Southeast Asian Holidays: Spend Your Vacation in Inspiring Indochina

Culturally influenced by both India and China, embrace the inspiring delights of Indochina, where you can explore a vast array of colorful performances, experience Asian holidays, meet incredible people – like the headmaster of the Vietnamese Royal Martial Arts – and learn about the fascinating history of Indochina. A Southeast Asia vacation package like this one is not to be missed! Keep reading to learn what a sample itinerary would look like.

Asian holidays: Indochina

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Day 1 – Arrive in Siem Reap

Meet your traveling concierge and be transferred to your hotel. Enjoy the rest of the day at your leisure.  At night, meet your concierge and fellow companions for a welcome drink.

Day 2 – Angkor Wat

Visit Angkor Wat with a renowned Khmer scholar from the Angkor Temple Conservation Institution. In the afternoon, visit Angkor Thom – an entire walled city and Capital of Cambodia from the 12th to the 16th century. In the evening, see a performance of the Phare Circus combining local traditions with new genres to form an amazing triumph of beautifully choreographed acrobatics and dance.

Day 3 – Ta Phrom, Ta Nei and Ta Keo

Journey to Ta Phrom Temple, one of Angkor’s jewels. Overgrown with fig trees and lush jungle, the magnificent roots of trees have merged over the centuries with the temple’s huge stone blocks. Explore Ta Nei – a hidden oasis well off the beaten track. Finally, travel to Ta Keo, known as “the mountain with bronze peaks.”

Day 4 – Ho Chi Minh City

In the morning, transfer to the airport for your included flight to Vietnam. On arrival in Ho Chi Minh City, you will be greeted and transferred to the hotel. Enjoy some free time before a cocktail reception with traditional dance performances at the Art Salon Saigon, followed by your welcome dinner.

Day 5 – Saigon

See the changing landscape of Vietnam from the glittering skyscrapers to the green paddy fields along the Saigon River. Your destination is the Cu Chi tunnels dug in 1948 for guerrillas to hide from French air and ground sweeps. Back in the city, a walking tour takes in all of the highlights, including Notre Dame Cathedral and Gusatve Eiffel’s Central Post Office.

Day 6 – The Mekong Delta

Cruise the Mekong Delta to see coconut production and enjoy a taste of the freshest juice possible. See locals creaking bricks as they have for centuries with their small brick kiln. Take a tri-motorcycle along the village roads and stop at a rice noodle factory to see the most popular breakfast in the region is produced. Cruise on to Mango Home, and meet Mr. Sau Tuong, a former soldier who fought the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia.

Day 7 – Hue

In the morning, board your flight to Hue for an unforgettable journey. Enjoy a cyclo ride through the rice fields to Thanh Toan village to the agriculture museum for an insight into rice production. At night, enjoy the royal treatment at Ancient Hue Restaurant. Dress in traditional costume and savor an unforgettable dinner with dishes typically served to royalty.

Day 8 – Hue

Rise early to visit the UNESCO Heritage Listed Imperial Citadel before it opens to the public. A renowned local historian will take you through the towering main gates to hear about the intrigue of the former royal court. Later, meet the headmaster of the Vietnamese Royal Martial Arts at an ancient temple and learn about the training of its students. At Dong Thuyen pagoda, relax and enjoy a vegetarian lunch prepared by Buddhist nuns.

Day 9 – Hoi An

During your walking tour of Hoi An, visit the old merchant’s houses, the Japanese Covered Bridge and Assembly Hall. Finally, visit the market with stalls brimming with local specialties. Enjoy time at leisure in the afternoon. Perhaps admire the spectacular sunset on a kayak trip along the poetic Thu Bon River, or board a local riverboat to the Cua Dai Sea if you prefer a gentler pace.

Day 10 – Hoi An

Visit Cam Thanh Village, once a shelter for local people and soldiers during the Vietnam War, now a village supplying seafood, vegetables and rice to the area. Board a bamboo basket-boat to ride to the Thanh Dong village. Join in a hands-on cooking class with a local chef and try the local delicacies that you make for lunch.

Day 11 – Halong Bay

Board a morning flight to Hanoi and journey to Halong Bay to board your deluxe junk by lunchtime. Visit the mysterious Tien Ong Cave and the Cua Van area. In the evening the choice is yours; participate in a cooking demonstration with the onboard chef, or relax on the top deck to watch the sunset.

Day 12 – Halong to Hanoi

Greet the day with Tai Chi on the upper deck or take an early morning swim in the Bay before returning to Hanoi. Stop at Dao Thuc village to meet a traditional artisan puppet maker and see a water puppet performance in a lotus pond, often performed on Southeast Asian holidays.

Day 13 – Hanoi

Start the day with an electric cart ride through Hanoi, seeing the Opera house, French Avenues, Sword Lake and the Jade Mountain temple. Then, join a local foodie for a taste of the street-food culture. On your guided walk, learn about what locals love and try tastes of the very best.

Day 14 – Hanoi History Museum

Start the day with a visit to the Temple of Literature, where you will meet a renowned scholar to hear about Hanoian culture and Vietnamese architecture before you tour the temple grounds. Dinner will take place at the History Museum after it closes to the public, with a cocktail reception in the museum itself.

Day 15 – Vietnam to Laos

Your tour comes to an end after breakfast with a transfer to the airport for your flight. In the morning, board your included flight to Luang Prabang.

Day 16 – UNESCO Heritage Site

Start the day with a walk to the top of Mount Phousi, to admire the spectacular views across the Mekong and Khan rivers. Enjoy a UNESCO walk of the Heritage site, with plenty of time for you to see the sites as you want to. Your traveling concierge will take you to visit the famous Wat Xiengthong or ‘Temple of the Golden City’. In the late afternoon, relax on a sunset cruise on the Mekong.

Day 17 – Natural Beauty

Embrace the opportunity to offer alms to the hundreds of saffron-robed monks – a truly awe-inspiring sight! Afterwards, see the town come to life during a visit to the bustling morning market. Following breakfast, head to Kuang Si waterfall to enjoy a leisurely walk through the national park. Savor your lunch at Ock Pop Tock, famous for helping preserve unique hand-loomed textile methods, and enjoy beautiful views of the Mekong river from its restaurant.

Day 18 – Depart from Luang Prabang

Your Asian holidays draw to a close after breakfast, with private airport transfers timed to meet your flight.

Learn more about this exciting trip. 

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