ITINERARY AND TRAVEL MAP
Day 1: Hanoi – Arrival
Day 2: Hanoi – Sightseeing
Day 3: Hanoi – Sightseeing
Day 4: Hanoi – Hoa Binh – Mai Chau
Day 5: Mai Chau – Ninh Binh
Day 6: Ninh Binh
Day 7: Ninh Binh – Halong Bay – Cruise
Day 8: Halong Bay – Cruise – Hanoi
Day 9: Hanoi – Flight to Siem Reap
Day 10: Siem Reap
Day 11: Siem Reap
Day 12: Siem Reap - Departure
DETAILED PROGRAM
DAY 1: HANOI – ARRIVAL (-/-/-)
Upon your arrival at Hanoi airport, you will be met and transferred by private car to your hotel in the city center.
Check-in at the hotel (from 2:00 PM).
Free time for your rest or personal exploration.
Meals not included (at your own expense). Overnight stay in a hotel in Hanoi.
DAY 2: HANOI – SIGHTSEEING (B/L/-)
Breakfast at the hotel. Cyclo-rickshaw ride in the old quarter of the 36 streets and guilds, with evocative street names: Silk Street, Hemp Street, Rattan Street, Sail Street, Goldsmiths Street… Walking tour to visit the Grand Market of Hanoi (Dong Xuan), the old traditional house on Ma May Street, the medicinal plant street Lan Ong, Ly Quoc Su Street, the Hanoi Cathedral, Hoan Kiem Lake with the Ngoc Son Temple.
Lunch at a restaurant.
In the afternoon, visit the magnificent Temple of Literature in Hanoi, Vietnam's first university, dedicated to Confucius. Enjoy a water puppet show and traditional music.
Dinner at your leisure (at your own expense). Overnight stay at a hotel in Hanoi.
DAY 3: HANOI – SIGHTSEEING (B/L/-)
Breakfast at the hotel. Discovery of Hanoi: the former French Concession district and its colonial-style villas, occupied by embassies and chic restaurants; the presidential district around Ba Dinh Square, Ho Chi Minh's stilt house, the One Pillar Pagoda; near West Lake, the Tran Quoc Pagoda and the Quan Thanh Temple;
After lunch, visit the Ethnographic Museum, a little out of the way, which will show you the customs, clothes, and even traditional houses, scattered throughout the park, of the many Vietnamese ethnic groups.
Dinner at your leisure (at your own expense). Overnight stay at a hotel in Hanoi.
DAY 4: HANOI – HOA BINH – MAI CHAU (B.F./LUN/DIN)
Breakfast at the hotel. Departure for Mai Chau via Hoa Binh. En route, visit the Thay Pagoda in the ancient village of Sai Son. After Hoa Binh, leave the lowlands of the delta for the mountainous region. The landscape and the architecture change: terraced rice paddies, banana groves, and the land of the Muong and then the Thai people, whose houses are built on stilts. 60 km past Hoa Binh, after crossing the Tong Dau Pass, reach the Mai Chau Valley, covered in rice paddies cultivated by the White Thai. Stretch your legs with a stroll through a Thai village with its beautiful traditional stilt houses and welcoming women.
Lunch at a local's home followed by a walk in the rice paddies near villages dominated by the jagged limestone peaks of the Tonkin mountain range.
After dinner, a performance of traditional dances from the Muong, Thai, Hmong, Dzao minorities…
Overnight stay with a local family in a stilt house in Mai Chau.
DAY 5: MAI CHAU – NINH BINH (B/L/L)
Breakfast at a local's home. Return to the Red River Delta to reach Ninh Binh, the "Halong Bay on land." The road descends into the delta through stunning scenery, offering picturesque scenes of rural life.
After lunch at the restaurant, head to the Tam Coc pier where you'll board a flat-bottomed boat for an unforgettable ride along the site's winding waterways, bordered by rice paddies, limestone karsts, and caves. The Tam Coc (Three Caves) site offers a breathtaking landscape of contrasting lines and colors, in the tranquility of nature, barely disturbed by the sound of oars and birdsong. Then, transfer to your hotel and check-in.
Dinner at your leisure (at your own expense). Overnight stay at a hotel in Ninh Binh.
DAY 6: NINH BINH – BIKE RIDE (B/L/-)
Breakfast at the hotel. Bike ride to visit the Thai Vi temple and then along village paths to discover the beautiful landscapes and the daily life of the local inhabitants.
