Vietnam & Cambodia Discovery 12 Days

Day 01: Hanoi Arrive

Upon arrival at Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport, you will be greeted by your guide and transferred to your hotel. This is Vietnam’s capital and celebrated its anniversary of 1,000 years in 2010.Historical emphasis on the arts and learning stipulates that buildings in Hanoi remain small, simple and in harmony with nature. Overnight in Hanoi.

Meal: No

Tour guide: English Speaking guide

Day 02: Hanoi City Full Day

Today, you will visit Ho Chi Minh’s complex. Here, large crowds gather to pay their respects to the man they simply call “Uncle Ho” as he spent his whole life fighting for our freedom. The Presidential Palace and Uncle Ho’s wooden stilt house can also be seen here. One of the must-see places in the complex is the One Pillar pagoda dating back to the 11th century.

The next stop is the Temple of Literature, the site of Vietnam’s oldest university and dedicated to one of the world’s most famous scholars, Confucius.

You also will visit the Museum of Ethnology and Hoa Lo Prison where you will learn more about our people, culture and custom and our history.

Then you will be taken in a 45 minutes long cyclo tour to see Hanoi ‘s Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake & Ngoc Son Temple. Here, you will enjoy a water puppet show that one should not miss while you are visiting Hanoi. Overnight in Hanoi.

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch

Tour guide: English Speaking guide

Day 03: Hanoi  – Ha Long

After breakfast at hotel. You will be transferred to Ha Long Bay and arrive the jetty around 11.30 p.m.
About 12.00 -12.30, you are welcomed on board and have set lunch while cruising in the bay. Depends on which cruise you choose, the detailed itinerary will basically include a visit to the cave, kayaking,  swimming in crystal water. Dinner and overnight on the cruise.

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Tour guide: English speaking guide on board

Day 04: Ha Long – Hanoi airport – fly to Da Nang

Wake up on the bay to the sounds of waves, fresh air, and breeze. After breakfast, visit a beautiful limestone grotto then walk back to the boat for a final glimpse of Halong Bay while cruising back to the dock. The boat arrives at the harbor by 11.30 am. Your driver is waiting to take you back to Hanoi airport for your flight to Da Nang.

Up on arrive in Da Nang, our driver & guide will pick you up & take you to hotel for check in.

Special note: Cruise itineraries and schedules are subject to change without pre notice depending on the weather and operating conditions.

Meal: Brunch

Tour guide: English Speaking Guide on board

Day 05: Hoi An Ancient town – My Son Holyland

Morning, you will visit My Son holyland, located 60 km. from Da Nang, 150 km. from Hue and 75km from Hoi An, My Son is the former capital of the ancient Cham civilization that ruled Central Vietnam from the second to the thirteenth century. Their religion was primarily derived from Indian Hinduism. My Son is considered to be one of the best-preserved Cham structures in Vietnam. The complex is comprised of seventy Hindu-like towers and temples dating from the second century. This site is a Must-See for those people who are interested in architecture and ancient civilizations and is now one of five UNESCO World Heritage sites in Vietnam.

Afternoon is walking tour in Hoi An. From the 16th to 18th centuries, Hoi An was a thriving international commercial port for Chinese, Dutch, French, Japanese, Portuguese and Arab traders. These people came primarily to trade in the high grade silk, which is still produced in the area, as well as ceramics.

Today, Hoi An is a quaint riverside town, popular with tourists for its eclectic architecture, tailors shops, and numerous cafes. Some of the buildings in the narrow streets have remained unchanged for more than a century.

You enjoy a half-day walking tour through the narrow winding streets of the Ancient Quarter visiting Chua Ong Pagoda, Chinese Assembly Halls, the 200 – year old Tam Ky ancestral house, and the Japanese Bridge.

Meal: Breakfast

Tour guide: English Speaking guide

Day 06: Hoi An Free time – You may visit the local village or primary school 

Free at leisure by your own way. Or you can choose to visit local village or primary school  as you  wish to see  how they live & give them your gift as charity work.

Meal: Breakfast

Tour guide: No

Day 07: Hoi An – Da Nang – Hue

Rising up in the ancient town, enjoy your breakfast in the hotel.You then leave Hoi An for Hue via Hai Van pass. Arrive in Hue, you visit the Royal Citadel & The King Minh Mang’s Tomb & the Dong Ba Market. Overnight stay in Hue.

Meal: Breakfast

Tour guide: English Speaking guide

Day 08:  Hue  Flight to Ho Chi Minh City – Half day City Tour

After leaving Hue, you will drive to Phu Bai Airport. From there, you will take the one-hour flight to Ho Chi Minh City (aka Saigon), where you will transfer directly to your centrally located hotel. There are several interesting sights in HCMC.

