27 Days Panorama of Indochina Tour

Welcome to Vietnam. Upon arrival at Noi Bai International Airport, meet your private guide and driver and transfer to your hotel in central Hanoi.

After check-in, the remainder of the day is free to rest after your journey. Depending on your arrival time, enjoy an independent walk around Hoan Kiem Lake or through the Old Quarter.

After breakfast, begin a full-day introduction to Vietnam’s capital. Visit the Ho Chi Minh Complex, One Pillar Pagoda and Temple of Literature, Vietnam’s first national university.

After lunch, explore a selected museum before walking through the traditional trading streets of the Old Quarter. Complete the day with a cyclo ride and a water puppet performance accompanied by live Vietnamese music.

Travel from Hanoi to Ha Long Bay and board your overnight cruise. Enjoy lunch as the vessel sails among limestone islands and emerald water.

The afternoon program may include a cave, island or floating-village excursion, with kayaking or swimming when conditions permit. Relax on deck at sunset, join the cruise activity and enjoy dinner on board.

Begin the morning with tai chi or light exercise on deck, followed by breakfast and a final bay excursion according to the cruise program.

Enjoy brunch while returning to the harbour. After disembarkation, transfer to Hanoi airport for the flight to Da Nang, then continue by private vehicle to Hoi An and check into your hotel.

Travel through the countryside to My Son Sanctuary, the former religious centre of the Champa Kingdom. Walk among the brick temple towers and learn about Cham history, architecture and Hindu influence.

Return to Hoi An for lunch. In the afternoon, explore the Ancient Town, including a preserved merchant house, assembly hall, traditional market and the Japanese Covered Bridge area.

Experience the rural communities surrounding Hoi An. Travel through rice fields and country lanes, visit a local farming area and learn about traditional herbs and vegetable cultivation.

Continue to Cam Thanh for a bamboo basket-boat ride through the coconut-palm waterways and an introduction to local fishing life. Enjoy lunch before returning to the hotel for a free afternoon.

Transfer to Da Nang International Airport for the flight to Ho Chi Minh City. Meet your local guide upon arrival and continue to your central hotel.

Depending on the flight schedule, enjoy an orientation around the Central Post Office, Nguyen Hue walking street and a local market before an evening at leisure.

Travel to the Cu Chi Tunnels to learn how the underground network was used for shelter, communication and movement. See reconstructed facilities and enter an enlarged section if you are comfortable.

Return to the city for lunch, then visit the Reunification Palace, historic Central Post Office area and Ben Thanh Market. The evening is free for independent exploration.

Drive south through the Mekong Delta to My Tho. Board a local boat and cruise past river islands, orchards, villages and fish farms while learning about life beside the Mekong.

Travel by smaller sampan through palm-lined waterways, visit a family workshop and sample tropical fruit. Enjoy lunch in the delta before returning to Ho Chi Minh City.

Enjoy breakfast and free time until your private airport transfer. Fly from Ho Chi Minh City to Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Meet your Cambodian guide on arrival and transfer to your hotel. The rest of the day is free to relax or independently explore the riverside and Old Market area.

Begin at the South Gate of Angkor Thom and explore Bayon, Baphuon, the Royal Palace area, Terrace of the Elephants and Terrace of the Leper King. Continue to Ta Prohm, where tree roots grow through the ancient stonework.

After lunch, discover Angkor Wat, the world’s largest religious monument. Learn about its history, symbolic design and detailed bas-reliefs before returning to Siem Reap.

Travel into the Cambodian countryside to Banteay Srei, celebrated for its finely carved pink sandstone. Continue to a local village to see traditional rural life and seasonal agricultural activity.

In the afternoon, take a boat excursion on Tonle Sap Lake to explore the stilted community of Kampong Phluk and its flooded forest when water conditions permit.

After breakfast, enjoy time at leisure until your transfer to Siem Reap International Airport. Fly to Luang Prabang in northern Laos.

Meet your guide on arrival and transfer to your hotel. In the evening, explore the night market independently and browse handmade textiles and local crafts.

