Live Like A Local in Cambodia, Vietnam & Laos 22 Days

You will be picked up from Siem Reap airport or your hotel. Begin tour to the antique capital of Angkor Thom, start from 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.

In the afternoon you will be transfer to Kompong Phluk, about 16km southeast of Siem Reap. Here is a much better option for you to visit a village on the lake. Kompong Phluk is accessible by boat only. It is relatively small village that provides very good insight into the village lifestyle of the Tonle Sap. This village exists almost exclusively on fishing and related activities. Houses are built on stilts up to 10 m high, and the village is surrounded by flooded forest. Tonight, enjoy dinner with Apsara Dance Show at local restaurant.

Meals: Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel in Siem Reap

Morning, visit to jungle Ta Prohm Temple, embraced by the roots of enormous fig trees and gigantic creepers. The temple of Ta Prohm was once used as a location to film the famous Hollywood film Tomb Raider. Explore more of the Grand Tour Circuit such as Rre Rup, East Mebon, Ta Som, Neak Pean and Preah Khan. Lunch at local restaurant.

Afternoon, explore Angkor Wat the most famous of all the temples on the plain of Angkor. 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 and the 12th century masterpiece is considered by art historians to be the prime example of classical Khmer art and architecture. Last but not least, view a wonderful sunset from the Top of Phnom Bakheng Hill.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Hotel in Siem Reap

Free time of your own to sleep in or explore hotel’s surrounding. Laze at the swimming pool or take Tuk Tuk ride and scroll around local market for some souvenirs. Transfer to airport for flight to Phnom Penh.

In the afternoon, enjoy sightseeing tour, visit significant attractions in the city.

- Royal Palace compound, the most conspicuous feature and also one of impressive colorful Khmer-style palaces.

- Silver Pagoda (The Emerald Buddha temple), display plenty of Buddha status that were decorated and made by diamond, emerald, gold and silver.

- Independence Monument

- National Museum, the distinctive red building with a beautiful Khmer architecture was built since 1917 and contains more than 5000 art objects made of sandstone, bronze, silver, copper, wood and others

- Wat Phnom, the only one hill in town with sacred sites.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Hotel in Phnom Penh

Free in the morning.

Mid day, transfer to the boat station and take speed boat across the border of Vietnam. On arrival in Chau Doc, you will be transferred to hotel (Victoria Chau Doc Hotel - Superior Room).

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Hotel in Chau Doc

In the morning you travel by car or bus to Cai Be or Can Tho. In the afternoon you board one of our ships and get familiar with your cabin. Enjoy your lunch while the boat starts cruising through the branches and canals of the Mekong. Sit back on the sundeck or in our lounge and enjoy the amazing sights — the lush vegetation and the diverse daily life of the people in the Mekong Delta. During your land excursion you stroll through lush orchards or rice fields. Look at how food is processed or watch how locals build their boats. Round the day off with a drink at the bar while the sun sets over the magnificent water landscape.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Mekong Eyes Cruise

The ship takes off at sunrise, just when the Delta comes back to life. In Cai Rang you board a sampan and explore the vibrant tangle of a floating market with its excessive abundance of tropical fruits and vegetables. You can take samples and haggle with the dealers over prices. On Monday/Wednesday/Friday, you will explore the small channels of the Mekong Delta around Cai Be with a small sampan or by foot.

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On Monday/Wednesday/Friday, you will have lunch at the Mekong Rest Stop.

On Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday dates, lunch is served in Vinh Long City.

Disembark in Can Tho or Vinh Long, transfer by shuttle bus to Ho Chi Minh City.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Hotel in Ho Chi Minh

Our sightseeing tour includes visiting bustling Cholon (Chinatown), Thien Hau pagoda, one of the oldest pagodas of the Chinese in the area and colourful Ben Thanh Market. Notre Dame Cathedral inaugurated in 1880 became the spiritual and cultural crucible of the French presence in the Orient as was the Post office designed by Gustav Eiffel and resembling a grand railway station.

Photo stop at the former Presidential Palace, renowned for its symbolic role in the fall of Saigon in 1975 and continue to visit the War Remnants Museum.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City

Have breakfast at hotel, then transfer to the airport for the flight to Da Nang.

From the Danang airport you will drive the short distance south past the famous Non Nuoc Beach onto the enchanting town of Hoi An listed by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage and was once a well-known trading centre in Southeast Asia from the 16th to 18th centuries. Its sizeable community of foreign merchants resulted in a unique architectural style with Vietnamese, Chinese and Japanese influences.

Free time at leisure for the rest of the day, dinner on your own.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Hotel in Hoi An

Commence the tour with a leisurely bicycle ride along picturesque country roads outside Hoi An to a local farm in Tra Que vegetable village, a charming little farming community on the edge of Hoi An. Tra Que village was named after the sweet scented vegetables that spice up local dishes. Upon arrival, take a short tour around the vegetable gardens and watch the farmers in preparing and fertilizing the land. Learn more about the local produce and farming techniques. Cycle back to Hoi An and take advantage of the endless photo opportunities.

