Ultimate Vietnam Thailand 16 days

Xin Chao! Welcome to Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam.

Your private guide and driver will be waiting for you and your family at HCM City’s Tan Son Nhat airport with a sign bearing your name and will transport you directly to your hotel.

You will have time to unwind and acclimate to the speed of Ho Chi Minh City following check-in.

Please note: Your travel documents contain a Visa-on-Arrival letter (unless otherwise arranged). Please bring this item in your carry-on baggage. You must produce your Visa-on-Arrival letter to Customs when entering the country.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City

Morning

After breakfast, you will be greeted by your guide and driven to Cu Chi, a small village located northwest of Ho Chi Minh City known for its network of subterranean tunnels that served as a haven and successful infiltration route for the Viet Cong during the closing stages of the Vietnam War.

Upon arrival, you will view a brief instructional movie before visiting the tunnels, the most renowned battlegrounds of the period. It is thought that the concealed network of Viet Cong tunnels spanned "hundreds of miles" in total length and contained living quarters, storage areas, temporary hospitals, kitchens, etc. Although the system was initially somewhat narrow, some sections have been enlarged for tourists, and you have the option to explore them.

Please note that these tunnels will be hot and claustrophobic, so if you want to watch from above ground, that is an option.

Cassava, the staple diet of the Viet Cong soldiers, is served alongside a tart tea. After exploring the Cu Chi Tunnels, have lunch at the local restaurant on the way.

Afternoon

After lunch, get to the Mekong Delta and get on a rowboat to go around the narrow canals beneath the coconut tree fronds.

Get in a motorboat and sail to Coconut Island. Get off at a local family's house to eat tropical fruits and drink honey tea and wine. Watch the villagers make things out of local materials and listen to them play music live.

Take a walk down the country roads in the afternoon to learn how people live around here. Take a break in the calm setting before saying farewell and going back to Ho Chi Minh City.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City

Meals included: Breakfast | Lunch

Morning

Visit picturesque lanes in the area where Vietnamese families live, work, and hang out. Go to the famed Chinatown, which is the biggest and oldest in the world. There, you may learn more about the traditional values and ways of life of the different nationalities who live in Saigon.

Learn about the best parts of the city, like the Notre-Dame Cathedral and the Central Post Office in the French Quarter. Take a picture in front of the lovely apartment cafes on Nguyen Hue Walking Street, the Saigon Opera House, and the city hall.

Find the city's hidden treasures, like the Venerable Thich Quang Duc Monument. Take a cold drink and a snack and walk around the Cambodian Market.

The Chinese built the Thien Hau Pagoda (Mother of Sea) in 1760 to spread their religious beliefs to Vietnam. On your walk back to your hotel, you will pass Nguyen Trai Street in District 5, which is known for the hundreds of designer stores that line the street.

Afternoon

Check out the hotel and transfer to Ho Chi Minh airport for the flight to Da Nang airport. The driver will pick you up at the airport and transfer you to the hotel in Hoi An Ancient Town.

Evening

Enjoy Vietnamese Bamboo Circus Show

Teh Dar will take you to the magical realm of Vietnamese highlanders. Listen to songs that have been sung in the woods and around tribal fires for a long time.

Overnight in Hoi An

Meals included: Breakfast

Mornnig

Meet your guide at your accommodation in the morning, and then visit a local market. Bargain with local vendors and purchase ingredients for the culinary session. Next, get in a car and head to Cam Thanh. Visit a village in Cam Thanh and see the coconut palm plants.

Your guide will tell you fascinating facts about the village and explain the people's daily lives. Board a traditional coracle boat and take a leisurely ride down the Thu Bon River. Watch a performance by local artisans and learn how to manufacture palm leaf keepsakes.

Learn about the history of these lanterns and follow the instructions to create your lantern, which you can keep as a souvenir. Afterward, begin a cooking session with a local cook to learn about Vietnamese food.

Finish preparing the fried spring rolls, rice pancakes, papaya salad with chicken, and Cao Lau noodles, a Hoi An specialty. Eat and savor the cuisine you have made before returning to your hotel

Afternoon

Tour highlights include the Chua Ong Pagoda, Tan Ky Ancient House, Fujian Assembly Hall, and the Japanese Covered Bridge, all of which may be seen in the Ancient Quarter of Hoi An, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Visit the Precious Heritage Museum, which houses Réhahn's Precious Heritage Collection, for more of its permanent display. The collection will take you to the most remote regions of Vietnam and reveal the intricate cultural fabric of the country's ethnic minorities.

