Fly to Luang Prabang, Laos, via Bangkok.
After arrival connect to Luang Prabang and check in at the 3 Nagas, a standard grade boutique hotel, for three nights.
Explore the town’s many pagodas and the National Museum – formerly the Royal Palace. Visit the local market and walk through the town to see the beautiful French colonial buildings. At sunset view the town and its surroundings atop Mount Phousi.
Enjoy a visit to the Pak Ou caves, located in limestone cliffs at the confluence of the Mekong and Ou rivers. These caves are full of Buddha images of various styles and sizes collected over centuries. The afternoon is at leisure.
Fly to Vientiane, the capital of Laos, and check in at the first class Settha Palace for the night. Afternoon sightseeing of the city will include the Wat That Luang; Haw Pha Kaew – once the royal temple of the Lao monarchy and now converted into a museum; Wat Si Saket – the oldest monastery in Laos and the bustling Talaat Sao market.
Morning is at leisure. Fly to Hanoi, Vietnam, and check in at the deluxe Sofitel Metropole Hotel for two nights.
Visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Museum, One Pillar Pagoda, the Temple of Literature and the Ngoc Son temple, on the Hoan Kiem Lake. In the afternoon walk through Hanoi’s Old Quarters, over a thousand years old.
Drive to the World Heritage site of Halong Bay and board a traditional style junk for an overnight cruise. Explore the bay, passing the islands of Trong, Mai, Am, Chen and Cong Troi. Stop at one of the islands to visit the illuminated grottoes.
(Alternatively you can stay overnight in a hotel.)
In the morning return to Hanoi visiting the ceramic village of Bat Trang en route. Take the evening flight to Hue and stay at the first class La Residence Hotel and Spa for two nights.
Visit the Imperial tombs of Tu Duc – the longest reigning Vietnamese Emperor, and Khai Dinh – the monument of the Nyugen dynasty. In the afternoon tour the Old Imperial City, modelled after the Forbidden City in Beijing and also visit the Thien Mu Pagoda. Take a boat on the Perfume River back to the hotel.
Travel by car to Danang, crossing the picturesque Hai Van pass. Visit the Cham Museum, home to fine examples of Cham art, reflecting 1,000 years of Hindu influence in Vietnam. Continue south past the Marble Mountains and traditional villages to Hoi An before checking in at the first class Life Heritage Resort for two nights (you could upgrade to the deluxe Nam Hai).
Enjoy an excursion to My Son, a World Heritage Site, considered to be the Cham Kingdom’s counterpart to Angkor, and have a walking tour of Hoi An.
Transfer to Danang to board a flight to Ho Chi Minh City. After checking in for three nights at the deluxe Caravelle or Renaissance Riverside Hotel (you could upgrade to the Park Hyatt), visit Chinatown, Thein Hau Pagoda and the lively Ben Thanh market.
Enjoy a trip to the Cu Chi tunnels before touring the Reunification Hall, the War Museum and the Notre Dame Cathedral.
Spend a day exploring the Cai Be floating market and cruising aboard the Cai Be Princess down the canals of Phu An, where life continues largely undisturbed as it has for decades.
In the morning fly to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, for two nights at the Amanjaya Pancam, a standard grade character, hotel. In the afternoon visit Toul Sleng Genocide Museum and the ‘killing fields’ of Choeung Ek.
Visit the National Museum, Silver Pagoda, Royal Palace and Wat Phnom.
Fly to Siem Reap and check in at the Victoria Angkor Hotel, a first class boutique property, for three nights.
Visit the Angkor Thom and Bayon temples and enjoy a sunset view of the spectacular Angkor temples from Phnom Bakheng. You also visit the main Angkor Wat temple, Ta Phrom and Bantaey Sri temples.
Enjoy a boat ride on Tonle Sap Lake to see the floating villages.
In the evening fly to Bangkok to connect to your return flight.
