Explore Treasures of Vietnam and Cambodia in 15 Days

Welcome to Hanoi!

The capital of Vietnam is a blend of old and new – a metropolis defined by the fascinating contradictions of a rapidly developing but deeply rooted traditional society. Here, sparkling modern buildings complement the ancient French colonial district in the city’s historic center. The kinetic energy on the crowded streets of Hanoi’s motorcycles rarely spreads to open-air markets, Hang Gai silk shops, bún chả and bánh mì vendors, and electric nightlife during breaks.

Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi

You don’t have to worry about navigating Hanoi’s chaotic streets, as our tour guide and private driver will wait for you to arrive at the hotel in the city center when you arrive at the airport. After checking in, you will have the rest of the day to relax after a long flight. Perhaps, you can take a stroll in the alleys of Hoan Kiem Lake where you can browse the local shops.

Included: Transportation, Accommodation, English-speaking guide, Visit fee, Meals: dinner.

This morning, you will visit villages on the outskirts of Hanoi. This is a great opportunity to discover rural customs and traditions from one village to another and to explore these communities on foot. Beyond interacting with the residents, you will visit local markets and temples to glimpse daily life. Then, you will watch a traditional Vietnamese cooking demonstration before joining a local family for lunch.

Dong Ngac, one of Hanoi’s oldest villages

Later in the afternoon, depart from the historic Dong Ngac district and head north, cycling mostly on country roads through the surrounding villages to Lien Mac, a beautiful rural area full of well-tended vegetable and flower gardens. In addition to visiting colorful fields, you can discuss with local farmers the organic practices they use to care for crops.

After another route from Lien Mac to Dong Ngac, take a short break for a drink at the family home.

Then, you will say goodbye and return to your hotel in Hanoi in time for dinner.

Dinner at your leisure. Overnight at the hotel.

Included: Transportation, Accommodation, English-speaking guide, Visit fees, Meals: breakfast, lunch.

After breakfast, board your private car that will depart Hanoi to Ha Long Bay. You will arrive around noon.

This UNESCO World Heritage Site is one of the world’s true natural wonders. At the sweet spot where the land meets the Gulf of Tonkin, more than 1,000 kart islets rise above the emerald waters. Legend has said that these islands originated from precious gems, which were sprayed into the water by a giant dragon hundreds of years ago during a battle with invaders in Ha Long Bay. Besides myths, you can’t deny the supernatural beauty of the sea view here.

Halong Bay

After arrival, you will board a cruise ship and depart from the port for an unforgettable night tour of the bay. The ship will pass through several interesting locations, including island towns and floating fishing villages such as Cap La and Cong Dam. Finally, you will enter the boundaries of Bai Tu Long National Park, a protected marine ecosystem home to rare plants and animals as well as around 40 islands.

Overnight on junk board.

Included: Transportation, Accommodation, English-speaking guide, Visit fees, Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Wake up early to enjoy the peaceful and breathtaking views of the morning’s sunrise and the bay scenery. After breakfast, enjoy another swim and slowly return to the port where lunch is served on board.

Halong Bay Cruise

After disembarking, you will return to Hanoi where you can enjoy dinner before meeting the tour guide and heading to the train station. Here, you will settle down in your shared or private cabin and embark on an unforgettable night train journey along the coastline to Hue.

Included: Transportation, Accommodation, Hanoi – Hue train ticket, English-speaking guide, Visit fees, Meals: breakfast, lunch.

Upon your arrival, you will transfer to the hotel for check-in procedures.

After a short break at the hotel, visit some of Hue’s popular destinations such as the Imperial Castel. Built-in 1804, the castle is located along the Perfume River and consists of three parts: the capital (Kinh Thanh), the imperial city (Hoang Thanh), and the Forbidden City (Cam Thanh). Although it was severely damaged in the Vietnam War in 1968, many recent donations were used to restore this site.

Hue’s Imperial Citadel

Then, you will board a scenic cruise ship on the beautiful Perfume River, stop at Thien Mu Pagoda, and have lunch while drifting downstream.

In the afternoon, you will take a two-wheeled bus back to Tien Non-Flower Village, where you will be surrounded by its vivid colors. Then, visit Thanh Tien‘s paper flower-making village to try your hand at crafts. Continue to a village known for its traditional folk paintings before returning to Hue through the peaceful countryside.

