17 Days Luxury Tour to Laos and Vietnam Top Attractions with Tropical Beaches

ITINERARY

Day 1: Luang Prabang | Arrive in Luang Prabang

International Flight: Excluded

Welcome to Laos! Upon arrival in Luang Prabang, our guide will greet you at the airport welcome area and transfer you to the hotel for check-in. Feel free to explore the beautiful city of Luang Prabang on your own to discover night markets selling local tapestries and souvenirs.

Accommodation: Belmond La Residence Phou Vao

Day 2: Luang Prabang | Buddhist Ancient City and Temples

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
The morning is at your leisure to explore on your own or visit a spa for a massage.

In the afternoon, begin with a visit to the Royal Palace Museum, which hosts a range of interesting artifacts. We then head to the magnificent Wat Xiengthong with its roofs sweeping low to the ground, which represents classical Laotian architecture. We’ll also visit the impressive stupa of Wat Visoun and the shrines of Wat Aham and Wat Mai.

Xieng Thong Temple

Late afternoon, transfer to the forest temple of Wat Phon Phao for watching a stunning sunset over the Laos countryside. Return to the hotel for leisure time or explore the night markets on your own.

Evening dinner at Hive Restaurant with “Ethnik Fashion Show” – a modern fashion show with a twist – ethnic wedding garments from over 100 ethnic groups in Laos on a show by Hmong underprivileged university students(all donations go to support their families and education).

Accommodation: Belmond La Residence Phou Vao

Day 3: Luang Prabang | Kuang Si Waterfalls and Hill Tribes

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Transfer in the morning to Ban Long Lao village – a Hmong and Khmu ethnic village who live simple lives off the land in a self-sustained community.

After exploring the village and mingling with the locals, you’ll begin the hike to Kuang Si Falls. Along the way are lush green forests and clear streams. Visit a cave along the way that once acted as a bomb shelter. Arrive at Kuang Si Waterfall – one of the most turquoise waterfalls in the world. The afternoon can be spent swimming in the waterfall and visiting the Bear Rescue Center where several Sun Bears and Malayan Black Bears are being cared for after being rescued from bile farms and wildlife traffickers.

Then you’ll return to Luang Prabang and evening is at your leisure.

Accommodation: Belmond La Residence Phou Vao

Day 4: Luang Prabang | Befriending the Gentle Giants of Asia

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
In the morning, transfer to Elephant Village – an elephant sanctuary with a focus on rehabilitation and care of rescued elephants. Here you’ll meet the camp manager and receive a short briefing about the elephants. Throughout the day, you’ll take place in the following activities:

• • Riding an elephant – you’ll have the opportunity to ride directly on the neck of an elephant
  • Mahout Training – learn about the commands of how to communicate to the elephant
  • Enjoy lunch at the outdoor garden restaurant
  • Bathe your elephant – Go down to the nearby Nam Khan River to bath your elephant; perhaps the elephant will bathe you as well!

Then return to your hotel for leisure time.

Accommodation: Belmond La Residence Phou Vao

Day 5: Luang Prabang | Leisure Day

Meals: Breakfast

Spend this full day at your own leisure after you’ve adventured a few days. You can walk around the city and discover the local daily life, find out some interesting souvenir items, drop by at a bar to relax and have a drink or two. Alternatively, simply indulge yourself with the comfort and amenities which your hotel offers.

Accommodation: Belmond La Residence Phou Vao

Day 6: Luang Prabang | Boat Trip to Pak Ou Caves

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
In the morning, we embark on a cruise upstream on the Mekong River, which also gives us a breathtaking view of the tranquil countryside. Along the way, we stop at the village of Ban Xanghai, where they make Laos rice wine and rice whiskey. You’ll be able to try some and see the process they use to make it. Then we’ll reach the mysterious Pak Ou Caves, two linked caves crammed with thousands of gold lacquered Buddha statues of various shapes and sizes left by pilgrims.

Lunch will be served nearby the caves. During lunch, you’ll have the opportunity to try a local dish called “Orlam” which is a soup with vegetables and features a spicy wood that is partially edible. On return, we disembark the boat to visit a traditional weaving village of Ban Phanom, which is famous for its hand weaving.

Accommodation: Belmond La Residence Phou Vao

Day 7: Luang Prabang – Hanoi | Leisure | Flight to Hanoi

Internal Flight: Included
Meals: Breakfast
Enjoy morning and some afternoon leisure to relax or explore the rest in town on your own.

