15-Day Vietnam and Laos cultural journey

Upon arrival at the airport, meet your representative and transfer to your hotel in central Ho Chi Minh City. The rest of the day is free for you to rest or explore the nearby streets. Enjoy your first taste of the city’s lively atmosphere before spending the night at your hotel.

Start with a visit to either the War Remnants Museum or the History Museum. Continue to the Reunification Palace, Notre-Dame Cathedral, and Saigon Central Post Office. Walk along Dong Khoi Street to see landmarks such as the Opera House and City Hall, then browse the stalls at Ben Thanh Market.

In the afternoon, explore Cho Lon, Ho Chi Minh City’s Chinatown, including Binh Tay Market and Thien Hau Pagoda. Finish at the FITO Museum to learn about traditional Vietnamese medicine before returning to your hotel.

Travel from Ho Chi Minh City to the Mekong Delta for a boat trip along its waterways. Visit a fruit orchard, taste fresh tropical fruits, and see local workshops producing coconut candy, popped rice, and woven mats. Continue by motor cart through coconut groves, rice fields, and vegetable farms.

After a local lunch, take a small sampan through narrow canals lined with water coconut palms. Return to Ho Chi Minh City for your flight to Da Nang, then transfer to Hoi An. The evening is free.

Join a walking tour through Hoi An’s old town, once an important trading port. Visit the colorful market, Chinese temples and assembly halls, historic merchant houses, and the Japanese Covered Bridge.

After the tour, enjoy the afternoon at your own pace. You can browse local shops, stop at a café, or sample some of Hoi An’s well-known dishes before returning to your hotel.

Spend the day exploring Hoi An independently. Wander through lantern-lined streets, browse local shops, or relax at a riverside café. Try regional specialties such as cao lau noodles and white rose dumplings. If you prefer to explore beyond the old town, you can take a bicycle ride through nearby villages, enjoy a boat trip on the Thu Bon River, or join a cooking class to learn how to prepare Vietnamese dishes.

Leave Hoi An and drive north towards Hue. Stop in Da Nang to visit the Cham Museum and its collection of Cham sculptures. Continue over Hai Van Pass, where the road offers views of the mountains and coastline, then pause at Lang Co, a picturesque fishing village.

In Hue, explore the Imperial Citadel and the Forbidden City, once the center of the Nguyen Dynasty. End the day at Dong Ba Market, where you can browse local produce and try Hue specialties such as banh khoai.

Take a dragon boat cruise along the Perfume River and stop at Thien Mu Pagoda, known for its seven-story tower. Continue by car to the tomb of Emperor Minh Mang, set among landscaped gardens, followed by the tomb of Emperor Khai Dinh, which combines Vietnamese and European architectural styles.

Later, transfer to Phu Bai Airport for your flight to Hanoi. Upon arrival, check in at your hotel and enjoy the evening at leisure.

Visit the Ho Chi Minh Complex and his traditional stilt house, then continue to the One Pillar Pagoda. Head to West Lake to see Tran Quoc Pagoda, one of the city’s oldest Buddhist temples, followed by the Temple of Literature, Vietnam’s first university. In the afternoon, visit either the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology or Hoa Lo Prison.

Later, ride a traditional cyclo through the Old Quarter’s narrow streets and finish the day with a Water Puppet Show, a traditional art form inspired by Vietnamese village life.

Travel from Hanoi through the Red River Delta to Ha Long Bay. Board your cruise and enjoy lunch while sailing past limestone islands and floating villages. Visit a limestone cave to see its stalactites and stalagmites, then spend the afternoon kayaking, swimming, or relaxing on the sundeck, depending on the cruise program and weather.

After dinner on board, spend the night surrounded by the bay’s natural scenery.

Wake up early to watch the sunrise over the water. After breakfast, take a bamboo boat through natural tunnels and visit a floating village and fish farm to learn about local fishing life.

Continue cruising among the limestone formations before enjoying brunch on board. Disembark around midday and travel back to Hanoi. The rest of the day is free for you to relax or explore the city.

Transfer to the airport for your flight to Vientiane, a city on the banks of the Mekong River with a mix of Lao and colonial influences. In the afternoon, visit Wat Sisaket, known for its many Buddha images, and Haw Phra Kaew, a former royal temple that now houses Buddhist artifacts.

In the evening, explore the riverside night market, where you can sample local food and browse handmade souvenirs.

Take an express train to Vang Vieng, passing through green countryside and rolling hills. After checking in, enjoy a long-tail boat ride along the Nam Song River, with views of the surrounding limestone mountains.

Continue to Tham Jang Cave, once used as a refuge during invasions, then cross the river to Ban Huai Ngai village to see a more traditional side of local life. The evening is free to enjoy the town.

After breakfast, take the express train to Luang Prabang. Begin your city tour at the former Royal Palace, now a National Museum displaying artifacts from Laos’s royal history. Continue to Wat Visoun, Wat Aham, Wat Sene, and Wat Mai, each with its own architectural features and religious significance.

Later, climb Phousi Hill to visit Wat Chomsi and enjoy panoramic views over the city and Mekong River, especially around sunset. Spend the evening browsing the night market.

Start the day at Wat Xieng Thong, one of Luang Prabang’s best-known temples, located near the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers. Then take a boat upstream along the Mekong to Pak Ou Caves, where thousands of Buddha statues have been placed by pilgrims over the years.

Stop at Ban Xang Hai, a village known for its traditional rice wine production. In the afternoon, visit Ban Phanom, a weaving village where you can see local textiles and browse handmade products.

Spend your remaining time relaxing or visiting the central market for last-minute souvenirs. At the arranged time, transfer to the airport for your departure flight.

We hope you leave with lasting memories of Vietnam and Laos!