The Beauty of Vietnam and Cambodia

12 days - Private Tour

Destinations of vietnam-and-cambodia-tour

Hanoi, Halong Bay, Hue, Da Nang, Hoi An, Ho Chi Minh City, Angkor Thom, My Tho, Cu Chi Tunnels, Kim Bong Carpentry Village, Angkor Wat, Siem Reap  As the sun sets over the vast temple network of Angkor Wat, find a place in the ancient maze and soak up all the serene magic of this spiritual land.

 You’ll visit all the beauty and warmth of this peaceful place incarnate in the Cambodian people when you spend time exploring captivating Siem Reap. It’s also interesting in neighboring Vietnam where you’ll tour Hanoi’s Ngoc Son Temple by cyclo and vibrant local markets; take an overnight cruise of the stunning Ha Long Bay, hands-on cultural experiences including cooking classes, Tai Chi at dawn; wonder the historic town of Hoi An and its lush green valleys dotted with red brick towers dating back to the 7th century; specially experience the horror of the Vietnam War in the vast underground labyrinthine known as the Cu Chi Tunnels in Ho Chi Minh City.

 DAY 1    Hanoi Arrival    Meals: 

 Arrive at Noi Bai International Airport, meet your driver for an airport transfer with a private vehicle and English speaking guide. The driving distance is approximately 30 minutes.

 Your visa should be pre-arranged, or be sure that your visa-on-arrival letter is in your carry-on luggage. Please go to custom desk as your first point of entry into the country and present these documents for visa upon arrival.

 Hanoi or “River-bound City” as its name literally means is Vietnam’s capital with a thousand-year-old history dating back to 1010. The city’s fascinating beauty which is characterized by unique cultural relics, ancient streets of antique houses, elegant French colonial buildings, tree-lined boulevards and romantic lakes has made it one of the most charming cities of Asia.
Accommodation: Larosa Hotel (3*), The Ann Hotel (4*), Intercontinental West Lake Hotel (5*)
Destinations: Hanoi

DAY2    Hanoi Full Day City Tour    Meals: B 

The city tour begins with a visit to the Ho Chi Minh Complex which features the life of Ho Chi Minh, the nation’s founder. At the complex, visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, where the nation’s founder’s body is preserved (closed on Monday, Friday and through October - November), the colonial Presidential Palace, originally the French Governor Office and a fine example of French architecture in Hanoi, and the rural style Ho Chi Minh’s house on stilts where Ho Chi Minh lived and worked. Stop by one of Hanoi’s icons, the One Pillar Pagoda, built in the 11th Century in dedication to Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara or Buddha of Compassion and reminiscent of a lotus blossom rising from a pond. Continue to the Temple of Literature, known as the first university of Vietnam built in 1070 by the Ly Dynasty to honor Confucius, sages and outstanding Vietnamese scholars.

Afternoon, continue the tour to one of the following museums of choice namely the Museum of Fine Arts, the National Museum of Vietnamese History, the Museum of Revolution, the Museum of Military History or the Museum of Ethnology. Next, head for Hoan Kiem Lake, the center point of Hanoi whose name “The Return Sword Lake” originated from a legend of a sacred sword and home to a rare endangered giant turtle species and visit Ngoc Son Temple on the lake. Take a one-hour cyclo tour of the Old Quarter of Hanoi with its ancient streets representing traditional trades from the past. Finish the tour at the Thang Long Opera Theatre with a traditional Vietnamese water puppet show.
Accommodation: Larosa Hotel (3*), The Ann Hotel (4*), Intercontinental West Lake Hotel (5*)
Destinations: Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Complex, The Old Quarter, Hoan Kiem Lake, One Pillar Pagoda, Temple of Literature

DAY 3    Hanoi - Halong Bay Over Night On Boat    Meals: B,L,N    

 Morning pickup at 8:00 AM from your hotel for transfer to Ha Long Bay, which is about 160 km or 3.5-hour drive away. The transfer is approximately 3 hours. You will see some rural areas of the Red River Delta with plenty of chances to take photos of Vietnamese farmers working in paddy fields and you may stop on the way to admire the local scenery.

Arrive in Ha Long City at 11:30 AM and check in aboard the booked junk right after the welcome drink is served. Start cruising while having lunch on board and enjoy the mighty bay view. Arrive in Ha Long City at 11:30 AM and check in aboard the booked junk when your journey across Ha Long Bay starts. Ha Long Bay meaning Descending Dragon Bay in Vietnamese as legend has it that it was where a holly dragon landed down from sky. The bay, famous as one of the world’s wonders and heritage sites whose formation dates back 500 million years, consists of around 2,000 karst islands and islets scattered over an area of 1,553 km2. After lunch, take a short trek to a nearby summit for a panoramic view of the bay dotted with golden sails, go swimming on a quiet beach or sunbath on the sundeck. Later in the afternoon, you will visit an interesting fishing village with an opportunity to interact with local people who have been living in the bay for almost three generations. An optional kayaking trip is available weather permitting. Back onboard enjoy a lavish dinner and enjoy the bay view at sunset. Spend a night on board.

