Vietnam and Cambodia unique journey – 21 days

HIGHLIGHTS:

 

• Explore the bustling city of Hanoi and visit its famous attractions.
• Cruise along the emerald waters of Halong Bay and enjoy the stunning scenery of limestone cliffs and caves.
• Discover the charming old town of Hoi An, a UNESCO World Heritage site famous for its well-preserved architecture, vibrant lanterns, and delicious street food.
• Immerse yourself in the local culture and daily life of the Mekong Delta by visiting floating markets, rice paddies, and fruit orchards.
• Discover the historic landmarks and scenic beauty of Phnom Penh, including the Royal Palace, Silver Pagoda, and the killing fields of Choeung Ek.
• Marvel at the magnificent Angkor Wat, a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the most important archaeological sites in Southeast Asia.

 

BRIEF ITINERARY:

 

Day 1: Arrival to Hanoi

Day 2: Ha Noi City Tour 

Day 3: Lao Cai – Sapa

Day 4: Sapa – Lao Cai – Ha Noi

Day 5: Ha Noi – Ha long bay

Day 6: Ha long bay – Ha Noi

Day 7: Ha Noi – Hue

Day 8: Hue 

Day 9: Hue – Da Nang – Hoi An

Day 10: Hoi An

Day 11: Hoi An – Da Nang – Nha Trang

Day 12: Nha Trang and it offshore islands

Day 13: Nha Trang – Ho Chi Minh city Tour

Day 14: Ho Chi Minh city – Tay Ninh – Cu Chi – Ho Chi Minh city

Day 15: Ho Chi Minh city – My tho – Ben Tre – Can Tho

Day 16: Can Tho – Chau Doc

Day 17: Chau Doc – PhnomPenh

Day 18: Phnom Penh – Siem Reap

Day 19: Siem Reap Angkor

Day 20: Siem Reap Angkor

Day 21: Siem Reap and departure

 

 

DETAILED ITINERARY

 

 

Day 1: Arrival in Hanoi

 

Arrive at Noi Bai International Airport, where you’ll be welcomed by your local tour guide and driver, who will assist with visa arrangements. They’ll transfer you to your hotel in the city center, and if time permits, take you on an orientation tour on a cyclo. Enjoy a welcome dinner, and then spend the night at your chosen hotel in Hanoi.

 

 

Day 2: Hanoi City Tour (B, L)

 

Start the day with a visit to the Ho Chi Minh Complex, which includes the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the Presidential Palace, Ho Chi Minh’s house on stilts, and the One Pillar Pagoda. Next, visit the Temple of Literature, Vietnam’s first university. After lunch at a local restaurant, explore Hoan Kiem Lake, Ngoc Son Temple, Tran Quoc Pagoda, and Quan Thanh Temple. Take a cyclo ride around the old quarter streets from Hang Dau to Hang Gai. Enjoy dinner on your own and then head to the train station for an overnight journey to Sapa in an air-conditioned soft sleeper cabin.

 

 

Day 3: Lao Cai – Sapa (B, L)

 

Arrive at Lao Cai station at 5:00 am. Your guide will pick you up and transfer you to Sapa. After breakfast and a shower at your hotel, trek down to Lao Chai village to visit the Tay and Day tribes. Enjoy a picnic lunch, and then keep going along the Sapa valley to Ta Van village, renowned for its beauty. Return to Sapa, and have dinner on your own. Spend the night at your chosen hotel in Sapa.

 

 

Day 4: Sapa – Lao Cai – Hanoi (B, L)

 

After breakfast, travel to Giang Ta Chai village of the Red Zdao tribe, where you will have lunch. After lunch, check out and leave your luggage in the hotel, and then head down to Cat Cat and Sin Chai villages of Black H’Mong tribe. Enjoy the waterfall in Cat Cat and admire the beautiful scenery along the way. Dinner on your own. Transfer to Lao Cai for the overnight train back to Hanoi in an air-conditioned soft sleeper cabin.

 

 

Day 5: Hanoi – Halong Bay (B, L, D)

 

Arrive in Hanoi around 5:00 am, where you’ll be picked up at the railway station and transfer to a restaurant for breakfast. Then leave for Halong Bay. Once there, board the Huong Hai Junk and have lunch before visiting Ha Long Bay, Thien Cung Cave, Dau Go Cave, Tuan Chau Island, Dog Island, Sail Island, and Ti Top Beach. Have dinner on the junk while you watch the sunset, and spend the night on board.

 

Day 6: Halong Bay – Hanoi (B, L)

 

Start the day with breakfast before visiting Man’s Head Island, Tortoise Island, Toad Island, and Bai Tho Mountain. Return and have lunch on the junk before returning to Halong Wharf. Take a coach trip back to Hanoi, and have dinner on your own. Spend the night at your chosen hotel in Hanoi.

