Golden Blue Dragon, Khmer and Siam “Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand” (HAN-BKK) with Turkish Airlines | 10 nights Hanoi (2) - Halong Bay (1) - Ho Chi Minh City (2) - Siem Reap (2) - Bangkok (3) | All city tours and entrance fees included | 7 lunches and 7 dinners included

Gold Blue Dragon, Khmer and Siam “Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand” (HAN-BKK) with THY

Hanoi (2 nights) – Ha Long Bay cruise (1 night) – Ho Chi Minh City (2 nights) – Siem Reap (2 nights) – Bangkok (3 nights)

10 nights 11 days | All city tours and entrance fees included | 7 lunches and 7 dinners included

 

Day 1 | Istanbul

Meeting at 23.15 in front of the Turkish Airlines counter at the international departures terminal of Istanbul Airport. Our overnight stay will be on the plane.

 

Day 2 | Istanbul – Hanoi | [B]

After ticket, baggage, and passport procedures, departure to Hanoi at 02.15 with Turkish Airlines flight TK0164. Arrival at Hanoi Airport at 15.25 local time. After passport and baggage procedures, transfer from the airport to the restaurant where we will have our dinner. After dinner at a local restaurant, transfer to our hotel. We complete check-in and settle into our rooms. Our overnight stay in Hanoi will be at the 4* Signature by M Village Tho Nhuom (or similar) hotel.

 

Day 3 | Hanoi | [B, L, D]

After breakfast at our hotel, we will begin the panoramic Hanoi city tour and head toward the old square. Passing shops among the interesting narrow streets and houses, we will learn about both the city and local culture. The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, where the mummy of Ho Chi Minh, the architect of the Vietnamese revolution and founder of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, is displayed, and his house built on stilts, which was his last residence from 1958 until his death in 1969, as well as the elegant single One Pillar Pagoda rising from the middle of a lotus pond, will be among the places we visit. In addition, the Old Quarter, consisting of 36 small streets intersecting at right angles from the French Colonial Period, Silk Street, Paper Street, Shoe Street, Bronze Street, and the Pagoda are among the other places to be seen. We will have our lunch at a local restaurant during the tour. At the end of this tour, we will head to watch the show of Vietnam’s world-famous Water Puppet Theater. After the show, we will have our dinner at a local restaurant. After dinner, transfer to our hotel. Our overnight stay will be at the 4* Signature by M Village Tho Nhuom (or similar) hotel in Hanoi.

 

Day 4 | Hanoi – Ha Long Bay | [B, L, D]

After breakfast at our hotel, we complete our check-out procedures and set off for Ha Long Bay, Vietnam’s natural and astonishing beauty. Upon arrival after our journey, we board our boat. After a briefing by the boat staff, we have our set menu lunch with a rich selection of traditional dishes and settle into our cabins. At the time announced by our guide, we depart with local rowboats for a visit to the fishing village named Vung Vieng, lasting about half an hour. Afterwards, there will be free time on the boat to enjoy the scenery and the sea. We will have our rich set menu dinner in Vietnamese style on our boat. Our overnight stay will be on our 5* Aspira Cruises (or similar) boat in Ha Long Bay.

 

Day 5 | Ha Long Bay – Hanoi – Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) | [B, L, D]

Early wake-up on the boat and, for those who wish, the opportunity to do Tai Chi with an instructor. Around 07.00, after an appetizer breakfast, we will visit Sung Sot Cave, which is protected by UNESCO. After the tour, return to the boat. Around 10.30, after vacating the cabins, depart for Hanoi. Upon arrival in Hanoi, we will have our lunch at a local restaurant. At the end of the meal, we head to Hanoi Airport. After ticket and baggage procedures, flight to Ho Chi Minh City with local airlines. Arrival at Ho Chi Minh City Airport. After baggage procedures, transfer from the airport to the restaurant where we will have our dinner. After dinner at a local restaurant, transfer to our hotel. We complete check-in and settle into our rooms. Our overnight stay will be at the 4* Northern Charm Hotel (or similar) in Ho Chi Minh City.

