Tour photograph · Luang Prabang
Lao traditions and Vietnamese village life come together in a varied cultural journey.
Travel for 12 days from Luang Prabang through Hanoi, Ba Vi and Halong Bay to Ho Chi Minh City and Can Tho.
Best suited for: Travellers interested in culture, nature, religious traditions, crafts and life along the rivers.
In Luang Prabang, discover flower offerings, temples, waterfalls and a Baci ceremony, alongside a half-day visit to Elephant Village.
After flying to Hanoi, learn about tea growing and village cooking in Ba Vi, then spend a night on Halong Bay. Continue south to My Tho, Can Tho, Cai Rang Floating Market and the Cu Chi Tunnels.
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Your journey through Laos and Vietnam begins in Luang Prabang. Meet your driver at the airport and transfer to your hotel. The rest of the day is free. In the evening, you may like to explore the night market, known for handmade textiles from local residents and surrounding hill communities.
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If you wish, rise before dawn to observe or take part in the monks’ almsgiving procession. Let your guide know a day ahead if you would like to make an offering, so food can be prepared. Watch the city wake up, then return to your hotel for breakfast or join local residents for noodle soup. If observing, remain …
If you wish, rise before dawn to observe or take part in the monks’ almsgiving procession. Let your guide know a day ahead if you would like to make an offering, so food can be prepared. Watch the city wake up, then return to your hotel for breakfast or join local residents for noodle soup. If observing, remain quiet and keep a respectful distance. Cover your shoulders, chest and legs.
After breakfast, visit the morning market. Alongside chickens, vegetables and textiles from hill communities, you may see dried buffalo skin, local tea and saltpetre for sale.
At the Heritage House, learn to make traditional religious decorations from banana leaves and local flowers. Create a cone-shaped ‘van’ offering and take it to a nearby temple for the monks. Continue to the National Museum in the former Royal Palace, whose collections trace the country’s cultural history, then visit richly decorated Wat Mai.
In the afternoon, visit Wat Xieng Thong, known for its sweeping rooflines and classical Lao architecture. Travel by private vehicle to Kuang Si Waterfalls, with a possible stop at the Hmong village of Ban Na Ouane. Walk through the forest, passing the bear rescue centre, to reach the turquoise pools and waterfalls. There is an opportunity to swim.
Return to your hotel. Overnight in Luang Prabang.
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Your English-speaking guide collects you from the hotel lobby between 8 and 8:30 am. At Elephant Village Camp, receive a welcome and a short introduction to the elephants. Get close to the elephants during feeding time. Visit the elephant hospital, museum, photo gallery and the area where paper is made from elephant dung. Learn how mahouts communicate with …
Your English-speaking guide collects you from the hotel lobby between 8 and 8:30 am. At Elephant Village Camp, receive a welcome and a short introduction to the elephants.
Get close to the elephants during feeding time. Visit the elephant hospital, museum, photo gallery and the area where paper is made from elephant dung. Learn how mahouts communicate with the animals.
Take a traditional Lao longboat to Tad Sae Waterfall, where you can relax or swim in the clear water; bring swimwear. A buffet lunch at Shangri Lao restaurant includes coffee, tea and drinking water, with vegetarian dishes available. Transfer back to your hotel at around 1 pm.
Please note: Elephant Village may divide participants into smaller groups.
In the evening, attend a Baci ceremony and a Lao dance performance. Baci marks occasions such as weddings, births, journeys, welcomes and farewells. In traditional belief, the ritual calls wandering spirits back to the body to restore harmony and balance. Enjoy dinner afterwards.
Overnight in Luang Prabang.
Enjoy your remaining time in Luang Prabang before your private airport transfer and flight to Hanoi. On arrival, meet your driver and transfer to your accommodation. The rest of the day is free.
Overnight in Hanoi.
After breakfast, travel with your experienced English-speaking guide to Ba Vi, a rural area outside Hanoi. Arrive in Ri village for a welcome drink and light snacks. Your first host, Mr Duoc, is a Vietnam War veteran and tea farmer. Hear stories from his life over a drink, then visit his plantation to learn how the best leaves …
After breakfast, travel with your experienced English-speaking guide to Ba Vi, a rural area outside Hanoi.
Arrive in Ri village for a welcome drink and light snacks. Your first host, Mr Duoc, is a Vietnam War veteran and tea farmer. Hear stories from his life over a drink, then visit his plantation to learn how the best leaves are selected for Vietnamese tea. See the largely handmade processing methods in his small workshop.
A short drive takes you to Moc village to meet Mrs Chin. Learn how to prepare local Vietnamese dishes, then enjoy the lunch you have made in her tropical garden.
After a break, walk through the village with Mrs Chin. Visit families to learn about rural life and the making of tofu, conical hats and other local products, then cycle through rice fields.
Relax with a warm herbal foot bath prepared using traditional Muong recipes, then transfer back to your accommodation.
Overnight in Hanoi.
