Best Of Thailand And Vietnam 16 Days - Viet International Travel and Trade Co., Ltd

Upon arrival in Chiang Mai (Thailand), you will be welcomed by our tour guide and driver and be transferred to the city center for check-in at your hotel. Free at own leisure to explore the evening city. Overnight in Chiang Mai.

After breakfast at the hotel, we depart for Chiang Rai in the early morning. En route, stop at the hot spring for a relaxing time. Continue the drive through the countryside, passing rice paddy fields & mountains. Visit a unique White temple built by one of the best national artists. Discover Karen Hill Tribe Village and visit Mae Sai Border market, the most important border market

Lunch at a local restaurant.

In the afternoon, visit the Golden Triangle in Chiang Sean, where the three borders of Myanmar-Laos-Thailand are meeting. Embark on a traditional long-tailed boat to Laos’s side and see the hilltop viewpoint, marvel at the splendour of the mighty Mekong joining with the Ruak and forming the actual "Triangle" with Laos Myanmar and Thailand.

Back to your hotel to relax. Overnight in Chiang Mai.

Breakfast is served at your hotel.

After breakfast at the hotel.9:00 AM. Drive about 50 minutes north of Chiang Mai through hills, forests and local agricultural areas.

10.00 am Arrival at the elephant sanctuary Kanta, changing traditional clothing

10:30 a.m. Prepare fruits for our elephants and meet our elephants. Feeding, roaming, touching, and playing with elephants. *** In the Sanctuary, let you spend as much time as possible with elephants.

12.00. Lunch

1:00 PM. Prepare and cook sticky rice mixed with herbs for our elephants. Learn about the history, health care and behaviour of the elephant.

2.00 PM Enjoy longer roaming, feeding an elephant ride to the river and enjoy bathing, and washing elephants. Alimenta balls of sticky rice, fruits our elephants. ** This part is focused on taking your time and allowing elephants to enjoy every moment of their liberty, scratching, rubbing, throwing dirt, enjoying the view and taking lots of pictures **

3.00 PM. Pause for tea and coffee.

Exit Kanta Elephant Sanctuary and drive approximately 50 minutes back to Chiang Mai.

Breakfast is served at your hotel.

Morning, check out hotel and meet our guide and start your day with a visit to Meow Hill Tribe Village, located on Doi Pui, famous for opium cultivation in the past. It is 1500 meter above the sea level.

The trip continues to Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep temple. The drive offers a panoramic view of Chiang Mai city. Visit of San Kamphaeng district, heart of the Silk and Cotton Home Industries, to witness the fascinating process of making and weaving these popular fabrics. Continue on the Bor Sang, the umbrella village, where the delicate Thai paper umbrellas are produced and hand-painted.

From here, onwards to Thai Celadon, about 6kms north of Chiang Mai where exquisite ceramics are produced. These are modeled on the Sawankhalok pottery that used to be made hundreds of years ago at Sukhothai and exported all over the region. With its deep, cracked glazed finish the style is very distinctive and some pieces are exceptionally beautiful. Last but not least, stop to observe the intricacies of both lacquer ware and silverware craftsmen.

After the tour, we transfer ahead to the airport for a flight to Krung Thep Maha Nakhon (Bangkok).

On arrival, meet our tour guide and we go to your hotel for check in and relax. Overnight in Bangkok.

In the morning, meet our guide and drive to visit two of the most special Buddhist temples in the city. The Buddha in Wat Traimit weighs several tons, and is made of solid gold. And visit the famous Reclining Buddha at Wat Po, where the blind may be trained to become masseuses.

Lunch is on your own cost (our tour guide can suggest you some local restaurants).

In the afternoon, continue your discovery tour with a visit to a site the Thai people consider the most sacred in the Kingdom: The Royal Grand Palace. This is one of the most beautiful examples of an ancient Thai court, with several Halls in same compound. You will also visit the Wat Phra Kaew or the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (officially known as Wat Phra Sri Rattana Satsadaram) is regarded as the most important Buddhist temple in Thailand. Located in the historic centre of Bangkok, within the grounds of the Grand Palace, it enshrines Phra Kaew Morakot (the Emerald Buddha), the highly revered Buddha image meticulously carved from a single block of jade. The Emerald Buddha is a Buddha image in the meditating position in the style of the Lanna School of the north, dating from the 15th century.

