Unforgettable Vietnam & Cambodia

DAY 01: HANOI ARRIVAL Upon arrival in Noi Bai International Airport, you will be greeted by local guide and transfer you to your hotel in Hanoi that is Vietnam's capital, ranks amongst the world's most attractive and interesting cities. It was first the capital of Vietnam in A.D. 1010, and though the nation's capital moved to Hue under the Nguyen dynasty in 1802, the city continued to flourish after the French took control in 1888.  

DAY 02: HANOI CITY TOUR This morning enjoy a full day city tour of Hanoi. First, visit Ba Dinh Square, where silent sentries guard the marble and granite mausoleum where Ho Chi Minh lies in state (closed every Friday & Monday and in October & November). See the simple cottage where Uncle Ho lived and worked. Nearby, visit the Ho Chi Minh Museum, an extraordinary tribute in abstract form to the life of the 'father of the country' and the evolution of Vietnamese independence. Then take to the streets on foot for a walking tour of the Ancient Quarter or 36 Streets District. Enjoy a performance of the renowned Water Puppet show an ancient Vietnamese form of entertainment, which enables the puppeteers to control their active marionettes by levers hidden under the water.  

DAY 03: HANOI HALONG BAY After having a breakfast at your hotel, drive through green rice paddy fields to Ha Long Bay where is located in East Hanoi about 170 kilometers (approximate 3,5 hours). You will board a sailing junk for a cruise among hundreds of islets of Ha Long Bay. Enjoy a seafood lunch and a swim (if weather permits) before visiting a grotto of gigantic stalactites and stalagmites. Drop anchor in the late evening for an overnight stay among the dramatic limestone peaks rising out of the sea. Overnight on Cruise.


DAY 04: HALONG HANOI HUE (EXCLUDED AIRFARE) You will spend the morning cruising through the limestone cliffs and emerald waters of Ha Long Bay before returning to the wharf. On the way to Noi Bai Domestic Airport for flight to Hue, stop at a ceramic factory. Upon arrival in Phu Bai Domestic Airport, you will be greeted by local guide and transfer you to your hotel in Hue that Hue is a beautiful and welcoming city. As Vietnam’s capital throughout the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945), as a center of Vietnamese Buddhism and scholarship and finally as the setting for some of the Vietnam War’s most bloody fighting, Hue provides a unique window into Vietnam and its complex past. Overnight in Hue.


  DAY 05: HUE DA NANG HOI AN ANCIENT TOWN Have a boat trip on the romantically named Perfume River, passing the 10-metre thick protective walls of the Citadel on board a Vietnamese ‘dragon boat’. A short distance up river is perhaps Hue’s best-known religious site, the Thien Mu Pagoda with its distinctive seven-storey octagonal tower. This serene and picturesque landmark is also an important Buddhist sight. From here, in 1963, the monk Thich Quang Duc travelled in his pale blue Austin to Sai Gon and publicly burned himself to death to protest against the anti-Buddhist stance of the President. Visit the Imperial Citadel, a vast complex built in the early 19th century and modelled after the Forbidden City of Peking. Continue on to Khai Dinh's Tomb. Remembered as the "Puppet Emperor" because of his affiliation with the French, this tomb was designed with colonial flair, and a glass mosaic frieze dominates the interior. Depart Hue for Hoi An, on the way our vehicle will stop at Hai Van pass to take in the spectacular view along the coast to Da Nang.


DAY 06: HOI AN TOUR Hoi An is the unique trading town; a civilization cut off by destroyed rail lines and a silted river, leaving it untouched by war and almost frozen in time. No cars are allowed to pass through Hoi An, rendering it an excellent walking village. You start your walking tour which includes a visit to Chinese Communal houses/pagodas, the unique Japanese Covered bridge, architecture reminiscent of traders of a bygone era - Japanese, French, Chinese, and Indian, as well as beautifully preserved ancient houses. You will also have chance to visit the Hoi An local market or shop for art at one of the numerous galleries and enjoy the riverside ambience. Besides, visit a local shop to see how silkworms are raised and how the silk is produced. Afterward, visit a lantern artist and learn how to make the silk lanterns for which is well-known in Hoi An. Overnight in Hoi An.