 

Day 6 | Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) | [B, L, D]

After breakfast at our hotel, departure to the Cu Chi countryside region for the Cu Chi Tunnels tour. Built in the 1940s, the Cu Chi Tunnels are a vast underground hiding system made up of interconnected tunnels. Used first against the French colonial forces and then during the American War, it is said that thanks to these tunnels the Vietnamese achieved many military victories. Within this tunnel system, which allowed soldiers to approach the enemy silently and unseen, attack suddenly, and then disappear, there are long pathways for crawling, kitchen and resting areas, weapon depots, and clean drinking water wells. After that, we will stop at a local restaurant for lunch. After lunch, departure for a panoramic Saigon city tour. First, we will see the palace (Reunification Palace) that was built in the 1960s by the President of South Vietnam as a symbol of independence, but which in 1975, with the tank assault, came to represent the fall of South Vietnam. Then we will see the Opera House, City Hall, the historic Post Office from the French Colonial period, and the Notre Dame Cathedral, which is an exact replica of the one in Paris. Later, after visiting the War Museum, which reveals the horrifying آثار of the Vietnam War, and the local market called Ben Thanh, we will have our dinner at a local restaurant and return to our hotel. Our overnight stay will be at the 4* Northern Charm Hotel (or similar) in Ho Chi Minh City.

 

Day 7 | Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – Siem Reap | [B, L, D]

After breakfast at our hotel, we complete our check-out procedures and set off for the Mekong delta tour. Our journey on the Mekong River begins with our private boat. On our tour, our first stop will be Thoi Son Island. This island is called the fruit basket of Vietnam. On this island, we will have the opportunity to taste a variety of interesting tropical fruits. We will stop at a local restaurant for lunch. After lunch, we will have a 15-minute horseback walking experience on a local village road. At the end of this walk, we will reach the Chuong Duong Orchards. In this area, we will have the opportunity to taste both tropical fruits and Vietnam’s fine green tea accompanied by local Vietnamese music. Then we will take a canal tour on sampan boats unique to Vietnam. After the tour, transfer to Ho Chi Minh City Airport. After ticket, baggage, and passport procedures, flight to Siem Reap with local airlines. Arrival at Siem Reap Airport. After passport and baggage procedures, transfer from the airport to the restaurant where we will have our dinner. After dinner at a local restaurant, transfer to our hotel. We complete check-in and settle into our rooms. Our overnight stay will be at the 5* Lotus Blanc Hotel (or similar) in Siem Reap.

 

Day 8 | Siem Reap | [B, L, D]

After breakfast at our hotel, we depart for the Angkor tour, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List and was the capital of the Khmer Empire between the 9th and 15th centuries. Our first stop will be Angkor Thom and the South Gate. Then we will visit Bayon Temple, Baphuon Temple, Ta Phrom Temple, and the Terrace of the Leper King and the Elephant Terrace. After having our lunch at a local restaurant, we will spend the rest of the day exploring the legendary temple-city Angkor Wat, which is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest religious structure in the world. Angkor Wat, the largest, best-preserved, and most important temple in terms of faith among the Angkor temples, first served as a Hindu and then a Buddhist shrine, and has always been an important religious center. After having our dinner at a local restaurant, we will have some free time for shopping at the evening market before returning to our hotel. Our overnight stay will be at the 5* Lotus Blanc Hotel (or similar) in Siem Reap.

 

Day 9 | Siem Reap – Bangkok | [B, L]

After breakfast at our hotel, we complete our check-out procedures and set off for the Tonle Lake tour. Tonle Sap Lake (Tonle Lake) is Cambodia’s largest lake and one of Southeast Asia’s largest freshwater sources. Its most important feature is that it has a “reverse flow” system, expanding in the rainy season as the Mekong River flows backward and shrinking again in winter. Thanks to this natural cycle, the lake becomes one of the most fertile fishing areas in the region. After seeing the floating villages around Tonle Sap, the communities living on water, and the rich ecosystem, we will have our lunch at a local restaurant. After the meal, transfer to Siem Reap Airport. After ticket, baggage, and passport procedures, flight to Bangkok with local airlines. Arrival at Bangkok Airport. After passport and baggage procedures, transfer from the airport to our hotel. We complete check-in and settle into our rooms. Our overnight stay will be at the 4* Prince Palace Hotel Bangkok (or similar) in Bangkok.

