Overnight international flight to Hanoi.

Upon arrival in Hanoi and airport reception, transfer to the hotel in a private vehicle. Depending on arrival time, spend the remainder of the day at leisure.

Morning tour of the Ho Chi Minh Complex with a private guide. Visit Ba Dinh Square, where silent sentries guard the marble and granite mausoleum where Ho Chi Minh lies in state. See the simple cottage where Uncle Ho lived and worked and visit the nearby Ho Chi Minh Museum - an extraordinary tribute to the life of the "father of the country." Carry on to the Governor's Residence, a fine example of Hanoi's French architecture, followed by a stop at the One Pillar Pagoda to hear the legend of its construction.

Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant followed by a private afternoon tour of the Hanoi City highlights. Marvel at the tree lined streets on the way to the Opera House and pass by Hoan Kiem Lake en route to one of the city's fascinating museums of choice: the Museum of History of Vietnamese Military, Vietnam History Museum, or Vietnam Fine Arts Museum. Continue to the Temple of Literature, built in 1070 and dedicated to Confucius, for a quick escape from the busy streets. Afterwards, enjoy a private guided walking tour of the Ancient Quarter, also known as the 36 Streets District, to find a nice mix of ancient homes, temples and small shops.

Note: The Ho Chi Minh Museum is closed for maintenance on Mondays and Fridays from September to November annually.
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Transfer to the ancient and well-preserved village of Duong Lam and get immersed in the calm and tranquil atmosphere of country life. Explore Mong Phu Village before visiting the Phung Hung and Ngo Quyen Temples. Enjoy lunch at a local house before driving to visit the Thay Pagoda, which was built in the 11th century during the reign of King Ly Nhan Tong. Then return by car to Hanoi.

Depart Hanoi in the morning for an approximately 3.5 hour direct drive to Halong Bay. Upon arrival, get on a boat to begin the cruise. While the junk is passing many islets, rocks, caves, floating villages and beaches on Halong Bay, a lunch of fresh seafood will be served on board. Then visit the Thien Cung and Dau Go Caves, the most beautiful among the thousands in the bay. Return to land for the late afternoon hotel check-in and enjoy the evening at leisure.

Note: If staying overnight on a boat is preferred, please contact a travel consultant. This option is highly recommended.
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Depart Halong to return to Hanoi and enjoy lunch at a local restaurant en route. Upon arrival, transfer to the airport for a flight to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). Reception at airport and transfer to the hotel.

Visit the former Presidential Palace, which is now preserved as a museum, including the underground communications bunkers, headquarters for the Saigon Government during the American War. Continue to the History Museum, which houses an excellent display tracing the origins of the indigenous Vietnamese. Take the opportunity to see a delightful performance of water puppetry in the grounds. Then visit the Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica, an impressive neo-Romanesque cathedral in the center of city, the "wedding cake" styled Hotel De Ville, and Dong Khoi street, formerly the center of haute couture in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) when it was known as Rue Catinat.

Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant followed by a privately guided half day tour to the Cu Chi Tunnels. This vast underground network of tunnels was first built as a defense against the French, and later expanded during the American War. It was from here that the North Vietnamese waged their guerrilla warfare. Marvel at the ingenuity and resilience of the secret trapdoors, underground kitchens, living areas and meeting rooms.

The more adventurous travelers may explore the deeper second, and even third level tunnels. For those preferring to remain above ground, there is ample opportunity to view excavated areas from above. The guide will advise guests of the length and level of difficulty of each tunnel before entering. Some are easily accessed by stairs. Yampu recommends good walking shoes and sun protection for this tour and advises that guests will probably get their clothes dirty! Return to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) in the late afternoon and enjoy the evening at leisure.
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Transfer approximately 3 hours in a private vehicle to the Mekong River town of Cai Be. Board a motorized sampan for an introduction to life on the river with a private guide. Cai Be is known for its large floating market, where displays of food produce are hung from the bamboo poles over the host boat in order to attract customers.

