From Hanoi to Mandalay 15 Days

Day 1: Hanoi arrival with first sight

Welcome to Vietnam! Upon arrival, your guide will be waiting to transfer you to your hotel.

Refresh until the sunset time. Then your guide will take you on a culinary as well as local life adventure in the Old Quarter.  Let’s stop at Bia Hoi corner to try the local brew, a draft beer that traces its roots to Eastern Europe. Do as the locals do and pull up a stool and enjoy a drink while watching the world go by. You will also have opportunity to see the busiest time of local life here.

Continue enjoy your real fabulous dinner with Vietnam traditional cuisine. Back to your hotel to recover before starting your real Vietnam  discovery in the next morning.

Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi

Meals: Dinner

Day 2: Hanoi’s historical story

Begin your historical story of Hanoi with a visit to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. Here, you will hear about the man who led Vietnam’s campaign for independence from French colonial rule. Next, visit the imperial citadel, the apex of regional political power for more than a millennium where research and excavation is still underway. After a Vietnamese lunch, head to another 11th century relic, the Temple of Literature, which was built as an homage to the Chinese scholar Confucius. You will then see the iconic Long Bien Bridge. Constructed across Red River between 1899 and 1902, when Vietnam was still ruled by the French, it is now jammed with whizzing motorbikes and an occasional passenger train chugging into nearby Long Bien Station.

The tour continues with a 30-minute cyclo tour through Hanoi’s bustling Old Quarter, a place where Hanoians buy everything from noodles to light fixtures to Buddha statues. The quarter’s 36 streets were named for the products that were sold from their shops. Today, vendors on Tin and Bamboo Streets still sell the same wares. After exploring the old quarter’s shady alleyways, sip a strong Vietnamese coffee in a café overlooking Hoan Kiem Lake – an important symbol in Vietnamese folklore. Enjoy a water puppet show for a look at traditional performance art in Vietnam.

Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 3: Hanoi – Hoa Lu – Trang An

Getting away from the bustle and hustle city of Hanoi, Trang An – Hoa Lu full day tour is truly the top choice. After more than one thousand year domination, Dai Viet (Vietnam today) witnessed an independent time. The dawn of the country has experienced many obstacles. The country was divided into 12 small territories and each of them tried to set influence on the other. Then the outside invader (from China) prepared to come back. Dai Viet country managed to stabilize the circumstance.

Trang An – Hoa Lu full day tour brings you to the ancient capital and Trang An ecotourism site (situated in Ninh Binh province). Due to long time, Hoa Lu ruins and the locals built on the same ground the King Dinh temple and Kinh Le temple in 17th century. The ecotourism site of Trang An has more breathtaking beauty than you think. The scenery looks like in Jurassic Park with many grottoes, lakes, ponds, streams. Ninh Binh province was recognized by UNESCO as Natural and Cultural Heritage in 2014 with many beauty and history site including Hoa Lu capital and Trang An area. Overnight in Ninh Binh

Accommodation: Hotel in Ninh Binh

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 4: Ninh Binh – Ha Long

Your 2-day 1-night cruise trip starts with picking you up at your hotel in Ninh Binh roughly from 8:00 – 8.30 am. After 3 hours driving, it is time for check-in to one of the finest cruises in Ha Long Bay. The cruise manager and staff will welcome you with drinks and a brief agenda for your trip, and then you will enjoy a lovely lunch with the cruise take you further toward Bai Tu Long Bay. After the lunch, you will visit Thien Canh Son cave, go kayaking or relax on a beach. The dinner will be served at around 7:00 pm and after the dinner is your chilling time.

Accommodation: Overnight on cruise

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 5: Ha Long – Hanoi – fly to Danang – Hoi An

The second day of your trip starts early with a tea or coffee. At 7:00 AM, breakfast will be served onboard. After the breakfast, you will continue cruising around the bay then visit a fishing village or explore a cave and other activities (depending on your cruise). After that, you will get back to the boat, check out your cabin at 10:00 AM and have a delicious lunch. Disembark the cruise, head to Noi Bai airport for the afternoon flight to Danang. Upon arrival, our tour guide will meet you at the airport and transfer to Hoi An ancient town.