After lunch at the restaurant, a bike ride on the Tam Coc dikes between villages, rice paddies and limestone peaks to visit the Bich Dong pagodas.
Dinner at your leisure (at your own expense). Overnight stay at a hotel in Ninh Binh.
DAY 7: NINH BINH – HALONG BAY – CRUISE – OVERNIGHT ON BOARD (B/L/D)
Breakfast at the hotel. In the morning, departure for Halong Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1994 and one of the wonders of the world. Upon arrival, board a boat built in the style of traditional junks and embark on an unforgettable cruise through countless islets with fantastical shapes. Cones, pinnacles, needles, and hills dot the largest marine karst landscape in the world. Stops to visit a beautiful cave or a stunning beach…
Lunch and dinner on board the junk. Overnight stay in a comfortable private cabin.
Please note: This is a shared boat tour with an English-speaking guide on board. It is possible to book this tour with a private boat and/or a French-speaking guide on board (additional charge applies, please contact us for details).
DAY 8: HALONG BAY – CRUISE – HANOI (B/L/-)
Breakfast on the junk. The cruise continues in the morning, passing more limestone karsts, more hills, basket boats, and floating villages. The scenery of Halong Bay remains as enchanting as ever.
Brunch (or lunch) on board. Disembarkation, then return journey to Hanoi and your hotel.
Dinner at your leisure (at your own expense). Overnight stay at a hotel in Hanoi.
DAY 9: HANOI – FLIGHT TO SIEM REAP – SIGHTSEEING (B/L/-)
Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to Hanoi airport and flight to Siem Reap (this flight is at your own expense).
Upon arrival at Siem Reap airport, you will be met by your guide and driver, transferred by private minibus and visited the ancient capital of Angkor Thom: the South Gate, the Bayon and its 54 towers, all adorned with sculptures representing the four faces of the Bodhisattva of Compassion, the mountain temple of Baphuon, the Royal Palace complex with the temple of Phimeanakas, the Terrace of the Elephants and the Terrace of the Leper King.
After lunch at the restaurant, visit Angkor Wat (first half of the 12th century) dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu. This immense temple, built by King Suryavarman II, is considered a masterpiece of Khmer art and architecture.
Dinner at your leisure (at your own expense). Overnight stay at a hotel in Siem Reap.
DAY 10: SIEM REAP – SIGHTSEEING (B/L/-)
Breakfast at the hotel. Departure for the Preah Khan monastery, whose name means "Sacred Sword," the small temple of Neak Pean, and finally Ta Som. These three temples were built by King Jayavarman VII and illustrate the preeminence of Mahayana Buddhism during his reign.
After lunch at the restaurant, visit the twin temples of Thommanon and Chau Say Tevoda (early 12th century), the unfinished mountain temple of Ta Keo, the sacred pond of Srah Srang, Bantey Kdei and then the fascinating monastery of Ta Prohm, overgrown by the jungle.
Dinner at your leisure (at your own expense). Overnight stay at a hotel in Siem Reap.
DAY 11: SIEM REAP – SIGHTSEEING (B/L/-)
Breakfast at the hotel. Departure to visit the famous temple of Banteay Srei, "the Citadel of Women." This small temple, built of pink sandstone (late 10th century), is considered a jewel of classical Khmer art due to the refinement and beauty of its sculptures. Onward to the Kulen mountain range.
After lunch at the restaurant, a one-hour walk in the forest will take you to Kbal Spean, the "River of 1,000 Lingas," whose rocky bed is engraved with countless symbols of the Hindu god Shiva. Indeed, according to popular belief, the lingas spiritually brought fertility to the waters that irrigated the rice paddies below.
On returning to Siem Reap, stop to visit the admirably restored temple Banteay Samre (12th century).
Dinner at your leisure (at your own expense). Overnight stay at a hotel in Siem Reap.
DAY 12: SIEM REAP – SIGHTSEEING – DEPARTURE (B/L/-)
Breakfast at the hotel. Departure for the fishing village of Kampong Khleang, located about thirty kilometers from Siem Reap and surrounded by a flooded forest. Boat trip to discover the daily life of the lake's inhabitants: a Vietnamese village with houses on stilts, and a smoked fish producer.
Lunch at a restaurant.
Transfer to Siem Reap airport for your return flight (at your own expense).
Dinner at your leisure (at your own expense).
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