 

 

Day 7: Hanoi – Hue (B, D)

 

 

After breakfast at the hotel, you’ll have some free time for shopping before we transfer to Noi Bai airport for a flight to Hue. Our flight, VN 245, is scheduled to depart at 12:40 and arrive in Hue at 13:50. Upon arrival, we’ll pick you up and transfer you to your hotel.

In the afternoon, we’ll visit Dong Ba market, a bustling local market where you can find everything from fresh produce to souvenirs. Next, we’ll head to the Imperial Citadel, which was the seat of power for the Nguyen Dynasty from 1802 to 1945. We’ll also explore the ruins of the Purple Forbidden City, an exclusive area of the Citadel where only the emperor, his concubines, and trusted officials were allowed to enter.

In the evening, we’ll enjoy a dinner cruise on the Perfume River, accompanied by traditional Hue folk songs. Overnight at your chosen hotel in Hue.

 

 

Day 8: Hue (B, L)

 

After breakfast, take a morning cruise on the Perfume River to visit the royal tomb of Emperor Tu Duc, Thien Mu pagoda, and the mausoleum of Emperor Minh Mang in a beautiful setting of gardens and lakes. Enjoy some free time in the afternoon. Dinner is not included. Overnight at your chosen hotel in Hue.

 

 

Day 9: Hue – Da Nang – Hoi An (B, L)

 

After breakfast, drive for about four hours to Hoi An, passing through the scenic Lang Co beach and Hai Van Pass to Da Nang City. On the way, visit the Marble Mountains. Continue to Hoi An, which was originally a Cham seaport influenced by various cultures over the centuries. Dinner is not included. Overnight at your chosen hotel.

 

 

Day 10: Hoi An (B, L)

 

After an early breakfast, visit the morning market before strolling around town. Visit popular landmarks like the Japanese Covered Bridge, the Pottery Museum, Tan Ky old house, the Cantonese congregation, the silk street of Hoi An, and the Danang-style temples and pagodas. In the afternoon, visit the My Son holy land. Return to Hoi An. Dinner is not included. Overnight at your chosen hotel.

 

 

Day 11: Hoi An – Da Nang – Nha Trang (B)

 

After breakfast, enjoy some free time for shopping in Hoi An before departing for Da Nang. Visit the Cham Museum, home to Vietnam’s largest collection of Cham treasures. Have lunch at a local restaurant before taking flight VN 337 to Nha Trang (14:10 – 15:30). After arriving, pick up at Cam Ranh airport and transfer to your hotel. Enjoy some free time for beach activities. Dinner is not included. Overnight at your chosen hotel in Nha Trang.

 

 

Day 12: Nha Trang and Offshore Islands (B,L)

 

After breakfast, take a morning boat trip to visit the Tri Nguyen Aquarium and the offshore islands around Nha Trang, including Mun Mot island. Enjoy free time for swimming and beach activities. Have a fresh seafood lunch on Tam island. Return to Nha Trang. Dinner is not included. Overnight at your chosen hotel in Nha Trang.

 

 

Day 13: Nha Trang – Ho Chi Minh City Tour (B)

 

After breakfast, transfer to Cam Ranh airport for flight No 451 to Ho Chi Minh City (8:15 – 9:30). After arriving, pick up and take a sightseeing tour of the Reunification Palace, impressive French colonial structures including Notre Dame Cathedral and the Old Central Post Office, Danang town, Tien Hau and Quan Am pagodas, Emperor Jade Pagoda, and War Remnants Museum. End the city tour at Ben Thanh market where anything and everything is for sale. Dinner is not included. Overnight at your chosen hotel in Ho Chi Minh City.

 

 

Day 14: Ho Chi Minh City – Tay Ninh – Cu Chi – Ho Chi Minh City (B,L)

 

After breakfast, drive west to Tay Ninh, headquarters of Cao Dai region. Attend the fantastic mid-day temple service when followers fill the hall wearing colored robes, a symbol of the curious combination of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. On the way back, visit the Cu Chi Tunnels, an underground network of tunnels constructed by Vietnamese fighters during the struggle for independence. The tunnels contained hospitals, accommodation, etc. and were used as a military base for the Vietcong during the American war. Drive back to Ho Chi Minh City. Dinner is not included. Overnight at your chosen hotel.

 

 

Day 15: Can Tho – Ho Chi Minh city (B,L)

 

 

Breakfast at the hotel. Take a boat trip to explore the picturesque tributaries of the Lower Mekong River (Bassac River), then visit the Cai Rang floating market which is the liveliest in the whole region. Walk around the village and meet the friendly locals. Learn how to cross a “Monkey bridge” which is built from a single bamboo. Have lunch before driving back to Ho Chi Minh City. Free time in the evening. Dinner on guest’s account. Overnight at your chosen hotel in Ho Chi Minh City.

