Vietnam – Cambodia Beauty 16 Days

Xin Chao!

Vietland Travel Tour will welcome you at  Noi Bai international airport and  pick you up to Central of Ha Noi Capital for the Hotel check-in. We will have a shortly meeting.  We'll be collecting insurance details and next of kin information at this meeting, so please ensure you bring these details to provide to your leader.

Located in the centre of the Northern Delta with a population of 6.2 million people and an area of 3,398 square km Hanoi is an ancient city which had been established and developed for over 1,000 years since 1010. Even though some relics have not survived through wars and time, the city still has many interesting cultural and historic monuments for visitors and residents alike. Historians liken the life-giving Red River with its banks crowded with green rice paddies and farms to the Tigris and Euphrates rivers; a cradle of civilization.

Hotel rooms may not be ready until 14:00 hrs but an early check-in would be guaranteed with a surcharge. The rest of the day is at leisure. Subject to your arrival time, you may want to venture out to explore the city on your own or join one of our wonderful optional excursions in and around Hanoi, such as a walking tour through Hanoi's Old Quarter for you first impression of Vietnam's capital city.

Overnight in Hanoi.

In the early morning, after having breakfast, we will take Cyclo around the Old Quarter in Hanoi.

Depart at 8:00 am from your hotel by car. We will begin our day by visiting Uncle Ho, learning about his great life at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Presidential Palace, and his residential place. Next stop is the nearby Temple of Literature. The site of Vietnam's first University, built in twelfth century, to teach Confucius’s theory to royals. Here we will also have a chance to see a traditional music performance. Lunch will be served at a local restaurant for a taste of authentic Hanoi Pho (noodle soup). In the afternoon, choose one from the numerous museums or temples around Hanoi (Museum of Ethnology, Women's Museum, History Museum or Quan Thanh Temple). In the late afternoon we take a cyclo through Hoan Kiem lake and Hanoi's fascinating Old Quarter for some great fun, shopping, and street side traditional food. This is your chance to be part of typical Hanoian style and its traditional Vietnamese culture. We finish our relaxing but informative day by attending a Water Puppet Show, a favorite experience for all visitors to Vietnam. We can help you to get back to your hotel if you wish, but often our guests would rather just spend the evening enjoying a drink with a view of the city.

 Dinner on your own.

8:30 pm: Transfer from a prearranged meeting spot to the station for your night train to Sapa boarding at around 9:10pm. You will be in shared AC soft sleeper cabins to travel North to Lao Cai town.

Overnight on train.

The train arrives at about 6:30 am; you are picked up when you exit the train station. Then take a morning drive through the clouds by car / van to Sapa ( about 1.5 hours). When you arrive in Sapa you will be taken to a local restaurant for a morning shower & breakfast. We will then take short ride from Sapa to our trekking base where we start our trek up and down hills ( about 5- 6 hrs) through terraced rice fields, bamboo ranges and many minority villages. Lunch break before we keep hitting the road to Ta Phin village. Our Dao host family will welcome you to their traditional home where we will share in an ethnic style dinner and stay the night.

Enjoy the local market at Ta Phin, Sapa. At the first gleam of daylight, you will see and hear the sounds of morning village life. You can join your host family in some of their activities like feeding the animals, cleaning the houses, gardening or preparing breakfast. After breakfast, we could take a short morning wander around the village or resulting in more time spent with the host family. You will be then supported by our car / van back to Sapa (30 minutes). When we arrive back in Sapa, check in to the hotel, shower, and pause for lunch on your own. At 2:30 pm we will take an easy walk (~ 5km) to Cat Cat village, homeland of Black H’mong hill tribe and to take part in a traditional ethnic music performance put on by the ethnic minority people.

Your own dinner and evening, sleep in the hotel in Sapa.

Note: The music show in Cat Cat is closed on Wed afternoon, an alternative will be arranged.

Bac Ha market Sunday is the common trading day of many tribes in the Northwest of Vietnam, Bac Ha is one of them. The market is filled with colors of different ethnic minorities coming from different villages and their trading activities are so vibrant, lasting from early morning till midday, from the hand-made fabrics to the dogs and buffalos.