DAY 07: HOI AN DA NANG HO CHI MINH (EXCLUDED AIRFARE) On the way to Da Nang Airport, visit the Cham museum which displays approximately 300 sculptures, among which some are made from terracotta from the period between the 5th and 15th centuries. The works were collected from Cham temples and towers throughout Central Vietnam, more specifically the area stretching from Quang Binh to Binh Thuan. All the sculptures are displayed in ten showrooms named after where the pieces were discovered. And Marble Moutain, also referred to as Ngu Hanh Son or Mountains of the Five Elements. Rest at the foot of the mountain, where you can visit Non Nuoc stone village, where the local skillful sculptors create many marble products which are exported to many countries worldwide. Then take a domestic flight to Ho Chi Minh. Upon arrival in Tan Son Nhat Domestic Airport, you will be greeted by local guide and transfer you to your hotel in Sai Gon - a vibrant metropolis, Sai Gon teems with energy, activity and motion. Everywhere you look, you see the meeting of traditional and modern life. The emerging modern skyline stands cheek by jowl with colonial buildings and traditional temples. Outside on the streets, young professionals zip by on motorcyles, chatting on cellphones; inside the quiet temple courtyards, worshippers pray amidst clouds of incense. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh.


DAY 08: HO CHI MINH CITY TOUR Take a full-day tour will take in the main sites of Sai Gon including a visit to the neo-Romanesque Notre Dame Cathedral, Central Post Office. Strolling along Dong Khoi street, formerly known as the Rue Catinat, the main shopping thoroughfare and heart of old colonial Sai Gon, passing by classic European-style landmarks such as the ornate City Hall (Hotel De Ville), the old Opera House (both may only be viewed from the outside); the Reunification Palace where the South finally fell to North Vietnamese troops in 1975. Explore the highlights of this fascinating area, beginning with a visit to Thien Hau Temple, build by the Cantonese congregation and dedicated to the heavenly goddess. Continue to visit Binh Tay Market, the vast wholesale market selling every kind of good from dried foods to T shirts to electronics. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh.


DAY 09: HO CHI MINH PHNOM PENH HALF DAY CITY TOUR (EXCLUDED AIRFARE) Transfer to airport for flight to Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia. Arrive and transfer to hotel. Afternoon, visit to the Victory Monument, dedicated to the independence from the French; it now also serves as a memorial to Cambodia's war victims. Visit the Royal Palace, built by King Norodom on the site of the old town. Then, visit the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum on the site of a former high school used as the notorious Security Prison 21 (S-21) by the Khmer Rouge regime and the Central Market. Overnight at hotel in Phnom Penh.


DAY 10: PHNOM PENH SIEM REAP ANGKOR WAT TOUR (EXCLUDED AIRFARE) Morning flight to Siem Reap. Today, you'll understand why the architectural masterpieces of Angkor Thom and Angkor Wat, are designated as one of the "Seven Wonders of the World". This sprawling city, built by Khmer Kings was once home to more than one million people at the height of the empire. On the visit to the fortified city of Angkor Thom visit the Elephants Terrace and Terrace of the Leper King, all adorned with dramatic bas-reliefs. Continue to the mysterious Bayon Temple, highlight of Angkor Thom, replete with beautifully preserved bas-reliefs and more than 172 giant smiling stone faces. On to the monuments of Ta Keo, Prasat Kravan and Srah Srang before arriving at Ta Prohm, where the jungle was left untouched, as it appeared to European explorers. The highpoint of the day is the visit to stunning Angkor Wat, a temple dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu. World-famous for its beauty and splendor, Angkor Wat has the longest continuous bas-relief in the world, which runs along the entire outer gallery walls, narrating stories from Hindu mythology. Stay to experience the unforgettable sunset - a view that cannot be compared to anything you have ever seen!.  

DAY 11: SIEM REAP TONLE SAP LAKE TOUR This morning, you drive to Banteay Srei; the citadel of women - a tiny, enchanting temple, which is one of the jewels in this remarkable city. Built of red sandstone in the tenth century and dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva, the carved male and female figures in the niches are exquisitely executed in both style and proportion. This is the most Indian of all the temples in Angkor and in the words of H.W. Ponder, is a fairy palace in the heart of an immense and mysterious forest. Continue to Banteay Samre, is built under Suryavarman II and Yasovarman II in the early 12th century, it is a Hindu temple in the Angkor Wat style. Then continue to Tonle Sap Lake, the largest fresh water lake in South East Asia, is the lifeblood of the Cambodian fishing industry. The Mekong River, from as a far away as Phnom Penh, reverses the direction of the Ton Le Sap river to bring an overflow of water and silt to support both rice growing and the breeding fish of many sizes and varieties. Hopping on board small shaded vessels and moving between the floating homes and small fish farms you will experience close up, daily lake life. Overnight at hotel in Siem Reap.  

DAY 12: SIEM REAP DEPARTURE After having a breakfast at your hotel, free at leisure until transferring to Siem Reap International Airport for departure flight back to your home. End of services.