An exceptional trip through the high places of Indochina classified as Unesco heritage: Halong Bay, Hue, Hoi An in Vietnam, the ancient capital of Luang Prabang in Laos, the mysterious temples of Angkor of Cambodia. It means dwelling on a place or meeting, understanding at your own pace the history and present of the three countries.

The strong points :

- Discovery of the must-see, natural and historical sites of Indochina
- Authentic encounters with local people and discovery of their way of life varying between three different countries.
- Traditional Laotian villages, astonishing and little-known Khmer temples in Cambodia.
- Experience local transport by going on pedicab, bicycle, tuk-tuk, elephant back, boat or local pirogue rides, in combination with beautiful walks.
- A water puppet show in an artists' village in Vietnam and a circus performance in Angkor.

Itinerary in brief:

Day 01: Arrival in Hanoi
Day 02: Hanoi - Visits
Day 03: Ha Noi - Cat Ba - Cruise
Day 04: Cat Ba - Ninh Binh
Day 05: Ninh Binh - Hue
Day 06: Hue - Visits
Day 07: Hue - Da Nang - Hoi An
Day 08: Hoi An - Free
Day 09: Hoi An - Flight to Saigon
Day 10: Saigon - Vinh Long - Can Tho
Day 11: Can Tho - Tra Su - Chau Doc
Day 12: Chau Doc - Boat - Phnom Penh
Day 13: Phnom Penh - Visits
Day 14: Phnom Penh - Siem Reap
Day 15: Siem Reap - Visits
Day 16: Siem Reap - flight to Pakse - Khong island
Day 17: 4000 islands
Day 18: 4000 islands - Pakse - flight to Vientiane
Day 19: Vientiane - Vang Vieng
Day 20: Vang Vieng - Luang Prabang
Day 21: Luang Prabang
Day 22: Departure from Luang Prabang

Notes:

- Depending on your desires and your budget, this tour can be adapted and modified in terms of duration, content, as well as the date of departure.
- The price of this trip varies depending on the number of participants, the services chosen (accommodation category, activities and board during the trip, ...) as well as the tourist period of the year.
- Do not hesitate to contact us for more information. We are always ready to listen to you.

Day 1: Hanoi - arrival

(guide, car, dinner, accommodation, visits)

Welcome by Zen Vietnam  guide and driver. Transfer to downtown Ha Noi.

An orientation walk or rickshaw in the old town district, otherwise known as the 36 Trades Streets of Ha Noi because most of the shops on the same street sold the same thing: Rue des bambous, Rue de silk, Traditional medicine street, Bronze street, etc. A really typical and charming district, with its shops on the sidewalks, small narrow houses, scooters everywhere.

Installation at the hotel for the shower and rest. Warning ! hotel rooms are only available from 2 p.m.

Gourmet dinner at the restaurant. Night at the hotel.

Day 2: Hanoi - Visits

(guide, car, lunch, dinner, accommodation, visits)

Today you will start the visit of the capital Hà Nội with a very old Buddhist pagoda, the 6th century Trấn Quốc pagoda, located in a beautiful setting by the large West Lake. Then, you will visit the Quán Thánh temple at 300m.

Then, the visit of the ethnographic museum, which gives you a panoramic view of the life of the 54 ethnic groups with 54 different cultures in the territory of Vietnam.

Time for lunch at the restaurant.

In the afternoon, visit of the political district with the mausoleum of Hồ Chí Minh, the founding father of modern Vietnam, the presidential palace, the house on stilts of Hồ Chí Minh, the pagoda with the one pillar. Visit of the Temple of Literature, the first university in the history of the country.

At the end of the day, you will witness the spectacle of the Water Puppet Theater, a unique culture that you will never find in any other country in the world. Vietnam is the only country that practices this art.

Dinner at the restaurant. Overnight at hotel in Hanoi.

Day 3: Ha Noi - Cat Ba - Cruise - Night on board

(guide, car, lunch, dinner, accommodation, visits, private junk or collective boat)

Breakfast at the hotel.

At 8:30 am, departure for Hai Phong, then to Cat Ba Island. Around noon you arrive at the Ben Beo pier where you will board our beautiful private junk and start the 24 hours on board for the discovery of one of the natural wonders of Humanity, Halong Bay.

From our ¨zen¨ criteria for trips, we have chosen the part of the south of the bay where the large mass tourism boats do not pass yet, just a few small traditional junks in this area. A part of the bay that is still very authentic and wild, thousands of rocks, wild beaches and huge floating villages that you can not find in the other part of Ha Long Bay.

