Most tourists never see Halong Bay in the morning. They miss the fishing junks sliding past limestone spires that thrust from the turquoise water. They can’t imagine how the scent of fresh coffee hangs in the air as eagles float overhead. While in Indochina,  don’t just visit the great cities… stop at the simple homestead of a rice farmer; meet the enormous residents of a Laotian elephant preserve; wander the temples of Angkor; stay in Indochina’s finest hotels and resorts. Along the way, wend your way through exotic markets, eat truly remarkable local specialties, and experience the traditional cultures you only find if you approach the region like a traveler, rather than a tourist.

#1 Bike Through Mekong Delta
Enjoy an ultra-leisurely bike ride along flat and empty roads into the heart of the Mekong Delta. Follow narrow country roads that curve over tiny canals and past fruit gardens and sleepy villages all while taking in the lush, tropical landscape, carpeted with rice fields.

#2 Visit Saigon by Rickshaw
A rickshaw is a great way to see, hear and soak up the action, and it’s an efficient way to get to key sites like City Hall, Notre Dame Cathedral and Dong Khoi Street, the city’s premier shopping district for custom-made silk garments, embroidery and more.

#3 Visit the scenic Rice Fields outside Danang
Depending on the season you can see the fields being plowed by buffalo, rice planted by women, or harvested by the men. Visit a mill to see how the rice is dried and husked. This unique glimpse into the rural lives of the villagers is a sight very few visitors see and will be one of the highlights of our time in Vietnam

#4 Hindu Monuments at My Son (Danang)
This beautiful region is known for its cluster of Hindu temples, some of which date back to the 7th Century. Get a haunting look into the region’s rich cultural past.

#5 Hanoi and Northern Vietnam Countryside
Beginning at Phuong Pagoda, famous for its vast display of finely carved wooden statues of 18th-century monks, take a scenic walk among rice fields and through bamboo groves to a local village.

#6 See Halong Bay from a Luxury Junk Boat
After boarding our luxury Junk Boat,cruise on the emerald green waters of the bay which offers a chance to visit and explore many islands and caves

#7 Laos
Explore Luang Prabang’s night market, known especially for fine handicrafts from ethnic villagers.

#8 Elephant Sanctuary in Luang Prabang
Enjoy a visit to a 2,000-acre elephant sanctuary in the beautiful and unspoiled Nam Khan River valley. Meet the mahouts that train and care for the elephants and get a chance to play and bathe them firsthand.

#9 Guided tour of Angkor Thom 
Taking time to visit Ta Prohm is an incredible experience. Unlike many of the region’s temples, this one still looks much as it did when it was discovered – surrounded by jungle with great trees growing from the ruins.

#10 Angkor Wat
It’s well worth it to get up early to be able to see Angkor Wat at sunrise. Its the largest temple in the world, and worth every bit of exploration. 

If you’d like to do all these activities, plus a little more, without the hassle of logistics—join a Classic Journeys Culture + Walking or Family trip to Vietnam, Laos, & Cambodia. You’ll have the trip of a lifetime!

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