UNESCO Indochina: fifteen days, eight inscribed sites

Day 1

Arrive in Hanoi

Private transfer from Noi Bai airport to a hotel in the Old Quarter or the French Quarter. In the early evening your Hanoi guide comes to the hotel for half an hour to walk through the next fifteen days: which mornings start early and why, what to wear at which sites, and what to read on the flights.

Day 2

The Imperial Citadel of Thang Long

Excavation trenches at 18 Hoang Dieu, seen at opening time

The citadel opens at 08:00 and we aim to be at the gate when it does. The UNESCO listing covers the archaeological site at 18 Hoang Dieu, the Doan Mon gate and the Kinh Thien Palace: foundations from a seventh-century fortress, rebuilt by the Ly dynasty in the eleventh century, with nearly thirteen centuries of continuous rule layered in the excavation trenches. A guide who reads the layers makes this a different visit from a walk across a lawn.

Afternoon at the Temple of Literature and lunch in the Old Quarter. The citadel runs a night tour on some evenings; we book it if it runs on your dates.

Day 3

Hanoi to Ha Long Bay

Drive east by expressway to the cruise pier and board a small overnight vessel. The bay is part of the Ha Long Bay – Cat Ba Archipelago listing, extended by UNESCO most recently in 2023. We choose boats whose route leaves the busiest anchorages behind by mid-afternoon; your quote names the vessel.

Day 4

Ha Long Bay to Ninh Binh and Hoa Lu

An early hour on deck while the water is still, then brunch and disembarkation late morning. Drive south-west to Ninh Binh. In the late afternoon, visit Hoa Lu, the tenth- and eleventh-century capital now inside the Trang An Landscape Complex, when the day visitors from Hanoi have started back.

Day 5

Trang An by sampan, fly to Hue

Trang An is a mixed listing: karst towers up to 200 metres, flooded valleys, and caves with more than 30,000 years of human traces. The boats are rowed by local oarsmen, and we take the first departures of the day. Late morning, drive to Noi Bai for the flight to Hue.

Day 6

Hue: the Imperial City and two tombs

The Imperial City between 07:00 and 09:00

Hue was the capital of the Nguyen dynasty from 1802 to 1945. The Imperial City opens at 07:00, and the first two hours are the quietest. With a guide who works on Nguyen architecture, the walk through the Ngo Mon gate, the throne hall and the remains of the Forbidden Purple City explains how geomancy fixed the plan: the river, the screen of Ngu Binh hill, the five directions.

Afternoon by road to the tombs of Minh Mang and Khai Dinh, two emperors with opposite ideas of what a tomb should say.

Day 7

Hue to Hoi An

A morning visit to the tomb of Tu Duc and a conical-hat workshop, then the road south over or under the Hai Van Pass to Hoi An. Late afternoon walk in the old town with a guide who knows the assembly halls and the family chapels.

Day 8

My Son at opening time, Hoi An by day

Group B and C towers before 07:00

Leave at 05:15 to reach My Son as it opens at 06:00. The sanctuary was the religious centre of Champa from the fourth to the thirteenth century; 71 structures stand in eight groups, many damaged in the wars of the twentieth century. The first hour is cool and the light comes over the hills behind the towers.

Back to Hoi An by late morning. Afternoon free, or a visit to a pottery or carpentry village on the Thu Bon river.

Day 9

Fly to Siem Reap

Transfer to Da Nang airport for the flight to Siem Reap. The routing depends on the season’s schedules and is confirmed when you book. Evening briefing with your Angkor guide.

Day 10

Angkor Wat, after the sunrise crowd

The bas-relief galleries of Angkor Wat

Sunrise at Angkor Wat is beautiful and crowded. We offer a quieter alternative: sunrise at Srah Srang, which opens at the same 05:00, then Angkor Wat itself at around 08:00, after most sunrise visitors have left. Two to three hours in the galleries of bas-reliefs with a Khmer-history guide. Afternoon rest, then Pre Rup, which stays open until 19:00, for sunset.

Day 11

Angkor Thom, Ta Prohm, Banteay Srei

The Bayon at 07:30 when most temples open, then Ta Prohm before the late-morning tour groups. After lunch, the drive out to Banteay Srei, known for unusually deep, fine carving in pink sandstone.

Day 12

Fly to Luang Prabang

Morning free. Afternoon flight to Luang Prabang, routing confirmed at booking. Luang Prabang occupies the peninsula where the Nam Khan meets the Mekong; the old town is small enough that you walk almost everywhere.

Day 13

Luang Prabang: Wat Xieng Thong and the Royal Palace

If you wish, watch the morning alms round from across the street, at a distance. After breakfast, Wat Xieng Thong, the sixteenth-century monastery that UNESCO singles out, then the Royal Palace Museum, which opens 08:00 to 11:30 and again 13:00 to 15:30; shoulders and knees must be covered and bags stay outside.

Day 14

Luang Prabang: weavers and the river

A morning with a weaving workshop and a paper-making village across the river, then a late-afternoon boat on the Mekong. The evening is yours.

Day 15

Depart Luang Prabang

Transfer to the airport for your onward flight. If you leave late, the morning can include Mount Phousi before the heat.