Sensational Vietnam & Laos

What's Included

• Meals

  Meals are included as detailed in the itinerary.

• Additional Services

  Personal radio headsets are provided for freedom during visits to famous highlights, with seamless baggage handling at every hotel and complimentary coach and hotel Wi-Fi (where available, excluding Halong Bay Cruise).

• Airport Transfers at Destination

  Complimentary airport transfers are included on start and end dates, when flights are included within the itinerary and when additional accommodation has been booked through Luxury Gold.

• Fully Guided

  You will be escorted by a Travel Concierge, serving as your expert guide, organiser, and friend overseas.

• Dining Summary

  The tour includes 7 Dinners, 13 Breakfasts, 5 Lunches, and 1 Lunch with Wine.

• Additional Included Highlights

  Enjoy seamless personal assistance, exclusive reservations, transportation, Local Expert Guides, hotel taxes, porterage, tips, and complimentary hotel Wi-Fi.

• Curated Experiences

  Experience unique activities such as meeting a former soldier in the Mekong Delta, cycling through rice fields in Hue, and visiting the Imperial Citadel.

• Magnificent Stays

  Stay at luxurious accommodations like the Anantara Hoi An Resort, offering tranquil atmospheres and spa services.

• Passport Moments

  Engage in memorable experiences such as visiting the Cu Chi tunnels, exploring the Mekong River Delta, and cruising Ha Long Bay.

• Personalise your day

  Choose from activities like exploring Ho Chi Minh City's café culture, visiting the War Remnants Museum, or taking a cyclo trip in Hue.

What's Not Included

International travel is not included in the tour package.

Dining Summary

• 7 Dinner (D)
• 13 Breakfast (B)
• 5 Lunch (L)
• 1 Lunch with Wine (L)

Additional Included Highlights

• Enjoy seamless personal assistance throughout your journey. From securing exclusive reservations, to organising transportation, your Travel Concierge ensures every aspect of your travel is tailored to your tastes and preferences.
• In select destinations, our network of Local Expert Guides will illuminate your journey on a deeper level.  ?
• Included at all hotels.
• Hotel taxes, porterage and tips, as well as tips for included dining experiences, are included.?
• Enjoy breakfast every morning, and an array of incredible dining options throughout your journey, infused with discovery and adventure.
• On days where a Relaxed Start (RS) is indicated, you can select to indulge in breakfast in bed.
• Enjoy complimentary hotel Wi-Fi. And, on select coaches, onboard Wi-Fi may also be available.
• Transfers are included on your journey start and end dates, and where additional accommodation has been booked in advance through Luxury Gold. Transfers to train stations or alternate hotels, in the same start or end city as the itinerary, may be requested.

Curated Experiences

• Mekong River Delta: Meet Mr. Sau Tuong, a former soldier, at his home and see how he and his wife make a living making rice paper. This quiet existence is in stark contrast to the four years he spent fighting the Khmer Rouge, who terrorised Cambodia in the 1970s.
• Hue: Cycle through rice fields to Thanh Toan village, admiring the green countryside as you pedal by. Visit the lively local market, bargain along with the locals and see traditional houses. Soak up the agricultural way of life, a suitable contrast to the city.
• Hue: Enjoy a visit to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Imperial Citadel. Hear more about Emperor Gia Long, the first ruler of the Nguyen Dynasty, who made this the centre of a unified Vietnam.
• Luang Prabang: Take the gentle walk up the sacred mountain, Mount Phousi, to capture the breathtaking view over the surrounding landscape. Here, you can see the confluence of the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers with the jungle-clad mountains rising in the distance.

Magnificent Stays

• Hoi An: The luxurious Anantara Hoi An Resort is moments away from the city's charming historic centre. Take in the tranquil atmosphere, treat yourself to a massage at the spa, or cool down in the pool.

