Vietnam & Laos: Hanoi to Luang Prabang | 14 Days 13 Nights

Vietnam & Laos | Hanoi to Luang Prabang

14 days | 13 nights

Travel from northern Vietnam to Laos via Hanoi’s Old Quarter, the limestone landscapes of Ninh Binh and a cruise in Bai Tu Long Bay. Explore Vientiane and Luang Prabang, cook with a local chef, cruise the Mekong and take part in a Baci ceremony.

From $4,820 per person, including international flights

Based on two travelers sharing a double room. Subject to travel dates and availability.

Day 1 | Arrival in Hanoi

Meals included: Dinner

Meet your private guide and driver after immigration and customs, then transfer to your hotel. Check-in is from 2 p.m. Take a cycle rickshaw through the Old Quarter’s 36 trade streets. Visit Hoan Kiem Lake, Ngoc Son Temple, the Pen Tower, the Ink Stand and the red wooden The Huc Bridge. Welcome dinner and overnight in Hanoi.

Day 2 | Hanoi city tour

Meals included: Breakfast and lunch

Explore historic Ba Dinh and see the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Presidential Palace from the outside. Visit Ho Chi Minh’s stilt house, gardens and fish pond, and the One Pillar Pagoda. After lunch, visit the Temple of Literature, home to Vietnam’s first university, and the Museum of Ethnology, which presents the traditions of Vietnam’s 54 officially recognized ethnic groups. Overnight in Hanoi.

Day 3 | Incense village, Perfume Pagoda and Ninh Binh

Meals included: Breakfast and lunch

Stop at Quang Phu Cau to meet incense makers and see their colorful displays. Take a traditional rowing boat along Yen Stream to the Perfume Pagoda pilgrimage complex. Reach Huong Tich Cave by cable car or on foot. Continue to Ninh Binh, known as “Ha Long Bay on land” for its limestone peaks, rivers and rice fields. About 3½ hours of driving. Overnight in Ninh Binh.

Day 4 | Ninh Binh by boat, bicycle and on foot

Meals included: Breakfast and lunch

Choose a sampan boat route with your guide from Trang An, Tam Coc, Van Long or Thung Nang. Cycle past rice paddies, villages and limestone peaks. Climb 486 stone steps up Ngoa Long Mountain for a panoramic sunset view over Tam Coc Valley. Dinner at leisure. Overnight in Ninh Binh.

Day 5 | Ha Long and Bai Tu Long Bay cruise

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Drive about four hours to Ha Long Bay and board the cruise. Enjoy lunch while sailing among the limestone islets of Bai Tu Long Bay. Visit Thien Canh Son Cave and its stalactites. Anchor near Cong Do for dinner and overnight aboard. The cruise is shared, with a private air-conditioned cabin and hot shower. A private boat can be requested.

Day 6 | Bai Tu Long Bay and return to Hanoi

Meals included: Breakfast and lunch

Watch sunrise over the bay and join tai chi on the sundeck. Visit Vung Vieng fishing village by bamboo boat. Enjoy brunch on the return cruise, then meet your driver and guide for the approximately three-hour journey to Hanoi. An optional spa or massage is available at extra charge. Overnight in Hanoi.

Day 7 | Flight from Hanoi to Vientiane

Meals included: Breakfast and lunch

Transfer to Hanoi Airport for the flight to Vientiane, the capital of Laos. On arrival, meet your local team and transfer to your hotel. Spend the evening at leisure, with the option to explore the Night Market. Overnight in Vientiane.

Day 8 | Vientiane temples, monuments and Buddha Park

Meals included: Breakfast and lunch

Visit Wat Sisaket, with its frescoes and Buddha images, and Haw Phra Kaew, the former royal temple that housed the Emerald Buddha. See Patuxay and the sacred That Luang stupa. At the COPE Visitor Centre, learn about the ongoing impact of unexploded ordnance in Laos. In the afternoon, visit Buddha Park, founded in 1958 by Bunleua Sulilat, with Hindu and Buddhist sculptures beside the Mekong. Overnight in Vientiane.

Day 9 | Lao cooking and traditional crafts

Meals included: Breakfast and lunch

Shop for fresh ingredients at a local market, then prepare larb, green papaya salad, fish steamed in banana leaves, sticky rice and dipping sauces with a local chef. Enjoy the dishes at lunch. Meet artisans and discover bamboo weaving, basket making or textile weaving. You can also explore made-to-measure clothing. Overnight in Vientiane.

Day 10 | Express train to Luang Prabang

Meals included: Breakfast and lunch

Take the express train from Vientiane and transfer to your hotel on arrival, with check-in subject to room availability. Visit the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre and the weaving villages of Ban Xieng Khong and Ban Xieng Lek. In town, visit Wat Mai, Wat Aham and the National Museum in the former Royal Palace. Climb Mount Phousi for sunset and explore the Night Market at leisure. Overnight in Luang Prabang.

Day 11 | Morning alms, Mekong cruise and Pak Ou Caves

Meals included: Breakfast and lunch

Set out around 5:40 a.m. for the monks’ morning alms procession and visit the Morning Market before breakfast. Explore Wat Xieng Thong, then cruise up the Mekong to the Pak Ou Caves, Tham Ting and Tham Phoum, filled with Buddha statues. Stop at Ban Xang Hai, known for rice wine, and visit Ban Xang Khong for silk weaving and Saa paper making. Overnight in Luang Prabang.

Day 12 | Elephant Village and Tad Sae Waterfall

Meals included: Breakfast and lunch

At Elephant Village, learn about Asian elephant conservation, behavior, feeding and daily care, and how mahouts communicate with the elephants. Follow the Trail of Falls for two kilometers before a picnic lunch, then walk another kilometer along the stream to Tad Sae Waterfall. Relax or swim where conditions allow, then return by traditional longboat and transfer to your hotel. Overnight in Luang Prabang.

Day 13 | Rice farming and Baci ceremony

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Visit an organic farm for the Rice Is Life experience. Learn how rice is grown, from ploughing with a water buffalo to harvesting, threshing and processing. Enjoy a local lunch. Return to Luang Prabang for a Baci blessing ceremony with a local family, where white cotton threads are tied around guests’ wrists. Farewell dinner with a traditional dance show and overnight in Luang Prabang.

Day 14 | Departure from Luang Prabang

Meals included: Breakfast

After breakfast, enjoy free time until your transfer to Luang Prabang Airport for your departure flight.

Suggested hotels and cruise

Included

• International flights, including the Hanoi to Vientiane flight.
• Double-room accommodation at the suggested hotels and an overnight cruise with a private cabin.
• English-speaking guides by region as scheduled and a private vehicle with an experienced driver.
• Second-class express train ticket from Vientiane to Luang Prabang.
• Admission to sites in the itinerary, meals as indicated by day and local VAT.

Not included

• Vietnam and Laos visas if required, and airport taxes outside the included tickets.
• Travel insurance, health formalities required locally, drinks, tips and personal expenses.
• Meals and services not listed as included, such as optional spa or massage.

Useful information

• Second-class express train seats are padded and recline slightly, in a 3+2 configuration.
• Itinerary, activities and flight or train schedules may change or be canceled due to weather or local regulations.