Essential Vietnam & Bangkok Thailand 14 Days

Upon arrival, you will be met by your guide who will escort you to a waiting vehicle for your transfer to downtown with a brief introduction en route. Your guide will be holding a welcome signboard with the ASIA TOUR ADVISOR LOGO & your name. The rest of the day is at your leisure to explore the tree-lined boulevards, French Indochinese architecture and tranquil lakes of this unique city.

Hanoi is Vietnam’s capital city and home to seven million people. Traditional and refined with French colonial architecture, tree-lined boulevards, scenic lakes and a bustling Old Quarter, Hanoi has a sophisticated charm. Observe locals practicing Tai Chi by the lake, with barbers and food vendors plying their sidewalk trade.

Notes:
+ Hotel check-in time is from 14:00/ early check-in subject to room availability
+ We’re flexible to switch the itinerary if you want to start/finish your trip in another city

After breakfast at your hotel .The guide pick you up at your hotel and then visit the capital of Vietnam, a city that celebrated 1.000 years in 2010 has countless fascinating cultural and historic sites and our days' tour will visit the highlights.

See the grand and solemn mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh (viewed from outside; closed Mon and Fri and from Oct-Nov), the 'icon of Hanoi' - The One Pillar Pagoda, West Lake's Tran Quoc temple. After lunch, visit the beautiful Temple of Literature, take a cycle for visiting the bustling Old Quarter .

Enjoy the balance of the day at leisure or on your own activities.

We'll pick you up at hotel and drive through the verdant Red River Delta to make our way to the famous UNESCO World Heritage site, Halong Bay. You'll board a luxury junk ship for an overnight cruise-- while you relax on-board you can marvel at the incredible limestone karsts that jut out of the sea and the thousands of jungle-covered islands that seem to float on the waves. The turquoise waters of the Gulf of Tonkin swirl around hidden grottoes and ancient caves to create an enchanting, timeless world.

We'll serve you a fresh seafood lunch while you sit back and relax as you enjoy the incredible view with a drink in your hand. We'll take you to a traditional fishing village where the locals have created an entire town on the decks of their boats, then you can explore Tien Ong Cave before returning to the cruise for cocktails, canapés, and a spectacular sunset. End your day with a romantic, candlelit dinner.

Begin the day with a Tai Chi class on deck in the early morning mist or just admire the beautiful scenery as the sun rises over the azure waters. Choose between an excursions to a secluded island with a sandy beach for a swim or join the chef for a cooking demonstration to learn more about Vietnamese cuisine. Enjoy a leisurely brunch while your junk cruises Halong Bay, passing islets and caves as you make your way back to the dock.

Your driver will meet you when you disembark and transfer you straight to the airport for a short flight to Danang. Meet your guide upon arrival and heading to your hotel.

Hoi An was a prosperous port from the 16th to 19th centuries trading with merchants from China, Japan, India, Indonesia and Europe who came to buy silk, spices and porcelain. Hoi An’s UNESCO World Heritage Old Quarter is beautifully preserved with ornate pagodas, antique trading houses and old tile-roofed shops.

It is a rich architectural fusion of Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese and European styles. Many of the historic buildings lining the canals and pedestrian streets have been converted into art galleries, boutique restaurants, bars and cafes. Hoi An is surrounded by attractive countryside with traditional farming and fishing, and by sandy beaches with modern seaside resorts.

Note: The cruise itinerary is subject to change according to weather conditions & different cruise operators

Option 1 – Cooking class:

Your cooking class today will begin with a visit to a colorful local markets, buying all the necessary ingredients and head back to prepare. Your cheft will demonstrate how to cook some typical Vietnam cruisine, you will then start cooking yourself and enjoy what you have cooked.

In the afternoon, exploring the enchanting time-capsule town of Old Hoi An on a walking tour with your guide. Hoi An was a major sea port in Asia and it resulted in a fusion of style and culture that has been perfectly preserved. Wander traditional Chinese shops, luxurious French homes, and an ancient Japanese bridge. The town is home to silk markets, Vietnamese food stalls, and talented street performers-- all of which are sure to charm you.

Option 2 – Vegetable village:

Breakfast at your hotel and then it’s time for a little bit of exercise and a bike ride to Tra Que Vilage and a visit to a local farm. This is a very special involvement in true Vietnamese rural life. You will learn about the history of the village and then be shown the daily practices of growing vegetables. You will learn how the vegetables are used in traditional Vietnamese medicine.

You will join in the activities of the farmers – collecting seaweed fertilizer, sowing, raking, watering and picking. Your cultural immersion continues as you join the family to prepare and eat the lunch you have helped grow. You will also taste other local specialties such a Tam huu (spring roll) and Bahn xeo (pancake). Of course you must also join in the after lunch nap before returning to the fiel to learn how to harvest and wrap the produce. Mid-afternoon we wave goodbye to your new friends and go back to Hoian for visiting Hoian Old Quarter. Return to your hotel for relaxing

Option 3 – Countryside biking or motor riding:

Our guide will pick you up at the hotel by motobike, riding to Tra Que village and then ride back to the river for aboard a local ferry to Kim Bong Village. This village is not only famous for wood carving but weaving sleeping mat as well, so we will stop at a family to see how they weave the mat for every day use in the old time before having today popular mattresses. Visit a local family making the famous local noodle - Mi Quang is the other chance to learn the local life.

You also have a chance to make make and eat the perfect banh dap (rice cracker). Riding into a small village , gearing up for an adrenalin pumping 300 metre bamboo bridge river crossing to the opposing landscape of the sea-board side of the island making our way to Duy Hai market and harbour. Here, the local ferry crossing takes guests to the water coconut palm fringed Cam Thanh village. Have lunch at Cam Thanh homestay. Back your hotel by motobike.

