Day 1    Arrive Luang Prabang (no meals)

Upon arrival at Luang Prabang airport, you will be met and transferred to the hotel (the room is available from 14:00). If you are travelling on from our 3 day Mekong River Cruise from Thailand you transfer to the hotel is also included.

Located in the center of North Laos, Luang Prabang is a picturesque small town surrounded by limestone hills. The town is mostly enclosed by the Mekong and Khan rivers, that join at Luang Prabang. Its charming character and picturesque setting have made the town one of the most attractive tourist sites of Laos.

Founded in the 8^th century, the town is dotted with ancient Buddhist temples and traditional Laos buildings. Along the banks of the Mekong river are restaurants serving Laotian and French food.

The town is a mix of traditional architecture and one or two storey French colonial houses. The town of Luang Prabang was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995.

Today is your day to relax after your flight. You will be met at the hotel by a Vibrant Women representative and settled in. We are staying in a traditional Laotian style hotel that has been lovingly renovated. Whilst waiting to meet up with the group in the late afternoon you can book a massage, have a cocktail by the pool, or a snack in the restaurant or browse their shop full of local handicrafts.  

Meals: N/A

Accommodation: Villa Maydou or similar

Day 2 – Luang Prabang Kaung Si Falls (B, D)

After breakfast at hotel, we will reach one of the most breathtaking Kuang Si Falls located 30 kilometers of Southern Luang Prabang. It includes a tiered many of turquoise pools put amongst the dense Laotian jungle where we will have plenty of time to refreshing swim in the pools and hike around the falls.

Enroute, we will make a stop at visit local villages, where you can explore the local life in close up and personal.

In the afternoon, we will visit Wat Xieng Thong – Luang Prabang’s the most photographed temple. Located at the end of the peninsula, close to the Mekong River, this temple was built in 1560 by King Setthathirate.

In the late afternoon, we will get an opportunity to join a private Baci ceremony at a local family. The Baci ceremony is a traditional ritual of the Lao people expresses the spirituality of the country and is a highly unforgettable experience and a deep insight into Lao culture for the participants. You will be served dinner and share with family members which helps us have first-hand experience of local life and culture.

 Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Accommodation: Hotel in Luang Prabang 

Luang Prabang – Private Baci ceremony – Cooking class – Night market (B, L)

5h45AM: Wake up as the sun rises, we will prepare to join the most sacred tradition of Laos, the daily morning alms giving, which dates to the 14th century. More than 200 Buddhist monks depart from various temple to gather their daily meal from the faithful residents sitting quietly on the streets. Back to hotel for breakfast.

After breakfast, enjoy a cooking class (sharing activity). Firstly, gather at Tamarin restaurant, then depart to a fresh local market. Spend approximately 1 hour to experience the local lifestyle through their daily activities. Learn about the uses and flavours of Laos ingredients, especially for our upcoming dishes. Our local professional guide will share you interesting stories that make up your day. Back to Tamarin restaurant. With helpful guide from our chef, you start to cook popular dishes of Laos. Have lunch in the restaurant with your own homemade dishes before going back to hotel.

The afternoon is free at hotel for resting or if you would like to enjoy massage, our guide will recommend you a local spa (massage paid by yourself).

By 6 pm, picked up by tour guide and spend an amazing evening exploring the beautiful souvenirs, trying some delicious food, and shopping to your heart’s content. Luang Prabang night market is a must-experience. It’s an amazing sight and offers the most extensive collection of handicrafts in the country. With around 250 handicraft vendors who sell their hand-made products nightly, the market showcases an extensive variety of handicrafts made by local ethnic groups. On display are many types of textiles, exquisite ceramics, antiques, paintings, coffee and tea, quilts, shoes, silver, bags, ornaments and cutlery made from recycled bombs. There are a lot of interesting items on display at the night market that are hard to find elsewhere.
Dinner on your own.

 Meals: Breakfast, lunch
Accommodation: Hotel in Luang Prabang

Luang Prabang – Flight to Hanoi (B)

After breakfast, transfer to Luang Prabang airport to take the flight to Hanoi. Transfer to hotel for check in and to get ready for Christmas Eve!

Hanoi, Vietnam’s capital is a unique city with tree-lined boulevards, French colonial architecture, peaceful lakes and oriental temples. The rest of the day is at your leisure and yours to explore on your own pace. You may prefer to wander through the atmospheric street of the old quarter. Or enjoy a cup of coffee with an overview of night settings in a café overlooking Hoan Kiem Lake. From here you take panoramic pictures of life around the lake. 

In the afternoon, delve deep into the lively streets of Hanoi’s Old Quarter on a rickshaw tour. You’ll be immersed in the unique atmosphere of the Vietnamese capital as you explore the city’s contrasts. Each artery of this quarter with a thousand-year-old past bears the name of the products found there, ranging from colourful spices, shoes but also to counterfeit tickets intended for offerings!

