Indochina and Myanmar Odyssey 20 Days

Welcome to Laos! please go to custom desk as your first point of entry to get visa-on-arrival into the country and pay stamping fees directly by cash to custom office there then guide will pick you up outside and transfer to the city for check in.

Morning, explore Luang Prabang including the former royal temples, Wat Visun where one can see the Biggest statue, Wat Xieng Thong the most beautiful temple in Luang Prabang with its mosaic decoration and the former royal carriage. Next, visit the Museum (former king’s palace).
Afternoon, continue a visit at Photisak silver shop, and Minority Art centre. You also learn how different type of minority groups in Laos, their ways of living, and their survival. End of tour, climb up Mt Phousi overlooking the city of Luang Prabang before passing by the night market. Back to your hotel

Today, we cross the Mekong River by boat, to the picturesque village of Ban Chan, a pottery village. Stop at the morning Phousi Market, where you will see such diverse offerings as local tea and saltpeter among the chickens, dried buffalo skin, vegetables and hill-tribe weavings. A visit is also made at local villages of Laos ethnic minority groups at Ban Ouay, a Hmong village, Ban Thapene and Ban Ou a Laoloum village, a Khmu village for seeing different kinds of Laos’ traditional crafts. Continue to see the beautiful Khuang Si Waterfall where you can swim in the pools or walk along the forest trails before returning to Luang Prabang

You are free at leisure until transfer to the airport for flight from Luang Prabang to Ha Noi – Vietnam. Flight time is approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes.
Welcome to Vietnam! Please be sure your visa should be pre-arranged, or your visa-on-arrival letter is in your carry-on luggage. Please go to custom desk as your first point of entry into the country and present these documents for visa upon arrival.
Your private vehicle and guide transfer you to hotel for check in. The driving distance is approximately 45 minutes.

The city tour begins with a visit to the Ho Chi Minh Complex which features the life of Ho Chi Minh, the nation’s founder. At the complex, visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, where the nation’s founder’s body is preserved (closed on Monday, Friday and through October - November), the colonial Presidential Palace, originally the French Governor Office and a fine example of French architecture in Hanoi, and the rural style Ho Chi Minh’s house on stilts where Ho Chi Minh lived and worked. Stop by one of Hanoi’s icons, the One Pillar Pagoda, built in the 11th Century in dedication to Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara or Buddha of Compassion and reminiscent of a lotus blossom rising from a pond. Continue to the Temple of Literature, known as the first university of Vietnam built in 1070 by the Ly Dynasty to honor Confucius, sages and outstanding Vietnamese scholars.
Afternoon, continue the tour to one of the following museums of choice namely the Museum of Fine Arts, the National Museum of Vietnamese History, the Museum of Revolution, the Museum of Military History or the Museum of Ethnology. Next, head for Hoan Kiem Lake, the center point of Hanoi whose name “The Return Sword Lake” originated from a legend of a sacred sword and home to a rare endangered giant turtle species and visit Ngoc Son Temple on the lake. Take a one-hour cycle tour of the Old Quarter of Hanoi with its ancient streets representing traditional trades from the past. Finish the tour at the Thang Long Opera Theatre with a traditional Vietnamese water puppet show.

Morning pickup at 8:00 AM from your hotel for transfer to Ha Long Bay, which is about 160 km or 3.5-hour drive away. The transfer is approximately 3 hours. You will see some rural areas of the Red River Delta with plenty of chances to take photos of Vietnamese farmers working in paddy fields and you may stop on the way to admire the local scenery.
Arrive in Ha Long City at 11:30 AM and check in aboard the booked junk right after the welcome drink is served. Start cruising while having lunch on board and enjoy the mighty bay view. Ha Long Bay meaning Descending Dragon Bay in Vietnamese as legend has it that it was where a holly dragon landed down from sky. The bay, famous as one of the world’s wonders and heritage sites whose formation dates back 500 million years, consists of around 2,000 karst islands and islets scattered over an area of 1,553 km2.
After lunch, take a short trek to a nearby summit for a panoramic view of the bay dotted with golden sails, go swimming on a quiet beach or sunbath on the sundeck. Later in the afternoon, you will visit an interesting fishing village with an opportunity to interact with local people who have been living in the bay for almost three generations. An optional kayaking trip is available weather permitting. Back onboard enjoy a lavish dinner and enjoy the bay view at sunset. Spend a night on board.