Lunch on board with seafood. Time for swimming or simply resting on the deck to admire this miracle that nature offers us. After 3 hours of navigation, we arrive at Hang Ca, a beautiful place for a kayak trip, another way to see the bay up close.

Around 5:30 p.m., we anchor in a magnificent circus in the middle of the bay where you will be alone. A hell of a time to watch the sunset over the bay.

Dinner on board and a trial of squid fishing in the evening will be great memories.

Overnight on board.

Note: The order of visits during the cruise may be changed depending on local weather conditions.

Day 4: Cat Ba - Hai Phong Airport - Ninh Binh

(guide, car, lunch, accommodation, visits)

An early morning awakening in a magical setting around 5 am to admire the sunrise over the bay, why not?

After a good breakfast, the junk continues to sail in the bay and takes you to Viet Hai village for a nice bike ride or visit the fish farm or just enjoy the tranquility on a beach. You choose !

Lunch on board and disembarkation around 11:30 am. Transfer to Ninh Binh otherwise known as Halong Bay on land due to its similarity of landscapes.

Arrival at Tam Coc. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 5: Halong Bay land - Ha Noi - Flight to Hue

(guide, car, lunch, accommodation, visits, plane)

Breakfast at the hotel.

Departure for a bike ride in the village to Thung Nham, for another ride but in a rowing boat. It will be a very ¨zen¨ moment to contemplate the beauty of the terrestrial Halong Bay with rocks, rice fields, caves ....

Visit of the Bich Dong pagoda.

Lunch at the restaurant.

Drive to Ha Noi for the flight to Hue at 5 p.m.

Welcome by the guide and the driver.

Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 6: Hue - sightseeing

(guide, car, lunch, accommodation, visits)

Hue, former capital of Vietnam from 1802 to 1945, a charming city which has a great cultural wealth, with its history, its historical monuments, its imperial city, its mausoleums, its Perfume River ..., a city which has seduced the soul of generations of Vietnamese poets as well as visitors. Despite damage due to the two wars, the renovation projects are gradually giving it back its original charm.

You will visit the most important monument in Hue, the Imperial City. Built over 29 years, from 1804 to 1833, the imperial city was the political, economic, cultural center of the country and the home of 13 Nguyen emperors and their families. The construction of the imperial city was a typical example of oriental architecture by harmoniously applying Confucianist philosophies, fengshui as well as the use of local and exotic materials.

Continuation of the visit to the mausoleum of Emperor Khai Dinh, an exceptional building. Its architecture is really an original invention of this emperor and under the hands of the artists of the time, a splendid building, mixed with several styles Catholic, Buddhist, French, Vietnamese, Chinese, as well as a work of the most beautiful mosaic of the time. Vietnam, were made.

Time for lunch.

In the afternoon, you will visit the Heavenly Lady Pagoda, the most important pagoda in Hue. Built in 1601, the Heavenly Lady Pagoda is not only a Buddhist temple but also an important ceremonial place for members of the royal family. A little discovery on local religious life. After visiting the pagoda, you will descend on the Perfume River by a boat ride, see the landscapes on its 2 banks to the Dong Ba market, the largest covered market in the city. Here you find everything the locals need. A beautiful market to see.

Night at the hotel.

Day 7: Hue - Hoi An

(guide, car, lunch, dinner, visits, accommodation)

Breakfast at the hotel.

At 8:30 am, departure towards Hoi An, via the Col des Nuages, a beautiful site in the country between Hue and Da Nang.

Arrival in Da Nang, visit of the Cham sculpture museum. This visit gives you a notion about a civilization, a country that existed on the territory of Vietnam in the past.

Lunch in a restaurant by the sea.

Continuation of road to Hoi An, a small town nicknamed the Little Venice of Vietnam. Hoi An was a former silk trading port since the 14th and 15th centuries, a city which is very very well preserved, with ancient temples, ancient houses in various styles, from the west with French houses, circa l 'Orient with Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese houses. A city of heart for most of the people who have visited it.

Installation at the hotel. Time to relax on the beach.

Dinner at the restaurant in the city center. Night at the hotel.

Day 8: Hoi An - free

(accommodation)

Breakfast at the hotel.

A day completely free for your activities.

A beautiful beach 5km from Hoi An city center awaits you to relax.

Day 9: Hoi An - Flight to Saigon - Visit Saigon

(guide, car, dinner, accommodation, visits)

Breakfast at the hotel.

At 8:00 am, departure for the flight around 10:00 am for Saigon. Arrival in Saigon. Welcome by the guide and the driver. Transfer to the city center.

Saigon, today called Ho Chi Minh city, is the first city of Vietnam in several senses: economic, area, population ...

