Highlights of Vietnam and Cambodia 15 Days

Arriving at Noi Bai airport in Hanoi, you’ll be met and driven to your hotel. You’ll have time to relax after your journey. You’ll spend the night in Hanoi

You’ll have the whole day to explore Vietnam’s capital city. Your guide will take you to the Temple of Literature, the first university in Vietnam dating back to the 11th century, and a popular attraction, as is Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum, his simple stilt house where he lived and wworked, and the museum dedicated to his memory.

After lunch, you’ll drive to the excellent Ethnology Museum for an overview of Vietnam’s 54 distinct ethnic groups. Then you’ll visit Hoa Lo Prison – better known by captured US pilots as the ‘Hanoi Hilton’. You’ll also visit Hanoi Train Street, one of the most famous and adventurous tourist spots in Hanoi. This narrow street, hidden in one of Hanoi’s back alleys, is flanked by tall, closely packed houses. The railway, which runs through the backyards of these homes, sees trains passing by a few times each day. The bustling Old Quarter is a magnet for visitors, it’s noisy and hectic, but definitely a ‘must-see’ attraction. The Old Quarter is a maze of shopping streets and restaurants with a hotchpotch of architecture – traditional tube houses, religious buildings, artisfans’ workshops and cottages, colonial houses and modern concrete edifices.

In the evening, you’ll have tickets for a performance of traditional Water Puppetry (an art form unique to northern Vietnam, and a good, light-hearted introduction to its rural culture). You’ll spend the night in Hanoi.

After an early breakfast, you’ll leave for Ha Long Bay, one of the most spectacular UNESCO World Heritage Areas and the world’s largest marine limestone ‘karst’ landscape. There you’ll board a deluxe junk to take you round the Bay before stopping off at a beach on an island. Weather permitting, you’ll be able to swim, fish, and climb a hill (not a mountain!) for an overview of the Bay’s remarkable seascape. From there, you’ll continue your cruise to visit a fishing village – you’ll also have an opportunity to investigate one of the bay’s sea level caves in a small sampan or a kayak. Back on board, you can enjoy cocktails while watching the sunset. Later, unwind with a lavish dinner before an overnight stay on the board. The route is designed to avoid the busy areas and includes a very quiet location for your overnight stay.

You’ll wake in the fresh air on the bay with a swim and/or a Yoga or Taichi session on the large sundeck (beginners welcome!). After a light pastry and a tea or coffee for breakfast, you’ll dock to visit one of the most famous caves in the Bay. You’ll return to the junk for a brunch while cruising back to dock around noon whereupon you’ll leave for Noi Bai airport for your afternoon departure flight to Hue. When you arrive, you’ll be met and driven to your hotel to check in. You’ll spend the night in Hue.

Your morning will begin with a cruise along the Perfume River to visit to the Thien Mu Pagoda. From there, you’ll visit the Imperial Citadel and then drive to the Royal Tombs of Emperor Minh Mang and, in the afternoon, Emperor Khai Dinh. After that, you’ll return to Hue to visit one of city’s ‘garden houses’ and then return to your hotel to freshen-up.

In the evening, you’ll sit down for a private dinner in the pleasant surroundings and a comfortable atmosphere of another of Ngoc Son Princess garden house. The owner will prepare and serve a traditional meal based on the distinctive characteristics of classic Hue cuisine. You’ll spend the night in Hue.

In the morning, your car will drive you to Danang. On the way, you’ll cross the Hai Van mountain pass. The views from the top are excellent – you should be able to see Lang Co beach and village, and the lagoon far below, with Danang spread out before you to the south.

Upon arriving in Danang and a brief look at the remarkable Hindu statuary in the Cham Museum, you’ll arrive at Hoi An. After lunch, you’ll have a guided visit to the Ancient Town of Hoi An and spend the night in Hoi An.

The day starts with cycling the narrow roads through the countryside, passing by rice paddy fields, water buffalos, bamboo bridges and local farmers on their daily work. You’ll then board a boat to the mouth of the Thu Bon estuary where the river meets the Cua Dai Sea and cruise along the coastline observing the lives of the local fishermen. After joining the fisherman to try your hand at catching fish in a traditional ‘Thung Chai’ basket boat, you will meander through the water palm coconut canal. During the American War, Viet Cong soldiers made use of this area as a highly effective hiding place from enemy attacks through their long struggle. Following an insightful visit to a local fishing village, you’ll be free to relax and enjoy a lunch before cycling back to your hotel. You’ll spend the night in Hoi An.