In the morning, refresh your body and mind with a Tai Chi exercise on the sundeck at the break of dawn. Have tea and coffee onboard and continue exploring Ha Long Bay sailing across its 2000 islets and visiting some of its major highlights. Normally, check out at 09:30, have a buffet brunch while cruising back to shore. Disembark at 11:00 AM to transfer to Hanoi capital.
Free at leisure until meet our guide then transfer to airport for flight to Da Dang. Flight time is approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Arrival Da Nang airport, you are transferred to Hoi An town by private car & guide. The transfer from airport to hotel in Hoi An is approximately 40 minutes. Check in & relax

Today, transfer about 40 km West of Hoi An to visit My Son Sanctuary, another UNESCO-recognized world heritage which was once a religious center of Cham people where royal ceremonies and burials were performed. The site now is a colony of partially ruined Hindu temples from the total of 70 constructed by Cham Kings between the 4th and the 14th Centuries in dedication to god Shiva. It is regarded one of the foremost Hindu temple complexes in Southeast Asia and is often compared with other temple heritages of Southeast Asia such as Angkor in Cambodia, Ayuthaya in Thailand or Borobudur in Java.
In the afternoon, discover the charm of Hoi An recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, is now a peaceful town of exceptionally well-preserved architecture, lifestyles and traditions. The town exemplifies a fascinating fusion of cultures between Vietnam and the outside world including China, Japan, Thailand and the Philippines. Your sightseeing will include the iconic 400-year-old Covered Bridge with a small temple attached to one side as a prominent example of Japanese architecture, the Museum of Trade Ceramics which is an elegant Vietnamese style wooden house built in 1858 showcasing antique ceramic artifacts, the 200-year-old Tan Ky House typifying an ancient Chinese merchant residence, the Ong Temple built in 1653 by Chinese settlers to worship Guan Yu, an ancient Chinese general whose character stands for loyalty, bravery and justice and the local market vibrant with colors and activities. Return to your hotel

Morning, free at leisure until transfer to Da Nang airport for flight to Ho Chi Minh City
Flight time is approximately 1.5 hours.
Meet your driver for an airport transfer with a private vehicle and guide. The transfer distance is approximately 30 minutes

Morning, meet your guide and transfer about 75 km North-west of downtown Ho Chi Minh City. Discover the famous Cu Chi Tunnels, which were once a major underground hideout and resistance base of Viet Cong forces during the two wars against the French and the Americans. The tunnels, entirely hand-dug, formed a highly intricate network of interlinked multilevel passageways at times stretched as far as the Cambodian border and totaling over 120 km in length. Its complexity was beyond imagination containing meeting rooms, kitchens, wells, clinics, schools, depots, trenches and emergency exits all aimed for guerrilla warfare. The tunnels were deep and strong enough to withstand destructive bombings and self-contained enough to outlast prolonged sieges. Return to the city at noon time for a rest.
Afternoon, your guide continue to bring you to visit the War Remnants Museum which features a comprehensive collection of the machinery, weapons, photos, and documentation of Vietnam War with the both the French and Americans and the Reunification Palace which was the former residence of the President of South Vietnam until end of April 1975. Move to Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica, a neo-Roman cathedral built over 130 years ago by the colonial French with materials entirely imported from Marseilles and stained-glass windows from Chartres. Next, visit Sai Gon Post Office, a fine colonial building which was designed and built in the early 20th Century by the famous French architect Gustave Eiffel. Last, stop for shopping at the French-built Ben Thanh Market which dates back to 1870 and whose main entrance clock tower has become a city’s symbol.

Meet our guide & driver at the hotel lobby then transfer to airport for flight to Phnom Penh. Just 45 minutes on plane, you arrival in Phnom Penh International Airport, please go to custom desk as your first point of entry to get visa-on-arrival into the country and pay stamping fees directly by cash to custom office there then guide will pick you up outside and transfer to the city for check in.

Morning, visit to Royal Palace, built by King Norodom in 1866 on the site of the old town, and the Silver Pagoda, located within the grounds of the Royal Palace. Then continue to the National Museum, This is one of Phnom Penh's true architectural gems.
Afternoon we continue to visit to Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S 21), followed the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek it is approximately 15Km from the city. You’ll witness Cambodias horrible recent past. End tour, stroll around Russian market (Psah Tuol Thom Pong), a lively outdoor market where you will find antiquities, silver and gold jewelry, gems, silk, kramas, stone and wood carvings, as well as T-Shirts, CDs and other souvenirs. Back to the hotel

Free at leisure until transfer to airport for departure flight to Siem Reap. The flight time is approximately 45 minutes. Arrival Siem Reap International Airport, meet with our guide then transfer to hotel for check in.

