16 Days in Indochina: Angkor Temples, Vietnam Icons & Lao Serenity

After breakfast, set off at around 8:30 AM to reach the temples ahead of the crowds, beginning at Ta Prohm – famously known as the Tomb Raider temple – where the colossal roots of trees of more than six centuries old wrap around the ancient stone, left almost exactly as it was found.

Continue to the Victory Gate of Angkor Thom, where the four serene faces of King Jayavarman VII greet you in the form of the Buddha, flanked by rows of gods and demons. Beyond the gate lies the Great City itself, built between 1181 and 1220 AD, taking in the Elephant Terrace, the Terrace of the Leper King, Preah Palilay, the Ancient Royal Palace, Phimeanakas, Baphuon, and, at its heart, the Bayon.

After lunch, the day culminates at Angkor Wat, the largest religious monument in the world and the crowning glory of Khmer architecture. Originally raised as a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu, it was gradually transformed into a Buddhist sanctuary towards the end of the 12th century. You will walk its galleries and colonnades, its libraries and courtyards, and see its towers reflected in the still water of the ponds.

Please note: visitors are required to wear decent attire, with shoulders and knees properly covered.

Overnight in Siem Reap.

After breakfast, travel some 58 kilometers north of the province to the sacred hilltop of Phnom Kulen. Known as Mahendraparvata, this is Cambodia’s holy mountain, a place of pilgrimage for both Hindus and Buddhists and of deep symbolic importance as the birthplace of the Khmer Empire, where King Jayavarman II proclaimed independence from Java in 804 CE.

Within Kulen National Park, a magnificent waterfall dominates the forest terrain. Visit the River of a Thousand Lingas, where carvings dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva lie beneath the flowing water of the riverbed, then climb a flight of steps to the largest reclining Buddha in the country, resting upon a massive boulder and considered the holiest in Cambodia. From the viewing platform at the summit, the jungle and hillsides open out in every direction.

Return to your hotel with the rest of the day at leisure.

Overnight in Siem Reap.

Enjoy free time until your transfer to the airport (driver only) for your flight to Ho Chi Minh City, the vibrant commercial heart of southern Vietnam.

On arrival, you’ll be met by your driver and guide and transferred to your hotel for check-in (standard check-in time from 2:00 PM). The rest of the day is leisurely exploring the city at your own pace.

Meals are on your own.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

The morning begins at Independence Palace, also known as the Reunification Palace, built on the site of the former Norodom Palace and designed by architect Ngo Viet Thu. Continue past the elegant structures of the French colonial era, including the Notre Dame Cathedral, viewed from outside, and the historic Central Post Office, before reaching the War Remnants Museum with its extensive display covering both Indochina wars.

In the afternoon, depart for the Cu Chi Tunnels, about an hour and a half from the city. A short introduction and film explain how the network was dug and how people survived underground in wartime conditions. You will then explore the surviving passages, which include living quarters with kitchens and sleeping areas alongside storage rooms, weapons workshops, field hospitals, and command centers, as well as the concealed trap doors built into the maze for defense. A break follows, with the shooting range available at your own expense, before returning to your hotel.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

At around 8:00 AM, begin the nearly two-hour drive out of the city, passing through lush rice fields before arriving in My Tho. Here you board a boat for a scenic cruise on the Mekong River, taking in the life along the riverbanks and the four legendary islands of Dragon, Unicorn, Turtle, and Phoenix.

At Unicorn Island, visit a coconut candy workshop, take a rowing boat through the narrow natural canals, and sample seasonal tropical fruits while local musicians perform traditional Southern Vietnamese folk songs. A stop at a nearby bee farm introduces the practice of beekeeping, with fresh honey to taste.

Returning towards Ho Chi Minh City in the afternoon, stop at Vinh Trang Pagoda, the largest and most significant pagoda in the Mekong Delta, a striking blend of Vietnamese, Khmer, and Chinese architecture.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

Enjoy free time until your transfer to the airport for your flight to Da Nang, a vibrant beach city on Vietnam’s central coast. On arrival, you’ll be welcomed and transferred to your hotel for check-in (standard check-in time from 2:00 PM).

