World Heritages Of Indochina – 15 Days

General Information

Duration: 15 days/14 nights
Start/End: Siem Riep/ Hoi An
Tour Route: Siem Reap – Luang Prabang – Hanoi – Halong – Overnight train – Dong Hoi – Hue – Hoi An
Tour Categories: Indochina tours
Tour Customizable: Definitely! (Tell us your specific requirements in the inquiry form)
Guides: Local Guide (English Speaking Guide, Other Languages upon Request)
Transportation: Private first-class air-conditioned vehicles
Accommodation: Listed below or equivalent. Rooms with private bath or shower, hotel taxes, porterage, tips, and service charges

Brief Itinerary

Day 01: Siem Reap Arrival
Day 02: Siem Reap – Angkor Temples (The 1st World Heritage Site)
Day 03: Siem Reap further Discovery – Fly to Luang Prabang
Day 04: Luang Prabang – Visit Ancient town (The 2nd World Heritage site), Kuang Si Waterfall (B)
Day 05: Laos Living Land Farm – UXO Centre – Hanoi/ Vietnam by flight
Day 06: Hanoi full – day City Tour – Thang Long Citadel (The 3rd World Heritage site)
Day 07: Hanoi, Halong Bay (The 4th World Heritage site), Onboard ship
Day 08: Halong Bay – Hanoi
Day 09: Hanoi, Flight to Dong Hoi, Phong Nha
Day 10: Thien Duong Cave & Phong Nha Cave (The 5th World Heritage Site)
Day 11: Phong Nha, DMZ, Hue by private vehicle
Day 12: Hue, Perfume River Cruise, Imperial City Tour (the 6th World Heritage site)
Day 13: Hue, Transfer to Hoi An (The 7th World Heritage site) via Hai Van Pass and Danang
Day 14: Hoi An, My Son Holy Land (The 8th World Heritage site)
Day 15: Hoi An – Departure

Day 01: Siem Reap Arrival

Upon arrival in Hanoi you will be welcomed by local tour guide and taken to your hotel for check-in.
The rest of the day is at your leisure.
Overnight in Siem Reap

Day 02: Siem Reap, Angkor Temples (The 1st World Heritage Site) (B, L)

We will enjoy the first UNESCO World Heritage site of Indochina, a masterwork of ancient Khmer Architecture and the biggest religious relics in the world as well.
Begin the enjoyable day with a visit to the temple of King Jayavarman Vll, the Angkor’s greatest king. Angkor Thom Temple is an extremely massive structure which was built at the end of the 12th century under the dynasty of King Jayavarman Vll. It is surrounded by a square wall of 8 meters high with five 20 meter long monumental gates decorated with stone elephant trunks. Formerly, the moat was said to be the place of plentiful wicked crocodiles and each gate was protected by huge statues of 54 gods in the legend.

Another attractive site in Siem Reap is the Bayon. In spite of not being too impressive as Angkor Wat, The Bayon is still incredibly gorgeous for its maze of corridors, gothic style towers and magical central temples with 1200 meters of the finest bas-reliefs depicting scenes of the daily life in the 12th century in Cambodia.
Afterward, from Angkor Thom, we will hit in Phimeanakas, located in the middle of the old Royal Palace area, and to the Terrace of Elephants and the Leper King.  We continue with our exploration with a visit to Ta Phrom, a temple half consumed by the Cambodian jungle and famous in the west as the film location for “Tomb Raider”.

Then, we will enjoy the lunch at a local Cambodian restaurant where you have the chance to taste some of the delicious local food.In the afternoon we will visit the very famous temple Angkor Wat – the best known and most spectacular of all the sights, and the highlight of the journey to Angkor. At first, it was built as a funerary temple for Suryavarman ll in honor of Vishnu. It is a very large and dramatic structure with the extensive and intricately carved bas-reliefs that stretch throughout the galleries and inner temples.

Please note: The city tour is flexible. Our guide will be delighted to adjust the itinerary to suit your demand. You can skip one spot or add another if you’d love to.
Overnight in Siem Reap

Day 03: Siem Reap further Discovery – Fly to Luang Prabang (B, L) 

Optional: Wake up early this morning and enjoy the sunrise against the Angkor Wat, showing its endless beauty.
Getting away early from Siem Reap and after a two-hour driving to the northeast, we will stop at the 10th century capital of Koh Ker. While there are about 200 temples in this ancient city, only 96 have been detected and maybe your morning is likely to be spent at just one – Prasat Thom. At the far end of Prasat Thom, there is a pyramid, which somewhat reminds of Mayan or Inca architecture.