You’ll be free in the morning until your car anfd driver arrive to take you to Danang    airport for your flight to Ho Chi Minh City. When you arrive, a private car will be waiting to take you to your hotel in the city centre. After checking in, you’ll be free for a preliminary wander around District 1.

In the evening, at 18.00, you’ll then be picked up at hotel for Vespa tour. Your first stop is to Café zoom to “watch the world goes by” (quoted by The Lonely Planet) and enjoy cocktail and appetizer (inclusive) before adventuring into favorite local eating spot. You’ll experience the nightlife of Saigon the way locals do, all from the back of a vintage Vespa scooter. Then the tour will continue to a hidden Vietnamese-style coffee shop to have a taste of Vietnamese music (live) as a local. After this the tour will bring guest to a Mall (Diamond Plaza or Birdie Buddies Kids Club at Crescent Mall) to enjoy some games before returning to your hotel. Your overnight stay will be in Ho Chi Minh City.

After breakfast, your guide will arrive to show you around Ho Chi Minh City. You’ll visit the Reunification Hall – an early colonial masterpiece constructed to accommodate the Governor –general of Indochina. The Museum of War Remnants provides a very partial, but riveting, perspective of the ‘American War’: not for the squeamish! The Binh Tay market and the China Town are worth a stroll to explore the local daily life and the culture mix.

After lunch, you’ll also call in at the Jade Emperor Temple. It’s one of the best Taoist temples in Vietnam, with superb effigies, remarkable carved panels of the descent to Hell and somewhat incongruous terrapin and tortoise sanctuaries. You’ll then return your hotel for freshen up or wander around the huge Ben Thanh market, one of the liveliest areas of Ho Chi Minh City, is packed with every conceivable commodity. You’ll spend the night in Ho Chi Minh City.

A morning drive will take you to Tay Ninh to visit the Cao Dai Holy See in time to watch the mid-day ceremony. After lunch, you’ll visit the famous Cu Chi tunnels, a Byzantine maze of underground passages, chambers, rooms and booby traps used by both the Vietminh and the Viet Cong to suddenly materialise as if from nowhere, launch a lightning ambush, and vanish equally rapidly. You’ll spend the night in Ho Chi Minh City.

At 08.00, you’ll depart for a 1.5-hour drive from Saigon to Ben Tre, one of the country’s southern provinces, situated in the Delta of the Mekong River.  Take in the highway as you leave behind the busy city. Pass Rach Mieu bridge before reaching Huu Dinh hamlet. Get on a tri-motor cycle (xe loi) ride to enjoy the lush surroundings of rice paddies and fruit farms alongside the narrow village roads.

Arrive at the waterfront, board the charming Mango Cruise for a glimpse at the Delta scenery while enjoying coconut juice. First stop for a visit at the coconut processing, then back to your cruise and the cruise will stop at a brick making shop, where the locals still use centuries-old traditional methods to make the bricks by hand where you will start a Bicycle trip around Phong Nam village around 4km, through gardens and stop at a coconut spirits factory, which is a popular drink among the natives in Vietnam. It is a sweet, fresh or mildly fermented sap taken from tapping the young expanded flowers of the coconut, good for the health. Continue bicycle trip about 10-15 minutes to Mrs. Huong’s home. Her family live on fishing, shrimp and farming. Enjoy the tropical fruits and in her garden before taking the rowing sampan, be paddled by a personalized rower trip to discover the maze of small canals.

Then rowing you back to your mango boat and head to Mango home restaurant, enjoy your 5 course lunch and freshen up before switch to a bicycle and ride 500m About 4 minutes (or 7-10 minutes walk) on village roads past green gardens and local houses, and stop at another local house of Mr Sau Tuong, a former Vietcong soldier who survived two years fighting the Khmer Rouge in Phnom Penh. Now he and his wife live on making rice paper which is the most famous specialty of My Long village. Have a chat with him and enjoy the crispy rice paper made by his wife, and see how it is made.

