Journey Through Myanmar & Vietnam
This 18-day journey combines the timeless charm of Myanmar with the vibrant beauty of Vietnam. Begin with the colonial elegance of Yangon, the temple-studded plains of Bagan, the spiritual heart of Mandalay, and the serene waters of Inle Lake. Continue to Vietnam, where you will discover Hanoi’s cultural treasures, cruise through the breathtaking Halong Bay, stroll the lantern-lit streets of Hoi An, and explore the dynamic Ho Chi Minh City with a boat trip into the lush Mekong Delta. Designed as a private escorted tour, every detail can be tailored to ensure the perfect travel experience.
DAY 1: YANGON ARRIVAL (-/-/D)
Mingalabar! Your guide will welcome you at the airport and driver will take you directly to your hotel. Your highlight for this evening is dinner in Karaweik Palace, overlooking to the Royal Lake and Shwedagon Tower. A meal of fine Burmese buffet food will be served followed by a beautiful cultural show of music and dancing.
Overnight at hotel in Yangon
Distance:
- Yangon Airport – Yangon Central: 7,3 miles 🡪 25 minutes driving transfer
DAY 2: YANGON – FLY TO BAGAN (B/-/-)
Today you have a morning flight to Bagan. Bagan is Myanmar’s archaeological wonderland, where over 3,000 ancient temples blossom from the countryside. Start your tour with a trip to the bustling Nyang U Market in Old Bagan then explore the beautiful, gold leaf Shwezigon Pagoda and learn about Burmese Buddhist traditions. You continue our tour with a visit to Ananda Temple, stopping along the way on the Bagan plains to admire some of the surrounding temples. In the afternoon, take a tour of a local lacquer ware workshop and learn how this traditional piece of art is made.
Overnight at hotel in Bagan
Distance:
- Yangon Central – Yangon Airport: 7,3 miles 🡪 25 minutes driving transfer
- Bagan Airport – Bagan Central: 5,9 miles 🡪 13 minutes driving transfer
- Bagan Central – Ananda Temple: 3,3 miles 🡪 10 minutes driving transfer
DAY 3: EXPLORE BAGAN TEMPLES
After breakfast, enjoy an exotic horse cart ride to one of the biggest temples in Bagan: Nan Paya Pagoda and many other interesting sites nearby. Continue with sightseeing to Myinkaba Gubyaukgyi Temple, take note of the architectural difference in MyaZedi Pagoda before heading to Manuha Temple. The highlight of today is the panoramic sunset view from pagodas.
Overnight at hotel in Bagan
DAY 4: BAGAN – DRIVE TO MANDALAY (B/-/-)
Today you leave Bagan for Mandalay. Upon arrival, you have the visit to Sagaing Hill, learn about a monk’s schooling, visit Budda Cave, Uminthonze Pagoda and Sunooponnyashin Pagoda. Drive 30 minutes to Amarapura – famous for Mahagandaryone Monastery, Amarapura is the best place to see how monks live in Mandalay. Walk over Ubein Wooden Bridge, the longest teakwood of its type.
Overnight at hotel in Mandalay
Distance:
- Bagan – Mandalay Central: 114 miles 🡪 4 hours 15 minutes driving transfer
DAY 5: MANDALAY DISCOVERY (B/-/-)
Drive to Mandalay Pier, embark on a private boat upstream to visit Mingun, famed for its huge and incomplete Pahtodawgyi Pagoda and Mingun Bell, the 90 ton ringing bell.
In the afternoon, visit Mandalay Palace, Shwenandaw Monastery: noted for its exquisite wood carvings, gold leaf beating workshop, Kuthodaw Pagoda: known to hold the world largest book, then conclude the tour by visiting Mandalay Hill to watch the Burmese sunset and the panoramic view of the city.
Overnight at hotel in Mandalay
Distance:
- Mandalay Central – Mingun: 25 miles 🡪 1 hour 15 minutes driving transfer
- Mingun – Mandalay Palace: 28 miles 🡪 1 hour 30 minutes driving transfer
DAY 6: MANDALAY – FLY TO HEHO – INLE LAKE (B/-/-)
Leave Mandalay for Heho. Inle Lake, the second largest lake in Myanmar is located 900 meters above sea level and is home to the Intha people, famous for their one leg rowing technique.
