14 Days Best of Vietnam and Myanmar Tour

Enjoy your breakfast. In the morning at 8:00 am-8:30 am, you will be met by our tour guide at your hotel, start to explore the city of Hanoi. The morning’s activities include:

1. Tran Quoc Pagoda: located on the shores of West Lake, this pagoda is full of amazing Buddhist symbolism, a must-see for any of Hanoi city tour.
2. Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum: one of the most famous works in Vietnam. With great cultural and historical value, it will expand your understanding of the country.
3. One Pillar Pagoda: Hanoi’s iconic landmark not to be missed, famous for its extraordinary architecture. This Pagoda is not only a famous tourist attraction but also a religious stop for local pilgrims.
4. Temple of Literature: one of the top historical attractions in Hanoi, which is the first university in Vietnam. The temple represents Vietnamese ancient architecture and traditional fondness for learning.

End of the sightseeing, you will have lunch at an authentic Vietnamese restaurant, and then take a rest.

In the afternoon, you will enjoy the following activities:

1. Hoan Kiem Lake with Ngoc Son Temple: famous for its peaceful beauty, cultural as well as historical values.
2. Taking a traditional cyclo tour through the Old Quarter: the fascinating experience of rickshaws driving around the Old Quarter and experience the daily life of the local.
3. Savor the best street food in the world: never miss out the Vietnam food

After the tour, you will be escorted back to your hotel in Hanoi. The rest of the day is free at your leisure.

In the morning, after breakfast, our driver will pick you up at about 8:00 am, and then head to the cruise port of Halong Bay. It takes about 3 hours to arrive. Upon arrival, the cruise staff will help you with the check-in at around 12:00 am.

Welcome onboard in Halong Bay! You will be greeted with a welcome drink and the introduction and guidelines. Then, you will enjoy the lunch onboard in the elegant dining room.

In the afternoon, you will enjoy some exciting activities such as sightseeing, kayaking, or swimming according to each cruise’s itinerary.

While onboard, you can take advantage of the leisure time of the Spa, Beauty, and Massage services surrounded by the stunning scenery around you. Besides, you can also join in the chef’s cooking class and learn the art of traditional Vietnamese cooking.

In the evening, an elegant dinner is ready with a fusion of Eastern and Western cuisine, accompanied by a wide selection of wines and beverages from around the world.

After dinner, enjoy a leisurely evening onboard, such as joining in board games, squid fishing, a night movie, or bars & karaoke.

Your second day of Halong Bay Cruise will start with a Tai Chi class for 20 minutes to breathe the fresh air and brighten the day.

After breakfast, continue with the exploration of the tourist sites on Halong Bay. At around 10:00 am, it’s time to pack your luggage for checkout.

At about 11:30 am, your cruise boat will sail back to the port and you will enjoy an early lunch on the way. Then, our driver will pick you up at the port, heading to the airport of Hanoi for your flight to Da Nang. Upon arrival in Da Nang, our tour guide will escort you to Hoi An about 1 hour.

Welcome to Hoi An, one of the UNESCO World Heritage sites and famous for the old town. Your tour guide will take you to the hotel in Hoi An for Check-in. You can have the rest of the day to yourself.

In the morning, after breakfast, you will start your half-day excursion to Cam Thanh village. Your tour guide will pick you up around 8:00 am to 8:30 am. During this half-hour, you will experience:

1. Fishing, Catching the Crabs & Coconut Mussels: enjoying experiences from learning traditional fishing techniques and exploring tranquil coconut-palm flanked waterways of a past war.
2. Vietnamese bamboo basket boat ride: made of bamboo with the shape of baskets to make you have the very Vietnamese experience.

At the end of the first half of the day, the guide will take you to a very delicious Vietnamese lunch. After lunch, we’ll go back to Da Nang airport and take a flight to Saigon for about 70 minutes.

Welcome to Saigon!

Upon arrival, our tour guide and driver will welcome you at the airport. You will be escorted to the hotel and check-in. The rest of the day is at your leisure for recovery.

After breakfast, at about 8:30 am, we will drive about 1.5 hours to Cu Chi Tunnels, where you discover these amazing systems developed by the guerrillas fighting in the Vietnam War. You will see various weapons used in the war on display. It will take the whole morning to explore and enjoy.