Start the day with breakfast at the hotel before being picked up and departing for My Tho. Take a boat ride through the Bao Dinh natural canal, where you can view stilt houses and fruit plantations along the river bank. Visit the My Tho wholesale fruit market before proceeding to Tortoise island and having lunch in the orchard. Enjoy a boat ride through Tan Thach natural canal in Ben Tre, cruising under the shadow of the water coconut trees. Visit a family business that epitomizes the idyllic rural lifestyle. After trekking through the fruit plantation in Thoi Son island, enjoy a rowing boat ride along the creeks before returning to My Tho by motorised boat. Proceed to Can Tho via Vinh Long and visit the snake market. Check in at your hotel and have dinner on your own. Overnight at your chosen hotel in Can Tho.

 

 

Day 16: Can Tho – Chau Doc (B,L)

 

 

Start the day with breakfast at the hotel before taking a boat trip to explore the picturesque tributaries of the Lower Mekong river (the Bassac river) and visit the Cai Rang and Phong Dien floating markets, which are the best in the region. You will also have the opportunity to see how Vietnamese vermicelli soup is made and wander through the village to meet the local people. Learn how to cross the “monkey bridge” which is built from a single bamboo before stopping for lunch. Proceed to Chau Doc via Long Xuyen to visit the Thot Not Bird Sanctuary. Check in at your hotel on arrival in Chau Doc. Admire the landscape from the Sam Mountain summit down the Vietnamese – Cambodian border and visit the carved pagoda. Dinner on your own. Overnight at your chosen hotel in Chau Doc.

 

 

Day 17: Chau Doc – PhnomPenh (B)

 

 

Start the day with breakfast at the hotel before taking a rowing boat trip through the floating village to visit a fish farm and see how the inhabitants of the Mekong Delta raise fish. Visit a traditional Cham weaving village before transferring to a speed boat for the journey to Phnom Penh. Arrive at Sisowath tourist dock in Phnom Penh at around 2pm. Pick up and transfer to your hotel. In the afternoon, take an orientation tour along the riverside and the renowned Wat Phnom. Dinner on your own. Overnight at your chosen hotel in Phnom Penh.

 

 

Day 18: Phnom Penh – Siem Reap (B,L)

 

 

Start the day with breakfast at the hotel and then go on a City Tour to visit the National Museum of Khmer Art and the Silver Pagoda, in the grounds of the Royal Palace. In the afternoon, visit Toul Sleng Museum and the renowned Central Market. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before transferring to Pochentong airport for boarding the late afternoon flight FT 996 to Siem Reap (18:20 – 19:15). Pick up and transfer to your hotel. Dinner on your own. Overnight at your chosen hotel in Siem Reap.

 

 

Day 19: Siem Reap Angkor (B,L)

 

 

Start the day with breakfast at the hotel before visiting Prasat Ravan, Banteay Dei, Srah Srang, Ta Prohm, Takeo, Thommanon, Chau Say and Tevoda. Tour the magical temple city of Angkor Wat, known locally as the Seventh Wonder of the World. View the sunset at Pnom Bakheng. Dinner on your own. Overnight at your chosen hotel in Siem Reap.

 

 

Day 20: Siem Reap Angkor (B,L)

 

 

View the sunrise at Angkor Wat. Transfer to hotel for breakfast. Then visit the South Gate of Angkor Thom, Bayon, Baphoun, the Terrace of the Elephants and the Terrace of the Leper King. In the afternoon, visit the Grand Circuit, including Pre Rup, East Mebon, Ta Som, Neak Pean, Preah Khan, Baksei Chamkrong and the South Gate of Angkor Thom. Dinner on guest’s account. Overnight at your chosen hotel in Siem Reap.

 

 

Day 21: Siem Reap and departure (B)

 

 

Breakfast at the hotel. Free for your own activities until transfer to Siem Reap airport for boarding flights to Bangkok or Ho Chi Minh City. End of services. Finish your Vietnam-Cambodia tour.

 

 

 

PRICE DETAILS:

 

Grade tour	Price per person in USD				Solo traveler with the private room
	2 pax	3 – 4 pax	5 – 7 pax	8 – 10 pax
Standard Class	$2.890	$2.720	$2.400	$2.377	$477 extra
First Class	$3.100	$2.880	$2.650	$2.550	$660 extra
Superior	$3.450	$2.100	$2.900	$2.250	$999 extra

(Seasonal prices apply and will be confirmed when booking)