In the evening you will be picked from the hotel and transferred to the Siem Reap airport in order to approach Luang Prabang, another UNESCO World Heritage Site. Upon arrival, you will be met by the local guide and driver and transferred to your hotel for check-in.
Overnight in Luang Prabang

Day 04: Luang Prabang – Visit Ancient town (The 2nd World Heritage site), Kuang Si Waterfall (B)

After breakfast, we will ride bicycles or walk to see some of the best parts of Luang Prabang including a visit to the Royal Palace Museum, which comprises a range of interesting artifacts from the Royal period in Luang Prabang. Not only that, we see the city’s oldest temples, the fabulous Wat Xiengthong with its roof sweeping low to the ground, representing classical Lao architecture. We will also visit the impressive stupa of Wat Visoun and the shrine of Wat Aham.

Next, we continue the trip to Kuang Si Waterfall, stopping along the way to visit the morning Phousi Market where the locals of Luang Prabang come to carry out their daily buying and purchasing. You will encounter a variety of local specialties including dried buffalo skin, local tea, and saltpeter, all set among the chickens, fish, vegetables, and fruit.

On the other hand, on arrival at the Kuang Si Falls, you will have the chance to relax and swim in the topaz pools below the falls, walk along the forest trails and visit the Bear Sanctuary. You will also have a picnic lunch below the falls. Return to town in the afternoon. In the evening, freely discover the town and night market or take your own time at the hotel.
Overnight in Luang Prabang

Day 05: Laos Living Land Farm, UXO Centre, Hanoi/ Vietnam by flight (B, L)

This morning we go to see the Living Land Farm, an association farm, apart from the town about 5kms. You will have an opportunity to learn all about the life cycle of rice and be able to take part in farming activities, such as identifying rice types, plowing a buffalo, hand planting, weeding or gathering the crop. Furthermore, you can collect vegetables from the organic and fresh gardens or catch fish to cook a healthy lunch.

In the afternoon we return to Luang Prabang, visiting UXO Laos Information Centre and learn about an important historical period when the Indochina War happened.
Then, we quickly move to the airport to catch a short flight to Hanoi. When arriving there, you will be pick up by the local guide and taken to the hotel for check-in. In the afternoon, you can relax in your room.
Overnight in Hanoi

Day 06: Hanoi full-day City Tour, Thang Long Citadel (B, D)

In this full-day tour, we highly recommend you to step in the most famous places including Thang Long Citadel which has been recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site recently and Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. Besides, the One Pillar Pagoda, the Museum of Ethnology, the Temple of Literature and Hoan Kiem Lake are also the worth-visit destinations. Another interesting activity is the walking tour (or cyclo riding) in the Hanoi Old Quarter and explores every its small corner. In particular, you can drop in some stands, enjoying Hanoi street food or simply buy several tiny and pretty souvenirs.

At the end of the day, we will go to a traditional water puppet show, a typical art form of northern Vietnam at Bong Sen Theater by Hoan Kiem Lake. It will surely leave a strong impression on your mind after coming back to the hotel.

Last but not least, this following evening activity offers you a very cozy atmosphere. You are picked up and taken to a local Vietnamese family, where you can cook a delicious home-style dinner by yourself. While enjoying the meal, you can take a conversation with the family about their daily routine as well as the Vietnamese unique culture. Moreover, the host will play some traditional music instruments and why don’t you have it a try after that?
Overnight in Hanoi

Day 07: Hanoi, Halong Bay (The 5th World Heritage site), Onboard ship (B, L, D)

After Hanoi, the next stop is the gorgeous Halong Bay.
You will voyage on a modern yacht, where you can enjoy the stunning scenery while being prepared a tasty seafood lunch.
After lunch, we approach a beleaguered beach. There you can jog and the sand shore enjoys the majestic scenery of the bay, swim, or lie to sunbathe on the beach. Ulteriorly, we will bump into a local fishing village where you can meet diligent fishermen who have attached fishery for many generations.
At sunset, you will have an opportunity to travel on a kayak or bamboo rowboat and contemplate the water tunnels and the colorful coral reefs. On return, you can enjoy the devastating sunset while absorbing a glass of cocktails and then having a delicious evening meal.
Note: The itinerary is flexible. We will be so pleased to discuss the options with you.
Overnight on the junk boat.

