Description
General Information
Duration: 16 days/ 15 nights
Start/ End: Hanoi/ Siem Reap
Tour Route: Vietnam: Hanoi, Cambodia: Siem Reap
Highlights: Hanoi – Ha Long Bay – Hue – Hoi An – Ho Chi Minh City – Mekong Delta – Phnom Penh – Battambang – Siem Reap
Tour Customizable: Definitely! (Tell us your specific requirements in the inquiry form)
Guides: Local Guide (English Speaking Guide, Other Languages upon Request)
Transportation: Private first-class air-conditioned vehicles
Brief Itinerary
Day 01: Hanoi Arrival
Day 02: Hanoi – Halong Bay
Day 03: Hanoi – Overnight Train to Hue
Day 04: Hue City Tour
Day 05: Hue Royal Exploration
Day 06: Hoi An Ancient Town
Day 07: Hoi An Beach Relaxation & Cooking Class
Day 08: Hoi An – Hue – Ho Chi Minh City
Day 09: Ho Chi Minh City to Mekong Delta
Day 10: Ho Chi Minh City – Cu Chi Tunnels
Day 11: Ho Chi Minh City – Phnom Penh
Day 12: Phnom Penh City Tour
Day 13: Phnom Penh – Battambang
Day 14: Siem Reap
Day 15: Siem Reap – Angkor Wat
Day 16: Siem Reap Departure
Full Itinerary
Day 1: Hanoi Arrival
Welcome to Vietnam. Your journey begins with a welcome meeting at 6 p.m. When checking in the hotel, please ask reception where it takes place. At the meeting, we are going to collecting your insurance details and relative information, so please ensure you bring this information to provide to your leader. There is plenty of things to see and do in the capital of Hanoi. Starting by visiting the Temple of Literature, enjoying the interesting ambiance in a traditional tea house and learning the stories of Hoa Lo Prison Museum, and concluding your exploration of Hoan Kiem Lake. Or take it at your own pace, wander the Old Quarter, discover the city’s French-colonial architecture, relax in a park, enjoy your street food, or any other things that interest you.
Day 2: Hanoi – Halong Bay
It takes approximately 4 hours to travel from the capital of Hanoi to the spectacular World Heritage site of Halong Bay by private minibus. The Bay is dotted with sandy covers, grottos, and 1600 limestone islands. Board a private boat and cruise the bay to marvel at wonderful island caves and even enjoy a swim from Ti Top Island Beach during the warmer months. In the evening, spend a peaceful night aboard the boat beneath the night sky is the best way to end the day in Halong Bay. Your wooden junk-style boat supplies twin-share cabins with air-conditioning, private facilities, dining room, and bar as well.
Day 3: Hanoi – Overnight Train to Hue
Today will be a long journey when we return to Hanoi which takes approximately midday travel by bus back to Hanoi. Upon arriving late this afternoon, You will have leisure time to shop, explore the sights or just relax. Please keep your energy until the end of the day because later tonight we will board an overnight train to Hue.
Day 4: Hue City Tour
Arrive into Hue at approximately 11 a.m and transfer to the hotel. You will have free time to rest and have lunch. In the afternoon, it is a great time to explore Hue, the Imperial Capital of Vietnam. Then visit the bustling Dong Ba Market a great place to taste some of the foods that once graced the Nguyen emperors’ tables. Reunite with the group to visit the war-damaged ruins of the Hue Imperial Citadel complex, which once contained temples, statehouses, and the emperor’s palace.
Day 5: Hue Royal Exploration
Today, a local guide drives you on the way to exploring the sights of Hue. Explore the ruins of the Forbidden Purple City, which used to be reserved for the personal use of the Emperor and his concubines, but almost totally destroyed during the Vietnam/ American War. Then, visit the 17th-century active Buddhist monastery of Thien Mu Pagoda, you will see the car of a former monk who drove to Saigon to set himself alight to protest the poor treatment of Buddhists by the South Vietnamese regime in 1963. Before eating lunch inside a nunnery, enjoy a short boat cruise down the Perfume River is a good choice. Finally, discover the lakeside royal tomb of Emperor Tu Duc before heading back to Hue.
Day 6: Hoi An Ancient Town
In the morning, travel through coastal rice paddies and spectacular Hai Van Pass. Then, arriving in Hoi An after a brief visit to Lang Co Beach. Hoi An declared a World Heritage site recently, was a major international trading port during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. It is famous in the international market with many different names such as Lam Ap, Faifo Hoai Pho, and Hoi An. On arrival, our tour guide will take you on a sightseeing walk through the Old Town and visit a handful of the city’s major attractions. You also further explore the attractions at your leisure.
