Imperial cities, ancient temples, superlative landscapes, and tribal villages. This is just the start of your heritage and highlights exploration of Vietnam and Thailand. Expect to see monkeys, enigmatic cities, war histories, and mysterious river caves. Spanning 3,000 years and over a dozen unique destinations, this three-week tour celebrates the famous and unknown wonders of two remarkable nations. It’s handcrafted for those who want to crave exploring the past and present history of these countries....
Customizable Itinerary
Day 1
Hanoi – Immersed in the Old Quarter
Touch down in Vietnam’s largest airport and you’re transferred to Hanoi’s Old Quarter, where an exotic atmosphere quickly takes hold. A trader cycles past, his cart laden with peculiar fruits. Bells tinkle all around. Incense mingles with coffee aromas. Noises echo and there is a lot for the senses to take in, so find some respite at the lake when you need. A local guide takes you around to One Pillar Pagoda, the Temple of Literature, and Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum. At some point you will be exhausted, what with the travel and the continual surge of new sights and sounds. So stop, rest up in the city’s finest boutique hotel. It’s going to be much calmer after today.
What's Included:
Day 2
Halong Bay – Seaplane Above the Rice Paddies and Karst
Day 3 - 4
Halong Bay – Relaxing Halong Bay Cruise
Day 5 - 6
Sapa – Vietnamese Tribes and Rural Adventures
Day 7
Hoi An – The Atmosphere of Centuries Past
Day 8
Hue – The Imperial City
Day 9 - 10
Hue – Boating Through the Vietnamese Interior and the DMZ
Day 11
Ho Chi Minh City – Remnants of Saigon
Day 12 - 13
Bangkok – Traditional Thai Performances and Famous Sightseeing
Day 14
Khao Yai – Monkeys, Gibbons and a Helicopter Flight
Day 15
Ban Prasat to Khon Kaen – Thailand’s Forgotten Khmer Ruins
Day 16
Sukhothai – A Fairytale World of Chedis, Relics and Temples
Day 17
Lampang to Chiang Mai – Lanna Temple and Northern Spirituality
Day 18 - 20
Chiang Mai – Relaxing and Exploring in Chiang Mai
Day 21
Chiang Mai – Departure
Trip Highlights
- Spend days cruising through the karst landscape of Halong Bay, a serene and surreal introduction to your three weeks in Southeast Asia
- Feast your eyes on the ancient ruins of Ban Prasat, before admiring a temple complex in Thailand from the Khmer period
- Spend two days amid Vietnamese hill tribes and rice paddies, Sapa a base for two days of mountain exploration
- Lounge around Chiang Mai and its nearby national parks, finishing the vacation with hot air ballooning, elephants, night markets and incense-filled temples
- Compare the histories of two major cities, Bangkok, and Ho Chi Minh City so diverse yet both so full of energy
- Lounge around the historical cities of Hue and Hoi An, where imperial and colonial legacies present a faded grandeur
- Explore an ancient world of temples and chedis with a day in Sukhothai
- Visit Vietnam’s DMZ and crawl into the tunnels where villagers lived during the war
- Helicopter above Khao Yai, take a seaplane over Halong Bay, and hot air balloon above Chiang Mai
- Discover Hanoi’s Old Quarter, feel the atmosphere of a Lanna temple, and go searching for wild monkeys and gibbons
Detailed Description
Vietnam and Thailand are experiential countries. You don’t go sightseeing, you breathe in the history and join locals in spiritual places. Rather than ticking off the postcards you travel deep into the mysteries of history. The superlative landscapes aren’t for admiring from a distance; they are places for exploring, in boats and balloons, perhaps even next to elephants. These are also countries where the experiences change every day: vibrant cities, peaceful nature, rural tribes, and ancient history leading to imperial and colonial times. Every day is different, and the experience is most memorable because of the people you get to meet. With such an appeal, it’s hard to only spend a few days in Vietnam and Thailand. So much is packed into these two countries. Which is why you need three weeks to experience them in depth.