Dinner on your own. Overnight in Hue.

Included: Transportation, Accommodation, English-speaking guide, Visit fees, Meals: breakfast, lunch.

After breakfast, we will pick you up and drop you off at Hoi An for 4 hours panoramic transfer, with exciting sightseeing along the way. You will have enough time to stop at Lang Co Beach, Hai Van Pass, Cham Museum, and Marble Mountains before arriving in Hoi An in the late afternoon.

This small town with over 100,000 residents is located on the banks of the Thu Bon River, and its historical center is very ancient, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its heyday was from the 7th to the 10th century, and its strategic location made it a major participant in the spice trade with Indonesia.

Hoi An by night

In the 17th century, it was a thriving international port, and you can see remnants of this history in its Chinese Temples, Japanese merchant houses, and covered bridge.

On arrival, check into your hotel and take some time to relax.
As night falls, take a leisurely evening stroll along the romantic waterfront, where colorful lanterns and floating candles light up the night sky.

Dinner at leisure. Overnight in Hoi An.

Included: Transportation, Accommodation, English-speaking guide. Visit fees, Meals: breakfast, lunch.

Meet your guide at the hotel this morning for a quick transfer to the city’s dock. From there, you will board a boat and travel a short distance up the river from Hoi An to a traditional fishing village to get a glimpse into the lives of the locals.

Hoi An – The city of lanterns

After a fishing village excursion, take a stroll in the basket boat down the river, past coconut-lined banks toward a small village. From here, you will disembark and sit down to a delicious local lunch. Then, it’s time to hop on a bike for a scenic ride on a country road past green rice paddies and cornfield back to Hoi An.

After visiting some of Hoi An’s most famous sites, the tour ends, and the rest of the evening is free.

Overnight in Hoi An.

Included: Transportation, Accommodation, English-speaking guide, Visit fees, Meals: breakfast, lunch.

Have breakfast at your hotel. Then, take a minibus to Tra Que Village, where you can wander through market gardens and watch local farmers working their fields. Pick some fresh sawtooth coriander and Vietnamese mint for your cooking class later, before trying a special herbal drink at a local home.

Cooking class in Hoi An

Your next stop is the local market with a shopping list in hand, where you will buy a range of local ingredients for your cooking class. You will have a chance to work with a chef and learn the traditional methods of preparing and cooking Vietnamese cuisine from scratch. Using the freshest ingredients and traditional Vietnamese, you will cook four famous dishes, including the national dish of “pho”. Then, sit down and enjoy a meal that includes the dishes you have prepared.

In the afternoon, a leisurely cruise along the Hoi An River takes you back to the city and your hotel.

Overnight in Hoi An.

Included: Transportation, Accommodation, English-speaking guide, Visit fees, Meals: breakfast, lunch.

After breakfast at the hotel, you will have free time to shop or relax in Hoi An, and then your driver will escort you to Da Nang Airport for a flight to Ho Chi Minh City. Once upon a time, this metropolis was called Saigon. Despite the communist revolution and devastating wars, this city still preserves many unique cultural blends of Asia and Western traditions. Many of its French colonial monuments still stand today.

Ho Chi Minh City

After arrival, the local tour guide will greet you at the airport and transfer you to the hotel where you can relax.

Free dinner at the hotel.

Included: Transportation, Accommodation, English-speaking guide, Visit fees, Meals: breakfast, lunch.

After breakfast, you will depart Ho Chi Minh City in a private car for a short drive north to Cu Chi. This area is home to a vast network of tunnels made during the Vietnam War as a base of operations for the Viet Cong.

First built in 1948 as a defense against French air and ground sweeps, and later served as supply routes, storage facilities, hospitals, and residential areas for Vietnamese combatants through the American War. Here, you will have the opportunity to enter the tunnel, learn about the difficult conditions faced by the Viet Cong guerrillas living here, and see the innovative traps they have left unfortunate enemies.

Cu Chi Tunnels

Later, you will discover the highlights of Ho Chi Minh City, including the 19th Gothic/ Renaissance Post Office, Notre Dame Cathedral, and the Opera House. You will also visit the Reunification Palace, also known as the Independence Palace.