The War Remnants Museum has a wealth of images from the wars, the most moving being a gallery entitled ‘Requiem’ which is dedicated to Vietnamese and foreign journalists and photographers who perished during the French and American conflicts.

The Reunification Palace was the former residence of the President of South Vietnam until April 30, 1975 when the North Vietnamese tanks came crashing through the front gates, bringing the U.S.-Vietnam War to a dramatic end.

Close to the palace some of the best examples of French colonial architecture are represented in the forms of Notre Dame Cathedral and the Central Post Office.

Notre Dame Cathedral was built between 1877 and 1883 and the stone used to create it was exported in its entirety from France. Next to the cathedral stands the Central Post Office, finished in 1891.

It is another fine example of French architecture and is Vietnam ‘s largest post office. For all its French colonial history though, Ho Chi Minh City is by far and away Vietnam ‘s most modern city. It has numerous shopping malls, cinemas, discotheques and a bewildering number of bars. Overnight in HCMC.

Meal: Breakfast

Tour guide: English Speaking guide

Day 09:  Ben Tre Day Trip

This picturesque and friendly Mekong Delta town has historically seen very few travelers, but the recent opening of a bridge connecting Ben Tre and My Tho has made it far easier for day trippers to visit from Saigon. Our one-day cruise excursion starts at 8:00 am from the lobby of your hotel in Saigon with a drive to Ben Tre. While there, you can take a walk along the waterfront, lined with French era shops and houses, and you’ll see plenty of coconuts being unloaded from boats for dispatch around the country. Then, jump on a boat for a couple of hours of cruising on the Mekong River. You will enjoy your delicious lunch at a local restaurant or on board. The excursion will end at around 4:00 pm where the vehicle will await you for your transfer back to Saigon.

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch

Tour guide: English Speaking guide

Day 10:  Sai Gon city -Cu Chi tunnel- Flight to Siem Riep 

In the morning you will have an excursion to the famous Cu Chi tunnels. This network of tunnels, which stretched for over 200km, became legendary during the 1960s. The Cu Chi tunnels played a vital part in the U.S.-Vietnam War in that they allowed the Viet Cong to control a large rural area only 30 to 40 km from Saigon. At its height, the tunnel system stretched from Saigon to the Cambodian border. The network, parts of which were several levels deep, included innumerable trap doors, specifically constructed living areas, storage facilities, weapons factories, field hospitals, command centres and kitchens. Today the remaining tunnels have become a major tourist attraction giving the visitor a unique experience and feel of what underground life during the war must have been like. The tunnels have been widened for our benefit (otherwise we would not be able to enter them!). For those interested there’s even the opportunity to try an AK47 or MK16 at the nearby rifle range.

Lunch at local restaurant (paid by your own way)

Then you will be dropped off at the airport for your flight to Siem Riep.

Up on arrive in Rep, our driver & guide will pick you up & take you to hotel for check in.

Meal: Breakfast

Tour guide: English Speaking guide

Day 11:  Siem Riep Tour 

Breakfast at hotel: Start your sightseeing tour of Angkor area we spend a full day exploring the wondrous ancient ruins with the South Gate of Angkor Thom, which is famous for its series of colossal human faces carved in stone, the impressive Bayon Temple, the Royal Enclosure, Phimeanakas, the Elephant Terrace, the Terrace of the Leper King and the largest as well as the most complete temple of Angkor Wat. This architectural masterpiece was constructed in the 12th century and covers an area of about 210 hectares. We visit the jungle covered temple of Ta Prohm is an incredible sight. There are enormous fig trees and gigantic creepers which embrace themselves in the stone foundations of the structure giving the impression of man’s creation being reclaimed by the powerful forces of nature. Overnight in Siem Reap.

Meal: Breakfast

Tour guide: English Speaking guide

Day 12:  Siem Riep – Departure  

Breakfast at hotel. Visit the floating village of Chong Khneas, located 10 kilometers south of Siem Reap. We take a boat trip in a traditional wooden boat on the Tonle Sap Lake, the “Great Lake” of Cambodia, one of the largest in Asia. We spend the rest of time visiting the “Chantiers Ecoles – Les Artisans d’Angkor” which provides training to young Cambodians in an effort to revive the ancient Khmer traditions of stone carving and wood sculpting. Then transfer to airport for your departure flight.

Meal: Breakfast

Tour guide: English Speaking guide