Accommodation: Hotel in Hoi An

Meals: Breakfast, 

Day 6: Hoi An – Fishing Village – Basket boat

Pick up at hotel by Jack Tran’s mini- van. Transfer you down to PHƯỚC HẢI- CỬA ĐẠI Fishing Village. Learn about local daily fishing life when walking throughout the fishing village. Board Jack Tran’s  boat cruise and commence cruising on CỬA ĐẠI River. Join local fisherman on the river and enjoy hands-on experience of round net and cast net fishing. Enjoy learning and experiencing cultural folk music of Bả Trạo with local fishermen. Keep arriving the BẢY MẪU 7 hectares water coconut forest at Cẩm Thanh Village. Hearing about the past war story before exploring the now tranquil coconut-palm flanked waterways of a past war and hear of the extreme conditions endured by soldiers of both sides. Enjoy THUNG CHAI basket boat demonstration by Jack Tran’s crews. Learn to paddle the unique Vietnamese bamboo basket boats and join in a basket boat racing for fun. Learn how to make an origami creations from reeds of palm leaves such as grasshopper , birds, ring, sunglass ,bracelets….etc. Back on-board our Jack Tran’s boat, enjoy lunch and cold beer or soft drink. Return to hotel Jack Tran’s mini van

Accommodation: Hotel in Hoi An

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 7: Hoi An – Flight To Ho Chi Minh City

After your flight to Ho Chi Minh City, check in to your hotel and then start a day of exploring at the city’s Central Post Office, next door to the iconic Notre Dame Cathedral. Next, stroll toward the Saigon River along Dong Khoi Street to the centre of town and the commanding Saigon Opera House.

The tour continues with a stop at the Reunification Palace, where a North Vietnamese tank crashed through the gates in 1975 to end a war that killed an estimated 58,000 Americans and three million Vietnamese. Visit the War Remnants Museum for a harrowing look into the wartime hardships and atrocities.

The rest of day is free at leisure.

Accommodation: Hotel in Saigon

Meals: Breakfast, 

Day 8: Saigon – fly to Yangon – sightseeing

After breakfast, take morning flight to Yangon.  Upon arrival, being pick up at the airport and transfer to the hotel. Refreshing at a moment, start to explore downtown Yangon with a walking tour through the historic quarter.  You will enjoy the British colonial-style city center; explore local market, cave, many pagodas and temples including one of the most spectacular monuments in Myanmar . We will stop at Kandawgyi Lake with its royal barge and pretty views, then head to Shwedagon Pagoda for sunset when the stupa glows bright gold in the evening light.

Accommodation: Hotel in Yangon

Meals: Breakfast, 

Shwedagon Pagoda – Yangon

Day 9: Yangon – Inle Lake

This morning, we take the flight  to Heho. Being picked up and transfer about an hour through picture-postcard scenery to reach Inle Lake. Get on a long tail boat travelling to nearby villages and pagodas. Our boat will pass by floating gardens and see the fisherman using one leg to row their boats. We will stop at Paung Daw Oo Pagoda which is known for five famous Buddha images which have been covered in so much gold leaf that they resemble golden balls. Continue your boat to a stilted village where traditional skills such as black smiting, cigar rolling and silk weaving are still done by hand. Back to the hotel in the afternoon with nice view of sunset on lake.

Accommodation: Hotel in Inle Lake

Meals: Breakfast, 

Inle lake – floating garden

Day 10: Five day market – Indein

After breakfast, we will get to one of the most popular and picturesque sights is its famous five-day marke where the local Shan and Intha people, as well as numerous Pa-O villagers from the surrounding hills, converge to sell their wares and produce. Then, get boat to the western shore to explore the ruins at Indein village. You’ll walk among a group of 17th-century Buddhist pagodas and stupas at Shwe Inn Thein Paya, then visit small communities that live along the lake. Back to your hotel and the rest of day is free at leisure.