After that, explore the Chao Phraya River’s edge, on a traditional "Long Tail Boat", and spend a few hours to enjoy the old canals of the Thonburi side of Bangkok, where an older and more gracious lifestyle still prevails. You will have an opportunity to visit Wat Arun, perhaps better known as the Temple of the Dawn, is one of the best known landmarks and one of the most published images of Bangkok.

Overnight in Bangkok.

Breakfast is served at your hotel.

This morning, you will be picked up by our driver and we transfer to the airport for the flight to Ho Chi Minh city.

Arrive in Ho Chi Minh, meet our tour guide and we transfer to your hotel for check in and relax. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh city.

Breakfast is served at your hotel.

8:00am: Our guide & driver pick you up at hotel.

A half day tour to Cu Chi, located about 70 km from Saigon, where you will visit the Cu Chi Tunnels, the former stronghold of the Viet Cong with a network of tunnels three levels deep stretching over 200 km.

Cu Chi tunnels played a vital part in the U.S.-Vietnam War in that they allowed the Viet Cong to control a large rural area only 30 to 40 km from former Saigon .

At its height, the tunnel system stretched from Saigon to the Cambodian border. The network, parts of which were several levels deep, included innumerable trap doors, specially constructed living areas, storage facilities, weapons factories, field hospitals, command centres and kitchens.

Today the remaining tunnels have become a major tourist attraction giving the visitor a unique experience and feel of what underground life during the war must have been like.

The tunnels have been widened for our benefit (otherwise we would not be able to enter them!) For those interested there's even the opportunity to try an AK47 or MK16 at the nearby rifle range. (On your own cost)

Your lunch will be served at a local restaurant en route.

Your afternoon begins with the exploration of Ho Chi Minh city, including the Reunification Palace that was the former residence of the President of South Vietnam until April 30, 1975. Then, continuing our trip visiting War Remnants Museum that is formerly known as the Museum of American War Crimes. This is a poignant display the futility of war. Close to the museum, we go to visit the Central Post Office that is the country’s largest post office was built since 1891. It is a fine example of French architecture and is Vietnam's largest post office. Back to your hotel and free on your own. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh city.

Breakfast is served at your hotel.

08:00am: our guide and driver pick you up from your hotel and bring you to the “Capital” of Coconut – Ben Tre. It takes about 2-2.5 hours transfer on the way to Ben Tre.

On arrival in Hung Vuong Pier (Ben Tre town). Take a boat on Ben Tre river – one of tributaries of Mekong river, Sight-seeing  lively activities along river as fishing,water transfering... Stop at brickwork to see how to make bricks in handy traditional style by printing and baking. Visit one of plenty of coconut processing workshops located along Cái sơn canal. Turn on natural scissors creeks where they look smaller and smaller to go to Nhon Thanh village. Take a walk to family workshop making sleep mats and enjoying some fruits.

Take a tuk tuk or ride on shady paths, pass by green rice fields and vegetable plains to be able to touch on realy life and find out  about tropical culture from Peasants. Lunch at local restaurant.

Afternoon -  Take rowing-boat along water palm creek and boat along Cai Coi creek back to Hung Vuong Pier where our driver awaits for you to transfer back to Ho Chi Minh.

You are free in evening and overnight in Ho Chi Minh.

Breakfast is served at your hotel.

Today, you are free at leisure until being picked up and transferred to airport for your flight to Danang city.

Arrive in Danang, meet our tour guide and we transfer ahead to Hoian. On the way, we can stop at Marble Mountains and My Khe beach.

Check in and relax at your hotel in Hoian.

Breakfast is served at your hotel.

08.00 AM: Our local guide picks up you at the hotel lobby, you enjoy a cycling trip along country lanes at a peaceful pace viewing local life and pause to see farmers toiling in their rice fields using centuries of farming practices. Peddle your way through palm forests, across bridges, fields of water buffalo. Riding along country lanes at a peaceful pace viewing local life and stop over to see farmers (If you can't cycle, we will arrange car or mini van as an alternative)

9:00 AM: Take a short break in a local family at Cam Thanh Village before enjoying 1.5 hours ride on Traditional Basket Boat (round boat) in the Water Coconut Palm Forest. Learn how to sail the basket boat and spend your time to catch fishes and “purple crabs” in the Canal.

10:30 AM: Continue to drive to Tra Que Organic Vegetable Village where a large variety of vegetable are produced for the local community. At the village, you will be shown the environmentally sustainable practices which the local villagers have used for centuries and is still being used extensively today.

