Heritage of Southeast Asia: Northern Cities Tour in One Week

Three young Lahu Tribe girls in custom dress, smiling among the sunlight in Thailand.

What to expect on this itinerary

From Immaculate stretches of emerald forests to fabled heritage sites and ethnic hill tribes that continue to preserve centuries-old customs, this customized 7-day allows you to experience Southeast Asia’s highlights. Delve into the distinctive flavors of Thai cuisine, indulge in a revitalizing spa session, and witness the cascading stream of Kuang Si Waterfall.

Countries Visited

Laos, Thailand, Vietnam

Places Visited

Chiang Mai, Luang Prabang, Hanoi

Suggested Duration

7 Days

Customizable Itinerary

Expand All
Day 1

Chiang Mai – Traditional Thai Cuisine

Chiang Mai is the first stop on this immersive tour through Southeast Asia because of its storied history and cultural offerings. Depending on the time of day that you arrive, you may have the opportunity to explore a little more of the fabled city after being met by a private driver and transferred to your accommodation. Should you step out onto the streets and stroll around the neighborhood, you will begin to discern the qualities that constitute Southeast Asia’s daily culture.

What's Included:

Transfer
Accommodation
Day 2

Chiang Mai – A Karen Hill Tribe

Day 3

Chiang Rai – Ancient Weaving of the Tai Lue

Day 4

Luang Prabang – Laid-Back Laos

Day 5

Luang Prabang – Waterfall Adventures

Day 6

Hanoi – Deep-Rooted Heritage

Day 7

Hanoi – Tea Ceremony & Departure

Trip Highlights

  • Delve into the delectable flavors of Thai cuisine and discover the methods behind beloved dishes at an award-winning culinary school
  • Travel into the lush hills that flank Chiang Mai and visit an ethnic Karen hill tribe
  • Unwind with a revitalizing Thai therapy at a serene wellness spa
  • Witness the intricate art of cotton weaving when visiting the Tai Lue people near Chiang Rai
  • View a spiritual almsgiving with the monks of Luang Prabang in the early hours of the morning
  • Stand below the towering stream of the Kuang Si Waterfall
  • Visit landmarked locations and astonishing architecture in and around Hanoi’s Old Town
  • Savor the nuanced flavors of Vietnam’s marvelous collection of teas during a traditional tea ceremony

Starting Price

$2,600 per person (excluding international flights)

Your Zicasso trip is fully customizable, and this sample itinerary is a starting place for your travel plans. Actual costs are dynamic, and your selection of accommodations and activities, your season of travel, and other such variables will bring this budget guideline up or down. Throughout your planning experience with your Zicasso specialist, your itinerary is designed around your budget. You can book your trip when you are satisfied with every detail. Planning your trip with a Zicasso travel specialist is a free service.

What's Included

  • Accommodations
  • In-country transportation
  • Some or all activities and tours
  • Expert trip planning
  • 24x7 support during your trip

Your final trip cost will vary based on your selected accommodations, activities, meals, and other trip elements that you opt to include.

4.9

Verified Traveler Reviews

Based on 918 reviews

Thailand Travel Review: Krabi, Chiang Mai, Elephant Sanctuary, 2-Week Trip

Zicasso’s travel agency was a phenomenal agency to work with. They were professional, attentive, easily accessible, and very informative. They went above and beyond in making our trip go as smooth as possible, including easy airport transfers and directions. I would absolutely recommend them to anyone traveling to Thailand!

See more

Vietnam, Thailand Tour Review: Mekong Delta, Chiang Mai, Ha Long Bay, Koh Samui, Hoi An, Cooking Class, Elephant Sanctuary, 3-Week Trip

Jon and I want Zicasso’s travel specialist to know how much we enjoyed and benefitted from the wonderful itinerary, great seats on domestic flights, caring and thoughtful tour guides, and more. What a great trip!

We spent three weeks in Vietnam and Thailand. The highlight of the trip was the wonderful guides and the unique itinerary. Great care was taken to arrive at destinations before the crowds and fast-track entrance with a personal guide with knowledge of the culture and history.

With six domestic flights throughout Vietnam and Thailand, we experienced the best of both countries. We loved the cooking classes and elephant sanctuary. Thank you for taking such good care of us.

