Best of Vietnam, Myanmar & Thailand

DAY 1: ARRIVAL IN HANOI

Meals: Not available

Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi

Welcome to Hanoi, Vietnam!
Upon arrival at Noi Bai airport, you are welcomed and greeted by the Custom Asia Travel tour guide and taken to your hotel by private transfer. The remainder of the day is relaxing or be on your own discovery.
- Located on the banks of the Red River, Hanoi capital is one of the most ancient cities in the world. Here, visitors are able to find well-preserved colonial buildings, old Buddhist pagodas, and unique museums within the city. The best way to explore its Old Quarter is on foot. This French-colonial city is also known for its delicious cuisines, vibrant nightlife, and souvenir shopping…​

DAY 2: HANOI CITY TOUR

Meals: Breakfast/ Lunch

Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi

This day tour to learn about the capital city of Vietnam occupies your whole day with featured sites, including Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, his house-on-stilts, One Pillar Pagoda, Temple of Literature - Vietnam’s first university for the morning.
Your lunch today is served at a restaurant in town with local tastes.
In the afternoon, the tour continues with a visit to one of the following museums (you can pick the one you like): the Ethnology Museum, Army Museum, National Fine Arts Museum, Hanoi Hilton prison or Vietnam Women Museum). Followed by a short walk or a cyclo ride in the Old Quarter.
End the day tour with a traditional Water Puppet show. Spend your second night in Hanoi.

DAY 3: HANOI - PU LUONG NATURE RESERVE

Meals: Breakfast/ Lunch/ Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel in Pu Luong

The tour starts from Hanoi at 08.00 AM. A smooth drive will take you out of the bustling city to the beautiful rural scenery of Hoa Binh province. You will have impressive some photo opportunities on the way. Arrive at Ban Hang Village in Pu Luong around noon. Enjoy a Vietnamese lunch at a local stilt house. In the afternoon, you will embark on a scenic trekking tour along a rural path in between rice terraced fields and steep mountains which are covered by dense tropical vegetation. Along the trek, you also pass through a Thai ethic village, learn about the local life and their daily routine. Back on the car road late in the afternoon, then transfer to the accommodation place for check-in, dinner and stay overnight.

DAY 4: PU LUONG NATURE SERVE - HANOI

Meals: Breakfast/ Lunch

Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi

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After breakfast, check-out and get transferred to Kho Muong where you will embark on the morning trek. The trek is quite gentle downhill as we descend a wide-open valley but still offers you great opportunities to enjoy the marvelous landscape of Mountains, dense forest and farms. Around noon, arrive at the little town of Pho Doan. Here, your private transport is waiting for you. Have lunch at a local restaurant and drive the whole afternoon back to Hanoi. Arrive at your place in Hanoi check-in again.

DAY 5: HANOI - CAT BA ISLAND - LAN HA BAY

Meals: Breakfast/ Lunch/ Dinner

Accommodation: Overnight on boat

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Halong Bay and Lan Ha Bay, in northeast Vietnam, is known for its emerald waters and thousands of towering limestone islands. Designated a World Heritage site in 1994, the bay is a "must-see" place for any visitor to Vietnam, especially an overnight trip on a traditional wooden junk. Take the morning transfer to Cat Ba Island. Around noon - Board your private boat and start the cruising itinerary with lunch and dinner aboard. Some interesting activities are available to include kayaking, swimming, sunbathing on the sun deck. Overnight at an en-suite cabin on the boat.

DAY 6: LAN HA BAY - FLY TO HO CHI MINH CITY

Meals: Breakfast/ Lunch

Accommodation: Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City

Get up early this morning for the sunrise and fresh air on the top deck if you want. Otherwise, you can remain in the cabin until breakfast time.
After breakfast, the captain starts the engine again and take to you Viet Hai dock where you will get a bicycle for a scenic ride toward Cat Ba National park. The destination is Viet Hai village, located right in the national park area. Take a quick look at the village when you are riding through. Keep riding on the same road back the boat. Refresh and get ready to check out of your cabin.
An early lunch is served on the boat today as you will finish the boat trip at 11:45 a.m.
The afternoon transfer takes you toward Hanoi and to the airport for the early evening flight to Ho Chi Minh City in the south of Vietnam. Get picked up on arrival and transfer to the city center for hotel check-in.