In the late afternoon, take a flight to Hanoi. Upon arrival, our guide will greet you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel for check-in.

After check-in, enjoy a stroll on your own around Hoan Kiem Lake outside your hotel. Feel free to also pick up a souvenir at the night markets or at one of the many trinket shops in the alleys and small roads of this historic part of town.
Accommodation: Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi

Day 8: Hanoi | Impressions of Hanoi | Welcome Dinner

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
In the morning, you’ll be escorted to see the Tran Quoc Pagoda. This 1,400-year-old temple features ten tiers surrounded by gardens and which also hosts a bodhi tree grown from a cutting of the original Buddhist tree under which Buddha sat. Next, you’ll take a stroll around the Hoan Kiem Lake where you can see the Tortoise Tower sitting on the water. Then you’ll enjoy a half hour cyclo tour through the Old Quarter in Hanoi. The cyclo is a historic mode of transportation in the cities of Vietnam where a cyclist escorts you while you sit in a seat affixed to the front with a canopy over top.

Next, you’ll visit the One Pillar Pagoda – a pagoda situated on a pillar made of a single stone, in the middle of a lotus pond. This pagoda was built by a 9th-century emperor who saw it in a dream and regarded this as a divine inspiration to recreate the structure in the vision.

You’ll pass by the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum before visiting the highlight of this tour – The Temple of Literature. This ancient university was erected almost a millennium ago and has hosted many of the most prominent scholars through Vietnamese history. The site features many gardens, pools, buildings, and ancient trees where the best and brightest of Vietnam studied under the guidance of Confucius teachings.

Enjoy traditional Vietnamese cuisine at Home Restaurant – a historic French colonial residence restored in between the Old Quarter and the serene West Lake. Enjoy the fine Vietnamese cuisine while you chat to reflects about the fond memories you’ve collected in Laos and to begin a chanting journey through Vietnam. Once you finish your dinner, you’ll be escorted to your hotel.

Accommodation: Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi

Day 9: Hanoi – Halong Bay | Voyage to Emerald Halong Bay

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
In the morning, our guide and chauffeur will transfer you to Haiphong where you’ll enjoy some time at Orchid’s Private Lounge for refreshments until boarding. Then board Orchid Cruise.

Halong Bay

Receive a safety briefing and check in your cabins. The boat sets adrift for Da Chong islet, home to an old French lighthouse. Enjoy a sumptuous feast in the panoramic dining hall while en route to the isles of Con Vit and Gia Luan. The bay opens up to you with stunning green karsts towering above the water. This area receives very few cruise ships as it has just been newly opened up. Continue to Ba Trai Dao beach of Lan Ha Bay. A paradise with perfect beaches and natural beauty. Stop at one of the beaches for swimming or kayaking during the afternoon.

As dusk approaches, welcome the sunset with a local specialty – “Ba Kich”(a liquor made from Noni fruit). Back on board, you’ll join a cooking demonstration to learn a few Vietnamese culinary secrets. Enjoy your creation! Then time for supper in the dining hall. Delicious Vietnamese cuisine and seafood in a romantic setting. After dinner, you may enjoy watching the stars from the sundeck, watching a movie in the restaurant, or give night squid fishing a try with the staff(subject to seasonal availability).

Accommodation: Orchid Cruise

Day 10: Hanoi – Ninh Binh | Sunrise Halong | Bai Ding Temple Sunset

Meals: Breakfast
Rise early for one of the top best sunrises in the world. Then head to the sundeck for an invigorating Tai Chi session amongst a picture-perfect backdrop of karsts, sea, and nature. Enjoy a breakfast in the dining hall before taking a journey to explore the area around Sang Tai sea cave via canoes.

Then disembark for a road transfer to Ninh Binh.

Check in at the Resort with stunning views all around.

Time to stretch your legs! Go with our guide to visit Bai Dinh Temple, the largest temple in Vietnam. This Buddhist temple was built into the mountain with 3 terraces and faces the river. Explore the many halls, rooms, carvings, and statues during the late afternoon. Our guide will then take you to the best place for watching the sunset over this untouched part of Vietnam. Shortly afterward, you’ll witness the 13-tier pagoda – Chau Bai Dinh – be lit up for the evening: a true spectacle to behold! Return to the resort for overnight and leisure.