After lunch at a local restaurant, back to Saigon city to explore the iconic highlights, including:

1. Notre Dame Cathedral: honored as one of the world's 19 most majestic cathedrals, the only representative from Southeast Asia, seen as the architectural symbol of Ho Chi Minh City
2. Old Saigon Post Office: Vietnam’s largest post office and oldest colonial structure, is one of the must-sees, attracting visitors with its aesthetic and historical values
3. Cholon: the largest Chinatown in Ho Chi Minh with many traditional shops, markets, and local food stalls.
4. Emperor Jade Pagoda: a sacred place of Saigon, built by a Chinese merchant named Liu Daoyuan, where people pray and seek blessings.

End of the sightseeing tour, you will be escorted to the airport and take a flight to Yangon. It takes about 2.5 hours.

Welcome to Yangon!

Our tour guide and driver will welcome you at the airport upon arrival. You will be escorted to the hotel and check-in. The rest of the day is at your leisure for recovery.

After morning breakfast, your tour guide will pick you up at 8:30 am to Yangon Railway Station. Taking the local circular Train journey to the outskirts of town (20-30 minutes ride).

1. Circular train journey: observing the lively and colorful life of the rural Burmese people.
2. Kyi Myin Daing Market: a variety of street vendors sell colorful wares, where you can explore the market and meet friendly locals.

Go back to the downtown area of Yangon to enjoy Myanmar cuisine, you’ll continue your tour in the afternoon. You’ll explore:

1. Old City Hall: A well-balanced blend of Western and Burmese architectural styles, listed on the Yangon City Heritage List.
2. Botahtaung Pagoda: features golden decorations inside and houses a sacred hair of Gautama Buddha.
3. Bogyoke Market: sells many Burmese traditional handicrafts including stone, wood, bronze carvings, and much more.
4. Kandawgyi Park: famous Karaweik, a concrete replica of a Burmese royal barge built in 1972, near Chaukhtetgyi Reclining Buddha Image.
5. Shwedagon Pagoda: an important Buddist icon, which has been described as one of the wonders of the world, plays a very important role in old Burmese history.

Enjoy the sunset over the Shwedagon pagoda, and then you’ll get back to the hotel for a good rest.

Enjoy your free time in the morning until transfer to the airport for an onward flight to Mandalay about 1 hour.

Welcome to Mandalay! Upon your arrival in Mandalay, your local guide will meet you at the airport and escort you to the hotel.

Around 5:30 pm, your tour guide will take you to Mandalay Hill to enjoy the stunning sunset. Nearby there are also many remarkable sights like:

1. The Golden Palace Monastery: famous for its exquisite wood carvings.
2. Kuthodaw Pagoda: housing the “Biggest book in the World”.
3. Kyauk Taw Gyi Pagoda: famous for its huge Marble Buddha.

After the tour, you will be escorted to the hotel and have a good rest.

After enjoying your breakfast, your tour guide will pick you up from your hotel in Mandalay at 7:30 am-8:00 am. You’ll take a drive to Mingun, located 11 km up the Ayeyarwady River on the west bank from Mandalay. From here, you will explore the historic sites around Mandalay. In Mingun, you’ll visit:

1. Mingun Bell: the world's largest uncracked bell.
2. Pahtodawgyi Pagoda: the world's largest pile of bricks.
3. Myatheindan Pagoda: It's white and looks like the mythical Buddhist Mountain called Mount Meru.

You’ll then continue to Sagaing, the ancient capital of the Shan and Myanmar Kingdoms. Uncountable white-and-gold stupas are highlights of Sagaing. Sagaing Hill is widely regarded as the religious center of Myanmar. You’ll visit Soon Oo Pon Nya Shin Pagoda on the tranquil Sagaing Hill.

Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant in Sagaing. Crossing a bridge over the Irrawaddy River, you’ll take a horse cart to explore the ruins of the old royal capital.

1. 27m tall leaning tower.
2. Maha Aungmye Bonzan Monastery: built of brick in traditional style with elaborated stucco ornamentations that look like carvings.
3. Bargaya Monastery: a splendid teak wood monastery with wood carving.