Accommodation: Oriental Sails (3*), Pelican Cruise (4*), Paradise Luxury Cruise (5*)
Destinations: Halong Bay

DAY 4    Halong bay - Hanoi - Da Nang - Hoi An    Meals: Brunch    

Hoi An riverside in Vietnam. In the morning, refresh your body and mind with a Tai Chi exercise on the sundeck at the break of dawn. Have tea and coffee onboard and continue exploring Ha Long Bay sailing across its 2000 islets and visiting some of its major highlights. Normally, check out at 09:30, have a buffet brunch while cruising back to shore. Disembark at 11:00 AM to transfer to Hanoi capital.

Free at leisure until meet our guide then transfer to airport for flight to Da Nang. Flight time is approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes

Arrival Da Nang airport, you are transferred to Hoi An ancient town by private car & guide. The transfer from Da Nang to Hoi An is approximately 40 minutes.
Accommodation: Lotus Hotel (3*), Hoian Trails Hotel (4*)
Destinations: Da Nang, Hoi An

DAY 5    Hoi An City Tour - Kim Bong Village    Meals: B    

In the morning, you will meet your private guide at your hotel who will take you to visit the town. Once a bustling maritime commercial port of Asia between 15th and 19th centuries, Hoi An, recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, is now a peaceful town of exceptionally well-preserved architecture, lifestyles and traditions. The town exemplifies a fascinating fusion of cultures between Vietnam and the outside world including China, Japan, Thailand and the Philippines. Your sightseeing will include the iconic 400-year-old Covered Bridge with a small temple attached to one side as a prominent example of Japanese architecture, the Museum of Trade Ceramics which is an elegant Vietnamese style wooden house built in 1858 showcasing antique ceramic artifacts, the 200-year-old Tan Ky House typifying an ancient Chinese merchant residence, the Ong Temple built in 1653 by Chinese settlers to worship Guan Yu, an ancient Chinese general whose character stands for loyalty, bravery and justice and the local market vibrant with colors and activities.

In the afternoon, continue to The village Craft Centre and workshops showcases craft items and the painstaking process by which they are produced, using specialist tools and techniques passed down since the 15th century when Hoi An flourished as a major sea port. The workshops today make hand crafted furniture and sculptures as well as a range of tempting souvenirs, some of which are exported a field as Europe and North America. Kim Bong craftsmen made a vital contribution to the recent restoration of historic buildings after Hoi An was declared a World Heritage Site in 1999. Moreover, they have been encouraged and rewarded by UNESCO for their preservation efforts.
Accommodation: Lotus Hotel (3*), Hoian Trails Hotel (4*)
Destinations: Japanese Covered Bridge, Kim Bong Carpentry Village, Tan Ky Old House

DAY 6    Hoi An - Da Nang - Ho Chi Minh Half Day City Tour    Meals: B    

Morning, transfer to Da Nang airport for flight to Ho Chi Minh City
Flight time is approximately 1.5 hours.
Meet your driver for an airport transfer with a private vehicle and guide. The transfer distance is approximately 30 minutes
Afternoon, we start the tour with a visit to the War Remnants Museum which features a comprehensive collection of the machinery, weapons, photos, and documentation of Vietnam War with the both the French and Americans and the Reunification Palace which was the former residence of the President of South Vietnam until end of April 1975. Last, stop for shopping at the French-built Ben Thanh Market which dates back to 1870 and whose main entrance clock tower has become a city’s symbol.
Accommodation: Sonnet Hotel (3*), Eden Hotel (4*), Majestic Hotel (5*)
Destinations: Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City

DAY 7    Ho Chi Minh City Tour & Cu Chi Tunnels    Meals: B    

Morning, meet your guide and transfer about 75 km North-west of downtown Ho Chi Minh City. Discover the famous Cu Chi Tunnels, which were once a major underground hideout and resistance base of Viet Cong forces during the two wars against the French and the Americans. The tunnels, entirely hand-dug, formed a highly intricate network of interlinked multilevel passageways at times stretched as far as the Cambodian border and totaling over 120 km in length. Its complexity was beyond imagination containing meeting rooms, kitchens, wells, clinics, schools, depots, trenches and emergency exits all aimed for guerrilla warfare. The tunnels were deep and strong enough to withstand destructive bombings and self-contained enough to outlast prolonged sieges. Return to the city at noon time for a rest.

Afternoon, tour in the city starting with Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica, a neo-Roman cathedral built over 130 years ago by the colonial French with materials entirely imported from Marseilles and stained-glass windows from Chartres. Next, visit Sai Gon Post Office, a fine colonial building which was designed and built in the early 20th Century by the famous French architect Gustave Eiffel. Move on to Cho Lon or the city’s China Town where you will visit the Jade Emperor Temple (Phuoc Hai), a rare Taoist structure in Vietnam built in 1909 in dedication to the Lord of Heaven. It’s filled with smoky incense and fantastic carved figurines and still buzzing with worshipers, many lounging in the front gardens.
Accommodation: Sonnet Hotel (3*), Eden Hotel (4*), Majestic Hotel (5*)
Destinations: Jade Emperor Pagoda, China Town, Central Post Office, Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica, Cu Chi Tunnels

 DAY 8    Ho Chi Minh - Full Day Mekong Delta (My Tho)    Meals: B  

Sitting on the boat through zigzag canalsToday, you will be picked up and travel past miles of flat rice fields, along a bustling road to the Mekong Delta, the world’s largest delta and Vietnam's largest rice bowl.