Note: If you prefer biking than scooter tour, we can be flexible to modify the route, matching with your cycling ability.

The most common regret from travelers leaving Vietnam is staying too short in Hoi An! You can stay from three to five nights or even longer, it’s really hard to run out of things to see & do in Hoi An. From the lanterns to the beach, from the boat trips to the shopping, from the vegetable villages to the handcraft areas.

After breakfast at the hotel, enjoy time on your own activities or ask our travel experts to organize our Hoi An tour collections.

You'll have the morning for a leisurely breakfast before we come to collect you and take you to Danang to catch a flight to Saigon. When you arrive at the airport, you will be met and transferred directly to your hotel. Enjoy the balance of the day at leisure.

We'll pick you up in the morning and take you to the Cu Chi Tunnels, a major part of the Vietnam-American War and a fascinating day trip-- explore the mysterious tunnels, find hidden doors and once-deadly traps.

After lunch we'll go back to HCMC and spend the afternoon either visiting the War Remnants Museum or the Presidential Palace, whichever you prefer. Then stroll around the city's colonial streets in the evening to the Old Saigon Post Office, Dong Khoi Street, Continental Hotel, Opera House and City Hall.

From Ho Chi Minh we'll take a short drive through lush green rice fields into the Mekong Delta and the town of My Tho. We'll stop to visit the Vinh Trang Pagoda and take a hand-rowed sampan boat down the mighty Mekong, drifting under the shade of coconut trees through the river's natural canals. You'll get to see wooden stilt houses, aromatic fruit plantations and traditional fishing villages built along the banks. At Tortoise Islet we'll stop to have lunch in an orchard garden, then continue down the river to An Khang.

If you'd like, we can take a short bicycle tour (you can apply for a private tour if time permits) and enjoy seasonal fruit, honey, and tea to the beautiful sounds of southern Vietnamese folk music performed by local musicians. In one of the small river villages you can taste delicious, hand-made coconut candies while you experience the idyllic rural lifestyle. Later, you will be transferred back to Saigon or leisure evening.

You'll have the morning for a leisurely breakfast before we come to collect you and take you to the airport to catch a flight to Bangkok. When you arrive at the airport, you will be met and transferred directly to your hotel. Enjoy the evening at sleisure.

Today we will make Bangkok city tour including the Royal Grand Palace, the Emerald Buddha, Wat Pho -the largest Buddhist temple with its colossal reclining Buddha. Lunch at local restaurant. then visit take ferry to Wat Arun, locally known as Wat Chaeng, is situated on the west (Thonburi) bank of the Chao Phraya River.

It is easily one of the most stunning temples in Bangkok, not only because of its riverside location, but also because the design is very different to the other temples you can visit in Bangkok. Wat Arun (or temple of the dawn) is partly made up of colourfully decorated spires and stands majestically over the water, next visit Wat Traimit, the Temple of the Golden Buddha, the temple is famous for its 900-years old five-and-a-half-ton solid gold image, and then transfer back to hotel.

Pick up from the hotel in Bangkok for Damnern Saduak floating market. On the way will be passing the largest source of salt production in Thailand along the roadside of the highway.Visit Mae Klong Market. (The World’s Most Fascinating Marketplace), an open – air Marketplace. People sell locally grown fruits, freshly caught seafood, dried spices, peppers, and other local foods. Amazing! Train tracks run right through the marketplace. When the train comes by, vendors have to close up their canopy and wait for it to pass.

Naturally, it’s a popular spot with the tourists. Visit Coconut Garden, see how the sugar is being made right from the coconut syrup of coconut flower. Then take long-tail boat going along narrow canal surround the plantation. Arrive at Damnern Saduak floating market. See a fascinating Thai way of life from the ancient time that is still widely practiced in this area. A chance to try various kinds of exotic Thai fruits and choices of Thai handicrafts are available at the spot.

Depart from Floating Market to visit Wooden Handy Craft Factory. They show you how to produce wood
carving. Then transfer back to Bangkok

This morning you will transfer to Ayutthaya. First visit at Bang Pa-In Summer Palace was first used by the royal court as a summer retreat in the 17th century. However, the Palace was destroyed with the fall of Kingdom of Ayutthaya and was restored by King Rama IV in the mid-19th century. Most of the buildings that exist today date from the reign of King Rama V, who regularly spent his summers there. The structures represent a variety of architectural styles, set in a large park around ponds and waterways. then follow by Wat Yai Chaimongkhol where you have a chance to sacred one of the biggest Reclining Buddha Image as well and the ruins of the old Royal Grand Palace & Temples.

Continue to visit Wat Mahathat is located in front of the Grand Palace to the east, next to Pa Than Bridge. The temple is believed to be one of Ayutthaya's oldest temples, possibly built by King Boromaraja I (1370- 88). Its central prang, of which only the base remains, once rose to a height of 165 feet. Traces of the original stucco decorations can still be seen on some of the surrounding chedis Across the river to visit Wat Na Phra Men, the temple has been restored a number of times but still has a finely proportioned ubosot and viharn. The Ubosot design is very old in the typical Thai style. Then transfer to Wat Chong Lom Pier in Nontaburi Province take curies back to Bangkok. Delicious meal served in the luxurious surrounds of a cruise boat.

Afternoon - Coffee Break - Witness the beauty of the Chao Phraya River and rural life along the two riverbanks from the cruise deck or from the cool, air-conditioned passenger cabin. Arriving in Bangkok, you will pass by the majestic Grand Palace and Wat Arun (The Temple of Dawn)

After check out, we will be transfering back to the airport for the flight out. Tour ends.
Thank you for traveling with us & we wish to see you in the next trips.