Myanmar Vietnam Laos 17-Day Tour
Duration
17 Days | 16 Nights
Destinations
Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos
Travel Type
Private | Customizable
Places You’ll Visit
Tour Overview
Join this 17 days tour to experience the essential charm of three unbeatable countries in Southeast Asia: Myanmar, Vietnam, and Laos. Following local expert English-speaking guides and drivers, you will see iconic golden-domed pagodas in Mandalay, Bagan, and Yangon of Myanmar, relax yourself and enjoy unparalleled sightseeing on a Halong Bay Cruise, try tasty street food and observe both the modern and ancient charm of Vietnam, take part in the unique morning alms-giving ritual and venture to the picturesque Kuangsi Waterfall in Laos.
Highlights of This Tour
- Visit many iconic golden pagodas and historical sites in the former capitals of Myanmar: Mandalay, Bagan, and Yangon.
- See the Face-Washing Ceremony in the early morning in Mahamuni Pagoda.
- Visit Bogyoke market and Yangon’s Colonial District to look into real life in Yangon.
- Join the lively Cai Rang Floating Market in Mekong Delta.
- Sit back in a relaxing Halong Bay Cruise and be attracted by fantastic karst formations, floating villages, and mysterious natural grottoes.
- Catch the morning alms-giving which is an ancient ritual unique in Laos.
- Encounter historical buildings and feel the laid-back vibe of Hoi An Ancient Town.
- Enjoy a food adventure in Hanoi Old Quarter.
Itinerary
Welcome to Mandalay! Please make your way to Mandalay. Your local guide and driver will be ready to welcome you upon your arrival and drive you to the hotel for check-in. The rest of the day is free for leisure.
Meals: N/A
Accommodation: Mandalay
The second largest city in Myanmar, Mandalay is the former capital of the country which is known for its cultural diversity and a large number of monks.
Start your Mandalay trip with a visit to Shwenandaw Monastery, part of the former royal palace. The monastery now is a place to gain insight into plenty of local wood carvings, offering some great photo opportunities.
Then we will drive outside Mandalay. On the way, around lunchtime, take a visit to Mahagandayon Monastery where you can look into the daily life of Burmese monks, and meet local villagers who come to help the monastery kitchen prepare lunch.
Continue driving to the pier to embark on a short boat trip to Inwa (aka Ava), the ancient capital of central Myanmar from 1364 to 1555. Located on the left bank of the Irrawaddy River, Ava will offer you a fascinating trip back in time. Take a horse cart to discover several structures in 19th-century style, including Ava Palace, Bagarya Monastery, and some villages.
Your exploration in Ava will take about 2 hours, after that, head to Amarapura, the worship and academic center for Buddhism in Burma. Get to the U Bein Bridge, the oldest wooden bridge in the world and the biggest highlight in the ancient town. Row a boat around the bridge to admire the breathtaking sunset over sparkling water before getting back to your hotel.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Mandalay
Get up early in the morning to visit Mahamuni Pagoda where a huge golden Buddha statue is enshrined. Each morning at 4:00 am, a Face-Washing Ceremony takes place at the pagoda when the presiding abbot helps the Buddha image wash face, brush teeth, slather on some sandalwood paste, and sprinkle scented water.
Note:
- Only males are allowed to enter the main chamber to admire the ritual.
- You will need to remove your shoes and socks before entering a religious site.
Get back to your hotel for breakfast and then transfer to the airport for your flight to Bagan. On arrival Bagan, your local guide and driver will welcome you and accompany you to the hotel for check-in and a break.
In the afternoon, visit Nyaung Oo Market (or Nyuang U Market) to see local people buy and sell their daily food and how they bargain. Then transfer to the Shwezigon Pagoda, an ancient Burmese-style pagoda that is covered by over 30,000 copper plates.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Bagan
Bagan is a city that will offer you one of the best sunrise experiences in the world. With over 2,000 pagodas spread out across the horizon in the morning mist, the shadows of the pagodas shift as the sun rises, then the clear sky will be dotted with colorful hot air balloons, super mesmerizing.
We will start today with a visit to the World Heritage Bagan Archaeological Zone. Your guide will escort you to visit some of the best pagodas in the zone, including Ananda Pagoda, Maha Bodhi Pagoda, Dhammayangyi Temple, etc. It will be a life-time memory to ride an Ox cart and go through the pagodas.
Optional Activity (at your own expense):
- 1-hour hot air balloon ride: If you like, a 1-hour hot air balloon ride is available for you to overlook the thousands of pagodas from October to next March.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Bagan
Check out your hotel in Bagan and take a flight to Yangon in the early morning. On arrival, transfer to the hotel for check-in. Free at your leisure before lunch.
In the afternoon, leisurely wander around Bogyoke Aung San Market with various handicrafts, gem shops, and wood carvings. Later, move on to Yangon’s Colonial District to look into many historic buildings.
Before getting back to your hotel, head to the Shwedagon Pagoda, the most sacred Buddhist pagoda in Myanmar, where you can enjoy the stunning sunset and peaceful people watching when locals doing their end-of-the-day prayers. The 99 meters high golden dome is said to be plastered with 60 tons of pure gold.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Yangon
Today, you will hop on the Yangon Circular Trainto admire the cityscape of the laid-back Yangon and gain more insights into local life. The train is rather slow since it will take about 3 hours to complete the 45km loop.
