Epic Family trip to Vietnam and Laos

Welcome on arrival in Laos. You will be warmly collected by our driver to transfer to the hotel. Check in hotel by yourself. Balance of the day is at your leisure. Meals on your own. Overnight at the hotel.

Luang Prabang is the tidiest and most culture-oriented city in Laos. Inhabited for thousands of years, it was the country’s royal capital until 1975. The city is known for a plethora of cultural and historic attractions, much as for the abundance of Buddhist temples – wats – including the gilded 16th century Wat Xieng Thong, and Wat Mai, the former residence of Laotian chief Buddhist. To learn more about Luang Prabang’s main attractions, follow this orientation walk.

 

Your guide will pick you up for an early start which 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. Enjoy your UNESCO morning walk to understand insight of this charming town then stop and visit fresh Morning market and back to hotel for breakfast.

After breakfast at the hotel, you board a traditional long trail boat, for a relaxing cruise upstream on the mighty Mekong River. Enjoy stunning mountain scenery and witness the simple rural lifestyles.

You will reach Pak Ou caves at the confluence of the Mekong and Nam Ou Rivers. These caves are displayed hundreds of sacred centuries-old Buddha images which are the object of pilgrimages during the Lao New Year festivities around mid-April. End of your visit, cruise back and then stop at Ban Xang Khong, a weaving village, where you can jump into wooden looms with local expert for practical and experience. Then continue to cruise back to town. 

In the afternoon, travelling outskirt of Luang Prabang, driving through green rice paddies and farms. On your arrival at the Kuang Si falls, enjoy main waterfalls with spectacular views and surrounding of orchids inside the park and falls cascade over many calcified tiers and down several hundred feet into a series of cool, turquoise pools where you can cool off with a swim. End of your day, transfer back to Luang Prabang. 

Meals on your own. Overnight in hotel.

Check-out hotel and then ou will be transferred to the nternational Airport for your flight to Hanoi. Upon arrival at the gateway to the capital city of Vietnam, our guide and driver will meet you and escort you to your hotel in the heart of the city.

 

Hanoi – the capital of Vietnam, is the country’s cultural heart, bearing traces of centuries of changing dynasties. At 8:00 AM, your tour guide will meet you at the hotel lobby and take you to Hang Be market which offers all a market in Vietnam kinds of goods that might be of need by the people of the Old Quarter of Hanoi, be it uncooked meat, fruits, dry food, … It will bring you an interesting approach to the life of the people in the Old Quarter of Hanoi.

Then, we transfer to Tran Quoc Pagoda – the oldest of its kind in Hanoi, dating back to the 6th century during the reign of Emperor Ly Nam De Dynasty (544 – 548). The Buddhist shrine has undergone several changes throughout the years, particularly its renaming from An Quoc to Tran Quoc (protecting the country) by Emperor Le Huy Tong in the 17th century.

Afterward, we will head to the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology where you can deeply explore the life of the Vietnamese ethnic group through their history.

In the afternoon, we will spend time visiting the Temple of Literature – which is well known as the first university in Vietnam- a rare example of Vietnamese architecture back to the 11th Century. 

Later, we will visit the Ho Chi Minh Complex (outside) where the great President Ho Chi Minh rests in peace. We will visit the traditional stilt house and the respected One-Pillar Pagoda, the special pagoda with a particular structure. 

In the evening enjoy a traditional Vietnamese water puppet show.

Back to the hotel. Meals on your own. Overnight at the hotel.

08:00 – After breakfast, we will visiting a countryside area namely Ba Vi which will be around 1,5 hours by car from Hanoi. 
09:30 – Arrive at Ri village where you will start the trip at your host’s house by having a welcome drink and snack.
Meet Mr. Duoc – a Vietnam War veteran and tea-farm owner who will tell you historical stories with his own experience.
10:00 – Follow Duoc to his vast tea farm, your kids can learn how to harvest tea leaves. This is a green and peaceful place where you will enjoy the beautiful scenery of the village. After a quick guidance how to collect the best part of the tea tree, your kids will help him pick tea leaves which are used to make the most wonderful beverage of Vietnam – the traditional tea. Carry on with tea production at his small workshop; most of the works are manual.
11:15 – Have a ten-minute drive to visit another host family in Moc village where you will enjoy a fun cooking class with Chin. She will show you how to cook some Vietnamese dishes. Your kids can support her by wash vegetables or join in some steps in cooking class. Enjoy lunch with the food you helped to cook.