Continuation of your day by visiting the Reunification Palace which served as the Presidential Palace of South Vietnam before 1975. Visit of the central post office and Saigon Cathedral.

Discovery of the Chinese district of Cholon with in particular the Binh Tay market which is full of life and where you can find absolutely everything you can imagine, all in a warm atmosphere. Finally, visit the Thien Hau pagoda, a guaranteed atmosphere with the incense cones burning on the ceiling and all the decorative elements typical of a pagoda dedicated to the goddess of the sea.

Dinner on the Indochine Junk boat, a beautiful ride for 1h30 on the Saigon river to admire the modern beauty of the city while listening to traditional music.

Overnight at hotel in Saigon.

Day 10: Saigon - Cai Be - Vinh Long - Can Tho

(guide, car, lunch, dinner, accommodation, visits)

Breakfast at the hotel.

At 8:00 am, departure with the guide towards Cai Be. Arriving in Cai Be, you will begin a short one-hour boat trip on an arm of the Mekong and enjoy the typical landscapes of the Mekong on its two banks.

Arrival at Vinh Long. Gourmet lunch from the region.

In the afternoon, visit of the factory with tasting of sweets, nougats, rice cakes, rice alcohol ... and huge gardens of exotic fruit trees, durian, mangosteen, rambutan, milk apple ....

Then, take the car back to Can Tho.

Arrival in Can Tho.

Dinner at the restaurant. Night at the hotel.

Day 11: Can Tho - Floating market - Long Xuyen - Chau Doc

(guide, car, lunch, dinner, accommodation, visits)

Wake up early at 6 a.m. to visit the Ca floating marketi Rang, the largest floating market in Vietnam where hundreds of boats gather every morning to trade in agricultural products, fruits and flowers. The origin of the floating markets comes from the relief of the Mekong Delta with rivers, streams and canals everywhere, which really discourages land transport but which seems ideal for boat travel. Here you will see that the locals of the Mekong are as comfortable on their boats as the others elsewhere on their scooters !!!!!

On the way back from the floating market, time for breakfast.

Visit of the old Binh Thuy house in which the film L'Amant was shot, a very beautiful house with a mixed French-Vietnamese style.

Road towards Chau Doc via Long Xuyen.

Lunch at the restaurant and visit of the crocodile farm.

Arrival at Chau Doc. Visit of the temple of Lady Celestial.

Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 12: Chau Doc - Fast boat to Phnom Penh

(guide, car, lunch, dinner, accommodation, visits)

Breakfast at the hotel.

Transfer to the Chaudoc pier for the boat to Cambodia.

Reception at the pier in Phnom Penh. Visit of Wat Phnom, the oldest monument in the city to which it gave its name, and whose stupa contains the ashes of King Pona Yat, the founder of the city.

Discovery of the post office district, very characteristic of the colonial architecture of the time of the French protectorate. Visit of the Russian market.

Overnight in Phnom Penh

Day 13: Phnom Penh - Visits

(guide, car, lunch, dinner, accommodation, visits)

Breakfast at the hotel.

Visit of the capital of Cambodia: discovery of the National Museum where an impressive collection of pre-Angkorian and Angkorian sculptures is exhibited, the Royal Palace in traditional Khmer style, and the Silver Pagoda with its silver paved floor.

Free time.

Overnight in Phnom Penh

Day 14: Phnom Penh - Siem Riep

(guide, car, lunch, dinner, accommodation, visits)

Breakfast at the hotel.

Transfer to the pier in Phnom Penh. Reception at the Siem Reap pier. Gateway to the fabulous set of Angkor temples, the small town of Siem Reap constitutes the spiritual and cultural heart of Cambodia.

Visit of the great temple of Angkor Wat dating from the first half of the 12th century and dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu. This huge mountain temple, built by King Suryavarman II, is considered a masterpiece of Khmer art and architecture. Its founder, who reigned over Cambodia from 1113 to 1152, is represented twice on the bas reliefs of the south gallery. Overnight in Siem Reap.

Day 15: Siem Reap

(guide, car, lunch, dinner, accommodation, visits)

Breakfast at the hotel.

Visit of the ancient capital of Angkor Thom with the Temple of Bayon, geometric center of Angkor Thom and mountain temple built by Buddhist king Jayavarman VII, the Baphuon, royal temple erected in the middle of the 10th century, the terrace of the elephants , the terrace of the Leper King, so called because of a statue which represents a Judge of the Underworld with a demonic aspect.