You will ride the train at 7:00 am this morning from the Main Station. Expect a stop every 5 minutes when locals hop on or hop off. Get off at a local market in an outskirt area, spend some leisure time in the market to wander around or do some shopping before you get on your private land transfer to the airport for your flight to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. After arrival, drive to Can Tho overnight.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Can Tho
Get up at 6:00 am this morning and follow your guide to visit the lively Cai Rang Floating Market where the waterway is filled with various boats (being used as stalls in the floating market). We will ride a long tail boat to sail among the boats selling all kinds of locally produced fruits and vegetables. You will also sail to some islets around Vinh Long and see more of the floating lives and countryside life in this area.
Enjoy lunch on the way back to Ho Chi Minh City.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Ho Chi Minh City
This morning, take an exciting rickshaw to glance into many interesting sites of Ho Chi Minh City, including the Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral, and the Opera House. Make a visit to the War Remnants Museum and listen to your expert guide narrate its history.
After lunch at a local restaurant, get to the airport to catch the flight to Danang. Then transfer to Hoi An.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hoi An
After breakfast, your guide will escort you to the Angkorian-style ruins at My Son and introduce you to the history and legend of these rocks. After that, drive back to Hoi An Ancient Town to have lunch.
In the afternoon, walk to explore and feel the laid-back vibe of Hoi An Ancient Town. Visit some of the best-known sites in the ancient town, such as the Japanese Covered Bridge, Fujian Assembly Hall (Phuc Kien), and the Old House of Tan Ky.
Before the end of today’s trip, walk into a love tea house to sip a cup of tea. The teahouse is run by some young Vietnamese who have hearing disabilities.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hoi An
Today, you’ll drive back to Danang to catch the flight to Hanoi. After hotel check-in, the rest of the day is free on your own.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hanoi
Today is a full-day exploration in Hanoi. Start with a visit to Ethnographic Museum where you will be better informed about Vietnamese ethnic culture. Ho Chi Minh complex to discover Ho Chi Minh’s life and role in Vietnamese history. Head to the Presidential Palace, a part of the Ho Chi Minh Complex. A legacy of Vietnam’s history and culture, this yellow three-story building is in French style and is surrounded by a lush garden, orchard, long boulevard, and beautiful pond.
After lunch, have a walking tour to discover many delicious local snacks and street food in Hanoi Old Quarter. These bustling and thousands of years old streets in the Old Quarter are teemed with food stalls, various vendors, and excellent restaurants, offering many exciting things to do and opportunities to experience the real Hanoi.
Before getting back to your hotel, make a visit to Hoan Kiem Lake.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hanoi
After breakfast, drive about 3 hours to the UNESCO-listed Halong Bay. Upon arrival, hop on the cruise and enjoy a welcome briefing and drinks.
The impressive Halong Bay with thousands of plush green limestone peaks towering over the sea is one of the most scenic areas in Vietnam. The overnight cruise will introduce you to the fantastic karst formations, floating villages, mysterious natural grottoes, and French-style architecture along the bank.
Lunch and dinner will be served on the cruise. En route, you will have free time toenjoy fun activities, like swimming and kayaking, and have a short excursion to some iconic villages and islets (each cruise may have a different itinerary).
Take part in a cooking class in the late afternoon.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: on board
Continue your Halong Bay cruise today. Attending a Tai Chi Class on the sun deck, sitting on the upper deck for sightseeing, marveling at sparkling sunrise, and taking great photos of the towering islands are all can’t-miss morning activities when on the cruise.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: on board
Cruise sightseeing continues in the morning. Enjoy your last moment in Halong Bay and treat your stomach with a traditional Vietnamese brunch before you leave the boat.
Go ashore and your driver will transfer you to the airport for the flight to Luang Prabang in Laos.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Luang Prabang
This morning, you can get up early to catch the morning alms-giving: the daily morning ritual of saffron-clad monks collecting offerings. Laos is the only Buddhist nation that still preserves this unique tradition. Then, make a short visit to the local morning market for your more in-depth experience of local life.
Back to your hotel for breakfast and start your Luang Prabang city tour. Follow your local expert guide, you’ll visit the Royal Palace Museum (closed on Tuesdays) which presents a wealth of interesting artifacts, go to Wat Xieng Thong to appreciate characteristics of 16th-century Lao architecture, enter the Traditional Art and Ethnology Center (closed on Monday) to learn the interesting local ethnic culture. The guide will also be glad to recommend some local high-rated restaurants for you to treat your stomach.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Luang Prabang
This morning, enjoy your free time to travel around Luang Prabang.
In the afternoon, your guide and driver will escort you to the picturesque Kuangsi Waterfalls. Upon arrival, you will immerse yourself in the beauty of this three-tiered waterfall as it flows through the limestone jungles and discharges into a series of cascading turquoise pools. You can either have fun around the turquoise pools or enjoy leisure walking along the forest trails.
Get back to Luang Prabang at the end of the day.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Luang Prabang
Enjoy your free time till your driver picks you up at the appointed time. You will be transferred to the airport for your international departure flight.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: N/A
What’s Included
Dates & Availability
Tuesday
15 Sep,2024
Wednesday
24 Sep,2024
Total price
$1,049
Tuesday
15 Sep,2024
Wednesday
24 Sep,2024
Total price
$1,049