Then spruce yourself up we are heading out for a Christmas Eve celebration meal. Take in the Christmas lights of Hanoi and dine in style. 

Overnight in Hanoi. Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi

Hanoi – City Tour (B, L)
Christmas brekky at the hotel! Get your pressie and also please bring a secret Santa to the value of $20AUD to give to another woman Today.

Today we will enjoy a full day city tour starting with the Ho Chi Minh Complex. This famous site contains the mausoleum of the nation’s founder Ho Chi Minh. Our first stop is to visit the mausoleum of the nation’s founder Ho Chi Minh. Located in the centre of Ba Dinh Square, this is the most important monument of Vietnam in which Ho Chi Minh’s body is preserved. This site only opens on Tuesday to Thursday and weekends from 08:00 – 11:00.

The next destination is the Presidential Palace and the Ho Chi Minh’s house on stilts.
The Ho Chi Minh’s stilt house was completed on May 19th, 1958 as a birthday present for uncle Ho and becomes a symbol of his simple life.

Close to this complex is the One Pillar Pagoda. The pagoda looks like a lotus blossoming from the square pond. It was constructed in 1049 by King Ly Thai Tong based on his dream of Goddess of Mercy seating on a lotus flower and giving him a boy. In 1954, it was destroyed by the French and then restored in 1955.

We follow this with the Temple of Literature, which is well known as the first university of Vietnam. This temple provides an opportunity to learn more about education in Vietnam since 1000 years ago until recent history.

Lunch at local restaurant. *self pay

In the afternoon, visit the impressive Ethnologic Museum that is dedicated to Vietnam’s 54 ethnic groups. This museum has both indoor and outdoor exhibition area with the most popular architectural styles of house’s ethnic people. 

In the late afternoon, you will be drive to visit the house of a dedicated local artisan born from a family with traditions for a private solo water puppet show (Mr.Liem is a seventh generation puppeteer, he could not speak English but our guide would be a good translator). You will talk and see all things related to this kind of art and the kids could have hands-on experience controlling the cute puppets as the water puppet performer do. The house owner is also willing to show you his technique of how to make and paint the wooden water puppets right at his workshop on the 3rd floor.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi 

Hanoi – Halong Bay (B/L/D) 

Breakfast served at hotel and then starts a 3-hour drive through the rich farmlands of the Red River Delta to Ha Long City (transfer without guide). Declared as a World Heritage site by the UNESCO in 1994, Ha Long Bay is one of Vietnam’s most spectacular natural attractions. Nearly 200 km far from Hanoi, the bay is dotted with 1600 limestone islands, capturing visitors’ attention. Arrive in Halong and board a luxury wooden sailing junk for a cruise through the limestone cliffs and emerald waters of Ha Long Bay, giving us the chance to take in the stunning scenery of this World Heritage Site. While on board we will be served a sumptuous fresh, local seafood lunch followed by a swim and exploring some of the limestone caves in this area. When the sun comes down we drop anchor for the night nearby a remote island. Dinner served on board. Overnight on Junk.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Cruise on Halong Bay

Halong – Hanoi – Saigon (B/L) 

Rising to 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. This morning we continue to move around the bay to find more secluded areas. The junk will be near us at all times serving as a back-up vessel for those that require it. At around midday we will return to the main arbour before transferring to our awaiting vehicle for a 3-3,5-hour journey to the airport for the flight to Ho Chi Minh City (19h00-21h15). Upon arrival, pick up and transfer to the hotel.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Hotel in Saigon

Ho Chi Min City (Saigon) – City Tour – Cao Dai temple (B)

Today we depart our hotel for a full day city tour in Saigon. The first stop is the Reunification Palace. Reunification Palace is a unique construction designed for the President of South Vietnam during Vietnam War. When entering, visitors can not only admire its architectural beauty but also enjoy fresh atmosphere created by trees and grasses around.

We stop at Notre Dame Cathedral and Old Post office to get our good shots for our memory of the biggest city in Vietnam. Our lunch served at a traditional restaurant in the central city. *Self pay

In the afternoon we will visit: Chinese town and Binh Tay market- one of the biggest markets in Saigon. Here you can experience our Vietnamese Southern daily life.

Later, we depart for the Cao Dai Temples.
Located in Tay Ninh province, Cao Dai Temple will be a good choice for those interested in the Vietnamese religion. In its main building, there are four prayers conducted daily, and travellers can witness or even join in the ceremonies. Tay Ninh is also famous for Ba Den Mountain Festival which is attractive to lots of visitors.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel in Saigon

Saigon – Departure (B)

After breakfast spend the rest of your time in Saigon until transfer to airport for flight to Saigon for your international flight. You can join us for our “New Years Eve Tour to Sri Lanka” or head back home. 

We hope you have experienced a Christmas to remember xx

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: N/A