End your tour with a visit to Thien Hau Buddhist Temple and Ben Thanh Market for souvenir shopping before returning to your hotel.

Dinner on your own. Overnight at the hotel.

Included: Transportation, Accommodation, English-speaking guide, Visit fees, Meals: breakfast, lunch.

Today, you will experience the lifestyle of residents of the Mekong River. In the morning, you will leave the hotel for the province of Ben Tre. When you arrive at Hung Vuong Pier in Ben Tre, you will take a boat to the tributary of the Mekong River.

When traveling in the dense mangrove forest of this waterway, you will see the noises of fishing boats and coconut cargo ships in the morning. After that, it was a stop at American Dragon, a village famous for its delicious rice cakes prepared by local people.

Ben Tre

Back to the water, you will follow the canal of threatened coconut trees. Here, you will stop to visit the coconut workshop and learn all stages of coconut processing. Then, you will stay in the bee garden and enjoy fresh fruit and honey tea, accompanied by local music. Next, visit the candy factory, taste some desserts, and then visit the country houses of the craftsman who makes traditional sleeping mats.

After lunch, take a motorboat back to Hung Vuong Pier, and then drive back to Ho Chi Minh City. You will have the rest of your free time.

Free dinner overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

Included: Transportation, Accommodation, English-speaking guide, Visit fees, Meals: breakfast, lunch.

Enjoy the final morning in Ho Chi Minh City before heading to the airport for the flight to Siem Reap.

Siem Reap is located in the northwest of Cambodia and is famous for its entrance to the Angkor Wat Site, which was the capital of the Khmer Kingdom from the 9th to the 15th century.

Siem Reap

After arriving at the airport, our tour guide and driver will meet you and then transfer you to the hotel to check-in. You can freely explore the city and dine at local restaurants during the remaining time of the evening.

Included: Transportation, Accommodation, Ho Chi Minh – Siem Reap flight ticket, English-speaking guide, Meals: breakfast.

After breakfast, you will be transferred from your hotel to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Angkor, the former capital of the ancient Khmer Kingdom. Angkor Wat is the largest religious temple on the planet. Your stop is at the Great City itself, Angkor Thom.

Another must-see here is the Terrace of the Elephants, a 350m (1,148 ft) viewing platform where Javarman VII stood ceremoniously to welcome his victorious armies back from battle.

Angkor Wat

Next up is the maze-like temple of Ta Prohm. Originally a Buddhist temple dedicated to the mother of Jayavarman up by encroaching jungle. The result is that visitors are treated to the sight of ancient ruins nearly strangled by the thick, serpentine roots of giant fig and ceiba trees. The site was made famous in Angelina Jolie’s Tomb Raider film and today it is known as the “Tomb Raider Temple”. You will end your tour at Angkor Wat.

Included: Transportation, Accommodation, English-speaking guide, Visit fees, Meals: breakfast, lunch.

After meeting with the tour guide this morning, we went to the dense jungle about 49 kilometers away from Siem Reap. Here, you will visit the magnificent Kbal Spear, a river, and ancient archaeological sites from the Angkor period. This way is known as the “River of a Thousand Lingas”, the waterway is famous for the intricate Lingas (Hindu symbols) carved into the riverbed. People believed that these sculptures spiritually “fertilized” the water flowed into the eastern bay and irrigated the rice fields.

Banteay Srei Temple

Pass through the countryside and head to the small and beautiful pink temple of Banteay Srei. This is one of the most picturesque temples in Cambodia, dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. It is hailed as a stunning achievement of Angkor craftsmanship, with small but exquisite sculptures and bas-reliefs.

In the afternoon, you will be transferred to Siem Reap, where you can enjoy your last evening in Cambodia at your leisure.

Included: Transportation, Accommodation, English-speaking guide, Visit fees, Meals: breakfast, lunch.

It’s time to say goodbye to Cambodia. After breakfast, spend your last morning in Siem Reap relaxing, shopping, or doing some last-minute sightseeing before heading to the airport to catch your departing flight.

Thank you very much and see you soon!

Included: Airport drop-off and breakfast.