We will leave Sapa early by 7:00 am so that we can be there on time, please pay respect to the locals here and ask permission before you taking photo of anyone. Lunch in Bac Ha on your own account then we will do a boat trip along the Chay river, this boat ride is about 1,5 hour. We will then be picked up for our ride to Lao Cai.

Dinner on your own well before the train leaves for Hanoi.

The train will  arrival in Hanoi in the early morning at round 5:00 am. Please find your way by foot back to a mini hotel near the Tran Quy Cap station gate to have shower and basic set menu breakfast.

Around  8:00 am on a shared van from your hotel to Halong city.

After 3.5 hours driving and viewing simple, country side, rice paddy life, we arrive at the at port. At 12.00, the junk crews welcome guests on board at Hon Gai wharf. Check- in, enjoy welcome drink & cruise briefing. Lunch with fresh local seafood while cruising to Bai Tu Long bay via Indochina film studio, Teapot islet, Blockhouse islet, Goat Head islet. Stop for swimming, visit mysterious Thien Canh cave. Relax at a wild beach, swim & kayak (~ 45 mins) to explore the bay. Back to junk to enjoy relaxing or the sunset.

Dinner and overnight on board.

Rising to the sound of lapping bay waters, we have time for an early morning dip followed by breakfast. Sitting on the upper deck, you can relax while taking in the breath-taking beauty of the rocky islands rising from the emerald water of the bay. After breakfast, explore Sung Sot cave, swim and relax. Cruises back to the jetty while brunch is served while you are cruising through the bay, along the way seeing more of the fascinating formations.

Cruise check-out. Rejoin car drive back to Hanoi.

Arrival Hanoi and transfer to the airport for flight to Danang – Hoi An ancient town.

Check in hotel & free time to go sightseeing in Hoi An by night.

Overnight in Hoi An.

The center of Vietnam is home to many of World Heritage Sites and Hoi An is one of them. Here in this ancient town of Hoi An, 30 km south of Da Nang, lies on the banks of the Thu Bon River. Free time in the morning to relax then in the afternoon, we pick you up at your hotel for walking tour around the town to visit the old charming Hoi An. We will visit the old Tan Ky House, the famous Japanese Covered Bridge, and the stylish Phuc Kien Assembly Hall. After that you will make a bicycle trip to countryside of Hoi An for more enjoyment at Tra Que vegetables village – a famous one in Hoi An. Walk around for visiting and knowing more of the way local people plant variety of vegetables.

Back to hotel before dark.

Free time to relax, take shower after full day tour.

Enjoy Hoi An by night and shopping.

Drive to Danang and fly to Ho Chi Minh City formerly known as Saigon. Discover the story of Saigon, from a city of conflict to a modern metropolis on this fascinating half-day tour. Start with a visit to the War Remnants Museum, where your guide will tell you the story of the city’s darkest and most tragic hours during the Vietnam War. The museum contains displays of military aircraft, weaponry and many photographs - some that are quite graphic in nature. Although many of Vietnam’s 90 million people are now too young to remember the war, its legacy is still felt strongly across Vietnamese society.

Next, visit the Reunification Palace, once a symbol of the South Vietnamese Government. See the war room, the banquet hall and the presidential office with the unusual gifts which have been received. Next up is the Central Post Office, designed and constructed by the renowned architect Gustave Eiffel, and just behind the post office is the Notre Dame Cathedral, an iconic Saigon landmark built in neo-Romanesque style by the French between 1863 and 1880. Then, stroll down follow Dong Khoi Street, which figured prominently in Graham Greene’s famous Vietnam novel, The Quiet American, as Rue Catinat. The walk ends at the Saigon Opera House. From a bomb shelter to housing the parliamentary Lower House, the Opera House has had an interesting history. End your day with a speedboat trip along the city’s ancient canals where life carries on unchanged. Return to your hotel as the sun sets on this fascinating city.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh city.