Upon arrival, our tour guide & driver will pick you up at the airport and proceed to jetty. From here, you will board a motorboat for a sightseeing tour to Phaungdawoo Pagoda, famed for its richly gilded five small Buddha images and believed to be the holiest pagoda in Inle Lake. Our next stop is Ngaphechaung Monastery. As you travel closer to Nam Pan Village, have a look at cotton and lotus weaving factories and cigar making houses. These sites will give you a true sense of traditional Intha life.
Overnight at hotel in Inle Lake
Distance:
- Mandalay Central – Mandalay Airport: 36 miles 🡪 1 hour 35 minutes driving transfer
- Heho Airport – Inle Lake: 24 miles 🡪 1 hour driving transfer
- Inle Lake – Nyaung Shwe: 17 miles 🡪 55 minutes driving transfer
- Nyaung Shwe – Ngaphechaung Monastery: 19 miles 🡪 1 hour driving transfer
DAY 7: FIVE DAYS MARKET – INDEIN (B/-/-)
This morning, visit the “5 Day Market” which is held in different villages surrounding the lake. This is definitely a fascinating place to enjoy the scene of local tribes in their colorful clothes and exotic market atmosphere.
After that, the boat will take you to the beautiful temple of Indein, located on the hill overlooking the lake. It is relaxing to walk along the corridors and enjoy the giant columns that have been left to the nature for centuries.
Overnight at hotel in Inle Lake
Distance:
- Inle Lake – Indein temple: 27 miles 🡪 1 hour 15 minutes driving transfer
DAY 8: INLE LAKE – HEHO – FLY TO YANGON (B/-/-)
Today is your own leisure. In the afternoon, you fly back to Yangon. Upon arrival, you are welcomed by our driver. Transfer to hotel, check in and relax.
Overnight at hotel in Yangon
Distance:
- Inle Lake – Heho Airport: 24 miles 🡪 1 hour driving transfer
- Yangon Airport – Yangon Central: 7,3 miles 🡪 25 minutes driving transfer
DAY 9: YANGON CITY TOUR – FLY TO HANOI (B/-/-)
Spend a full day exploring Yangon and its highlights from Sule Pagoda, in the heart of Yangon city; Chaukhtayi Pagoda and Kandawgyi Lake then shopping time at the bustling Scott Market (Closes on Monday and some specific holidays). Save the best for last, discover the most outstanding pagoda in Yangon: Shwedagon Pagoda, known as the “Golden Pagoda”, a real must see while you are in Myanmar.
You then take the flight to Hanoi.
Welcome to Hanoi, Vietnam’s bustling colonial capital. Upon arrival at Noi Bai International Airport, your guide and driver will welcome and escort you to your hotel in the city center.
Overnight at hotel in Hanoi
Distance:
- Yangon Central – Yangon Airport: 7,3 miles 🡪 25 minutes driving transfer
- Noi Bai airport – Hanoi Centre: 22 miles 🡪 30 minutes driving transfer
DAY 10: HANOI CITY TOUR (B/-/-)
Depart from your hotel in the morning and have a full-day tour in Vietnam’s charming capital.
Start with a visit to the Ba Dinh Square where stands the Mausoleum of President Ho Chi Minh who led Vietnam to independence from French colonial rule. This site has become an important city landmark and a perfect place to learn more about Vietnam’s rich history. From there, wander through the beautiful surrounding gardens toward the One Pillar Pagoda and Presidential Palace, where a replica of Ho Chi Minh’s simple working space is on display. You tour will be followed by a visit to Temple of Literature, which is well-known as Vietnam’s oldest and foremost monument to education.
Later, heading to West Lake visiting the sedate Tran Quoc Pagoda & Quan Thanh Temple and finally one of the city’s museums (a choice between the History Museum and the Ethnology Museum).
You will conclude a day with a traditional Water Puppet Performance – a unique folk art that originated a thousand years ago during the Ly dynasty. A water puppet show depicts the daily activities in Vietnamese rural life as well as important historical events and ancient legends. Each water puppet is hand-carved and given five layers of lacquer paint to protect the puppets from the water and to add vital colors to the performance.