After the visit, the boat will be waiting for you at the pier nearby to bring you back to Ben Tre city where your car will be ready to take you back to Ho Chi Minh City. Your overnight stay will be in Ho Chi Minh City.

Your time will be your own until your private car and driver arrives to take you to Tan Son Nhat airport for your departure flight to Siem Reap. Arriving at Siem Reap airport, you’ll be met and driven to your hotel. You’ll have time to relax after your journey. You’ll spend the night in Siem Reap.

After breakfast, you’ll visit the enchanting Banteay Srei – “The Citadel of Women”. The temple which was designed to leave no space undecorated and the fine carvings in pink sandstone are unique. and Bantey Samre which has been admirably restored. You’ll then drive to explore the Angkor Thom City before lunch…

First, you’ll explore some of the most prominent of these sites. We will begin our tour with Angkor Thom, better known as the ‘Temple of Faces’. We then proceed to the Bayon, a bizarre structure with several architectural styles, reflecting a switch from Hinduism (the foundations) to Buddhism (the superstructure). We next visit the Elephant and Leper Emperor Terraces, followed by the Baphoun Temple, which is now nearing the end of an eight-year multi-million-dollar restoration program.

Later, you’ll visit Ta Prohm, strangled by massive tree roots and typical of the condition of the whole complex when it was discovered in1860 by French naturalist Henri Mouhot. Heading back to Bakheng hill where you’ll spend the rest for sunset view on this hill before back to hotel. You’ll spend the night in Siem Reap.

05:15: you’ll be picked up to the Angkor Complex where you’ll start with Sunrise at Angkor Wat and we encounter the Cambodia’s crown jewel, the magnificent Angkor Wat (“Temple that is a City”). Then taking to visit once the center of the vast Khmer Empire that ruled the majority of the southern part of South-East Asia, is home to countless temples and palace complexes. Then we wrap up the day with the undisputed jewel of the crown- Angkor Wat itself, the largest and, for most people, the most impressive temple in the complex. Then return to hotel for breakfast and relax…

We’ll make a short visit visiting the “Chantiers-Ecole, Les Artisans d’Angkor”, a vocational training center, which revives the classic Cambodian techniques and styles of wood and stone carving and polychromy. Then stroll through the Old Market afterward before lunch return back to your hotel for relaxing before enjoy the late afternoon tour 2hrs walking

16:00: you’ll start the day walking tour from your hotel where locate in front of Grand Park, firstly you’ll see the secret place name Preah Ang Chek, Preah Ang Charm and Yeay teap where very powerful dark spirit and relief to Cambodian people as well as Asian people who Buddhism, there you can make dedication and ask for happiness in life, then you’ll walk pass by King Residence where close by these place, then continue visit colonial style design and décor building name FCC Angkor where you can see a gallery of McD’mouth which start his career for photographer of Angkor many year, and you’ll also not miss to see the Siem Reap River then walk through to Wat Prum Roath where stylist pagoda in town before heading to Wat Bo pagoda where you might able to chitchat with our monk about Buddhism task and how hard become a baddish monk, Then stroll through the Old Market afterward…There you will taste the night street food such as fried little noodle (Lot Cha), pancake (Nom Roti), Roast Beef (Sach Ko Ang) at Wat Domnak and some insect where available on trolley card such as spider, grasshopper, cricket etc,…daren’t you try it and stop for a beer before transfer to adjoining diner with Apsara dance show. You’ll spend the night in Siem Reap.

After breakfast, 08:30, you’ll pick up from hotel then transfer to Tonle Sap Lake, we will enjoy a boat ride on the Tonle Sap lake at CHONG KNEAS VILLAGE. This is the largest permanent fresh-water lake in South East Asia and flows into Tonle Sap River, joining the Mekong in Phnom Penh. We will see a fishermen’s “floating village” with floating schools, floating police station, etc. It is same as a big village floating on the lake, and the “village” move from place-to-place following water levels and current.  Before getting back to the hotel…

You’ll enjoy lunch at local restaurant where locate in town

Afternoon, Free at your leisure until your guide and driver come to pick up then you’ll drive to the Siem Reap International airport for your flight home. End of services.