Visit of the fascinating monastery of Ta Prohm, invaded by the jungle, whose name means "the Ancestor Brahmâ". Visit of Ta Keo, called "the Shrine of the Crystal Jewel", a Shivist temple dating from the end of the tenth century.

Visit of Thom Manon, a small 12th century temple. Visit of Chau Say and discovery of the sacred pond of Srah Srang.

Overnight in Siem Reap.

Note: Possibility to take an elephant ride around Bayon.

Day 16: Siem Reap - flight to Pakse - Khong island

(guide, car, dinner, accommodation, visits, plane)

Breakfast at the hotel.

Transfer to Siem Reap airport for flight to Pakse. Welcome by the Pakse guide. Free lunch.

Road to Champassak for a stop at Vat Phou, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This major archaeological site lies at the foot of the sacred mountain Phou Kao, the highest point of which evokes a lingam, a symbol associated with the cult of Shiva

Arrival expected at the end of the day on the island of Khong.

Dinner at the restaurant and night at the hotel

Day 17: Visit of 4000 islands

(guide, car, lunch, accommodation, visits)

Breakfast at the hotel.

In the morning, departure aboard a canoe on the Mekong in the middle of the 4000 islands, to the island of Khone. A true haven of peace, still very wild, it is by bike that the discovery of the island of Khone is done, through a rich nature, between rice fields, coconut palms and colonial remains. The walk continues to Li Phi Falls, considered a trap for evil spirits by locals who never venture there. Swimming is naturally prohibited there.

Lunch in a nearby restaurant. In the afternoon, stop at Kong Phapeng Falls, a natural border between Cambodia and Laos. To vary the pleasures, after the canoe and the bike, return by road to the island of Khong where you spend the nightt

Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 18: Khong Island - Pakse - Vientiane - City tour

(guide, car, dinner, accommodation, visits)

Breakfast at the hotel.

Transfer to Pakse airport to board the flight to Vientiane. Welcome and visit of the city:

- Vat Sisaket, probably the oldest temple in the capital. This one was spared by the Siamese because of its architecture which is reminiscent of that of the first style of Bangkok.

- Vat Phra Keo, this temple which should have received the most famous of Buddhas: the Emerald Buddha. Today it is a museum with a superb collection of religious art objects.

- Pha That Luang, emblem of Laos. It is found on national coats of arms and banknotes. The stupa of this temple, 40 meters high and covered in gold, can be seen for miles around.

Dinner at the restaurant. Night at the hotel

Day 19: Vientiane - Vang Vieng

(guide, car, lunch, accommodation, visits)

Breakfast at the hotel.

Departure for Vang Vieng. Arrival and lunch in a local restaurant.

You go and get your fill of thrills with a canoe descent of the Nam Song River. The opportunity to admire the flamboyant nature that borders the shores. This region is, in fact, often compared to Ninh Binh, the terrestrial Halong Bay of Vietnam, for its sugar loaves which come to rise in this superb setting.

Night at the hotel

Day 20: Vang Vieng - Luang Prabang

(guide, car, lunch, accommodation, visits)

Breakfast at the hotel.

Visit of the local market and discovery of the rock caves of Tham Chang.

Departure for Luang Prabang. You will appreciate the landscapes on the road between Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang, they are grandiose: the mountain contrasts with the plains and rice fields as far as the eye can see. At the end of the day, you will arrive in Luang Prabang, the former royal capital and treasure of Laos, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Arrival and ascent of Mount Phousi for a breathtaking view at sunset.

Installation at the hotel.

Free meal. Night at the hotel

Day 21: Luang Prabang - Elephant ride - City tour

(guide, car, lunch, accommodation, visits)

Breakfast at the hotel.

In the morning, departure from your hotel for the elephant village (20 km from Luang Prabang). Sampan excursion on the Kham river to the Tadsea elephant camp (10mn). An elephant ride in 30 minutes then a short hike around before returning to Luang Prabang. Free lunch.

Afternoon city tour of Luang Prabang by tuk-tuk

- Vat Xieng Thong temple, the monastery of the City of Gold, whose ornaments, mosaics, stupas are most refined. In this temple, you can discover a spectacular reclining Buddha in a purely Laotian style.

- The Vat Visoun built at the beginning of the 16th century. It was partially destroyed in a fire in 1887 and the architects responsible for its renovation chose to give it an architecture inspired by the Khmer Vat Phou temple.

- Vat May built in typical Luang Prabang architecture.

Free dinner. Night at the hotel

Day 22: Departure from Luang Prabang

(transfer to the airport)

Breakfast at the hotel.

Free time before transfer to the airport to catch the return flight. The room is vacated at noon.

End of the trip!