Overnight at hotel in Hanoi
DAY 11: HANOI – HALONG BAY – OVERNIGHT ON CRUISE (B/L/D)
Enjoy breakfast at the hotel before setting out on a 2.5-hour drive to the UNESCO World Heritage Site: Halong Bay.
Spend nearly 24 hours cruise on the amazing Halong bay: a natural wonderland composed of jutting limestone islands and sparkling turquoise waters. Arrive at the dock around noon and board your junk. Savor a gourmet lunch of fresh seafood onboard as you sail out into the mystical bay.
In the afternoon, cruise around some of Halong’s many islands, including Dinh Huong and Ga Choi. Along the way visit one of the bay’s 3 largest caves (Thien Cung, Dau Go or Sung Sot). Stop at an island cove with a sheltered white-sand beach and take a dip in the warm waters of the Gulf of Tonkin (weather permits). Pass the night on your junk, lulled to sleep by the gentle rocking of calm waters.
Overnight on cruise in Ha Long Bay
- The itinerary is subject to change on local operation office, name of cruise, weather condition, local authority’s decision.
- Meals are served Vietnamese or International food on cruise. Vietnamese vege food is available on cruise in case you inform to our operation office in advance.
Distance:
- Hanoi Central – Halong Bay: 109 miles 🡪 02 hour driving transfer (express way)
DAY 12: HALONG BAY – FLY TO DANANG – HOIAN (B/-/-)
Awake early and participate in Tai Chi on the top deck or simply relax and enjoy the sunrise over the bay’s towering islands. Enjoy a morning cup of coffee or tea, before setting out to explore nearby islands by rowboat. Return to the junk for breakfast then take advantage of the sundeck and admire the amazing rock formations of Bai Tu Long Bay as you navigate back to Halong City. Have brunch on board the boat before returning to Halong pier. Your driver will meet you at the dock and take you to Noi Bai Airport of Hanoi for your flight to Danang. Meet your tour guide and drive to your hotel in Hoian.
Overnight at hotel in Hoian
Distance:
- Halong Bay – Hanoi Airport: 130 miles 🡪 2,5 hours driving transfer (express way)
- Da Nang Airport – Hoi An: 25 miles 🡪 45 minute driving transfer
DAY 13: HOIAN WALKING TOUR (B/-/-)
Enjoy time for relaxation as you immerse yourself in the tranquility and charm of this sleepy riverside town. From the 16th to 18th centuries Hoian was a thriving international port frequented by Chinese, Dutch, French, Japanese, Portuguese and Arab traders, who came to trade in the high quality silk still produced in the region.
Today, Hoian is a relaxing resort popular with tourists for its eclectic architecture, skilled tailors and numerous cafes. Take a half-day walking tour through the narrow winding streets of the ancient quarter, visiting Chua Ong Pagoda, the Chinese Assembly Hall, the 200-year-old Tan Ky ancestral house and the famous Japanese Bridge. In the afternoon, enjoy free time to shop, exploring the town or relaxing on the beach.
Overnight at hotel in Hoian
DAY 14: HOIAN ECO TOUR (B/L/-)
Duration: 6 hours
Departure time: Around 8.00 AM.
The Hoi An eco-tour provides you with a close-up and intimate exposure to both the local farming and fishing communities. Accompanied by your tour guide, you commence the day leisurely cycling along country roads witnessing local Vietnamese rural life first hand, discovering all manner of photo opportunities – coming and visiting a beautiful organic vegetable village, watering and planting vegetable, hoeing a soil with local farmer, riding a water buffalo in a rice paddy field; seeing ducks swimming along the rice farm or farmers tending their crops. The photo opportunities are endless.
As well you will experience the friendliness of the local people greeting you along the way. Later you will board on a local boat for a river cruise to meet and engage with local fishermen and enjoy a hands-on experience of traditional net fishing. You will also experience paddling the unique Vietnamese bamboo basket boat while the waterways of coconut palm paradise. This tour provides you with a cultural window into the ways of life of both our farming and fishing communities.