This tour has been handcrafted for those who like to explore. There are 11 days in Vietnam, starting in northern Hanoi and traveling all the way to Ho Chi Minh City in the south (formerly Saigon). Ease into the experience by cruising around Halong Bay, plus a seaplane flight over the world wonder. Escape to the mountainous north, where rice paddies and local tribes define the experience. Spend days in the heart of Vietnam, Hoi An, and Hue both historical cities with great stories to tell. With these as a comfortable base you can discover the DMZ, Vinh Moc tunnels, Phong Nha Cave and other experiential highlights. Then fly to Ho Chi Minh City, where District 1 completes the first half of your adventure.
Fly to Bangkok, Thailand’s capital that is full of energy and enigmatic sights. Spend two days here, watching performances, discovering the old temples, living the history and shaking your head at the contrasts. Fly by helicopter to Khao Yai then explore beneath the thick forest canopy. You will go to places where few visitors venture: Khmer ruins, ancient cities, temples from the past that remain in everyday use. Chaing Mai is the relaxed place to finish. After some busy days hopping between destinations, you have four nights in Thailand’s charming northern capital. Find elephants in the national parks, meet monks on hilltop temples, lounge around the old town and balloon above the northern landscapes. It’s a fitting way to end these weeks, part tranquility, part local experience, part exotic adventure in Southeast Asia.
To gain more ideas for your perfect Thailand and Vietnam vacation, take a look at our Thailand and Vietnam page for more itineraries and tours.
Starting Price
$6,900 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.
Reviews of Zicasso's Referral Service
4.86 stars based on 1200 reviews.
The trip was well organized by Zicasso's travel company. We had nice hotel accommodations we liked the guides a lot.
Reviewed By Guillermina M.
A huge shout-out to Zicasso's trip coordinator, who orchestrated this incredible trip for us. Each outing was better than the previous one; our guides were awesome, both fun and informative; the hotel selections were just what we wanted, intimate and special. And everything was scheduled like clockwork.
Despite epic rainfall (which led to flash flooding in areas of Chiang Rai and, in fact, prevented normal access to the Black House Museum), they carried on, delivering every bit of our planned itinerary on time and to a tee. This type A control freak (me) never felt the need to “manage” a thing, which speaks volumes about this tour operator's extraordinarily high level of organization, communication, and coordination.
Thank you to everyone involved. It was clearly a team effort. We are most grateful for the magical, once-in-a-lifetime experience you made possible for us.
Reviewed By Julia U.
Zicasso's travel company was amazing! I cannot say enough good words about this company and all the people we worked with!
We planned our honeymoon to Thailand with our travel specialist. He gave us a call shortly after we filled out the contact form. We talked about what we were hoping for on our vacation and what kinds of hotels we like to stay at, etc. Our specialist was very responsive over the whole planning process and would send us sample itineraries until my partner and I were completely happy with the whole trip. His suggestions were thorough and we didn't have to do any research on our own.
We did a trip around the whole country: Bangkok, Chiang Mai, a couple of national parks, and Koh Samui. We had mostly private tours and they were all fantastic! The drivers and tour guides were all friendly and knowledgeable.
Each night, our contact messaged us all the details we needed for the next day. It was super-helpful and allowed us to relax more knowing someone was there for us. We really enjoyed our experience and would be happy to work with this travel company again!
Reviewed By Jessica T.
Amazing! Zicasso's travel agent worked with my son and me to plan the perfect trip in celebration of his college graduation. She arranged for friendly and knowledgeable tour guides and went out of her way to ensure we were happy.
Reviewed By Jennifer S.
Our trip was seamless from start to finish. We were thoroughly impressed by the expertise and attentiveness of our local guides—their knowledge, perfectly timed tours, and the thoughtfully planned itinerary by the Zicasso trip planner made for an exceptional experience.
Reviewed By Bernadette B.
Everything was very well arranged by Zicasso's travel specialists. It was a smooth and pleasant experience. The tour guides were always on time. Airport pick-ups and drop-offs were very helpful. The hotels where we stayed were amazing. It was a great experience!
Reviewed By Maitraye S.