Day 08: Halong Bay, Hanoi (B, L)

In the next day, after having a nutritious breakfast, you will watch a glamorous limestone cave to admire every part of this masterwork of nature. Afterward, back to the boat for the last glance of Halong Bay’s breathtaking beauty before returning Hanoi.
Return to the hotel in the afternoon and spend the rest of the day for relaxing. You can discover more about Hanoi night and its exciting activities.
Overnight in Hanoi

Day 09: Hanoi, Flight to Dong Hoi, Phong Nha (B, L)

Today we will move on to the airport to have a short flight to Dong Hoi to discover Phong Nha National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Quang Binh Province in the North Central.

We will be met by the local guide and taken to the hotel to check-in. The whole day is free to relax. A good option is hiring a bicycle to ride around.
Overnight in Dong Hoi

Day 10: Thien Duong Cave & Phong Nha Cave (The 6th World Heritage Site) (B, L)

After breakfast, your tour guide will meet and take you to the wharf where you will embark on an upstream boat trip to discover the Phong Nha Cave recognized as a World Natural Heritage in 2003. Tourists are allowed to freely explore a distance of 600 meters inside the cave.
When reaching the entrance of the cave, we have a sampan boat to discover the amazing stalactite and stalagmite formations.
We will have lunch at a local restaurant before going on to visit the well-known Thien Duong Cave (Paradise Cave). Here we will see many stalactite groups, each 30-50 centimeters tall, resembling Buddha statues, some of them with diameters of more than 1 meter. One even resembles the communal house of the Central Highlands people!
After returning to the hotel the rest of the day is yours at leisure.
Overnight in Dong Hoi

Day 11: Phong Nha, DMZ, Hue by private vehicle (B)

After breakfast, we continue the journey to Hue, another World Heritage site and the ancient capital of Vietnam at the same time.  On the route, we drop by some famous places here like Hien Luong Bridge, Legendary Vinh Moc Tunnels, and Quang Tri Citadel Museum.
Check into the hotel room in the afternoon. After that is the time for you to relax or explore the city. You can come to the city central, Dong Ba Market or walk along the Perfume River to enjoy the sunset.
Overnight in Hue.

Day 12: Hue, Perfume River Cruise, Imperial City Tour (the 7th World Heritage site) (B, L)

Firstly, we drive to Thanh Toan Village to visit Thanh Toan market, walking around the market, purchase some interesting stuff and communicate with the locals. The local guide who accompanies us will help us to translate. We can also drop in the small village museum and the ancient Thanh Toan Covered Bridge nearby where represent Vietnamese agricultural life.

Then we cruise on a dragon boat along the Huong River (Perfume River) and visit Thien Mu Pagoda. After that, we go to Hue Citadel where we will see the former Imperial Palace, closely modeled on the Forbidden City in Beijing.
We have a vegetarian lunch in a local Buddhist monastery and then travel to the surrounding to watch the tombs of the feudal Emperors. Finally, we explore the Hue Royal Fine Arts Museum before returning to the hotel in the late afternoon. The rest of the day is free to relax.
Overnight in Hue

Day 13: Hue, Transfer to Hoi An (The 8th World Heritage site) via Hai Van Pass and Danang (B, L)

We will go to see Hoi An in the morning. On the road, we can enjoy Hai Van Pass (Ocean Cloud Pass) and the fishing village of Lang Co before approaching Danang. We will visit the gorgeous Non-Nuoc Beach and the Cham Museum comprising the greatest collection of Cham sculptures in the world. Also, you have the chance to drop by the sacred hills the Marble Mountain, which places a lot of Buddhist shrines.

We will be served lunch at a local restaurant after check-in. Then, it is a walking tour around small streets of the Ancient Quarter, discovering the Tan Ky house, the 400-year-old Japanese Covered Bridge, the Assembly Hall of the Chaozhou Chinese Congregation and the markets.
Afterward, we take a short boat trip to a nearby island to visit the villages of Thanh Ha and Kim Bong to see how the locals make a pottery work. The rest of the day is your free time.
Overnight in Hoi An

Day 14: Hoi An, My Son Holy Land (The final World Heritage site) (B)

After having breakfast we depart from to My Son Sanctuary – a famous destination with the ancient architectural ruins in the middle of forests. All of the visitors will be marveled at its spectacular architecture with different ancient styles. Furthermore, you can enjoy various impressive dance and music performances as well as taking beautiful pictures around the sanctuary.
Then, we return to Hoi An and use the rest of the day is to relax.
Overnight in Hoi An

Day 15: Hoi An – Danang – Departure (B)

There are several options for this morning. You can be driven to the airport to take the flights to Danang, Saigon or Hanoi so that you can catch the flights back to your home.
You can also join in fishing in Farming Life Tour before taking the flight. It is optional.