Overnight at hotel in Hoian
DAY 15: HOIAN – DANANG – FLY TO HO CHI MINH CITY (B/-/-)
Have breakfast at the hotel and enjoy your leisure time. You then drive to the airport to catch your flight to Vietnam’s modern metropolis: Saigon. Arrive in the early evening, you are welcomed by our driver and tour guide. Head to hotel, check in and relax.
Overnight at hotel in Ho Chi Minh
Distance:
- Hoi An – Da Nang Airport: 25 miles 🡪 45 minute driving transfer
- Tan Son Nhat Airport – Ho Chi Minh Central: 4 miles 🡪 20 minute driving transfer
DAY 16: HO CHI MINH CITY TOUR (B/-/-)
In the morning, meet our tour guide and driver at your centrally located hotel then depart in our comfortable private car and begin your tour by heading to Chinatown and wandering through the fascinating back streets near Cho Lon and Binh Tay. This area is one of the busiest commercial districts of Ho Chi Minh City and its atmospheric streets are home to some of the city’s most interesting sites.
Next, absorb the sacred atmosphere of the Thien Hau temple, a revered structure built in the 19th century and dedicated to Thien Hau, goddess of the seafarers. After that, you will stop at FITO Museum that showcases over 3000 artifacts relating to the tradition of Vietnamese medicine. Enjoy lunch at local restaurant and then venture to the War Remnants Museum to see a selection of antique military equipment.
Marvel at enormous exhibits like a UH1-Huey helicopter and a F5A fighter in the courtyard and then stroll to the Reunification Palace to see an impressive tableau of Vietnamese architecture. Admire the French colonial facades of Notre Dame Cathedral, the Opera House and the General Post Office before driving back to your hotel.
Overnight at hotel in Ho Chi Minh
DAY 17: HO CHI MINH CITY – MEKONG DELTA DAY TRIP (B/-/-)
Today you spend a day away from the busy city of Saigon and drive to Ben Tre Province. Visit Vinh Trang Pagoda, an ancient southern architectural gem in Tien Giang en route. On arrival at Hung Vuong Pier, board on your private boat for a glimpse at the delta scenery while enjoying coconut juice. Experience the unique lifestyle of the Mekong Delta as you visit fruit orchards, coconut groves, brick workshops, and home-made products such as coconut candies, rice cakes, handicrafts etc. After a short walk to visit a local family to learn how they make sedge mat and enjoy tea, tropical fruits, take “Xe Loi”, a kind of motorized rickshaw or you can hop onto your bicycle and peddle through picturesque villages (about 20 minutes). Stop at a riverside restaurant for a delicious and filling lunch. Then board a sampan for a relaxing trip along narrow canals. The boat will be waiting for you at the pier nearby to bring you back to Ben Tre.
Overnight at hotel in Ho Chi Minh
Distance:
- Ho Chi Minh center – Mekong Delta: 52 miles 🡪 2 hours driving transfer
DAY 18: HO CHI MINH CITY DEPARTURE (B/-/-)
Today is free at your leisure for last minute shopping or sight-seeing before driving to the airport to catch your departure flight.
Distance:
- Ho Chi Minh Central – Tan Son Nhat Airport: 4 miles 🡪 20 minutes driving transfer
HOME SWEET HOME!
Included / Excluded
To help you plan your trip, we have put together a list of what's included and what's not included in your tour package. This will give you a clear understanding of what to expect and help you make any necessary arrangements before your journey begins.
- Domestic flights: Bagan – Heho – Yangon
- Accommodation with daily breakfast at selected hotels
- Private tours, transfers and all services as mentioned in the itinerary
- Services of a private driver and air–conditioned vehicles
- Service of English speaking guides in every location
- Meals are mentioned on program (B: Breakfast, Br: Brunch, L: Lunch, D: Dinner)
- Entrance fees for all mentioned sights visited
- International flights
- Meals other than those mentioned in the itinerary
- Early check-in and late check-out at hotels.
- Personal expenses (such as laundry, telephone, drinks, etc.)
- Tips for guides and drivers
- Personal travel insurance
- Myanmar visa fee
Tour Map
This comprehensive map is designed to guide you through an exciting journey filled with remarkable destinations and captivating experiences.