Passport Moments

• Ho Chi Minh City: Join a Viet Cong veteran to visit the underground C? Chi tunnels and learn more about this complex network originally built in 1948. See where many thousands of troops trained and lived under difficult conditions during the Vietnam War.
• Ho Chi Minh City: Experience the vibrancy of Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon, as you visit its most iconic attractions, including the Central Post Office, designed by Alfred Foulhox.
• Mekong River Delta: Board a private vessel for your Mekong River Cruise, taking you down the most important waterway in Southeast Asia. Gain a fascinating insight into coconut processing, one of the major industries for people who live along the river.
• Mekong River Delta: Enjoy a ride on a tri-motorcycle through the tropical scenery of the Mekong delta, passing limestone mountains and rows of neat rice paddies. Arrive at a rustic rice noodle factory to see how the favoured breakfast meal of Vietnam is produced.
• Hoi An: Explore the Ancient Old Town of Hoi An, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and see well-preserved buildings that date back several centuries. See the 18th-century Japanese covered bridge with its elaborate carvings and spot many coloured lanterns along the way.
• Hanoi: Take a spin on a nifty electric cart for a fun way to get around Hanoi. See the main sights of the city, including the beautiful French neoclassical Opera House, the centre for cultural and historical events in Vietnam.
• Halong Bay: Board a luxury junk boat for a special cruise around the magnificent Ha Long Bay, famous for its emerald waters and thousands of limestone islands dotted with rainforests. Explore mysterious caves and marvel at a memorable sunset over this scene.
• Halong Bay: Visit the spectacular Tien Ong cave with its immense stalactites and stalagmites, resembling various forms, including one called “the fairy godfather.” Sail to Cua Van floating village, amid the towering rocks, where fishermen have lived for hundreds of years.
• Hanoi: Meet a renowned local scholar during a special visit to the famous Temple of Literature, built in 1070 to honour the great philosopher, Confucius. Learn more about the culture of Hanoi and Vietnamese architecture before touring the picturesque grounds and seeing the Well of Clarity.
• Luang Prabang: Rise with the sun to participate in the centuries-old Buddhist tradition of offering alms to the monks from the temples of Luang Prabang. Share this deeply spiritual ceremony with the local people as the barefoot saffron-robed monks collect “tak bat.”
• Luang Prabang: Join a sunset cruise on the Mekong for the final evening of your spellbinding journey. Observe rural life along the tree-lined banks of this magnificent river while enjoying a chilled drink and the sun melting into a glorious pink and orange-hued skyline.
• Luang Prabang: Uncover the highlights of Luang Prabang with your Local Expert during a walk through this UNESCO World Heritage Site. See the fusion of traditional and colonial style architecture, as you wander through the streets seeing the buzz of local life.

Personalise your day

• Ho Chi Minh City: Meander through the streets of Ho Chi Minh and hear more about the local street-side café culture, which sprung up when many French lived in the country. Discover the art of making the perfect cup of Vietnamese coffee before trying one.
• Ho Chi Minh City: Continue with your exploration about the troubled past of the country at the War Remnants Museum.
• Hue: Take a boat ride to the private museum of Tran Dihn Son, whose great-grandfather was a high ranking mandarin during the Nguyen Dynasty and see the vast collection of rare antiquities collected by him and his ancestors.
• Hue: Take a cyclo trip to An Dinh Palace, the private residence of Khai Dinh, Vietnam’s last emperor who ruled until 1955. Learn about the life of a Royal before heading back via Dong Ba Market to catch a glimpse of everyday life in modern Hue.

Mode of Transport

Travel in style with private transfers throughout the tour, including a luxury junk boat cruise on Ha Long Bay. Enjoy seamless airport transfers at the start and end of your journey, and explore the Mekong Delta on a private vessel. Experience local culture with a cyclo ride in Hue and a traditional bamboo-basket boat in Hoi An.

Accommodation

Experience luxury at its finest with stays at the five-star Hotel Caravelle in Ho Chi Minh City, the serene Pilgrimage Village in Hue, the elegant Anantara Hoi An Resort, and the boutique Hotel de l'Opera in Hanoi. Enjoy a unique overnight cruise on the Paradise Cruise in Ha Long Bay and relax at The Luang Say Residence in Luang Prabang.