Day 7: Hoi An Beach Relaxation & Cooking Class
Today is free to explore Hoi An. You can choose among fascinating activities and destinations such as browsing the town’s cobbled streets and art galleries, hiring a bike, and cycling through the rice paddy fields out to Cua Dai Beach. Perhaps shop for souvenirs, paintings, ceramics, and colorful cloth lanterns in the town’s markets and preserved Chinese shops. Another interesting thing is to visit one of the hundreds of tailors in the town to get something special made. Last but not least, Hoi An is also well-known for its tasting regional food, so be sure you will not miss some special dishes here, or join a cooking class.
Day 8: Hoi An – Hue – Fly to Ho Chi Minh City
You will take a short early morning flight to Ho Chi Minh City, also known as Saigon and long considered as the Pearl of the Far East, which is the most dizzying city of commerce and culture in Vietnam. After landing, taking a sightseeing bus tour around the city. Surrounding the Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral, and the Opera House, stopping in at the War Remnants Museum to discover some of the sobering stories of the Vietnam/ American War.
Day 9: Ho Chi Minh City – Mekong Delta
This morning starts on a day trip to explore the Mekong Delta. Taking a boat trip to Ben Tre, you visit the coconut gardens and stop at a home to sample tropical fruits and coconut jams. Afterward, experience paddling in sampans (small rowing boats) passing water coconut trees along the Mekong. To discover the local rural life here, visitors should take a tuk-tuk tour around the villages and take part in making some coconut products like brooms and coconut fiber mats. Late afternoon is time to return to the private boat to cruise the delta’s major waterways to Ben Tre boat pier and back Ho Chi Minh City by bus.
Day 10: Ho Chi Minh City – Cu Chi Tunnels
For the next section of your trip, you may be required to move to a different hotel in Ho Chi Minh City. Then, you have a free day to consider many optional activities or choose to take an Urban Adventures tour to the Cu Chi tunnels outside the city. Cu Chi Tunnels, located in Cu Chi district, Ho Chi Minh City, is 50 km far from the city center. This area is now a “should-not-be-missed” site for all visitors traveling to Vietnam. You will be appealed by the underground tunnel network in the middle of the jungle, which was used by the Viet Cong during the war. At this location, there is also a group meeting to arrange the next stage of your itinerary and you are welcomed to attend since it is a great chance to meet your new fellow travelers.
Day 11: Ho Chi Minh City – Phnom Penh
Say goodbye to Vietnam, transfer to Cambodia in the early morning. Upon arrival in Cambodia, depart by public bus through rural Cambodia to Phnom Penh. You will be assisted with border crossing procedures. After that, let’s take a rest and free time.
Day 12: Phnom Penh City Tour
After breakfast, we depart on a guided tour of the Toul Sleng Genocide Museum, a former school that served as a Khmer Rouge torture center, is estimated that more than 20,000 people were held and tortured here. You also head out to the Choeung Ek Memorial, the execution ground for the torture victims of Toul Sleng, where a stupa made up of some 8,000 human skulls marks the site of infamous Killing Fields. Another option for you to visit is the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda, where you can learn about the brighter period in Cambodian history. Additionally, Wat Phnom, the National Museum with its wonderful Khmer collection, is equally worth a visit. Cyclo tours around the city are also a great choice, it generally includes passing through the central market, US Embassy, Wat Phnom, Mekong river front, independence monument, and Royal Palace.
Day 13: Phnom Penh – Battambang
It takes about 6 hours to travel from Phnom Penh to Battambang by private minibus. Battambang, Cambodia’s second-largest city, is a wonderful riverside town of French elegance, friendly Khmer people, and beautifully preserved colonial architecture. Start to explore Battambang with a long trip to Kampong Luang, a marvelously colorful village that floats on the water. Spend time traversing between houses and other similar boats before leaving once. An alternative option is taking part in cooking classes to learn the secrets of local dishes such as amok, Khmer curry, and fried spicy chicken.
Day 14: Siem Reap
Spend a bit of time traveling around the countryside by bike, head out to local cottage industries to meet with on-site producers to get a better insight into rural life in Cambodia before continuing your Best of Vietnam & Cambodia Tour to Siem Reap in the late afternoon. Arrive in Siem Reap in the evening and relax because you will have a fascinating visit to Angkor tomorrow.
Day 15: Siem Reap – Angkor Wat
Today is full of energic activities for visitors to experience. Taking the temple-hop with our tour guide through the world-famous Angkor complex. Angkor Wat, an ancient city in Cambodia, the center of the Khmer empire that once ruled most of Southeast Asia. Watch a sunrise and sunset is a must-do in Angkor Wat. You will have plenty of time to fully appreciate the great archaeological sites of Angkor Wat, the Bayon, and the jungle-covered Ta Prohm.
Day 16: Siem Reap Departure
Your trip comes to an end after breakfast. You can spend more time in Siem Reap if you want, we can assist you to book additional nights accommodation. With Best of Vietnam & Cambodia Tour 16 Days, we wish you pleased with our services and well-planned itinerary. Your Asia tour package to Vietnam and Cambodia ends.
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