Highlights of Northern Vietnam and Laos in 11 days

Upon your arrival at Noi Bai – Hanoi International Airport, our tour guide will be holding a welcome signboard with Paradise Travel & your name outside the baggage claim area and escort you to Hanoi downtown with a brief introduction en route. Check in hotel. The rest of the day is at your leisure to explore the tree-lined boulevards, French Indochinese architectures and tranquil lakes of this unique city.

The capital of Vietnam, a city that celebrated 1.000 years in 2010 has countless fascinating cultural and historic sites and our days’ tour will visit the highlights. See the grand Mausoleum of President Ho Chi Minh (viewed from outside; closed Mon and Fri and from Oct-Nov), the ‘icon of Hanoi’ – The One Pillar Pagoda, the beautiful Temple of Literature, West Lake’s Tran Quoc temple as well as the fascinating Ethnology Museum, the bustling Old Quarter, Ngoc Son temple and The Restored Sword Lake. Taking one hour around the Old Quarter to enjoy the beauty of Hanoi Old city. Having lunch at a nice restaurant. Enjoy a water puppet show in the afternoon. Overnight at hotel in Hanoi. Notes: For children, we can take you to visit some places in Hanoi such as Hanoi Children’s Cultural Center, Times City  Aquarium, Thu Le Park, etc.

Enjoy breakfast at hotel, we leave Hanoi for Hoa Lu – Tam Coc, enjoying the beautiful sceneries of the rural areas on the way. After arriving in Ninh Binh province, the guide takes you to visit Hoa Lu – the Ancient Royal capital of Viet Nam. We will visit Dinh king temple and Le king temple. In the 10th century, finding out the heroic histories of this two Kings in Chinese Wars.

After that, we go to Tam Coc (10 km far from Hoa Lu), you will have lunch at a nice restaurant before boarding a small boat to visit Tam Coc, meaning literally, “Three Caves”. With majestic limestone cliffs and mysterious yet inviting caves, as well as countryside sights, like peaceful streams, rice paddies, and deserted green fields, Tam Coc is definitely a must-visit attraction. Then, you will be transferred to hotel in Ninh Binh. Night at hotel.

In the morning, our driver and guide will pick up and transfer you to Halong Bay from your hotel. It will take roughly 2 hours to arrive Halong. Arrival at lunchtime, check in our luxury cruise and start your wonderful time in Halong Bay. Spend whole afternoon to enjoy magnificent sceneries around you, there are thousands of limestone islands standing in the middle of sea water, all of them are covered by a thick layer of green forest which make Halong bay more and more beautiful. Have lunch, dinner and stay overnight on boat.

Wake up early to enjoy fresh air of the sea, take part in some morning exercises on sundeck with our master. Then, have breakfast and our boat lift anchor to start cruising in the bay again. Keep camera ready on your hand to take the best photos of Halong Bay in the morning. Check out and have lunch on boat. Our boat finished cruising at the harbor and time to say goodbye Halong bay, catch our car/bus back to Hanoi. Arrive Hanoi at around 4 pm.

Today, you will be picked up from your hotel to Noi Bai International Airport for the flight to Luang Prabang. Meet our driver and transfer to your hotel. Overnight in Luang Prabang. Luang Prabang is perhaps the best-preserved traditional city in Southeast Asia. The tranquility and charm of this town with its splendid natural scenery and cultural sights make it one of the most delightful places to visit in Laos. Today is free at your leisure to explore the Night Market, where you can find a lovely selection of handmade textile made by local and hill tribe people surrounding Luang Prabang.

An optional early start gives you the fantastic opportunity to participate in the daily morning alms-giving ritual to saffron-clad monks. This tradition is unique to Laos, being the only Buddhist nation still preserving this procession.

After breakfast, we enjoy a short-guided tour to see the city’s oldest temple Wat Sene and the magnificent Wat Xieng Thong. We’ll also see visit the impressive stupa of Wat Visoun and the shrines of Wat Aham and Wat Mai. We then board an upstream cruise on the Mekong River, which gives us a panoramic view of the tranquil countryside. We’ll make sure to stop at the Pak Ou Caves, sanctuaries consisting of two large caverns, both repositories for thousands of Buddha images. We will also stop at a few villages during the day, including Ban Xanghai where the local rice wine is produced. Back to Luang Prabang, We then climb up to the top of Mount Phousi for an enjoyable exploration of the sacred, gilded stupa as well as a panoramic view of the city at sunset. Overnight in Luang Prabang.

After breakfast, we proceed to the Elephant camp out of town with natural green surroundings. You will have a-30-min experience of riding elephants through plantations and fields. Afterward, we head out to visit some ethnic minority villages to experience their daily life. We then drive to the beautiful Khouangsi Waterfalls where you can swim in the turquoise pools or walk along forest paths. On the way, you will have the opportunity to visit ethnic minority groups in the Ban Ouay, Hmong, Ban Ou, Lao Loum, Ban Thapene, and Khmu Villages. We return to Luang Prabang in the late evening to observe the sunset at Wat Phabath. Overnight in Luang Prabang.

After breakfast, we will transfer you to Vang Vieng, a small tranquil town nestled on a river bend of Nam Song River. It sits amidst a stunning scenery, a mixture of quiet atmosphere and limestone outcrops. Take a bamboo raft along Nam Song River with its limestone cliffs and valleys. Vang Vieng is home to numerous caves. The most famous of them is Tham Jang cave, which was served as the defense against Chinese invaders in the early 19th century. Overnight in Vang Vieng.

After breakfast, start walking around the bustling central market, then drive to Vientiane. After checking in hotel, we explore the capital by visiting the major sights including Wat Sisaket, which contains more than 8000 Buddha statues, Wat Ho Prakeo the former home of the Emerald Buddha statue and That Luang Stupa, the single most important monument in Laos. We also see the Patuxay (Lao Arc de Triomphe), which was built recently in commemoration of those who died during past wars and today it is the city’s main landmark. Overnight in Vientiane.

After breakfast, the tour ends after our driver picks up and transfers you to Wattay airport for departure. See you next time!