From here, the journey continues across the upper reach of the river to a maze of tributaries and fruit plantations. Barges ply the route, overloaded with rice husks used as fuel for the region's numerous brick kilns. Depending on the season, a sample of local tropical fruit will be served with lunch in a local farmer's home before returning to the craft for the leisurely cruise to Vinh Long. From here, drive and ferry to the Delta's economic hub city of Can Tho. Check into the hotel and enjoy the rest of the day at leisure.
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Early morning cruise with a private guide to the bustling market town of Cai Rang. Enjoy a sampan ride through the colorful congestion of women and children jostling for space and vying to sell their goods. Return to Can Tho town to visit their museum and a Khmer pagoda in Can Tho City. After lunch at a local restaurant, visit the Bang Lang Stork Garden and the Binh Thuy Ancient House. Return to the hotel and enjoy the evening at leisure.

Private morning transfer to Chau Doc near the Cambodian border. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant en route and in the afternoon visit Sam Mountain, a popular pilgrimage center for many Vietnamese and home to a collection of ornate and colorful temples and pagodas. Climb or drive to the top of the hill for an unparalleled 360 degree vista of nearby Cambodia.

The Mekong River at this point is decorated with hundreds of floating homes, each a self-contained farm where local families raise and sell fish to passing boats. With a private guide, take the opportunity to visit some of them before returning to the hotel in Chau Doc for the evening.
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Private transfer back to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) for a flight to Siem Reap. Reception at airport and transfer to the hotel. Depending on the arrival time, spend the remainder of the day at leisure.

Travel to the 'Wisdom from the Forest' project, 35 kilometers north of Siem Reap. Here, the Institute for Khmer Traditional Textiles (IKTT) focuses on the restoration of the natural environment to produce materials for making traditional textiles. IKTT also cultivates a vegetable garden to feed the 30-40 families working on its 22 hectares of land. Here see all the trees that are needed to produce the natural dyes for silk, as well as the Mulberry trees that are vital in the production of silk. See silk worms munching on the Mulberry leaves and forming the all-important cocoons. While wandering around the site, discover the entire silk process from boiling the cocoons, to pulling out the silk thread, dying the silk and finally weaving it into beautiful designs. At the end of the tour, browse through the workshop to see a variety of silk products.

Then enjoy a half day visit to Angkor Wat with a private guide. It is unlike all the other Khmer temples in that it faces west, and is inspired by 12th Century Hinduism. Its symmetrical towers are stylized on the modern Cambodian flag. Intricate bas-reliefs surround Angkor Wat on four sides, each telling a story, but the most celebrated of these is the Churning of the Sea Milk, located on the east wing. The guide will explain the fascinating mystical tale behind it.
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Enjoy a half day tour of the Angkor Thom with a private guide. Visit the sprawling Elephant Terrace, the Terrace of the Leper King and the enchanting Bayon. This 12th century masterpiece lies at the very center of Angkor Thom City and is an archaeological wonder of symmetry and grandeur. The exterior gallery walls have extensive bas-reliefs, but the main features are the towers each with 3 or 4 gently smiling faces, over 200 in total. Afterwards, continue to Pre Rup Temple. Built in 961, the boldness of the architectural design is superb and gives the temple fine balance, scale and proportion. The temple is close in style to the East Mabon, although it was built several years later.

Continue to the famous Tonle Sap, the largest fresh water lake in Southeast Asia, for a memorable boat ride to a nearby floating village. For most of the year the lake is fairly small, approximately only one meter deep with an area of 2,700 square km. However, during the monsoon season, the water is pushed up from the Mekong River into the lake, resulting in an increased area of 16,000 square km and a depth of up to nine meters, ultimately flooding nearby fields and forests. The floodplain provides a perfect breeding ground for fish. The livelihood of most of the local community depends largely on fishing and Tonle Sap accounts for 75 percent of Cambodia's annual inland fish catch. After the tour, return to the hotel.

