Thailand & Vietnam Highlights

Once you have arrived at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, an airport representative welcomes you and a private driver takes you into the city centre, with pick-up scheduled for 12 pm. The transfer runs without a guide, and you check in to your accommodation for the next two nights.

Thailand’s capital is one of Asia’s most cosmopolitan cities. It is hot and crowded but fairly clean, with great shopping, plenty of culture, temples, excellent food and a decent art scene. The rest of the day is yours. You could browse one of the city’s many markets or shopping centres, or try the nightlife, which ranges from beer bars and night markets to exclusive clubs.

Please note: Your driver will wait for a maximum of 60 minutes.

Today is free for you to explore Bangkok. Most of the main sights are on the island of Rattanakosin, often called the Old City. The Grand Palace is the one sight not to miss. Its complex also holds Wat Phra Kaew, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and Thailand’s most sacred Buddhist temple.

Wat Pho and Wat Arun are two more of the city’s best-known temples and are well worth adding to your day. The city is large, sprawling and noisy, yet it also has a peaceful, delicate side.

Your driver collects you from your accommodation for the private transfer to Suvarnabhumi International Airport. From there, your flight leaves for Chiang Mai International Airport, landing after 1 hour 20 minutes.

On arrival, an airport representative greets you and a private van takes you to the city centre. You check in to your accommodation for three nights.

Chiang Mai is the hub of Northern Thailand and capital of the province of the same name. With over 170,000 people in the city itself, it is Thailand’s fifth-largest city. It sits on a plain 316 m above sea level, surrounded by mountains and green countryside. It is far greener and quieter than Bangkok, with a cosmopolitan feel and a large expat community, which is why many people from the capital have settled for good in the “Rose of the North.”

This afternoon, you could take a first walk along the remaining sections of the old city wall and the moat around the historic centre.

This morning is yours to explore Chiang Mai’s walled city. Parts of the wall still stand at the gates and corners, but only the moat survives elsewhere. Inside are more than 30 temples dating back to the founding of the principality. They mix Burmese, Sri Lankan and Lanna Thai styles, with wood carvings, Naga staircases, lion-like and angelic guardians, gilded umbrellas and pagodas laced with gold filigree.

The most famous temple is Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep, which looks down over the city from a mountainside 13 km away. It is a good choice if you want to see beyond the old city walls.

You have another free day in Chiang Mai. The modern city has spread in every direction, especially east towards the Ping River (Mae Nam Ping). Chang Klan Road and the famous Night Bazaar are here, along with most of the city’s places to stay.

In the evening, you could browse the Night Bazaar’s stalls or head to Loi Kroh Road, the centre of Chiang Mai’s nightlife.

After breakfast, your driver picks you up from your accommodation for the private van transfer to Chiang Mai Airport. Your direct flight to Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport arrives after around 1 hour 30 minutes.

From the airport, a private SUV takes you to your accommodation in Hanoi’s city centre. The drive takes around 60 minutes and runs without a guide.

Vietnam’s capital and second-largest city is one of the most charming cities in Asia. Years of foreign occupation have left their mark in its museums, historic buildings, pagodas, mausoleum and French Quarter. The historic centre is compact, and walking is the best way to get to know it. This evening, a stroll through the nearby streets is a good way to meet the city’s friendly people.

Please note: Your driver will wait for a maximum of 30 minutes.

Today is yours to explore Hanoi, known as a city of lakes. The largest is West Lake (Ho Tay). The most famous in the centre is Hoan Kiem Lake, the Lake of the Restored Sword. The architecture changes as you go, from the traditional old buildings of the Old Quarter to the large European-style buildings of the French Quarter.

You could also visit the Communist monuments at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and the area around it, or the traditional architecture of the Quan Su Pagoda. Hanoi is both busy and calm, full of street life and exotic markets yet quiet around its pagodas and temples. It is known as the City of the Soaring Dragon.

This morning, your driver meets you at your accommodation’s reception for the private SUV transfer to Noi Bai International Airport. The drive takes around 60 minutes. You then board your flight directly to Da Nang International Airport, landing after 1 hour 25 minutes.

