Vietnam & Laos (11 days) Saigon, Hoi An, Hanoi, Luang Prabang
Introduction
A
n extraordinary journey through the best of old Indochina—favorite destinations in Vietnam and Laos—in privacy and comfort, at your convenience. You will see for yourself the rich living culture against the backdrop of those vestiges of eras gone by. With its naturally evocative beauty, tradition of fine service, and luxurious accommodation, this is the journey of a lifetime that may well draw you back for repeated exposure to these magnificent cultures. All touring is with a private guide and driver of your own. We first land in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), where the dynamism and energy of the new face of Southeast Asia blends seamlessly with its old French colonial heritage. After exploring the nearby Mekong Delta river communities and iconic attractions nearby, we move on to Hoi An, the country’s best-preserved ancient maritime trading post. Optional tours into the countryside allow visitors to explore the scenery, cuisine, or culture at their leisure.
Fly from there direct to the heart of the nation, Vietnam’s capital of Hanoi. After a day at leisure to recover, take an in-depth market tour and cooking class before selecting from a range of bespoke side-journeys, taking the chance to explore the rice paddies, ancient pagodas and temples by bicycle, or attending a performance at the Hanoi Opera House, seeing the city through its contrasting European and local perspectives.
From Hanoi, we take off for idyllic Luang Prabang in neighboring Laos— heritage town on the upper Mekong, where you’ll see processions of monks robed in saffron, 16th-century temples and journeys along the river by elephant. Visit local hill tribes and observe the living Buddhist culture as it has been practiced for centuries, spending your last days in Indochina in an atmosphere of infinite peace.
Itinerary Overview
Day 1: Ho Chi Minh City
VIP assistance through immigration and private transfer to hotel. Guided discovery of popular landmarks, temples and dining options
Day 2: Ho Chi Minh City
Chinatown discovery tour with optional market and art museum visits. Optional excursions include Cu Chi Tunnels & Cao Dai temple, Mekong Delta, cooking classes, heritage walks, speedboat tour, photography excursion, art tour and lifestyle treasure hunt.
Day 3: Hoi An
Private transfer to the airport for your flight to Danang and from there to the new hotel. Explore the Cham museum and the Buddhist cave temples of the marble mountains.
Day 4: Hoi An
Explore the old trading city with a driver and expert guide. Visit the iconic Japanese covered bridge and explore hidden lanes and alleyways. Optional appointment with a bespoke silk tailor or countryside excursion by bike, Visit the My Son temple ruins or take a romantic sunset boat ride.
Day 5: Hanoi
Private transfer to Danang airport for your flight to Hanoi and then again on arrival to your deluxe hotel for a day of leisure.
Day 6: Hanoi
Explore the fascinating old quarter and the old colonial grandeur of the capital. Embrace the culture of the region with VIP tickets to an evening performance of the traditional water puppet theater.
Day 7: Hanoi
Extended deluxe private market culinary tour and cooking class to experience the tastes of the capital city for yourself. Additional options can also be arranged by selecting from amongst the following bespoke tours :Half Day Hanoi Military History, Half Day Hanoi Rural Life by Bicycle, Tickets to Tu Phu Show.
Day 8: Luang Prabang
Private airport transfer and international flight to Laos, with private transfer to your hotel on arrival. Interact with the serene monastic community at a local Baci ceremony and dinner.
Day 9: Luang Prabang
Witness the monks’ procession at dawn, then after breakfast, take a private tour through the Franco-Lao heritage architecture, National Museum and 16th-century Xieng Thong temple along with visit Traditional Art Ethnic Centre
Day 10: Luang Prabang
Private half-day cruise along the Mekong River visiting Buddhist grottoes in the Pak Ou caves and local villages along the riverside. Optional Nam Khan kayak experience, elephant explorer, waterfall and silk weaving visits..
Day 11: Luang Prabang
On the final day of your journey, we take you to the airport by private transfer to prepare for your flight home.