Accommodation: Hotel in Inle Lake

Meals: Breakfast, 

Fishermen sihouettes at Inle lake on sunset, Myanmar

Day 11: Inle lake – Heho – fly to Bagan

This morning, transfer to Heho airport for  the flight to Bagan where the temples are a sight to behold with more than 2,000 dotted around the plains.

On arrival, transfer to the hotel and rest of the day dedicated to the visit of Bagan: Tayoke Pyay for a first overview over the plain of Bagan. Continue to the Pagoda Shwezigon and the magnificent golden stupa, followed by Wetkyi-In Gubyaukgyi, a cave temple with murals and elegant Htilominlo Temple, known for its fine plaster carvings and glazed sandstone decorations. Return to the hotel for lunch.

In the afternoon, visit Ananda temple with its superb, next to which is a very old and unusual Buddhist monastery: Ananda Khyaung, one of the few surviving brick monasteries. Sunset on the site of one of the upper terraces.

Accommodation: Hotel in Bagan

Meals: Breakfast, 

Day 12: Bagan – – cooking class – boat tour

After breakfast, being transfer to a local village. Upon arrival, you are welcomed with green tea. Your chef will show our kitchen and explain what we will buy at the Market for today. After that , we will go to the “ Nyaung U market “ together and buy vegetables and fish or meat . Back to kitchen, our chef will show how we cook our foods. The foods of our cooking class is really typical Burmese style and amazing taste. After all foods are cooked, you will enjoy the foods.
In the afternoon, transfer to the Bagan boat jetty. Board a private river boat and set off upriver toward Kyauk Gu U Min. Throughout your Irrawaddy river cruise you will be treated to fabulous scenes of life on the water: fishermen, local ferry boats, riverside villages and views of the Bagan temples. After your exploration of Kyauk Gu U Min, you’ll return to the boat for a relaxing and enjoy sunset when back to Bagan.

Accommodation: Hotel in Bagan

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Bagan cooking class

Day 13: Bagan – flight to Mandalay – Sagaing – Inwa – Amarapura

Breakfast. Transfer to the airport for flight to Mandalay.

Upon arrival, the tour guide and driver will bring you to Thakyadithar Nunnery on the away to Sagaing to see the nuns’s meal.  Continue to Sagaing, a sacred hill dotted with 600 monasteries and pagodas painted white. Sagaing Hill is a religious center which is home to 3,000 monks and 100 meditation centers. In the afternoon, continue to Inwa or Ava, the capital from the 14th to the 18th century, and visit the old monastery Bagaya and the remains of the Royal Palace. Return to the hotel for lunch. The day ends with a sunset stroll on the U Bein Bridge, constructed entirely of teak.

Accommodation: Hotel in Mandalay

Meals: Breakfast, 

Day 14: Mingun – Mandalay city tour

After breakfast at the hotel, drive to Mandalay pier, embarking on a private boat upstream to visit Mingun, famed for its huge and incomplete Pahtodawgyi Pagoda and Mingun Bell the 90 tons ringing bell.

This afternoon, visit Myanmar’s cultural capital, starts with the Mahamuni Pagoda, famous for its statue of Buddha covered with gold leaf. Transfer to hotel and lunch.

In the afternoon, visit the Kuthodaw Pagoda which houses Buddhist scriptures (known as the largest book in the world) inscribed on 729 stone slabs, Shwenandaw Monastery, noted for its exquisite wood carvings and the imposing Pagoda with its Kyauktawgyi huge seated Buddha. Close of Mandalay Hill with a view of the city at sunset.

Accommodation: Hotel in Mandalay

Meals: Breakfast, 

Day 15: Mandalay departure

After breakfast, relax before you transfer to the airport, or enjoy our optional program.

 Accommodation: N/A

Meals: Breakfast, 

 This is a sample itinerary. It is very flexible to be tailor-made to meet your expectation. Please leave message of your interest below and our travel consultants are pleased to customize the itinerary for you.