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Check out in the morning and meet your cruise transfer team. Travel through the Red River Delta, passing green rice fields along the way. Board at the pier and take in the limestone cliffs and caves. A seafood lunch is served, followed by time to enjoy the bay from the sundeck. The boat stops in a quiet spot …
Check out in the morning and meet your cruise transfer team. Travel through the Red River Delta, passing green rice fields along the way.
Board at the pier and take in the limestone cliffs and caves. A seafood lunch is served, followed by time to enjoy the bay from the sundeck.
The boat stops in a quiet spot for kayaking or swimming, giving you a closer view of the limestone scenery. Return to the ship in the early evening for dinner, followed by time to join on-board activities or relax.
Overnight on board.
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Rise early to watch the sunrise over the bay. Breakfast is served in the dining room, and a tai chi session on the sundeck offers a gentle start to the day. Visit a limestone cave filled with stalagmites and stalactites, then return to the boat, check out and enjoy brunch as you sail back to the harbour. Transfer …
Rise early to watch the sunrise over the bay. Breakfast is served in the dining room, and a tai chi session on the sundeck offers a gentle start to the day.
Visit a limestone cave filled with stalagmites and stalactites, then return to the boat, check out and enjoy brunch as you sail back to the harbour. Transfer to your accommodation in Hanoi afterwards.
Overnight in Hanoi.
Enjoy your remaining time in Hanoi before your private driver takes you to the airport for the flight to Ho Chi Minh City. Meet your driver at Tan Son Nhat Airport and transfer to your city-centre accommodation. The rest of the day is free.
Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.
You are collected from your hotel in Ho Chi Minh City and driven to My Tho. Visit Vinh Trang Pagoda, dating from the late nineteenth century, then board a sampan for a river journey past Dragon, Unicorn, Phoenix and Tortoise islands. On Unicorn Island, stroll along village lanes and through orchards. Taste tropical fruit, listen to traditional Vietnamese …
You are collected from your hotel in Ho Chi Minh City and driven to My Tho. Visit Vinh Trang Pagoda, dating from the late nineteenth century, then board a sampan for a river journey past Dragon, Unicorn, Phoenix and Tortoise islands.
On Unicorn Island, stroll along village lanes and through orchards. Taste tropical fruit, listen to traditional Vietnamese folk music performed by local musicians and visit a fruit plantation.
Explore Thoi Son Canal in a small rowing sampan. Visit a family business, a bee farm and a coconut candy workshop, and enjoy honey tea. Pause for lunch and a rest at a local restaurant.
In the afternoon, cycle through Tan Thach village and meet its residents. If you prefer not to cycle, relax in a hammock instead. Afterwards, continue to Can Tho.
Overnight in Can Tho.
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After breakfast, take a boat through the scenic waterways of the lower Mekong and Bassac area to visit Cai Rang Floating Market. Visit a noodle workshop on foot and admire the distinctive Khmer architecture of Munir Ansay Pagoda. Continue by boat to Con Son, where you visit an orchard and taste seasonal fruit. Return to Ho Chi Minh …
After breakfast, take a boat through the scenic waterways of the lower Mekong and Bassac area to visit Cai Rang Floating Market.
Visit a noodle workshop on foot and admire the distinctive Khmer architecture of Munir Ansay Pagoda. Continue by boat to Con Son, where you visit an orchard and taste seasonal fruit.
Return to Ho Chi Minh City after lunch.
Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.
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After breakfast, travel around 1.5 hours to the Cu Chi Tunnels. Begin with an introduction and a short film about the construction of the network and life underground during the war. Explore the preserved site and tunnels, including living areas, kitchens, sleeping quarters, stores, weapons workshops, field hospitals and command centres. Learn how these facilities supported people underground, …
After breakfast, travel around 1.5 hours to the Cu Chi Tunnels. Begin with an introduction and a short film about the construction of the network and life underground during the war.
Explore the preserved site and tunnels, including living areas, kitchens, sleeping quarters, stores, weapons workshops, field hospitals and command centres. Learn how these facilities supported people underground, and see the concealed entrances and traps used to defend the network.
Sample tea and cassava, a staple food for guerrilla fighters during the war, then return to your hotel.
Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.
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Enjoy breakfast on the final day of your Laos and Vietnam journey. After check-out, browse local markets for souvenirs if time permits. Your private driver then takes you to the airport for your flight home.
Your journey ends here. Goodbye, and have a safe trip home!
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| Destination | 3 stars | 4 stars | 5 stars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Luang Prabang | |||
| Ho Chi Minh City | |||
| Can Tho | |||
| Hanoi | |||
| Halong Bay |
Check-in is from 2 pm and check-out is by noon, unless early check-in or late check-out is expressly included in your itinerary. Final hotels and the cruise vessel are confirmed when you book.
These hotels are suggestions, not confirmed reservations. If a hotel is unavailable, we will offer a comparable alternative. Columns represent the trip categories; lodges, homestays and cruises may be the same across more than one category.
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