Afterwards, your driver and guide collect you for Monkey Mountain, where the towering statue of Lady Buddha stands against a backdrop of forested slopes and a broad bonsai garden, a peaceful place to walk in the sea breeze while your guide shares its stories.

Continue to the Marble Mountains, stopping to see the stone-carving workshops that make this the most impressive handicraft village in Da Nang. Known in Vietnamese as Ngu Hanh Son, these five limestone and marble hills resemble fingers laid close to the sea, and hold caves, caverns, pagodas, and two viewing points, with Buddhist sanctuaries and Hindu grottoes still in active use (elevator included). The visit finishes at Am Phu Cave, the largest of them all, where Buddhist teachings in the afterlife are set into rock formations. The balance of the day is free – My Khe beach is a short distance away.

Overnight in Da Nang.

Around midday, set out for Cam Thanh Coconut Village, gliding through its peaceful coconut forest water aboard a traditional bamboo basket boat. Learn local fishing techniques and enjoy hands-on activities that offer an authentic glimpse of village life.

Continue to Hoi An Ancient Town. Visit the colorful Phuc Kien Assembly Hall with its bright gates and dragon statues, browse the Central Market, and step inside the beautifully preserved Phung Hung or Tan Ky Ancient House, once home to prosperous merchants trading with buyers from across the world. Explore the Museum of Folk Culture, enjoy a performance at the Hoi An Traditional Performing Arts House, and pause at the iconic Japanese Covered Bridge, built more than 400 years ago to link the Japanese quarter with the Chinese community across the water. There is also time for the town’s handicraft shops, art galleries, and smaller laneways.

As evening falls, enjoy a boat ride on the Hoai River and release a flower lantern with a wish for good fortune, then wander the lantern-lit night market before returning to your hotel in Da Nang.

Overnight in Da Nang.

After breakfast, travel to Ba Na Hills, at an altitude of 1,487 meters, and ascend by a cable car holding four Guinness World Records, taking in marvelous mountain scenery along the way.

Arriving at Gare Marseille station, admiring the world-famous Golden Bridge, held aloft by giant stone hands and curving through the mist like a ribbon across the sky, along with Linh Ung Pagoda and Le Jardin D’Amour. Enjoy a buffet lunch at the resort, then explore the French Village, a replica of classical France in a cluster of squares, cathedrals, town houses and inns, and the many rides and attractions of Fantasy Park, including the top of Queen Mountain. Return by cable car to Da Nang in the afternoon.

Please note: certain attractions at Ba Na Hills, including the Wax Museum, wine cellar, and some paid games, are not included.

Overnight in Da Nang.

You will be transferred to the airport for your flight to Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. On arrival, meet your driver and continue by private car to your hotel (about 60 minutes), where your room is available from 2:00 PM.

In the afternoon, set out on a half-day city tour, beginning at the Ho Chi Minh Complex, including the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (viewed from outside, closed on Mondays, Fridays, and all afternoons), the Presidential Palace, the House on Stilts, and the One Pillar Pagoda. Continue to the famous Train Street, where you can watch a train pass through a narrow residential lane and enjoy a coffee at a local café (at your own expense). Finally, take a walking tour through the Old Quarter, exploring its bustling streets, traditional shops, and colonial architecture, before returning to your hotel.

Overnight in Hanoi.

A full day south of the capital, in a landscape of limestone towers and river valleys, often described as Halong Bay on land. The drive to Ninh Binh province covers around 120 kilometers, with a short break along the way.

Your first stop is Hoa Lu, the first capital of Vietnam. Here your guide explains why the seat of power was eventually moved north to Hanoi, and takes you through the temples of King Dinh and King Le, the first and second emperors of ancient Vietnam, whose architecture still holds the atmosphere of a much older country. Lunch is by your own arrangement.

In the afternoon, continue to Trang An, recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 2014 and chosen as a filming location for Kong: Skull Island. A rowing boat carries you along the green river and through the complex’s remarkable tunnel caves, among them Sang Cave, Toi Cave, and Nau Ruou Cave, with the karst formations rising sheer on either side. The return drive brings you back to Hanoi in the early evening.

Overnight in Hanoi.