Explore the Royal Palace Museum, Wat Sene, Wat Xieng Thong, Wat Visoun and Wat Aham, discovering the city’s Buddhist traditions and distinctive low-sweeping temple roofs.

After lunch, visit the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre and local weaving villages. Finish at Mount Phousi for panoramic sunset views across the city and Mekong River.

Cruise upstream on the Mekong River, stopping at a village known for traditional rice wine before reaching the Pak Ou Caves, filled with thousands of Buddha images left by pilgrims.

After lunch, visit the bear rescue centre and continue to Kuang Si Waterfall. Walk along forest trails and swim in the turquoise pools when local conditions are suitable.

Transfer to the airport for the flight to Chiang Mai. Upon arrival, meet your Thai guide and transfer to your hotel within or near the historic old city.

Later, enjoy an orientation walk around the old city walls, gates and local market, with the remainder of the evening free at leisure.

Visit Chiang Mai’s important old-city temples, including Wat Phra Singh, Wat Chedi Luang and Wat Chiang Man, while learning about Lanna history and Buddhist culture.

After lunch, travel up Doi Suthep mountain to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. Explore the sacred golden stupa and enjoy panoramic views across Chiang Mai.

Leave Chiang Mai for Chiang Rai, stopping at Mae Khachan Hot Spring. Continue to Wat Rong Khun, the White Temple, whose contemporary design combines Buddhist symbolism and modern art.

After lunch, visit the Blue Temple and Baan Dam, the Black House art complex. Check into your Chiang Rai hotel and enjoy the evening at leisure.

Travel through northern mountain scenery to a local hill-community village and Doi Mae Salong, known for tea plantations and its Chinese cultural heritage.

Continue to the Golden Triangle viewpoint, where Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet beside the Mekong River. Learn about the region’s history and visit the Hall of Opium or a local museum before returning to Chiang Rai.

Enjoy breakfast before transferring to Chiang Rai airport for the flight to Bangkok. Meet your guide on arrival and transfer to your riverside or central hotel.

The remainder of the day is free to relax, shop or independently explore a nearby market and the Chao Phraya River area.

Visit the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew, home of the revered Emerald Buddha. Continue to Wat Pho to see the monumental Reclining Buddha.

After lunch, travel by long-tail boat through the Chao Phraya River and Thonburi canals, observing temples and traditional riverside communities. Finish at Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn.

Transfer to the airport for the flight to Mandalay, subject to the operating regional schedule. Meet your Myanmar guide on arrival and continue to your hotel.

If time permits, visit a traditional gold-leaf workshop and Mahamuni Buddha Temple for an introduction to Mandalay’s craft traditions and spiritual life.

Explore Shwenandaw Monastery, Kuthodaw Pagoda and the Mandalay Palace area. Learn about the final royal capital and see skilled artisans producing traditional crafts.

Continue to Amarapura and Mahagandayon Monastery, then visit U Bein Bridge. Walk beside the historic teak bridge and enjoy the late-afternoon atmosphere before returning to Mandalay.

Transfer to the airport for the flight to Bagan. Meet your guide and begin exploring the ancient temple plain, including Nyaung U Market, Shwezigon Pagoda and selected monuments representing different periods of Bagan architecture.

Visit a traditional lacquerware workshop and finish the day at a permitted viewpoint for sunset across the temple landscape.

Continue through Bagan’s archaeological zone, visiting selected temples such as Ananda, Thatbyinnyu, Dhammayangyi and Sulamani according to local access conditions.

Travel through a rural village to learn about local livelihoods, palm products and traditional crafts. Return to the hotel after a final scenic stop across the plains.

Fly from Bagan to Yangon and meet your guide on arrival. Explore the historic centre around Mahabandoola Park, colonial-era streets and the riverside.

Continue to Chauk Htat Gyi Reclining Buddha and finish at Shwedagon Pagoda, Myanmar’s most revered Buddhist monument, as its golden stupa changes colour in the late-afternoon light.

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel and free time until check-out. Depending on your flight schedule, relax at the hotel or make a final independent visit to a nearby market.

At the appropriate time, your private driver will transfer you to Yangon International Airport. Your 27-day Panorama of Indochina journey ends upon arrival at the airport.