Afternoon at leisure

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Hotel in Hoi An

Hoi An has been known for the exceptionally well preserved ancient town with the complex of old wooden frame buildings including the historical monuments and the fusion of indigenous and foreign cultures. Besides that, projects for preservation and promotion of local handicrafts have also been implemented. Then you will be transferred to Hue.

Food tour by cyclo: Come and taste the goodness of Hue. Explore and eat delicious Hue food like a local. Our friendly local food enthusiast tour guide will give you background and history of the dishes while you are enjoying them.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Hotel in Hue

Located in Central Vietnam, Hue was the former capital of the last Dynasty of Vietnam and has an elegant setting on the banks of the Huong Giang or Perfume River surrounded by lush green hills. Founded as a Royal city in 1687, this small and quiet city is known for the magnificent architecture of its citadels, palaces, royal tombs, pagodas and temples built under the Nguyen dynasty. The city has preserved its cultural heritage including music, the arts and many other traditions and is probably the best place in Vietnam to get a sense of the past and imperial court life.

Explore the Imperial City of Hue. The first stop is the Hue Citadel. The Hue Citadel is situated on the Northern bank of the Perfume River and built by Emperor Gia Long it was designed for the exclusive use of the Emperor and his household. The Citadel is a square 2 km wall encompassing 3 walled enclosures; the Citadel, Kinh Thanh Hue, the Yellow Imperial city, Hoang Thanh and in the centre the Forbidden Purple city Tu Cam Thanh where the Emperor lived. The Hue royal complex has been officially recognized by the UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

Afterwards, you will visit Minh Mang king’s tomb - one of the most beautiful mausoleums around Hue:

Free at leisure tiill time to take a short flight to Hanoi in the evening, transfer to your hotel and overnight in Hanoi.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi

Half day Hanoi city tour (by car or by motorbike – upon client’s interest) - Routes can change subject to client’s interest.

8:00 Tour guide will pick you up at your hotel, start your city tour by taking photos and learn about the history of the Hanoi Old quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake as well as the Hanoi Opera House . Ride around the city, outside of the Old Quarter, where most tourists don’t visit. Take a number of short stops to take photos and the tour guide leader will take you on a foot tour to learn about the history of the sites including Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and the Temple of Literature - the first university of Vietnam and is constructed to dedicate to Confucius. Enjoying a range of small Vietnamese snacks. Then ride around West Lake, pass some of the most exclusive real estate in Vietnam to find out lifestyle differences between center district and others.

Have lunch at an authentic Vietnamese Restaurant. Free time at leisure for the rest of the day.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi

In the morning, pickup at your hotel and head to Mai Chau by van with a short break along the way.

Mid day, arrive in Mai Chau, enjoy welcome drink. Then enjoy traditional lunch in village (vegetarian available).

In the afternoon, bicycle ride with your tour guide, see farmers working in fields, locals weaving scarves and visit surrounding peaceful villages. Then you will have free time for bicycling, walking, shopping

Late afternoon, return to the accommodation. Enjoy the outdoor BBQ party in the garden and watch the Thai’s traditional dance and drink the traditional liquor “ruou can”. Overnight in the communal stilt house or Valley View Bungalow

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Communal stilt house or Bungalow in Mai Chau

After breakfast, go with local tour guide to visit more remote rural villages Na Meo and Na Mo villages to understand more about their culture and customs. Mid day, back to the home stay for lunch and check-out. Free time for shopping and relaxing.

15:00 – 15:30 Say goodbye to the family to get on the bus to drive back to Hanoi (3.5 ~ 4 hours drive). Arrive in Hanoi, drop you off at your hotel. Free time for the rest of the day.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi

Leave Hanoi this morning and head straight to Halong bay a stunning UNESCO World Heritage site with its 3,000 islands of towering limestone dotting the bay and Gulf of Tonkin (180km – 3.5 - 4 hour driving). After arriving at noon, you will board a beautiful boat for an overnight cruise on Halong Bay with an excellent menu of fresh seafood. Lunch and dinner are served on boat. Overnight on board.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Overnight on board in Halong Bay

Wake up early in the morning to enjoy aquamarine water of the bay at its best. After tea break, the boat continue cruising quietly through spectacular limestone formations of Halong Bay. Enjoy the most isolated bay’s spectacular and unique islands.

Return to Halong harbour after a brunch for transfer to Hanoi. Free time at leisure for the rest of the day.

Meals: Breakfast, Brunch

Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi

Have leisure time before your departure. Please note that hotel check-out time is at 12:00. A late check-out can be arranged subject to room availability and a surcharge will be applied.

Transfer to the airport in Hanoi for your onward flight to Vientiane. On arrival at the airport, you will be met and transferred to check in the hotel.

After a soft rest, we will first visit the major sights of the capital; including the oldest Wat Sisaket, the temple with thousands of miniature Buddha statues and the former royal temple of Wat Prakeo, which previously housed the famous Emerald Buddha Image. On the way to Lao’s national icon, the famous and sacred structure of That Luang Stupa, we stop enroute to take some pictures of the imposing Patuxay Monument, which is well known as Vientiane’s own Arc de Triumph.

