Vietnam & Thailand Exploration: from Hanoi to Bangkok

Itinerary

• Day 1: Arrival - Hanoi

  Welcome to Vietnam!

  Arrive in the dynamic capital of the nation, settle into your hotel in the historic French Quarter of Hanoi, and have some leisure time for recovery from the jet lag or a light adventure around the hotel.

  At 7 pm, join your guide and travel fellows for the welcome dinner and brief for the touring in the following days.

  Optional: Private transfer from the airport to the hotel

  Accommodation: The Lapis Hotel or similar

  • D
  • Hanoi

• Day 2: Hanoi City Tour

  Meet the guide at the appointed time and set off for cultural sightseeing in the city. Join the long queue to visit Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and feel the Vietnamese's reverence for their beloved former leader. Then, glimpse the great man's simple life by strolling around his Stilt House. Nearby, spot the One Pillar Pagoda before have lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant.

  Continue in the afternoon to the time-honored Temple of Literature dedicated to Confucius and his most outstanding disciples. Afterward, sit back in traditional rickshaws to explore the Old Quarter packed with Vietnamese houses, French buildings, and business streets.

  Accommodation: The Lapis Hotel or similar

  • B L
  • Hanoi

• Day 3: Hanoi - Halong Bay

  This morning, a 3-hour land journey will take you to board your Halong Bay Cruise. After settlement in your cabin, have a hearty lunch while cruising leisurely by numerous islets in different shapes. In the afternoon, join the others for kayaking around Luon Cave and get to Titop Island to take in the picturesque surroundings. There are many other choices in your hand, like sunbathing, swimming, cooking demonstration, squid fishing, etc.

  Accommodation: Athena Royal Cruise or similar

  • B L D
  • Halong Bay

• Day 4: Halong Bay - Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh City

  Keep cruising in the morning. The early birds can join the master to play Tai Chi on the sun deck. After a light breakfast, follow the boat guide to discover the Surprise Cave, the biggest one in Halong Bay before returning to freshen up and pack your luggage. Then, enjoy the brunch and relax on the sundeck or in the dining room while the boat approaches the pier. Disembark at around 11 am and meet your guide and driver for the land transfer to Hanoi Airport for a two-hour flight to Ho Chi Minh City. On arrival, be welcomed and transferred to the hotel for the night.

  Accommodation: Alagon D'antique Hotel & Spa or similar

  • B
  • Ho Chi Minh City

• Day 5: Old Saigon with Local Market and War Remnants

  Get to know Saigon from the War Remnants for an insight into the great charter that significantly shaped today's Vietnam. Near it, visit the Reunification Palace -once the powerhouse of the French colonial government in Indochina- for a better understanding of the ending of the Vietnam War. Continue to see Old Saigon Post Office and then walk through Dong Khoi Street flanked by historical buildings like the Saigon Opera House and the Hotel Continental. After a hearty lunch, be transferred back to the hotel and have the afternoon for relaxation.

  Optional: Half-day Private Tour to Cu Chi Tunnels
  History fans or those wanting a deeper understanding of the Vietnam War may like an optional tour of Cu Chi Tunnels. About 35km northwest of Ho Chi Minh City, the underground tunnel web will disclose some clues about how the Viet Cong survived and won during the ruthless war.

  Accommodation: Alagon D'antique Hotel & Spa or similar

  • B L
  • Ho Chi Minh City

• Day 6: Mekong Delta with Homemade Lunch

  Moving south for about two hours, we will arrive in Ben Tre Town, with the first stop at a local market to see the natives buying and selling local produce for life. Then, get on a boat and cruise to Bến Cầu cannel, browsing peaceful hamlets and waving coconut trees. Meet warmhearted farmers, see the villagers make coconut candies and broom in outdated ways, and enjoy a homemade lunch with Mekong Delta flavors. After the tour, return to Saigon for the night.

  Accommodation: Alagon D'antique Hotel & Spa

  • B L
  • Ho Chi Minh City

• Day 7: Ho Chi Minh City - Bangkok

  Bid farewell to Vietnam and board your flight to Bangkok, the metropolitan capital of Thailand. On arrival, meet your local guide and driver for the transfer to the downtown hotel. Refresh in your room and welcome the new participants while having dinner.