Visiting the Reaching Out Tea House, owned and maintained by mute and deaf people, is the highlight of the day. The tea house is a peaceful haven in the heart of the Old District, otherwise full of noise and activity. In this establishment, you can expect to be served wonderful Eastern-style tea and tasty sweets.

It's time to start exploring Hoi An's delicious street food. You'll get to eat at stalls frequented by locals and savor the region's cuisine alongside them as your guide leads you through the maze of narrow streets. At 4 o'clock every day, the streets of Hoi An are flooded with dozens of merchants hawking anything from fresh fruit to grilled pork. The street food tour is a fantastic way to get a taste of some of the local specialties like Banh Mi, meet the people who prepare them, and see how the natives of Hoi An organize their condiment trays.

Overnight in Hoi An

Meals included: Breakfast | Lunch | Street Food Tour

Morning

Check out the hotel and get the flight to Hanoi. The driver will pick you up at the airport and transfer you to the hotel

Afternoon

Explore the attractive city of Hanoi, known as the 'Paris of the East', with its yellow ochre colonial buildings, tree-lined boulevards, and picturesque lakes.

Begin by visiting Tran Quoc Pagoda, Hanoi's oldest pagoda, which is located on a small island in West Lake. Tour the 11th-century Taoist Quan Thanh Temple, which features a combination of imperial architectural styles and is accentuated by a spacious yard shaded by a giant banyan tree and a shrine with a famous bronze figure of Tran Vu, one of Taoism's primary deities.

Visit the Temple of Literature, Vietnam's first national university, which was erected in the late 11th century. The gorgeous temple is an example of well-preserved traditional Vietnamese architecture, and it appears on the reverse of the 100,000 Vietnamese dong banknote.

Tour the Hoa Lo Prison (formerly known as the "Hanoi Hilton"), which was used by the French from 1896 until 1954 to detain Vietnamese political prisoners before housing American POWs. While just a portion of the original complex remains, the displays offer a Vietnamese perspective through images and essays about the foreign countries involved in Vietnam's recent history.

Finish the day with an engaging water puppet show, a particularly northern Vietnamese art form claimed to have originated in the Red River Delta's flooded rice fields, when villagers entertained themselves by maneuvering puppets across the water. The play uses colorful wooden puppets to depict stories from Vietnamese folklore.

Overnight in Hoi An

Meals included: Breakfast

Morning

After collection from the Hanoi hotel, enjoy a scenic drive to an area of natural beauty, often referred to as ‘Ha Long Bay on land’. First stop at Hoa Lu, you will have a quick visit to two temples built in honor of the emperors Dinh and Le. Having been eroded over the millennia, the ruins have nearly been absorbed by the spectacular scenery, creating a mystical atmosphere that will be sure to titillate your imagination. Keep going to the Mua cave. The place attracts visitors with its many interesting stories. Climb 500 stone steps staircase leading up the peak. From the top, you can see Tam Coc and enjoy a stunning panoramic view of the countryside and the Ngo Dong river. Lunch will be served at the local restaurant.

Afternoon

You get a small boat. The ferryman will take you to visit the scenic landscape of the majestic mountains, and the fields in the triangle cups when the sampan goes along the Ngo Dong River. It is an outstanding natural beauty and the scenic karst formations which contribute to its reputation as being the “Halong Bay on land”. The last activity is cycling. Cycle for half an hour on quiet roads through villages, rice fields, rivers, and rocky outcrops inside the village. The most common friends you’ll be making are the friendly cows and water buffalo on the roadside, or you may have to stop as a family of ducks crosses ahead of you. Finally, return to the bus, where your vehicle will be waiting for you, and arrive back in Hanoi in the late afternoon.

Overnight in Hanoi

Meals included: Breakfast | Lunch

Breakfast is the best way to start the day, so make it enjoyable and nutritious. Your tour guide will then pick you up from your accommodation in the Hanoi Old Quarter at 8:00 am to take you to Quang Ninh province and Halong Bay. Take 15 to 20 minutes to relax before getting ready for one of your life's greatest adventures.