In the morning, visit to the antique capital of Angkor Thom, built in the 12th century: the South Gate with its huge statues depicting the churning of the ocean of milk, the Bayon Temple, unique for its 54 towers decorated with over 200 smiling faces of Avolokitesvara, the Phimeanakas, the Royal Enclosure, the Elephants Terrace and the Terrace of the Leper King.
After a short your rest, you will visit the most famous of all the temples on the plain of Angkor: Angkor Wat. The temple complex covers 81 hectares and is comparable in size to the Imperial Palace in Beijing. Its distinctive five towers are emblazoned on the Cambodian flag. This masterpiece is considered by art historians to be the prime example of classical Khmer art and architecture. Angkor Wat’s five towers symbolize Meru’s five peaks - the enclosed wall represents the mountains at the edge of the world and the surrounding moat, the ocean beyond. End of day take a relaxing stopover at Prasat Chrung visiting Tadev Hole and temple with the best Sunset. Return to your hotel and end of the tour

Continue your trip with a flight to Yangon city.
On arrival at the Yangon international airport, welcomed by our guide and transferred to your hotel for check in and has a rest (Check in time is 14:00 and early check in is subject to availability). Your visa should be pre-arranged, or be sure that your visa-on-arrival letter is in your carry-on luggage. Please go to custom desk as your first point of entry into the country and present these documents for visa upon arrival.

Start tour with half day in Yangon. The former capital Yangon is the largest city and the most important commercial center in Myanmar. Visit the 2,600 years old Shwedagon Pagoda, the most sacred Buddhist pagoda for the Burmese can be seen from almost anywhere in Yangon.
Witness the colors transform on the 100-meter pagoda which is literally covered with over 60 tons of gold leaf. So what’s behind the golden façade of the Shwedagon Pagoda? You will learn about the full history of the pagoda, the daily life of all people living in its immediate surroundings and a deeper insight in the Buddhist religion and how the spiritual belief is mixed with the belief in nats – the Myanmar spirits. An intriguing day starting from the bottom of the hill and passing the workshops, markets and monasteries which will be useful or even essential to understand more of the country during the rest of your journey.
Then return to the hotel. The tour includes a traditional Burmese breakfast, offerings to monks and the pagoda, a visit to a fortuneteller and a Burmese lunch.
Take a flight to Bagan, transfer to the hotel for checking in, free in the rest of day.
Free at leisure until transfer to airport for domestic flight to Bagan city. Flight time is approximately 1.5 hours. Arrival airport, you are transferred to Bagan ancient town by private car & guide.

Today, we visit the busy market in New Bagan when people from all around town come and buy their herbs, vegetables, meat and other ingredients for dinner. It is quite a very lively affair each morning. Your guide will give an assignment to go and buy and taste 3 different kind snacks typical for the region. There is extra time reserved to buy some souvenirs before we continue to Taungbi village where we visit the old wooden monastery built for royalty and two temples that are not well known but certainly worth a visit.
The rest of the day the car and guide are available for additional visits of the temples till 18.00 pm if wanted.

Say goodbye Bagan, transfer to airport for domestic flight to Heho. Flight time is approximately 1hour. Meet your driver for an airport transfer to Inle Lake to check in hotel.
Afternoon, we start a tour to visit the Shans which have a very interesting and rich culture. Especially, you still get a bit of the feeling of the former Shan kingdom when you’re in Nyaung Shwe. A visit will be made to the Buddha Museum, housed in the former Haw (palace) of the last Shan prince of Nyaung Shwe; Mr. Sao Shwe Thaike. You’ll also enjoy a Shan lunch and continue to the local market, traditional Shan cotton and Shan traditional dresses make this a very colorful sight. A visit to the ancient teak wooden Shwe Yan Pyay monastery with oval windows certainly gives you the opportunity to take great pictures. You will be peddled around small canals and pass floating gardens in a small wooden boat to see more of the local Shan life from the water. End the tour with a visit and some wine tasting of the excellent wines at the Red Mountain Winery before heading back to hotel

Morning, visit the ruins of Indein in the south of the lake. Partly covered by vegetation the area looks like a pagoda forest. Afterward, we walk about 1 hour to enjoy a fantastic view over the lake and visit a school in Tha Ley village. A homemade cooked lunch is served by a local family in their house. We continue towards the Nam Pan village for a very interesting trip going local with a small canoe. Whenever you are tired peddling we can go by motorboat back to your hotel.
Free before take flight back to Yangon. Overnight in Yangon & take a rest before get flight return home in the next day

Private car & tour guide are ready to transfer you to airport, time for say goodbye & take safe flight back home.