  Accommodation: Maitria Hotel Sukhumvit 18 or similar

  • B D
  • Bangkok

• Day 8: Bangkok City Tour

  Start the city exploration with the aromatic and colorful Flower Market dominated by flowers for religious use. Then, check out the glossy Grand Palace and explore the sprawling complex around it.

  In the afternoon, get on a long tail to glance at the lively folklife along the Khlongs, the languid waterways originating from the Chao Phraya River, and capture striking images of Wat Arun - the Temple of Dawn. After the cruise, visit Wat Po and marvel at the colossal Reclining Buddha, the largest one in the city.

  Accommodation: Maitria Hotel Sukhumvit 18 or similar

  • B L
  • Bangkok

• Day 9: Free Time in Bangkok

  Have a free day to take in the endless charms of Bangkok, its all-in-one culture, intricate and palatable food, various shopping places of all grades, and rejuvenating Thai massages.

  Those wanting a deeper understanding of Thai life may like an optional tour to two exotic markets out of Bangkok.

  Optional:  Private tour to Floating market and Train Market
  About two hours west of Bangkok, we will arrive at Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, a century-old water market consisting of maze-like narrow canals. Here, you can take a canoe ride through the fully-laden boats of local vendors and observe or even bargain on their exotic goods with interest.
  Then, another half-hour drive to the north will take you to a lively train market, where you can see the peddlers racing trains passing through it for business time and space.

  Accommodation: Maitria Hotel Sukhumvit 18 or similar

  • B
  • Bangkok

• Day 10: Bangkok - Chiang Mai

  Transfer to the airport and board your flight to Chiang Mai, the cultural heart of northern Thailand. Arrive in about 1.5 hours, be picked up, and set off for a guided tour to check out several iconic sites of Chiang Mai, including Wat Chedi and Wat Phra Singh. Finally, climb up to the hilltop Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep for the panoramic views of the city.

  Accommodation: Smile Lanna Hotel Chiang Mai or similar

  • B L
  • Chiang Mai

• Day 11: Visit to an Elephant Park

  It is a day for an up-close experience with sociable Thai elephants, an important cultural icon of the nation. Join the animal lovers visiting Baan Chang Elephant Park, a small family-run organization dedicated to caring for these gentle and smart giants. Help to prepare food and feed them, walk with them to their favored pools, and observe them bathing and romping.

  Accommodation: Smile Lanna Hotel Chiang Mai or similar

  • B L
  • Chiang Mai

• Day 12: Chiang Mai - Phuket

  Have another morning in Chiang Mai to drink in its laidback air. For those loving cooking or local life experience, we would like to recommend a cooking tour to a traditional Lanna family. In the afternoon, transfer to the airport and head for Phuket by air.

  Optional: Cooking Experience and lunch with a Lanna Family
  As the capital of the ancient Lanna Kingdom for hundreds of years, Chiang Mai is the best place to delve into the handed-down lifeways of northern Thailand. The small group tour of a native Lanna family will bring you the chance and allow you to see their loved houses built in teak wood and their kitchen gardens full of herbs and vegetables, learn to cook, and enjoy a traditional lunch.

  Accommodation: Chanalai Flora Resort or similar

  • B
  • Phuket

• Day 13: Phuket Leisure Day

  Open the beach vacation today! Lazy on the sandy beach of your hotel or participate in an optional tour to discover the nearby Phi Phi Islands and the James Bond islands.

  Accommodation: Chanalai Flora Resort or similar

  • B
  • Phuket

• Day 14: Phuket Leisure Day

  Another free day to drink in the laidback vibe of Phuket. Those loving biking may take an optional tour to Koh Yao Noi, one hour away from Phuket by boat, and bicycle through its lively town and idyllic rice paddies.

  Accommodation: Chanalai Flora Resort

  • B
  • Phuket

• Day 15: Phuket - Departure

  The colorful tour of Vietnam and Thailand comes to an end today. Get ready with your packages and head to the airport for your home-bound flight.

  Optional: Private Transfer from the hotel to Phuket airport

  • B