See more

Thailand, Vietnam Trip Review: Chiang Mai, Hanoi, Hoi An, Ha Long Bay, Krabi, Elephant Sanctuary, Motorbike Tour, 2 Weeks

It was the best vacation ever!!! Zicasso’s travel specialist and the team made traveling halfway around the world to six locations in two countries seamless and a spectacular experience at every turn! Ten stars for all of your efforts to make this a very special experience for my wife and me.

See more

Vietnam, Cambodia Tour Review: Danang, Cooking Class, Hot Springs, 20 Days

We want to thank Zicasso’s travel specialist for a fantastic and educational trip to Vietnam and Cambodia. The travel specialist created a well-designed trip based on our request. We requested small boutique hotels and they hit the spot on every one. They were well located, had comfortable rooms, and friendly, helpful staff, as well as great restaurants.

Our guides were experts in their areas and added their personal experiences to give us a more local feeling for what we were going to see and what we saw every day. All our guides were on time and met us at every airport and hotel with clear signs so we could see them. Three of our guides spoke excellent English, could communicate easily, and were easy to understand. One guide did not have strong English and at times needed to repeat himself many times for us to understand. His knowledge was not as strong as the others, but that could have been due to his ability to express himself well in English. He was still good, but just not on the same level as the other three. All of them were flexible, so if we decided to end the day earlier, they would discuss with us what options we had to get to what we missed the next day. One guide even took us to his parents’ house for tea and to a natural hot spring because the weather turned cold quickly and it would have been cold touring that day.

All of the drivers were courteous and helpful, getting our bags in and out of the van and into our hotels. The vans were all clean and gassed up. They also drove safely in the crazy traffic in Vietnam.

All of the restaurants we ate at were wonderful, and the guides explained what we were eating and how it is prepared. We had two fantastic cooking classes that were well laid out and taught us to cook many Vietnamese foods.

We had daily communication from one of the staff members, who checked in to ensure we were happy with how everything was going.

We only had one issue that happened because of our understanding and the travel company’s understanding of our request to have some e-bike opportunities. The guides didn't really know how to explain their meaning the day before we had an e-bike experience. In the US, the meaning is a pedal bike with a battery-assist motor. Their meaning is an electric scooter. Only one of the group had ever ridden a motorcycle, so we had to spend a lot of time getting the other three comfortable riding them in heavy traffic. They ended up having the van follow behind us to slow down the traffic. It ended up being OK, but everyone was a little stressed out because of the heavy traffic. We canceled another e-bike experience and just used the van to get us around.

We also need to thank all the staff we didn't meet or talk to, but who were behind the scenes doing all the work to make this another wonderful trip with Zicasso.

See more

Vietnam Travel Review: Hanoi, Ninh Binh, Ha Long Bay, Mekong Delta, Boat Ride, 2-Week Trip

We enjoyed an amazing two-week travel experience in Vietnam (north, central, and south), thanks to the thoughtful planning and suggestions of Zicasso’s tour operator. I can't say enough about all we saw, did, and learned while there, thanks to the tour operator's suggested schedule and attention to detail. We received first-rate service, from pick-up to drop-off, throughout!

See more

Thailand, Vietnam Vacation Review: Lan Ha Bay, Cruise, 2 Weeks

Our trip planning and experience with Zicasso’s travel specialist was perfect from start to finish. The travel specialist was knowledgeable, professional, listened to our needs and wants, and offered valuable suggestions. The handoff to another team member was seamless—he followed up on all the little details (visas, etc.) so we didn't have to. Our domestic coordinator contacted us periodically to check in and give us reminders, but wasn't obtrusive.

The itinerary was catered to our pace; the hotels were all fabulous and within walking distance to other activities that we might want at the end of the day.

Our guides were all knowledgeable, friendly, and made the experience feel personal. Exactly what we were looking for. They were flexible with our schedules and offered suggestions for other experiences when asked (where to have dinner, massages, etc.).

See more

Customizable Itinerary

This is a sample itinerary to inspire a personalized trip designed with your travel specialist.

30,000+ Verified Traveler Reviews