At 12:30, we will arrive at the harbor, where you can board the boat and begin your voyage with our amiable, knowledgeable, and skilled crew.

The lunch will be served to you as the boat travels on to our destination, passing by an almost unlimited number of islands and islets. Unquestionably a genuinely wonderful encounter.

You can head to the upper deck after your excellent meal to take in Halong Bay's grandeur in all of its natural, pure, magical, and beautiful manifestations.

Are you all set to join the activity? Let's kayak for an hour around the region of the floating community. If you don't like kayaking, don't worry, you can also swim.

When the time is up, you'll head back to the boat for a fun sundown party on the sundeck. Here, you may mingle with other tourists while listening to relaxing music and taking in the breathtaking splendor of Halong Bay.

Yes, this day has been great. There is no better way to cap it off than by indulging in a sumptuous dinner prepared by our chef. After that, you are free to do whatever you wish with your time, such as sing or just unwind.

Overnight on Halong Bay

Meal: Breakfast | lunch | dinner

Get up early and join us for a practice of Tai Chi on the terrace deck. This will help you relax your mind and muscles as you watch the first rays of sunlight strike the sea. The dining room is stocked with beverages such as coffee, tea, and pastries, perfect for starting the day off well.

After breakfast, you'll be prepared to embark on the day's main adventure: exploring the Cave. That is one of the most stunning and alluring caves in Halong Bay. It is a remarkable destination. Your knowledgeable tour guide will talk to you about everything there is to know about it.

Proceed with your cruise across the Bay, which is characterized by its limestone rocks and several little islands. An ever-evolving background for photography can be found in the form of grottoes and little beaches that are abandoned and were sculpted out by wind and sea. Not to mention the mental pictures of ancient junks or basket boats floating off in the distance on glistening waters.

Later, as you have a delicious lunch, we'll cruise back to the pier. After that, it will be time to disembark and bid the boat crew farewell.

You will be transferred back to Ha Noi after being dropped off at the dock.

Late afternoon

Begin your journey by visiting a traditional restaurant with dishes including pillow cake, shrimp cake, Pho rolls, and spring rolls. Taste some popular and classic Vietnamese cuisine.

Next, eat pho (noodle soup), Vietnam's most popular food. However, this is a new and different kind of Pho that is dry-blended and served with a special sauce. Try the chicken variations; the refreshing flavor will blow your mind!

Then, stop by a neighborhood restaurant to eat Banh Mi, a trademark baguette with a variety of fillings and an explosion of flavors. Do not skip out on the Kem Xôi dessert (sticky rice with ice cream). Indulge in the ice cream's sweetness, the sticky texture of the rice, and the crunch of the dried coconut.

After numerous dishes, you will be full and satisfied. Grab a taxi and head straight to the train station. Although train timetables state that they come every day, they do not always arrive, so if you are lucky, you might catch one and see the massive train pass just in front of your face.

While you are here, eat egg coffee at a nice trackside shop and soak in the unique atmosphere.

Before an amazing evening, go to Ta Hien Street, where you can enjoy a local cold beer. Find an open seat, do as the locals do: pull up a stool and enjoy a drink while watching the world go by at Bia Hoi Corner.

Overnight in Hanoi

Meal: Breakfast | lunch | Street Food

Enjoy your last morning in Hanoi.

Meet your driver after check out at noon for your transfer and flight to Chiang Mai.

Welcome to Thailand! Your guide will greet you at Chiang Mai's International Airport once you have collected your luggage. Please proceed to the Information Booth (AOT). Here you will find your guide waiting for you holding the signboard with your name on it.

After being transferred to your accommodation in the city center, spend the rest of the day resting, relaxing, and preparing for the adventure ahead.

Overnight in Hanoi

Meal: Breakfast.

Morning

Start a new day with fresh air and breakfast at your hotel.

Begin from your hotel, take a trip to the southwest of Chiang Mai, and enjoy the beautiful scenery as you pass by local farms, communities inhabited by hill tribes, and rice fields.

You should take a trip to the Mae Wang Waterfalls so that you may unwind and cool off in the water there. The Elephant Sanctuary, which is located deep in the jungle, is where you will arrive. A host will greet you as you enter the sanctuary, and then a guide will take you through the entire experience.