On arrival in My Tho City, board a motorboat and navigate through intricate canals while observing the local daily life up close as well as the landscape of waterways and lush islands. Land on Thoi Son Island where you can listen to Southern traditional music performed by native artists. Next, you will change to a paddle boat to cruise through the narrow canals and visit households with traditional occupations of home-based coconut candy and rice-wine making. Continue travel by motorized boat to another island to visit a bee farm and taste tea with fresh honey from the beehives and enjoy fresh fruits. On the return to My Tho, stop to visit the Vinh Trang Pagoda, a prominent local Buddhist structure built in 1850 with a unique architectural mixture of Vietnamese, Roman, Chinese and Cambodian styles characterized by a highly ornate façade. You might enjoy a lovely lunch at a local Vietnamese restaurant. At the end of the tour, you will find the way back to Ho Chi Minh.
Accommodation: Sonnet Hotel (3*), Eden Hotel (4*), Majestic Hotel (5*)
Destinations: Mekong Delta, My Tho

DAY 9    Ho Chi Minh - Siem Reap    Meals: B    

Meet your driver for an airport transfer with a private vehicle and guide. Fly from Ho Chi Minh City to Siem Reap. Flight time is approximately 1 hour.

On arrival at Siem Reap international airport, welcomed by our guide and transferred to your hotel for check in and has a rest.

Afternoon time, starting of tours to exploring the floating village of Chong Khneas, located 10 kilometers south of Siem Reap. Take a traditional wooden boat for a ride on the Tonle Sap Lake, the "Great Lake" of Cambodia, one of the largest in Asia and flows into Tonle Sap River, joining the Mekong in Phnom Penh. During your boat ride through Chong Khneas, you will see ordinary Cambodians going about their daily life in the floating village. Your boat will briefly enter the edge of the Great Lake before docking with the Tara – the biggest boat on the Tonle Sap Lake. 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.

Afterwards, you can lie back in a hammock, take a seat on the viewing deck or get your photo taken at the steering wheel. End of day, you will leave the Tara and head back to the port at Chong Kneas, where your air-conditioned vehicle will be waiting to transport you directly home to your Hotel
Accommodation: Steung Hotel (3*), Hotel Somadevi Angkor Resort & Spa (4*), Borei Angkor Holiday (5*)
Destinations: Tonle Sap Lake, Siem Reap

DAY 10     Siem Reap - Angkor Thom - Angkor Wat    Meals: B    

Today, visit to the antique capital of Angkor Thom, built in the 12th century: the South Gate with its huge statues depicting the churning of the ocean of milk, the Bayon Temple, unique for its 54 towers decorated with over 200 smiling faces of Avolokitesvara, the Phimeanakas, the Royal Enclosure, the Elephants Terrace and the Terrace of the Leper King.

After a short your rest, you will visit the most famous of all the temples on the plain of Angkor: Angkor Wat. The temple complex covers 81 hectares and is comparable in size to the Imperial Palace in Beijing. Its distinctive five towers are emblazoned on the Cambodian flag. This masterpiece is considered by art historians to be the prime example of classical Khmer art and architecture. Angkor Wat’s five towers symbolize Meru’s five peaks - the enclosed wall represents the mountains at the edge of the world and the surrounding moat, the ocean beyond. End of day take a relaxing stopover at Prasat Chrung visiting Tadev Hole and temple with the best Sunset. Return to your hotel and end of the tour
Accommodation: Steung Hotel (3*), Hotel Somadevi Angkor Resort & Spa (4*), Borei Angkor Holiday (5*)
Destinations: Angkor Thom, Angkor Wat

DAY 11     Full Day Beng Mealea And Banteay Srei    Meals: B    

Morning, start your tour at 8:00AM, visit an ancient Hindu temple at the countryside, BANTEAY SREY (citadel of women, 35Km north of Siem Reap), building began in the year 968- and was competed in the year 1,001 AD. Dedicated to Shiva God. In Cambodia, it is a unique pink sandstone temple which has most beautiful deep carvings.

Afternoon, visit Beng Mealea built in the 12th century, the layout and style of Beng Mealea is very similar to Angkor Wat. It’s current state, however, is dominated by jungle. Trees have grown out of the towers and vines entangle columns. Lintels and others building blocks lay around in a tumble and require visitors to climb up and down as they approach the completely collapsed central towers. Ancient capital of Khmer Empire of Rolouse group such as Lolei, Bakong and Preah Ko temples.
Accommodation: Steung Hotel (3*), Hotel Somadevi Angkor Resort & Spa (4*), Borei Angkor Holiday (5*)
Destinations: Beng Mealea, Banteay Srei

DAY 12    Siem Reap Departure    Meals: B