Itinerary [n Details Day 1: Ho Chi Minh City
For centuries the soul of the Vietnamese south, the transformative energy of Saigon is obvious from the moment you land. Following VIP assistance through immigration, your private transfer vehicle will ease you into the dizzying traffic bound for your hotel. Close your eyes and listen to the ever-present hum of scooter engines, drawing 8.22 million people through the city’s intricate web of lanes in chaotic pulses, as they seem to lift Saigon’s architecture skyward in a grand orchestral sweep, the old French colonial facades giving way to prisms of soaring skyscrapers and narrow residences packed together like pastel-colored dominos. Take the afternoon to discover the city for yourself with our expert guide, who will lead you to explore Saigon with all your senses. As the heavy aroma of rich black coffee condenses in gusts of incense smoke from its old temples, dusk gives way to night with its steaming carts of local delicacies parked up against brightly-lit store fronts with their high-fashion garments and international
restaurants. The whole story of the city is revealed in its landmarks, the old red-brick Gothic cathedral standing opposite the mid-century Reunification Palace, itself just a short stroll from the War Remnants Museum that recounts the nightmare of the war from the Vietnamese perspective. Accommodation in Park Hyatt Saigon
Day 2: Ho Chi Minh City
Take the day to discover the city for yourself with our expert guide, who will lead you to explore Saigon with all your senses. As the heavy aroma of rich black coffee condenses in gusts of incense smoke from its old temples, you’ll see the whole story of the city revealed in its landmarks—the old red-brick Gothic cathedral standing opposite the mid-century Reunification Palace, itself just a short stroll from the War Remnants Museum that recounts the nightmare of the war from the Vietnamese perspective. From there, side-step to Ho Chi Minh City’s Chinatown, with its busy markets of exotic medicinal herbs traded alongside bushels of local coffee, cashew nuts, and wicker trays of banh mi baguettes. Browse the aisles of vibrant Vietnamese silks and then, if desired, step forward in time at the boutiques of leading Vietnamese designers producing local
couture garments based on traditional oriental cultural derivatives. Additional options can be arranged, upon request: private market tours and cooking lessons, private musical performances, meeting with a local historian, a streetfood tour by Vespa, appointments with art consultants, personal shoppers (furniture, silk, local crafts, clothing) Accommodation in Park Hyatt Saigon
Day 3: Hoi An
Lift off from frenetic Saigon following your private transfer to your domestic flight bound for Hoi An, home to a riverside town suspended in a former era. A second private transfer to the new hotel will ground you in this old city, which in the afternoon you will explore with a driver and expert guide . This was a trading port in former times; one of the greatest among the seafaring nations of the 17th century. The old covered bridge installed by the Japanese remains the city’s most iconic attraction. You’ll be heading for the hidden
lanes and alleyways where unique storefronts and historic markets and homesteads recall the glories of the past. Accommodation in The Nam Hai
Day 4: Hoi An
Beyond the historic town, the region’s rural heartland provides glimpses into the traditional Vietnamese way of life. Your exclusive guide will lead your private half-day tour of the local farming villages, laboring on the land as their ancestors did before them. If the inspiration takes you, you may also request an appointment with a bespoke silk tailor; take an excursion into the countryside by bike to see the
old carving and boat-building workshops; enjoy a day at the abandoned Hindu temple ruins of My Son; or take a romantic boat ride into the sunset. Accommodation in The Nam Hai
Day 5: Hanoi
You’ll take a private transfer to Danang airport for your flight to the thousand-year capital of Hanoi, and then again on arrival to your legend hotel — the palatial colonial-era residence now known as the Sofitel Legend Metropole. Experience the height of grandeur in the cultural center of the entire nation. Spend a day at leisure in the safeguard of Vietnamese culture and the bedrock of its national sovereignty, one of its most ancient living towns that still maintains the tranquil atmosphere of its earliest days. It is a microcosm of peace in a location that was once, to Western observers, the very definition of war. Enjoy its poetic soul while you can—if the pace continues unimpeded, by