After lunch time with tea, you will have a short rest before strolling around the village and visit some local families to understand the rural lifestyle and the kids have a chance to see how local people make tofu from soybean, conical hat from rattan and other local products as well.

Enjoy a cycling trip through beautiful paddy fields and interact with local farmers (if your kids cannot ride a bike, he/she can sit back with you or our local tour guide, or we can just take a short walk.

Visit Chinh’s family at the end of the ride and join them to do farm work. You will be welcomed with fresh mint lemon juice – a very popular tea in countryside areas in Vietnam. All ingredients are freshly picked from his own garden. Wrap up your countryside tour with traditional feet soak in warm water with herbs, following the traditional recipes of the Muong ethnic minority. This will relax you (and your feet) after cycling/walking around the village.
17:00 – Drive back to your hotel/residence in Hanoi.

You will transfer from Halong Bay to Hanoi airport by private car, where you will take a flight to Da Nang City. Upon arrival at the airport in Da Nang, a driver will pick you up and transfer you to your hotel in nearby Hoi An.

 

Leave at 8 am with your guide for a trip to Cam Thanh Fishing Village. Travel through the countryside by bicycle, passing rice paddies and tiny villages. You’ll take a boat tour with fishermen, who’ll demonstrate traditional net fishing techniques. You’ll also get to paddle a bamboo basket boat along a peaceful channel lined with coconut palms. The trip ends with a Vietnamese lunch before returning to your hotel.

Today you get to enjoy a half-day guided city tour that combines Hoi An’s historic highlights with its delectable cuisine. It’s a foodie’s dream, as the tour kicks off with breakfast from a local street-food vendor followed by a leisurely stroll around Hoi An’s Ancient Town. Here, you’ll see some of the most impressive architectural landmarks in the city, including the arched Japanese Covered Bridge and the 19th-century Assembly Hall of the Chaozhou Chinese Congregation.
 
After all that walking, you’ll no doubt have worked up an appetite. That’s why next up is the Central Market, one of the busiest municipal marketers in the city. At the market’s food court, you can order delicious and cheap eats like fruit smoothies and noodle dishes. Be sure to try cao lao, a regional specialty. Within the market itself are vendors selling everything from fresh produce and crafts to toys and clothing. After browsing the market, you’ll finish the experience by kicking your feet up and enjoying a welcome foot massage. Then you’ll return to your hotel.

Enough food is served that most participants will not need lunch after the tour. We recommend you refrain from eating before the tour. Vegetarian options are also available.

Highlights

• A balanced city tour combined with stops for for food
• Taste local dishes most tourists never get to experience
• Visit the important landmarks of Hoi An. 
• Learn about the history and culture of Vietnamese cuisine
• Great photo opportunities
• 15-minute foot massage

Today is a free day to discover the town by yourself. The best way to explore this beautiful town is by bicycle, which you can rent from the hotel. In the day time, Hoi An is less crowded than in the night time, so you can enjoy some tea or cofferr, local street food and take incredible photos with yellow walls and confetti flowers. In the evning time, Hoi an looks especially charming and various activities are run. And don’t forget to check out the beaches to swim or just lay on the beach.

Today is a free day to discover the town by yourself. The best way to explore this beautiful town is by bicycle, which you can rent from the hotel. In the day time, Hoi An is less crowded than in the night time, so you can enjoy some tea or cofferr, local street food and take incredible photos with yellow walls and confetti flowers. In the evning time, Hoi an looks especially charming and various activities are run. And don’t forget to check out the beaches to swim or just lay on the beach.

Today you’ll learn about Vietnam’s war history with a trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels, where the Viet Cong fought American soldiers in the 1960s. Located just northwest of Ho Chi Minh City, this complex of underground tunnels stretches over 155 miles (250 km) and was a bitter battleground during the war. You’ll learn how the Viet Cong used these tunnels as communication routes, storage facilities, hospitals, and living areas for fighters. You’ll even get the chance to crawl through a section to experience the tunnels’ narrow dimensions.

Return to Ho Chi Minh City this afternoon, where you’ll visit the Independence Palace, also known as the Reunification Palace, a symbol of the end of the American war when Ho Chi Minh’s tanks stormed the complex in 1975. Continue with a tour of the city’s French colonial landmarks, such as Notre Dame Cathedral and the Central Post Office. You’ll also visit Ben Thanh, one of the biggest markets in the city.

Your private driver will meet you at the hotel lobby and transfer you to Can Tho.