After breakfast at the hotel, depart on a 2.5-hour journey to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Halong Bay. The Halong Bay itinerary below is an example of our typical service on a three-star junk/cruise. Our luxury cruise itineraries aboard the Violet, Jasmine, Ginger, Paradise, or Au Co provide a variety of programs. Please contact us for additional information.

Spend 24 hours on a traditional Junk Cruise in the beautiful bay, a natural beauty of jutting limestone islets and stunning blue waters. Arrive at the pier at 12:00 p.m. and board your junk. As we sail out into the magical bay, have a sumptuous meal with fresh seafood on board. Cruise around several of Halong’s numerous islands in the afternoon, including Dinh Huong and Ga Choi. Visit one of the bay’s three major caverns along the route (Thien Cung, Dau Go, or Sung Sot). Stop at an island cove with a secluded white-sand beach and cool down in the Gulf of Tonkin’s warm waters (weather permitting). Sleep the night away on your trash, lulled to sleep by the gently rolling of calm seas.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.
Accommodation: on cruise on Halong Bay.

Wake up early and do Tai Chi on the top deck, or simply relax and watch the dawn over the bay’s towering islands. Enjoy a cup of coffee or tea in the morning before rowing out to explore the local islands. Return to the junk for breakfast, then use the sundeck to observe the incredible rock formations of Bai Tu Long Bay as you make your way back to Halong City. Your driver will be waiting for you at the pier and will take you back to Hanoi. A 3-hour Hanoi City Landmarks tour is available.

Meals: Brunch.
Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi

Your driver and guide will greet you in the lobby of your hotel and drive you down Highway No.6 to Mai Chau, a tiny village hidden in a verdant valley surrounded by emerald-green rice fields. Enjoy breathtaking views of the gorgeous countryside, which is dotted with pagodas and rural settlements. Visit the Muong tribe along the road, and then stop at Thung Khe Pass for a breathtaking view of Mai Chau Valley. After lunch in Mai Chau, spend the afternoon walking along the Song Ma River, away from the regular tourist trail. Trek through terraced rice terraces and tiny towns, enjoying the valley’s natural beauty and learning about the culture of the region’s White Thai people. Stop at a Thai village for the night, having dinner with a local family and enjoying a live dance and music performance in the evening.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.
Accommodation: Homestay in Mai Chau.

Begin the day by sharing a modest breakfast with your host family. Bid farewell to your homestay host and drive to Son La. We will stop on way to visit villages of various tribes such as the H’mong, Thai, Muong, and Dzao, as well as an orchard and a tea plantation in the Moc Chau plateau – Vietnam’s premier tea-growing zone – before arriving in Son La (200 kilometers from Mai Chau) for a late lunch. Continue through steep mountain roads through North Vietnam’s gorgeous landscape in the afternoon. The most gorgeous landscape here is Pha Din Route, which is well-known as a historical place during the First Indochina War, which concluded in 1954, and a delightful and risky pass at an elevation of 1,300 meters with a stunning outlook. According to local legend, “Pha Din” means the connection between Heaven and Earth. On arrival, check-in at your hotel and spend the rest of the day at leisure.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.
Accommodation: Hotel in Dien Bien Phu.

Dien Bien Phu is located in a heart-shaped basin on the border with Laos. The renowned historical battleground where the Vietnamese beat the French, bringing the French colonial control to an end in 1954. Begin the day with a trip to the local market, where you will encounter lovely Thai tribes dressed in traditional costumes and purchase agricultural products. The military base and historical site of the First Indochina War is next. We drive 30 minutes outside of town to The Command of Dien Bien Phu Campaign (Muong Phang) – Located in a primitive woodland in Muong Phang commune to the commanding bunker of General Commander-in-chief Vo Nguyen Giap and Hoang Van Thai.

In the afternoon, you will visit the Dien Bien Phu Museum, which was established in 1984 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory, before moving on to A1 Hill, the most significant French camp and the Bunker of French General De Castries.
In the afternoon, spend some time relaxing by the hotel pool or wandering about town.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel in Dien Bien Phu.