The welcome dinner will be served at the local restaurant with the traditional dance and folk song, the best chance to experience the local culture.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel in Vientiane

We leave the capital early for our journey northbound; we will see some breathtaking scenery enroute as we pass through spectacular countryside towards the mountainous region. Along the way, we visit the busy and colorful market of KM52 where various hill tribes come to trade goods and buy provisions. We may also make a short photo stop at Hin Heup bridge, and the fish market in Ban Tha Heua. We reach our destination Vang Vieng, which is nestled on a bend of the Nam Song River. Its stunning scenery with limestone outcrops remains unspoiled, despite recent developments with the advent of tourism.

In the afternoon, we start our board through paddy field areas heading to Tham Phoukham caves, where your breath will be taken away seeing the most beautiful and famous limestone cavern, surrounded by natural forests. Along the way, you have chance to explore the local cultures by greeting the local villagers and learning about their daily lifestyle. There is a small natural pool in front of the caves where you can take a swim to refresh yourself from the hot climate or you could explore the nearby area.

Transfer back to town, we will enjoy the leisurely boat along the Namsong River while admiring the sun setting behind the mountains.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Hotel in Vang Vieng

In the morning, we will first stroll around the town to visit the local market to catch a glimpse of everyday life in a typical Lao rural area.

After breakfast, we transfer to visit the cave of Tham Jang, which was used in the early 19th century in defense against the Chinese invaders. We transfer to visit Ban Phathau, a very pleasant village where we can explore the different local lifestyles.

We then start our expedition on the new road to Luang Prabang, that is perhaps the best-preserved traditional city in Southeast Asia. The roads are well paved along the way for a smooth journey; we pass some stunning landscape scenery with a mixture of steep terraced fields and hill villages, we take a few photo stops at some small hill tribe village enroute. Each hill tribe village in Laos has a different feel, some are more prosperous than others but all have plenty of life. We also have chance to admire the panoramic view over the surrounding area at the peak of more than 2000m. Before reaching Luang Prabang, we will make a short stop to visit the local school at Ban Nasala.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Hotel in Luang Prabang

After breakfast, you will first visit Royal Palace Museum, which was built in 1904 during the French colonial era for King Sisavang Vong and his family. We then embark on a leisure cruise upstream on the Mekong River, which also gives us a breathtaking view of the tranquil countryside, before reaching the mysterious Pak Ou Caves, two linked caves crammed with thousands of gold lacquered Buddha statues of various shapes and sizes left by pilgrims. Along the way, we stop at the village of Ban Xanghai, where they make the local rice wine.

On arrival back in the city, we will visit magnificent Wat Xiengthong a superb piece of Lao temple architecture, which presents a sweeping two-tiered roof and ornate mosaics including a beautiful ‘tree of life ‘glass montage on the rear temple wall. Afterwards, we will visit the Traditional Art and Ethnology Center (closed on Monday) to learn about Laos’ many ethnic cultures. From there, we will transfer to visit Wat Prabath to admire the sunset; this is the really peaceful place to catch the last beauty of the day. The tour ends after a visit to the famous Night Market, where you can find a lovely collection of handmade textiles made by local and hilltribe people surrounding Luang Prabang.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Hotel in Luang Prabang

Wake up as the sun rises, we will prepare to join the most sacred tradition of Laos, the daily morning alms giving, which dates to the 14th century. More than 200 Buddhist monks depart from various temple to gather their daily meal from the faithful residents sitting quietly on the streets.

From there, we will visit the temporary morning market near the former Royal Palace. Just set on the ground, the local people come here to barter their day’s catch from rice, to vegetable, to fish, or chicken. This is the best way to experience the taste of local life

After breakfast at the hotel, we ascend the 329 steps to the top of Phousi Hill for a panoramic view of the city and the Mekong River. We then visit Wat Visoun, dating back to 1513 during the reign of King Wisunarat (Visoun), this is Luang Prabang’s oldest temple and was once home to the Prabang Buddhas.

We then transfer directly to the beautiful Kuang Si waterfalls which is the biggest in the Luang Prabang area with three tiers leading to a 50-metre drop into spectacular azure pools before flowing downstream. The pools also make great swimming holes and are very popular with both tourists and locals

We will also take a short visit to the Bear Rescue Center, which houses a couple of dozen animals rescued from the hands of poachers and traffickers.

Before returning to Luang Prabang, we stop to visit the Kuang Si Falls Butterfly Park (closed from 15 APR – 30 JUN; 01-14 SEP, & 01 JAN every year), whose mission is to create a research centre studying and publishing about Laos butterflies, host plants and preservation.

Laos is also known for its traditional crafts, we will take a short visit to the Ock Pop Tock Living Craft Center, set serenely close to the Mekong, this beautiful, traditionally styled workshop, where weavers, spinners and batik makers produce top-quality fabrics, offers free tours every half-hour.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Hotel in Luang Prabang

You are free to stroll around the town for your own exploration. Transfer to the airport to take the departure flight

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: NA