11:30 AM: Visit a local family and after a short, informative and fun cooking lesson, we sit down for a delicious lunch. Be back to town central your hotel for relax.

Overnight in Hoian.

Breakfast is served at your hotel.

Today you are free at leisure on your own such as walking/cycling around the ancient town or book a fishing/ snorkelling in Cham Island (on your request).

Overnight in Hoian.

Breakfast is served at your hotel.

Enjoy the morning free on your own to be relax. Then, you will take the flight to Hanoi.

Upon arrival, your guide will pick you up from airport and escort you to hotel for check-in.

6:00PM: You will begin your dinner with Hanoi street food tour. The local tour guide will give you an insight into the intricacies and traditions of Vietnamese food culture including details on ingredients and historical backgrounds of popular Northern dishes. We eat as we go.

At the end of your Hanoi street food tour, you can be free to continue discovering the Old Quarter on your own or the tour guide will walk you back to your hotel.

Overnight at hotel in Hanoi.

Breakfast is served at your hotel.

After breakfast, check out hotel but leave your luggage, we will firstly take a visit the outside of the Presidential Palace and Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum then stroll through the garden to the Ho Chi Minh Stilt House where Ho Chi Minh lived from 1958 until he passed away in 1969. This simple two-room dwelling has been preserved in the same condition as during his life and can be viewed through the windows. Continue to the special architecture 11th century One Pillar Pagoda which was rebuilt after being destroyed by the French in 1954.

Secondly, visit the Temple of Literature – The first royal academy of the country.

The Temple of Literature has a peaceful series of walled courtyards and graceful gateways, and this monument is one of the best-preserved examples of traditional Vietnamese architecture. Founded in 1070 and dedicated to Confucius, this was also the site of Vietnam’s first university. In one courtyard, giant stone tortoises bear stele on their backs, listing the accomplishments of graduating scholars.

Break for lunch at a local restaurant.

Thirdly, visit the Museum of Ethnology (Hoa Lo Prison if you visiting on Monday) – one of the 25 most attractive museums in Asia. The museum was opened in 1997 to preserve and introduce most of the richest culture, traditions of 54 ethnic groups in Vietnam. It is a place which is combined with a very green and tranquil garden behind where you can see and learn more about some of very popular architectures as King people’s traditional house, Ede tribe’s longhouse, Bana tribe’s communal house, Stilt house of Tay tribe…

Hanoi is a blend of long-established traditions and modern imprints of Western colonization. Tree-lined boulevards and colonial buildings give the city a touch of Western elegance, while crowded blocks of tiny old houses and narrow lanes full of daily life bear the charms of the past centuries. Take 45 minute Cyclo Tour through the Old Quarter: Also known as the 36 streets, this bustling area of narrow streets is home to literally thousands of small businesses and shopkeepers. Originally each of the 36s names’ was related to the products being sold there. It’s a great place to explore on foot with numerous photo opportunities. Before coming back to your hotel, we will watch a water puppet show. Dinner is on your own arrangement. Overnight in Hanoi.

Breafkast is served at your hotel.

Morning, the cruise’s shuttle bus will pick you up at your hotel lobby and depart for Halong Bay. Sit back and enjoy the peaceful countryside symbolic of the Red River Delta. We will arrive at Halong Bay’s wharf around noon and embark an elegant wooden junk for a cruise through the limestone cliffs and emerald waters of Halong Bay. Here we enjoy the striking scenery of this World Heritage Site. While being on board, we will be served fresh local seafood lunch followed by swimming and exploring some of the limestone caves in this area. Witness one of the world’s best the sunsets before you sit down for a lush dinner. The captain then will anchor for the night nearby a remote island where you’ll have the option night fishing or just sit out on the deck and relax under the stars.

Waking up surrounded by the tranquil beauty of the bay, we have time for an early morning dip with joys and emotions for watching sunrise on sea followed by breakfast. The cruise continues to move around the bay for us to discover more secluded areas, we then take kayaking and swimming in the stunning bay. The junk will be near us at all times serving as a backup vessel for those that require it. At around midday we will return to the main harbor before transferring to our awaiting vehicle for a 3-hour journey to your hotel in Hanoi. Check in and relax. Overnight in Hanoi.

Breakfast is served at your hotel.

Free morning at your own leisure until the transfer to the airport for your flight departure.

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