 

Day 10 | Bangkok | [B]

After breakfast at our hotel, departure for the Bangkok temples and city tour. On our city tour, the places we will see include the Golden Buddha Temple (Wat Traimit), the Reclining Buddha Temple (Wat Pho), Flower Market, Chinatown, Parliament Building, and the Democracy Monument. Return to our hotel at the end of the tour. Guests who wish may join the optional Bangkok canal tour organized by our guide. Our overnight stay will be at the 4* Prince Palace Hotel Bangkok (or similar) in Bangkok.

 

→ Bangkok canal tour | 35 EUR adult – 25 EUR child (04-11.99 years)

Our vehicle will take us to the pier where we will board our boat. We will take a tour aboard long-tail boats among the small canals of the Chao Phraya River. Our journey through the canals will give us the opportunity to see traditional Thai life more closely. We will have a unique experience passing between wooden houses raised on pillars, floating kitchens, Buddhist temples where we can feed sacred catfish in front of them, and small family businesses. When Bangkok (especially its old part, Thonburi) was first founded, almost all transportation was done via rivers and canals (khlong). Houses, shops, and markets were built along the canals, and people went to work, school, and the market by boat. There were “waterways” instead of streets, and for this reason foreigners who came here called it the "Venice of the East." When we see old vendors rowing up and down the canal selling everything from vegetables and noodles to modern items such as electric fans and radios, we will be able to observe that this name still holds true today.

 

Day 11 | Bangkok | [B]

Free time after breakfast at our hotel. Guests who wish may join the optional Floating Market tour organized by our guide. In the evening, guests who wish may join the optional Baiyoke Sky and Asiatique Riverfront tour with dinner organized by our guide. Our overnight stay will be at the 4* Prince Palace Hotel Bangkok (or similar) in Bangkok.

 

→ Floating Market tour | 45 EUR adult – 25 EUR child (04-11.99 years)

For this tour, we will go outside Bangkok. First, we will visit a coconut farm. At the farm, we will learn where the Thai people benefit from the coconut tree and see souvenirs made from this tree. After that, with a short journey, we will reach the pier where local boats depart. We will board the boats from the pier and, with the scenic Thai landscapes, enjoy an approximately half-hour pleasant ride to the famous Floating Market. Floating markets are part of Thailand’s and the local people’s way of life. Wherever there is a floating market, there is food. Eating by the river is an inseparable part of this lifestyle. We will see the open market set up on canoes on this river and have the opportunity to shop. After this unique experience, return to Bangkok and our hotel.

 

→ Baiyoke Sky and Asiatique Riverfront tour with dinner | 55 EUR adult – 40 EUR child (04-11.99 years)

On this tour, we will first go to Baiyoke Sky, Thailand’s tallest building with 85 floors and a height of 309 meters. From the observation terrace on the 77th floor of the building, we will be able to see all of Bangkok in 360 degrees. Then we will have our buffet dinner at the restaurant on the 78th floor of the building, accompanied by this magnificent view. Afterwards, we will go to Asiatique, Bangkok’s newest entertainment and shopping center with more than 1500 shops and restaurants, where history and renewed modernism are intertwined, based on the old warehouses of the East Asiatic Company built in the period when the first trade between European countries and Thailand began at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. At the end of the free time we will have here for sightseeing and shopping, return to our hotel.

 

Day 12 | Bangkok – Istanbul | [B]

After breakfast at our hotel, we complete our check-out procedures and depart for Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport at the transfer time announced by our guide. After ticket, baggage, and passport procedures, flight to Istanbul at 10.10 with Turkish Airlines flight TK065. Arrival at Istanbul Airport at 16.45 local time and the end of our tour. We say goodbye, looking forward to meeting again on our next distinguished and enjoyable trip.

 

Explanation of abbreviations: [B] = Breakfast, [L] = Lunch, [D] = Dinner