time. Visit the Japanese covered bridge and a Chinese communal house. After have lunch at the Hoian Riverside Resort, you will also have a short walking tour of Hoi An taking in the beautiful and serene scenery. Hoi An Riverside Hotel. (2 nights) BL.

Day 5. Hoi An. This morning, you will start the day with a Cooking Class with Ms. Vy. Miss Vy has been featured in over 20 newspapers, magazines and documentaries demonstrating the subtle art of Vietnamese cooking. As her student you will shop with her at the Hoi An Central Market where you will learn to choose only the best and freshest ingredients. Miss Vy will briefly explain the historical details of Vietnamese gastronomy, the reasoning behind the combination of the ingredients and the nutritional value. She will demonstrate the preparation methods and help you to do the same and at the end of it all you will have the opportunity to eat your efforts!

The remainder of the afternoon is free at leisure to look around Hoi An until about 4:40 pm when the group will venture into the nearby countryside to take a walking tour that will take you into the very heart of rural Hoian for a special insight into the every day life of a local village community. The small settlement of Cam Thanh, nestled among seemingly endless rice fields, allows the visitor to experience first hand the very backbone of Vietnam's rural culture. Enjoy a walk through the village, shaded from the sun by a canopy of bamboo thickets, passing by local homes, vegetable and fruit gardens, a village temple and a husking mill. Return to your hotel for the evening. BL.

Day 6. Hoi An/Hue. Travel overland through Cloudy Pass to Hue, once the religious, economic, and cultural centre of Vietnam. One of the most notable features of Hue is the meandering Perfume (Huong) River that divides the city. On arrival visit the Imperial Citadel modeled after the Forbidden City in Beijing, where the Nguyen Dynasty ruled in the early 19th century.

Continue on to the Thien Mu Pagoda and Minh Mang tomb situated on the river banks. Beyond you may see robed monks chanting their mantra, or novices carefully tending the bonsai gardens. Continue on to the most majestic of all of Hue's tombs - the tomb of Minh Mang. Built between 1841 and 1843, this tomb is well known for its harmonious blend of architecture and natural landscape. This evening will feature a "Royal Dinner" at the Morin Hotel. A feast is served with royal rites and music that recalls the time of Nguyen Dynasty in the 19th century.

Morin Hotel (1 night) BD.

Day 7. Hue/Hanoi. This morning, fly to Hanoi and on arrival, transfer to Hanoi centre for a city tour of Hanoi including Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Museum, the restored Opera House, Lake of the Restored Sword and the Temple of Literature built in 1070. Lunch will be served at Indochine Restaurant followed by an exciting pedi-cab tour to visit 36 Ancient streets of Ha Noi called the Old Quarter.

Sofitel Plaza Hotel (1 night) BL.

Day 8.  Hanoi/Halong Bay. Travel by bus to Halong Bay, often called the eighth wonder of the world with its 3000 spectacular limestone cliffs and coves. Without a doubt, this is the most outstanding naturally beautiful part of the country. Visit caves and grottoes and then enjoy a seafood luncheon on board a peaceful cruise on a traditional junk. Overnight at a Junk Wooden Boat, Bai Tho Deluxe Junk. BLD.

Day 9. Halong Bay/Hanoi/Luang Prabang.Watch a spectacular sunrise while having breakfast on the Junk. Continue to cruise then explore more caves and lagoons. Depart for Hanoi Airport and depart for Luang Prabang, a UNESCO protected city.

La Residence Phou Vao Hotel or Maison Souvannaphoum (2 nights) BLD.

Day 10. Luang Prabang. This morning visit Vat Xieng Thong then board a local boat for a trip up the Mekong River to visit Pak Ou cave with a stop at Ban Xanghai. Relax and savour a Laotian lunch at a local restaurant.  Return to Luang Prabang in the afternoon continues visiting a city tour, which includes visits to Vat Visoun, That Makmo, Vat Aham, Phousi Hill and Vat Mai. Marvel at the beautiful sunset at Vat Siphouthabath.
Dinner and accommodation at La Residence Phou Vao Hotel. BLD.