Note: Depending on the time of year, the Tonle Sap boat ride might be unavailable. In that event choose to do the Kbal Spean Tour, Siem Reap School Tour, or Cooking Class and Visit to Local Home. Please contact a travel consultant for more information.
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This morning, visit Banteay Srei, "The Women's Citadel", a tiny, enchanting temple, which is one of the jewels in this remarkable city. Built of red sandstone in the 10th century and dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva, this is the most Indian of all the temples in Angkor and in the words of H.W. Ponder, "a fairy palace in the heart of an immense and mysterious forest." Continue to Banteay Samre, another Hindu temple.


This afternoon, enjoy lunch and transfer by Tuk Tuk to Preah Khan. This extensive monastic complex, which covers over 130 acres, was built by the Khmer King Jayavarman VII as a monastery and teaching complex. Continue to Ta Prohm, a temple that has been left largely in its natural state since its re-discovery by the French. Surrounded by jungle, it remains a labyrinth of stone hallways that have become overgrown with roots and limbs of massive banyan trees, which envelope the stone like tentacles.
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At the appropriate time, meet at the hotel and transferred to the airport for a flight to Chiang Mai. Reception at airport and transfer to a hotel. This evening, enjoy a Khantoke dinner. The first Khantoke dinner was held in 1953, when local politician Kraisi Nimanhemin invited honored guests to sit with him and enjoy this special dinner. It is traditionally related to the people of the northern region of Thailand. Dinner is served in small bowls("Khan") and guests are seated on cushions at a low table ("Thoke"). Northern Thai cuisine is served and during dinner, entertainment is provided by beautiful dancers who perform the Forn Leb, known as the finger dance; Forn Thien, known as the candle dance; Ramwong, referred to as the circle dance; and the Ram Dab, known as the sword dance. After finishing dinner, there will be an option to see an additional hill tribe show from various members of Yao, Lahu, Meo, Lisu, and Karen tribes. ...read less

Start with a visit to a food and flower market and then continue to Wat Suan Dok, where the ashes of former kings of Chiang Mai and the Royal Family are kept. From there, proceed with a visit to Wat Phrathat on Doi Suthep Mountain, which was founded in 1383 AD. In 1935, a road was built to the top, but today people climb the 309 steps from the car park to the top or take a tram for a small surcharge. From the top, enjoy a superb panoramic view of the city. After exploring, return to the car park for a transfer back to Chiang Mai, to take a 20-minute rickshaw ride through the quiet streets of the old town.


Visit the historic, laidback town of Lamphun, an important site for arts in Thailand. Continue to Wieng Kum Kam, an ancient city that was built by King Mengrai in the 14th century and rediscovered by archaeologists in 1984. The ancient capital was frequently flooded and eventually abandoned and forgotten. Explore the royal temple of Wat Kanthom (Wat Changkam), the shrine of King Mengrai, and Wat Hao Nong, a temple which is still home to the remains of the old-style temple entrance. Then head to Wat Pu Pia and Wat E-Kang, which were also recently discovered during archaeological excavations. Finally, visit Wat Chedee Liam, an important landmark in the architectural heritage of Chiang Mai.


Note: Ladies should wear a short-sleeved shirt with pants or a knee-length skirt and gentlemen should wear pants and a short-sleeved shirt for religious reasons. Sandals and flip flops are not allowed.
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Elephants are used as workforce and a mode of transportation in Thailand. Mahouts bond with their elephants from a young age and together they grow up to love and respect each other. Although robust animals, elephants also get sick and need help, and so the world's first elephant hospital was set up in Lampang to help them recover from injuries, stress, or disease. Visit this exceptional place and learn how elephants are taken care of and what elephants mean to the Thai people. Afterwards, enjoy a ride on the back of a healthy elephant and observe the natural surroundings from up high. Enjoy a delicious lunch at a local restaurant before visiting some of the town's landmarks such as Wat Phra That Lampang Luang and Wat Chedi Sao. Then drive back to Chiang Mai and return to the hotel. ...read less

Rise very early and drive to Doi Suthep to see dozens of monks head down the mountain to the city of Chiang Mai to receive alms from the locals. Stop at a local market to purchase goods, and offer them when the monks pass by. Then, transfer to the airport for a flight to Bangkok, to connect with the flight home or continue with an optional Yampu Tours add-on.