Accommodation: Emeralda Resort Ninh Binh

Day 11: Hanoi | Wonders of Ninh Binh | Return to Hanoi

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast, enjoy some time at the resort to relax and take in the stunning views. Check out late morning and then you’ll go to visit Hoa Lu, the ancient capital. In 968, Dinh Bo Linh declared himself as the King. Since then Hoa Lu existed as the capital for only 41 years. In 1010, King Ly Thai To moved the capital from Hoa Lu to Thang Long – present day Hanoi. Hoa Lu became the old citadel. In Hoa Lu there are now two temples dedicated to two Vietnamese kings, which have been built on the grounds of the old royal palace. The visit offers a chance to learn more about the feudal dynasties and historical periods in Vietnamese history.

Boat trip through the cave of Ninh Binh

Next, you’ll take an amazing boat trip through Trang An Grottoes. A gathering of 31 valleys and 50 cross-water caves are home to 600 kinds of flora and over 200 kinds of fauna many of which are listed in the Red Book of Vietnam. Rowing through the Trang An Grottoes is a peaceful trip of serenity. The highland air is a respite from modern living and the sounds are only that of birds and the oars stirring the clear water. Towering overhead is magnificent forested mountains upon which you might catch a glimpse of grazing white-bearded goats. Then return back to Hanoi for overnight.

Accommodation: Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi

Day 12: Hanoi – Danang | Leisure | Flight to Danang

Internal Flight: Included
Meals: Breakfast
Morning is at your leisure to relax or have own exploration in the city.

In the afternoon, take a flight to Danang. Upon arrival, our guide will greet you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel for check-in.

Accommodation: Fusion Maia Danang

Day 13: Hoi An – Danang | 4th Century Cham Ruins and Hoi An Ancient Port Town

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
In the morning, you’ll transfer to the My Son Holy Land. Tucked in the mountains up winding roads with serene views, lay the 4th century My Son Holy Land Ruins. The surrounding mountains are strictly forbidden from living or development. The ruins lay in a beautiful surrounding mountainous landscape. You’ll enter the temples while your tour guide gives you the history and stories of the Cham and the site.

Hoi An Ancient Port Town – 17 Days Luxury Tour Laos Vietnam Top Attractions Tropical Beaches

In the afternoon, you’ll continue to visit Hoi An Ancient Town. This town features the 16th-century Hoi An port town in it’s preserved state. You’ll start the day visiting the Museum of Trade Ceramics. This museum houses art and pottery dating from the 1,500s to the 1,700s.

Then you’ll briefly visit the Chua Ong Pagoda, a temple from the 17th century which features China’s influence in the region. You’ll continue through the Ancient Town as the streets take on a magic of their own with old lanterns, French-style houses, intricately carved wooden doors and more. You’ll take a stroll through the Old Tam Ky House to see it’s imperial styles meshed with French overtures. Continue on to stroll along the river and see traditional boats and locals on bicycles passing by. You’ll then approach the Japanese Covered Bridge. This bridge has connected the Chinese and Japanese sides of town over the waterway for centuries. The old wooden structure has shown amazing resilience for more than 400 years.

At dusk, enjoy walking along the riverside as colorful lanterns light up the town. After you’ve finished the tour, you will return back to your hotel.

Accommodation: Fusion Maia Danang

Day 14: Danang | Relax on the Beaches

Meals: Breakfast
Today is at your leisure on the beach. Simply relax or indulge your self with the resort’s spa and other facilities.

Accommodation: Fusion Maia Danang

Day 15: Danang | Relax on the Beaches

Meals: Breakfast
Today is also a full day leisure to relax.

Danang Coastline – 17 Days Luxury Tour Laos Vietnam Top Attractions Tropical Beaches

Accommodation: Fusion Maia Danang

Day 16: Danang | Relax on the Beaches | Private Seaside Dinner

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Enjoy your leisure time on the beach until the evening activities.

Fresh and lively Vietnamese cuisine with a commanding view over Monkey Bay and the surrounding mountains. Citron’s private dining booths are in the shape of an inverted Non La floating out over the hillside. Tonight, you’ll enjoy delicious cuisine with splendid views.

Accommodation: Fusion Maia Danang

Day 17: Danang | Farewell!

Meals: Breakfast
Today our guide will transfer you to the airport before your onward flight and will bid you a fond farewell. Thank you for traveling with us!

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