Day 11. Luang Prabang/Siem Reap. Early morning alms to the monks. Later, fly to Siem Reap. After you arrive in Cambodia, transfer to your hotel, Victoria Angkor. This afternoon, you will visit Angkor Wat, the largest temple in the world, with a volume of stone equaling that of the Cheops pyramid in Egypt. It is unlike all the other Khmer temples in that it faces west, and is inspired by 12th Century Hinduism. Its symmetrical towers are stylized on the modern Cambodian flag.

Conceived by Suryavarman II, Angkor Wat took an estimated 30 years to build. It is generally believed to have been a funeral temple for the king. It has been occupied continuously by Buddhist monks and is well preserved. Intricate bas-reliefs surround Angkor Wat on four sides. Each tells a story. The most celebrated of these is the Churning of the Ocean of Milk, which is located on the east wing. In it the Naga serpent is twisted by demons and gods to spurt out the elixir of life. Watch an amazing sunset from Angkor Wat. Dinner tonight will be back at your hotel. Victoria Angkor (2 nights) BLD.

Day 12. Siem Reap/Angkor Wat. This morning, you will visit the monumental magnificence of Angkor Thom - last capital of the Khmers, with its Elephant Terrace, the Terrace of the Leper King and the stunning Bayon temple.  This 12th century masterpiece lies at the very centre of Angkor Thom and is an archaeological wonder of symmetry and grandeur. The exterior gallery walls have extensive bas-reliefs but the highlight is the “faces”, more than 200 of them, silent but with the famous half-smile playing on their lips. PJ de Beerski wrote of them; “godliness in the majesty and the size, mystery in the expression.” Late afternoon, see the sunset from Angkor Wat. Lunch at hotel.

This afternoon, visit Ta Prohm, the temple that has been left largely in its natural state since its "re-discovery" by French explorers.  Surrounded by jungle, its labyrinth of stone hallways is overgrown with the roots and limbs of massive banyan trees, which envelop the stone like tentacles.   It is one of the largest temples at Angkor, dedicated in 1186.  Historians have noted its mystical charm. You will continue to visit Preah Khan "The Sacred Sword", an extensive monastic complex covering over 56 hectares built by the Khmer King Jayavarman VII as a monastery and teaching complex. It is one of a group of temple complexes situated on a small 'Baray'. Preah Khan is the site of the World Monuments Fund ‘prime’ Asian project a painstaking renovation whilst maintaining it’s mysterious allures and superb original structure. BLD.

Day 13. Siem Reap/Phnom Penh. Transfer to airport for flight to Phnom Penh. Upon arrival meet and transfer for your sightseeing you will to visit Toul Sleng  is now known as the Genocide Museum, although formerly used by the Pol Pot Regime as the detention and torture center for “cadres”of that regime, it is a moving example of the difficulties faced by all in Cambodia between 1975 & 1979. Continue to visit Cheung Ek, a profoundly moving but depressing experience. During the Khmer Rouge years, thousands of Cambodians were tortured and imprisoned in Toul Sleng. They were then moved to the extermination camps at Choeng Ek where they were bludgeoned to death. They were buried in mass graves and today over 8,000 skulls are displayed behind the glass of a memorial stupa, erected in 1988 to honour those who died. Lunch at FCC Restaurant.

This afternoon, visit the Royal Palace, which was built in 1866 by King Norodom. The Palace is actually a number of structures within a pagoda-style compound. Silver Pagoda located within the Royal Palace compound, the Silver Pagoda is so names because of its floor, which is made up of 5,000 silver tiles. The treasures are a solid gold Buddha encrusted with 9, 584 diamonds and weighing 90kilos and a small 17th century emerald and baccarat crystal Buddha. Next visit the National Museum, which houses Khmer art especially sculptures, from different periods of Cambodian history, 19th century dance costumes, royal barges and palanquins. Shopping at Russian Market where you could find silk and silver for souvenir.

Raffles Le Royal Hotel (2 nights)

Day 14. Phnom Penh to your hometown. Later fly to the West Coast via Hong Kong with Cathay Pacific arriving the same day in time to connect to your home city.

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