Take a moment to learn about elephants. As you learn how to make healthy treats for the elephants, you will learn new things. Take the elephants you saved out for a walk and feed, and pet them.  Watch the elephants look for food and the families of elephants converse with each other.  Elephants bathing in the river is one of their favorite things to do. After a cool swim, they will walk to a place where they will be given more food as a farewell gift.

After waving goodbye to your new elephant friends, it's time to do something for the inner man. Let's look for a restaurant.

Afternoon

Visit Wat Chedi Luang, a famous temple that used to hold the Emerald Buddha. Now, it is kept in Wat Phra Kaew in Bangkok. This beautiful temple was built during the 14th and 15th centuries. You may see the jade copy there.

Go on to Wat Suan Dok, which is just beyond the old city walls. King Keu Na of Lanna erected the temple in the 14th century to give important priests from Sukhothai a place to stay and for local monks to be dry when it rained.

As you drive toward Wat Phra That, one of Northern Thailand's most sacred temples, you will see beautiful vistas of Northern Thailand as you pass mountains and woods.

The temple was built in 1383 AD and can be reached by ascending 309 steps or taking a tram for those who do not want to walk. Before going back to your accommodation, take in the amazing view of the city from above.

Note: You should bring extra clothes, comfortable shoes, sandals you don't mind getting wet and dirty, shampoo and soap, a camera, and mosquito spray or bug repellent.

Overnight in Chiang Mai

Meals included: Breakfast | Lunch

Morning

The tour guide will pick you up at your Chiang Mai hotel. You can then pick what you want to cook from the menu. Get the items you need at a nearby market. The walk to the organic farm is the best part of this trip. You will learn about Thai herbs and vegetables as your teacher leads you through the farm. You will be able to pick your fresh veggies and feed the chickens to get eggs for your meals. When you are done, go back to the classroom and get your cooking areas ready for the lesson.

Your professional English-speaking guide will show you how to make real Thai dishes like mango sticky rice, pad Thai, and curry. You will also learn how to make curry paste by hand! In the full-day class, you will use a coconut grater to make coconut milk for your own curry or Mango Sticky Rice. This will give you a chance to experience a traditional Thai way of life. Share a meal with your group to enjoy the fruits of your work. Before you go back to your lodging, swap stories while you eat each other's food.

Afternoon

The driver takes you to the airport to catch a flight to Bangkok. When you get to Bangkok, your driver will be there to meet you. They will then take you to the hotel.

As soon as you set foot in this vibrant metropolis, you will feel the stifling heat and hectic pace of Thailand's bustling capital. After you have checked into our hotel, you are free to do some independent sightseeing, relax your muscles with a therapeutic massage.

Overnight in Bangkok

Meals included: Breakfast | Lunch

After breakfast, the guide will pick you up at the hotel. This tour of Bangkok's most prominent temples will immerse you in the city's rich history and spiritual legacy.  From the towering Grand Palace to the breathtaking Wat Pho and Wat Arun, this guided walking tour takes you through centuries of Thai art, culture, and religion.

 Begin your day by seeing Thailand's renowned Grand Palace, a symbol of the royal family and an architectural marvel.  Wander around the beautiful temples, including the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaew), which houses one of Thailand's most holy Buddha images.  Admire the beautiful features of the palace's golden spires and murals, while your guide explains their historical significance.

 Continue to Wat Pho, where you'll see the colossal 46-meter-long Reclining Buddha, covered in gold leaf.  This temple, also known as the birthplace of traditional Thai massage, is a must-see for its peaceful atmosphere and rich cultural past.

 After that, cross the Chao Phraya River to visit Wat Arun, one of Bangkok's most recognizable monuments.  Wat Arun is known for its tall prang (spire) that is artistically embellished with multicolored porcelain and provides stunning views of the river and cityscape.  Climb the temple's steep steps to see the exquisite sculptures up close and enjoy the breathtaking panoramic vistas.

Our afternoon ends in Bangkok's Chinatown, which is one of the city's oldest areas. It is possible to buy almost anything you can think of in this chaotic labyrinth of narrow streets and busy sois (alleys), which are overrun with restaurants, stores, street markets, and food booths. You will also make a pit stop to try some of the most delicious food the city has to offer, such as odd snacks in a market, some of the best noodles in the city, or dessert. There is no need to bother eating in advance because you won't feel hungry at any point during the event. Throughout the course of the tour, vegetarian meal alternatives will be provided.