On arrival, a representative welcomes you and a private car takes you to the centre of Hoi An. The transfer takes around 60 minutes. You check in to your accommodation for two nights.

Hoi An lies on the South China Sea in Vietnam’s South Central Coast region, in Quang Nam Province, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In the 1st century it had the largest harbour in Southeast Asia and was known as Lam Ap Pho.

Please note: At Hanoi, your driver will wait for a maximum of 30 minutes. At Da Nang, the maximum waiting time is 90 minutes.

You have a full day to explore Hoi An. The Japanese Covered Bridge sits at the west end of Tran Phu Street. Crossing the bridge is free, and you only need a ticket for the pagoda attached to one side of its interior.

Other places worth seeing include the Quan Cong Temple and the old Phung Hung House, Quan Thang House and Tan Ky House.

After breakfast, your driver collects you from your accommodation’s reception for the private transfer to Da Nang Airport, without a guide. Your direct flight lands at Phu Quoc International Airport after 1 hour 45 minutes.

On arrival, a representative waits for you at the meeting point in the arrival terminal, holding a signboard with your last name. A private car takes you to Duong Dong town centre. The drive takes around 30 minutes. You check in to your accommodation for three nights.

Phu Quoc lies in the Gulf of Thailand, halfway between Vietnam and Cambodia, and is Vietnam’s largest island. Its white sand beaches and crystal-clear water make it a favourite honeymoon spot for Vietnamese newlyweds. It is also known as Dao Ngoc, and in Cambodia as Koh Tral. The island is 50 km long and 22 km wide and has around 85,000 inhabitants. Its capital, Duong Dong, is on the northwest coast, and the other town, An Thoi, is at the southern tip.

Please note: At Da Nang, your driver will wait for a maximum of 30 minutes. At Phu Quoc, the maximum waiting time is 90 minutes.

Today is free to enjoy Phu Quoc. The island averages 28°C. April and May are the warmest months, when it reaches 35°C. Its wide biodiversity has had UNESCO heritage status since 2006, and that makes it an excellent place for snorkelling.

Most of the island’s sights are in Duong Dong. They include the Duong Dong lighthouse, a recommended spot for photos, the Duong Dong market and the pagodas found across the island. There is also a lovely beach in town. For somewhere quieter, try the beaches a little northwest of Duong Dong or a couple of miles south of the town.

You can spend your last full day on the island at its beaches, which are its real strength. The rest of the beaches are in the southeast near An Thoi, and Bai Sao is considered the best of them all.

One suggestion is to take a boat out to the nearby islands, such as Hon Mong Tay, about 10 km south of Phu Quoc. It is home to one of the area’s best beaches.

This morning, your driver meets you at your accommodation’s reception for the 30-minute private transfer to Phu Quoc Airport, where you board your flight. You reach Tan Son Nhat International Airport around 1 hour 10 minutes later.

An airport representative welcomes you in the Arrival Hall, holding a sign with your name. A private car then takes you to central Ho Chi Minh City - the drive takes around 60 minutes.

Formerly known as Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City is Vietnam’s largest city and its commercial centre. It is modern, lively and full of markets, yet it keeps a distinctly Vietnamese character, with traces of its colonial past still visible as the former “pearl of the orient.”

Please note: At Phu Quoc, your driver will wait for a maximum of 30 minutes.

Please note: The representative will be at Column 9-10 in the International Terminal or A1-A2 in the Domestic Terminal. Look out for a signboard with your last name.

Today is yours to explore the core of the city, which locals still call Saigon. Many of the main sights are here, including the Opera House, the railway station, Notre Dame Cathedral and the Reunification Palace. The Saigon River runs alongside.

Ho Chi Minh City is the commercial and financial hub of Vietnam. It is a large, exciting city that still does its best to protect the country’s way of life and culture.

After your final breakfast, you have free time before your evening departure. You could take a tour to the Mekong Delta for a break from the city, or spend your last hours in Saigon’s markets.

Your driver meets you in the accommodation lobby for the private SUV transfer to Tan Son Nhat Airport. The drive takes around 60 minutes and connects with your onward flight.