After breakfast, travel south through the scenic Muong Thanh Valley to the Tay Trang border crossing into Laos, where our Laos guide and driver will be waiting for you.
(Immigration and customs procedures may take up to 30 minutes.)
After crossing the border, you will travel through one of Laos’ most rural areas to Muang Khua, a one-horse border settlement on the banks of the Nam Ou River. Depending on your schedule, you may either stop for lunch in Pak Nam Noy or continue driving for another hour and a half to Ban Na My.
Then continue on to Nong Khiaw, a wonderful rustic tiny village on the Ou River’s bank. It is crammed between some of the most spectacular limestone mountains north of Laos.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel in Nong Khiaw.

Breakfast in the hotel, then have a relaxing walk about the hamlet, taking in the rural atmosphere and enjoying beautiful views of the Nam Ou river, or visit a tiny temple complex in the heart of town. Continue the 2-hour trip through magnificent surroundings along the Nam Ou River and spectacular mountainous landscape to the Pak Ou Caves, which house a pantheon of gold Buddha sculptures hidden into the crannies of the limestone cliffs. Take a sail down the Mekong from the cave to the town of Ban Xang Hai.

Before going down the Mekong to Luang Prabang, stop here to learn how the locals create LauLao (Lao whiskey) and LauHai (Lao wine). Check into your accommodation, then go for an evening stroll around the charming streets, taking in the sunset over the river and the surrounding green countryside. The evening’s highlight is a visit to the city center’s local night market, where ethnic minority residents gather to purchase and sell their items.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel in Luang Prabang.

Luang Prabang, the historic capital of Laos and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is located where the Nam Khan River joins the Mekong. This city is renowned to fascinate its tourists with its lantern-lit lanes adorned with a mix of fading colonial homes and shimmering tile temples. Breakfast at the hotel, followed by a half-day tour of Luang Prabang. Begin with a visit to the Royal Palace Museum, then go to the beautiful Wat Xiengthong – a typical example of Laotian architecture – before viewing the enormous stupa of Wat Visoun and the shrines of Wat Aham and Wat Mai. Spend the rest of the day at your leisure, relax in one of the city’s many quirky cafés or stroll along the beautiful riverbank.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel in Luang Prabang.

Today you travel from Luang Prabang to Xieng Khuang through the picturesque countryside of Laos. This is a 7-hour drive with breathtaking vistas of Laos’ rain forests and mountain ranges. You will stop for picture opportunities and see numerous hill tribal settlements along the trip. When you arrive, check into your hotel and unwind.
Nota bene: due to the lengthy travel today, our guide will bring this up again a day in advance to allow for required preparation.)

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
Accommodation: Hotel in Phonsavan.

Begin the day by visiting Phonsavan’s lively downtown market. Before traveling out to visit the famous stone wonders of Xieng Khuang, the Plain of Jars, stop by the MAG (de-mining organization) display. First, you’ll visit Site 1, where hundreds of enormous stone jars are spread throughout the beautiful plateau. The wooded region of Site 2 follows, followed by a short picturesque journey to Site 3, going via the Thai Dam and Laos Leum hamlet. Enjoy an afternoon tour of Muang Khoun’s historic city and surrounding H’mong and Thai Dam villages.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel in Phonsavan.

Today you fly from Phonsavan to Vientiane on a short domestic trip. Your driver and guide will greet you at the airport and transport you to your hotel in the heart of the city. After a little break, go on a sightseeing trip of Laos’ unique capital, stopping at all of the city’s major attractions. Begin the visit to Wat Si Saket, Vientiane’s oldest temple, which has over 2,000 porcelain, gold, and silver Buddha figures. Then we go to Haw Pha Kaew, the Royal Temple that originally housed the famed Emerald Buddha, before continuing on to Pha That Luang, Laos’ most important national monument. Finish your journey at Patuxai, Vientiane’s own Arc de Triumph.

Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Hotel in Vientiane.

Have breakfast at the hotel and then enjoy a free morning at your leisure before driving to the airport to catch your departure flight home.
Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: N/A.