Overnight in Bangkok

Meals included: Breakfast | Lunch

Have breakfast and get a cup of coffee while waiting for a guide to pick you up at the lobby hotel.

The tour guide will pick you up at 7 a.m., and you'll spend the day touring the best of the province of Kanchanaburi in western Thailand.

First, check out the trains going by at the Maeklong Railway Market, where you can view the train passing over the market on the train track. Don't forget to taste some Thai desserts and fruits at the market.

Damnoensaduak Floating Market is the next destination. Drive to the pier and get a small private boat for the canal tour (about 30 mins). The boat will bring through the Damnoensaduak Floating Market, in which the villagers sell their fruits and food on their paddle boat.

After that, take a transfer to the province of Kanchanaburi for a traditional Thai lunch

Go see the Bridge on the River Kwai and find out what role it played in World War II. The Kwai Bridge was made popular by the eponymous film. The "Krasae Buddha Cave" is worth getting there in the hour-long drive; it served as a POW camp in World War II.  The last one, enjoy a 30-minute train trip along the abandoned Death railway bridge over the Kwai River.

You will get back to your Bangkok hotel between 19:00 and 20:00.

Overnight in Bangkok

Meals included: Breakfast | Lunch

After breakfast in the morning, a driver will facilitate a transfer to the airport for a flight to Krabi, in the south of Thailand. Upon arrival in Krabi, meet our driver and transfer to the hotel in Krabi.

Krabi is a popular destination for visitors to Thailand's southwest Andaman coast, thanks to its natural wonders such as coral-fringed island archipelagos, impeccable tropical beaches broken up by rich mangrove forests, and national parks both out to sea and nestled in its interior. Spend your days in this exquisite setting lazing on the huge sandy shoreline, admiring the breathtaking views, trying your hand at kayaking and other water sports, or exploring adjacent islands.

Overnight in Krabi

Meals included: Breakfast

Take a speedboat out to the Phi Phi Islands for a day of pampering in the sun and blue waters. Phi Phi, featured in the Oscar-winning film, "The Beach," is a tropical paradise located about 30 miles off the coast of Thailand.

Phi Phi Don, the largest of the two islets that make up Phi Phi, is where you'll find the best beaches and most impressive coral reefs. Ton Sai and Lodalam are two gorgeous curved bays that offer a variety of tourist amenities.

You may swim in some of the purest water on the planet at Maya Bay, snorkel at the stunning Hin Klang, and discover Viking Cave, where millions of swallows make their home throughout the day.

Explore the secluded bays of Phi Phi Lee, such as Phi Lee Bay, where towering limestone cliffs rise directly from the sea. Visit the coral reefs of Ao Maya and Ao Lo Sama for a snorkeling adventure. Surrounded by perfect sand beaches, you can view leopard sharks and other marine life.

Monkey Beach, on the southwest side of Ton Sai Bay, is another destination on your itinerary. It's a beautiful stretch of white sand beach, about 150 meters long, with emerald water lapping at its edges. At dawn, you can find a troop of monkeys having breakfast on the sand.

Phi Phi Don, the bigger of the two sister islands, is where the morning session will conclude. In the Phi Phi Cliff Beach Resort's restaurant, guests can enjoy a sumptuous Thai buffet for lunch. Then you can start your exploration of Ton Sai Island's trails, which run between the two sweeping bays of Ton Sai Bay and Loh Dalum Bay.

In the afternoon, you can go swimming and snorkeling at Bamboo Island, a small, flat island covered in lush flora and flanked on all sides by a white sand beach and a reef that extends out to 500 meters. You'll feel like you're swimming in an aquarium when you visit this deserted sanctuary just 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the northern point of Koh Phi Phi Don.

What to bring?

Suns lotion/Sunglass/Hat and towel/Camera with a Plastic bag or waterproof case/swimming suit.

Overnight in Krabi

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel. Our driver will meet up with you at the hotel and transfer you to the airport for your departure flight to your onward destination or connecting flight home. 

(Checkout time is at 12 am)