DAY 7: TOUR OF SAIGON & CU CHI TUNNELS

Meals: Breakfast/ Lunch

Accommodation: Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City

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After the first night relaxing, today you will be ready for your Vietnam Tour with a full day to visit the featured sites of Saigon and the famous underground tunnel network in Cu Chi.
In the morning, 8:00 a.m. Start with a 1.5-hour drive to Cu Chi tunnels. Get an overview of Cu Chi by watching a documentary. Your guide walks you around to witness the traps, bunkers, trenches, and experience crawling a piece of the underground tunnels. Drive back to the city for a set menu lunch at a restaurant.
In the afternoon, Continue on visiting the War Remnants Museum; Ngoc Hoang Pagoda; The former Presidential Palace; The Notre Dame Cathedral, and the Old Post Office. Spend the second night in Saigon.

DAY 8: MEKONG DELTA EXCURSION

Meals: Breakfast/ Lunch

Accommodation: Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City

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You will have a full day to visit the lush Mekong Delta today. After 2.5-hour transfer by car, you will arrive at Ben Tre. Get on your private motorized boat and cruise on Ben Tre River (a branch of the The Mekong). Have stops at various local workplaces such as coconut candy, coconut shell workshop. You also have time to take a gentle walk along a rural road, enjoying the peaceful countryside. The walk includes a visit to a local temple. After that, get back on your boat for a further cruise before taking an interesting experience of riding a local motor cart (Xe Loi) on green roads through the orchards, coconut, and banana
plantations (You can ride bicycles on the same roads instead).
Lunch is served at a local restaurant, then you take a rest or spend time in the orchard, enjoy many kinds of tropical fruits. In the afternoon, embark on a sampan boat ride, rowing along a narrow creek under the shade of water palm trees. Return to the pier and drive back to Ho Chi Minh City to end the excursion.

DAY 9: HO CHI MINH CITY - FLY TO YANGON

Meals: Breakfast/ Lunch

Accommodation: Hotel in Yangon

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Take your time to enjoy the breakfast today as you have your time at leisure until 10:00 a.m when you check-out your hotel and get a transfer to the airport to catch the midday flight VN943 (11h45 - 13h25) to Yangon. Upon arrival, get picked up and transferred to the city for hotel check-in.

On arrival, you are picked up and transfer to your hotel in Yangon. In the afternoon, the city tour commences with visits to the old colonial-style city center with the gilded SULE PAGODA, dating back over 2,000 years, BOGYOKE (SCOTT'S) MARKET with hundreds of stores (closed on Monday) and a visit of a gems shop. The tour continues to CHAUK HTAT GYI, a huge reclining Buddha image followed by a photo stop made at KARAWEIK HALL, a royal floating barge. An extended visit to SHWEDAGON PAGODA, one of the world's most spectacular religious monuments, will conclude the tour of this picturesque Garden City. The golden dome of the Shwedagon Pagoda rises 98 meters above its base and is covered with 60 tons of pure gold.

DAY 10: YANGON- FLY TO BAGAN

Meals: Breakfast/ Lunch

Accommodation: Hotel in Bagan

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Wake up early and transfer to Yangon airport for flight to Bagan at 6.00 am, one of Asia’s most popular archaeological destinations and one out of two most pre-eminent religious old cities in South East Asia. The sightseeing starts with a visit to Nyaung Oo market – a typical local market; followed by visits to most distinctive pagodas such as Shwezigon Pagoda – the holiest one believed to be enshrined with Buddha tooth and hair; Gubyaukgyi Temple (Wetkyiinn village) – the 13th-century cave temple with fine frescoes of scenes from Jakatas; Anada Temple – one of the masterpieces surviving and remaining in Bagan and considered to be in the Mon architecture style. A visit to the lacquerware factory followed by a visit to local village. You will then take horse cart along off the beaten track of Bagan Pagodas to reach one of the temples from the top of it we would view the sunset.