2025 this will be the world’s fastest-growing city. Accommodation in Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi
DAY 6: HANOI
You’ll spend the morning getting to know Hanoi intimately with your personal expert guide and driver, who will host a private tour for you to make your own connections with the capital’s thousand fold streets and alleyways. Wander at will through the old quarter, a Hanoian district that has changed little over the centuries, and capture a moment of old colonial grandeur as you ride by cyclo past old landmarks from the French era, stopping at crafts markets just as the European settlers would have done in an age gone by. You may also select from Hanoi’s museums—visit the Ethnology, Women’s, or Arts Museum according to your preference. Embrace the culture of the region with VIP tickets to an evening performance of the traditional water puppet theater—a fascinating art form unique to Vietnam—or an uplifting staging of the Tu Phu show, an exploration of transcendental Mau culture. Accommodation in Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi
DAY 7: HANOI
Every destination in Vietnam has its own unique take on the local cuisine, and Hanoi is one of the epicenters of Vietnamese dining. Spend your morning on a deluxe private market and culinary tour with your expert guide to experience all the tastes of the capital city for yourself. Beginning with a direct plunge into the local food scene over a steaming serving of pho soup noodles, Hanoi’s most globally-renowned street dish, you’ll be carefully guided through the local market where every odd-looking root and vegetable will be given its proper context in the kitchen. The tour covers five venues and culminates in a serving of richly aromatic Vietnamese coffee, tea, and desserts. Following on from the culinary tour, a special cooking class will show you everything you need to know to make masterpieces in the kitchen out of the ingredients you’ve just purchased. You’ll be studying up on genuine traditional techniques to bring timeless Vietnamese classic dishes to life in any kitchen. Spend the day your own way by selecting from amongst the
following bespoke tours to experience your final day in Hanoi following your own unique tastes. Additional options can also be arranged upon request, including a meeting with a local historian, a bicycle excursion in the countryside, insider access to local artists and gallery owners, a visit to a recommended tailor, and tickets to a performance at the Hanoi Opera House. Accommodation in Hanoi Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi
DAY 8: LUANG PRABANG
Take a last look at the quiet bustle of Hanoi receding behind you as you take your private transfer to the airport to take your international flight to Laos, enjoying a private transfer to your hotel on arrival. This is Luang Prabang, the soul of Laos; remote, lush, verdant, profoundly spiritual. Saffron-robed monks parade the streets as if they still belong in this world; you will interact with them on this evening at a local Baci ceremony and dinner, a window into an ancient Lao celebration. Dinner is included Accommodation in Amantaka
DAY 9: LUANG PRABANG
It’s worth taking an early rise if you want to witness the monks’ procession at dawn, a parade of color unlike anything you’ll have seen before. After breakfast, set out to explore the town, a fascinating world heritage-listed settlement that was once the seat of royalty in the region, based on the upper stretches of the Mekong. Taking a private half day tour through streets lined with charming Franco-Lao heritage architecture, you will be escorted through the National Museum and the 16th-century Xieng Thong temple. You’ll learn more about Laotian history, art, and fashion by visit Traditional Art Ethnic Centre with about 30 minute lecture by the founder of this museum. Dinner is included Accommodation in Amantaka
DAY 10: LUANG PRABANG
Set out from the shore on this private half-day cruise along the Mekong River through Laos, gliding to our destinations along the way, visiting Buddhist grottoes in the Pak Ou caves with their miniature idols and local villages along the riverside. Additional options can be arranged upon request, including philanthropic activities, kayaking, full-day bicycle excursions, elephant-back treks through the jungle, and waterfall hiking. Dinner is included Accommodation in Amantaka
DAY 11: LUANG PRABANG
On the final day of your journey, we take you to the airport by private transfer to prepare for your flight home.
Park Hyatt Saigon saigon
The Nam Hai HOI AN
Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi HANOI
Amansara Siem Reap
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