Your last destination today is the Amarapura, the royal capital of Myanmar twice. In Amarapura, you’ll visit:

1. Mahargandaryon Monastery: the largest teaching monastery in Myanmar.
2. U Bein Bridge: exploring the local way of life and enjoying the sunset.
3. Weaving Workshop: weaving is the main business of Amarapura people.

After the tour, you will be escorted to the hotel, enjoy your free time, and have a good rest.

This morning, you’ll be transferred by private van to Bagan after enjoying breakfast. The total distance is 112 miles and will take about 4 hours. Upon arrival, you will be escorted to your hotel for check-in.

This afternoon, you’ll explore Bagan. In this ancient city, you’ll visit:

1. Thousands of Buddhist pagodas: over 4000 Buddhist temples and Pagodas sprinkled all across the town.
2. Nyaung Oo Market: locals buy and sell products.
3. Shwezigon Pagoda: the largest pagoda in Bagan painted with real gold.

Then enjoy a fun horse cart ride to a little village called Taung Phi for a view of a teak monastery. Keep riding in the horse cart around temples and winding roads, while the sun moves toward the horizon, making interesting shadows from the temples on the ground. You’ll visit Shesandaw Pagoda and watch one of the best sunsets in Southeast Asia.

Today, you need to get up early at 5:00 am to experience a beautiful hot air balloon flight over Bagan’s temples.

Drifting over a panorama of a thousand ancient pagodas, silent in the shadow of low-slung mountains and against the banks of the mighty Irrawaddy River, you will have a wonderful overhead perspective of Bagan. It's a fantastic and interactive experience.

The entire experience will last about 2.5 hours. On landing, our fully trained Myanmar ground crew will pack the balloon whilst passengers enjoy a glass or two of celebratory champagne. You’ll receive a flight certificate signed by the pilot.

After enjoying a delicious breakfast, you have free time on your own until your tour guide picks you up at 1:00 pm-1:30 pm to Mount Popa.

1. Mount Popa: a dormant volcano in central Myanmar and the highest point of the Pegu Range.
2. Popa Taung kalat Monastery: a special monastery high up on a big rocky hill, offering beautiful views of the fields nearby and Mount Popa.
3. Nat Shrine: mannequin-like figures representing the 37 Nats, which is dedicated to animist spirits.

Note: You need to climb 777 steps to get to Popa Taungkalat Monastery. If you don’t want to do that, you can choose to visit the sandalwood forest and medical herb garden with plenty of flora and fauna.

After touring Mount Popa, a stop will be made at a palm tree plantation on the way back to the hotel in Bagan. Villagers earn money from these palm trees. It's a nice break where you can watch them work with palm trees.

In the morning, after breakfast, your tour guide will escort you to Inle Lake, enjoying the scenery on the way. Inle Lake is the second-largest lake in Myanmar. The whole drive takes around 7 hours.

In the late afternoon, you’ll arrive at Inle Lake. The rest of the time is on your arrangement. You could visit Phaungdawoo Pagoda and Paya, Inthein Village, and Yan Aung Nan Aung Hsu Taung Pye Paya.

In the morning, after breakfast, you’ll start the Inle Lake full-day tour. Firstly, go to visit the lake’s morning market. This market is visited by lake inhabitants and surrounding hill tribes to sell and trade wares.

Then you’ll continue down a small canal leading to Indein in the middle of the lake, populated by ethnic Padaung (“long neck women”).

Walking through a covered alley lined on both sides with a thousand pagodas and a long-covered staircase, you’ll have chance to discover the magnificent complex of Alaung Sithu in beautiful scenery of ancient stupas, which are buried in vegetation with a panoramic view of the Inle Lake.

After enjoying local Burma lunch, you’ll continue to visit Khaung Daing Village in the afternoon. Khaung Daing Village is a native village near the northwestern of Inle Lake. There are some Shan-style temples to visit.

When the tour ends, you’ll be escorted to the hotel in Inle Lake. The rest of the day is at leisure.

In the morning, after breakfast, your tour guide will escort you to the Heho Airport to take a flight to Yangon for about 75 minutes.

Tour service ends here.