DAY 11: BAGAN SIGHTSEEING TOUR

Meals: Breakfast/ Lunch

Accommodation: Hotel in Bagan

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Optional activity: Hot Air Balloon Ride over Bagan - (Only available from October through the beginning of Apr). The morning will start off with an exciting hot-air balloon ride above the Bagan countryside. You will observe one-of-a-kind views when the sun begins to rise over the Irrawaddy River and various stupas in the region. You’re simply not going to find many other opportunities like this on Earth.
Then go back to the hotel and have breakfast. The second-day sightseeing at Asia’s best kept archaeological destination includes a visit to Dhamayangyi Temple – the most massive, significant monument in Bagan with finest mortar-less brickwork; Sulamani Temple – close to the Dhamayangyi temple with a more sophisticated style of later Bagan temple; another Gubyaukgyi Temple at Myinkaba village – believed to be built for Rajakumar on the death of his father, King Kyansitta, and famous nowadays for its well-preserved wall paintings; Manuha Temple – built by detained Mon King Manuha; Ngagayon Temple – similar to the plan of Ananda Temple and the main attraction is that the twice life-size Buddha Image shelters under the hood of the naga or serpent inside the temple. Sunset viewing from the top of one of the permitted temples

DAY 12: BAGAN – Mt. POPA – MANDALAY BY ROAD

Meals: Breakfast/ Lunch

Accommodation: Hotel in Mandalay

Bagan to Mandalay: 130km, it takes about 3 hours by car

Breakfast at the hotel. At 8.00 am, we drive to Mt. Popa - an extinct volcano at 65km southeast of Bagan in the plain region of middle Myanmar and as one of the National parks in Myanmar with preserved forest. It serves as a small oasis in the hot, dry plain of Myanmar. The popularity of Mt. Popa today lies in the interest of religious and mystical beliefs as an abode of spirits, “Nats”. Climb the Taungkalat – believed to be the part of the main volcano blown apart and plugged at the current location. Proceed to Mandalay. Upon arrival Mandalay, transfer to the hotel and check-in.

DAY 13: MANDALAY SIGHTSEEING

Meals: Breakfast/ Lunch

Accommodation: Hotel in Mandalay

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After breakfast, embark on an excursion to Amarapura: Maha Gandayone Monastery – home to several thousand young monks where you can watch the whole monastery having their meal silently, 200 years old U Bein teak bridge built-in 1728. Visit traditional hand – woven silk workshop teak posts. Afternoon excursion coach to Sagaing by passing Ava Bridge. You do sightseeing for its famous Pagodas. Enjoy the panoramic view at the top of the hill. Visit Silversmith & Kaunghmudaw Pagoda. Later on, get to the hotel and check-in to end the day.

DAY 14: MANDALAY - FLY TO BANGKOK

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Hotel in Bangkok

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Breakfast at the hotel. Check out of the hotel and transfer to the airport for the flight to Bangkok.
Upon arrival, you will be picked up and transfer to your hotel for check-in. The remainder of the day is for resting.

DAY 15: HIGHLIGHTS OF BANGKOK

Meals: Breakfast/ Lunch

Accommodation: Hotel in Bangkok

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Enjoy a full-day excursion from Bangkok to the legendary DamnoenSaduak Floating Market, located approximately 110 kilometers away. This morning drive is very scenic through rice paddies and salt fields. En route, visit a farmhouse and watch locals producing sugar from the coconut. The tour then continues by boat, passing fruit plantations and Thai houses that reveal a more traditional way of life. Upon arrival at Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, discover boats of all different shapes and sizes, still used by local merchants to ferry their goods along with this Venice of the East. After immersing yourself in the eclectic environment, head back towards Bangkok, stopping at a wood–carving factory en route. After lunch, visit the home of the Kings of Siam of the Chakri Dynasty in the heart of Bangkok. Originally built by King Rama I, and serving as a royal residence until 1946, today the palace is used for visiting royalty or special guests of the Kingdom. Adjoining the Grand Palace, admire the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (WatPhraKeo), the best known of the royal temples, and regarded as the most important temple in all of Thailand.

DAY 16: BANGKOK - FLY TO PHUKET

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Hotel in Phuket

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Having breakfast at the hotel as usual. Check out of the hotel and transfer to the airport for a flight to Phuket to spend a couple of coming days at this beach spot. Check-in on arrival and start your relaxation and sea activities (optional).

DAY 17, 18: BEACH LEISURE IN PHUKET

Meals: Breakfasts

Accommodation: Hotel in Phuket

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Enjoy leisure time at a beach resort and doing your own things...

DAY 19: DEPARTURE FROM PHUKET

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Not available

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Enjoy your very last minute at the beach resort before taking the flight out of Thailand and finish your holiday.