At around 7:00 AM, your guide collects you from your hotel in the Old Quarter for the journey to the coast by expressway, with a short break along the way. Arriving at Tuan Chau Harbor around midday, board your day cruise for a five- to six-hour journey through the bay’s most striking passages, a landscape of uninhabited islets and outcrops each given an imaginative name by local people for the shapes they seem to hold. Lunch of local cuisine is served on board.

In the afternoon, visit Surprising Cave, whose chambers are filled with stalactites and stalagmites formed into curious shapes, then continue to Titop Island, where a sandy beach lies at the foot of a limestone peak and the climb to Titop Peak rewards you with the panoramic view for which the bay is famous. At Luon Cave there is kayaking or a bamboo boat ride into the hidden lagoon beyond.

Cruising back towards Tuan Chau in the late afternoon, there is ample time on the upper deck, with tea and cakes and the light softening over the water, before the return journey to Hanoi.

Please note: swimming at Titop Island depends on the season, and the cruise itinerary may change according to weather and operating conditions. Beverages are at your own expense.

Overnight in Hanoi.

Enjoy free time until your transfer to the airport (driver only) for your flight to Luang Prabang, Laos.

You will be met by our staff and transferred to your hotel. Luang Prabang is perhaps the best-preserved traditional city in Southeast Asia, a place where gilded temple roofs sit among French shopfronts and the Mekong runs quietly past the edge of town. Its tranquility, natural setting, and cultural richness make it one of the most delightful places to visit in Laos, and the evening is yours to begin discovering it.

Please note: as per local regulations, only vehicles of 16 seats or fewer are permitted in the old quarter.

Meals are on your own.

Overnight in Luang Prabang.

At around 8:30 AM, set out for Kao Niaw Farmstay, about 45 minutes from the city, set in an idyllic stretch of countryside ringed by mountains and ancient rice terraces. Here you spend half a day learning how rice is grown, from planting to harvesting, alongside the farmers who work these paddies, and meeting Boun Loth, the resident buffalo, to see how the fields are ploughed the traditional way. Take part in as much or as little as you like; the restaurant terrace looks directly over the paddy for those who prefer to watch. A Lao lunch is served on the farm, with rice fields in view.

In the afternoon, continue to Kuang Si Waterfall, where the falls cascade over calcified tiers into a chain of cool turquoise pools, with the Bear Rescue Centre set within the same grounds. On the way, pass the Hmong village of Ban Na Ouan for a glimpse of daily life there.

Returning to Luang Prabang in the late afternoon, climb Mount Phousi to the sacred gilded stupa at its summit, where the city and the Mekong River lie below at the end of the light, then browse the Night Market with its long rows of handmade textiles.

Overnight in Luang Prabang.

After breakfast, set out with your guide for a morning among the city’s most revered temples, visiting Wat Xieng Thong, Wat Sene Xoukharam, and Wat Visoun, before continuing to the former Royal Palace, a commanding structure at the center of town that was the heart of the Lane Xang Kingdom until 1946. It is now the National Museum, and its halls hold rare religious and cultural artefacts.

Afterwards, board a boat for an upstream cruise on the Mekong River, with the tranquil countryside unfolding on both banks. The destination is the Pak Ou Caves, two large caverns set into a cliff above the river and filled with thousands of Buddha images left by pilgrims over the centuries.

The village stops complete the day: Ban Xang Hai, where local rice wine is produced, and Ban Xang Khong, known for Saa paper, a craft particular to Laos.

Overnight in Luang Prabang.

On the last day of the journey, an early start gives you the opportunity to take part in Tak Bath, the daily alms-giving ritual offered to saffron-robed monks as they walk the streets at dawn – a tradition unique to Laos, the only Buddhist nation still preserving the procession in this form. Continue to the local morning market to see the food stalls at their busiest, then return to the hotel for breakfast.

Afterwards, visit the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre, with its displays of clothing, craft tools, and religious and ritual objects from the country’s many ethnic groups, and Heuan Chan Heritage House, once the home of the King’s guard and now an exhibition of traditional Lao tools and craftsmanship. You will then be transferred to the airport for your departure flight.

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