Travel by speedboat along the Saigon River, taking in the scenery and river life as you leave the bustling city behind. The Cu Chi Tunnels were an underground city for Viet Cong soldiers during the Vietnam War. The cramped tunnels were central to a few of the war’s strategic operations, including the famous 1968 Tet Offensive. The tunnels also have “mantraps” -  large camouflaged holes dug deep into the ground that ensnared enemy soldiers by bamboo spikes. But don’t worry, you won’t step in one!

Next, it’s a short drive through the countryside to visit a cricket farm. Some Vietnamese consider crickets a delicacy, and local lore says that hungry soldiers ate them to beef up their nutrient-poor diets. At the farm you’ll see crickets in various stages of growth. You’ll also have a chance to sample crickets wrapped up in tasty spring rolls. Make sure you snap a photograph so that your friends will believe your unusual tale! Stop for a traditional Vietnamese lunch - it won’t include cricket - en route to Ho Chi Minh City, arriving mid afternoon.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh city.

This morning depart from your hotel and drive approximately two hours to Ben Tre, and a gateway to the delta. Here, you will board a small boat to start your sightseeing around the waterways of Mekong Delta. Known also as the rice bowl of Vietnam because of its large rice production, the area has also diversified into activities related to aquaculture, rearing of animals, cash crops and fruit trees.

Visit brick factory and board a small boat and meander through the canals and waterways and stop at a small homemade coconut processing plant to see how coconuts have been turned into oil, candy and woven mats that are later sold in the market. After the boat trip you will have a short walk to a local village to see mat weavers at work, before jumping on the deltas version of a tuk tuk and travelling down the country roads to the pier. Here you will board the beautiful teak boat Le Jarai to continue your cruise along the river. While onboard join in the demonstration of Vietnamese cooking before sitting down to a sumptuous three-course lunch of Mekong specialties. After lunch relax on the top deck and take in the scenery back to Ben Tre, where on arrival you will transfer to Can Tho in late in the afternoon.

Overnight in can Tho.

Rise early and travel by boat to the township of Cai Rang to see the hustle and bustle of a floating market. Watch as vendors hawk their wares from boats teeming with produce and buy a coffee from one of the floating cafes. Then, drive approximately three hours to the township of Chau Doc, a colourful and sleepy town near the Vietnam-Cambodia border.

This afternoon drive approximately 20kms from Chau Doc to Tra Su Forest and travel by sampan through endless waterways flanked by mangroves and lush greenery. This eco reserve spans 850 hectares and is an ecological haven for fauna and flora, with more than 100 species of water birds and colonies of bats. The best time to visit Tra Su is from September to November when the water is high, although it is accessible all year round. On the way to the forest you will visit a small village of ethnic Khmer, where you will learn about the importance of Buddhism in the community and have the opportunity to chat with monks at the local monastery.

Overnight in Chau Doc.

The Mekong Delta is a land of winding waterways, lush paddy fields and floating markets where life is governed by the ebb and flow of Vietnam’s most iconic river. Today wake early and cruise aboard a small boat to Chau Doc’s famous floating market. Drawing traders and farmers from the surrounding countryside watch as fruits, vegetables and fish are bought and sold en mass. Continue past the floating fish farms on your way to a local Cham Village, where you will hear the story of one of Vietnam’s most fascinating peoples. After return to your boat and continue cruising towards the iconic Sam Mountain, passing along the fascinating Vinh Te Canal built from 1819 to 1823 by Emperors Gia Long and Minh Mang from the Nguyen Dynasty. Arrive at the banks of Sam Mountain and visit two of the iconic temples that draw pilgrims from miles around. Finish with lunch at the beautiful Nui Sam Lodge, with spectacular panoramic views of the countryside below.

The lush green paddy fields of Chau Doc are the perfect place to escape modern life and discover the authentic Mekong Delta at its very best. Cycle out along quiet dirt tracks, through villages where life has changed little over the decades and through fields busy with busy farmers and water buffalo. Stop for a picnic breakfast and recharge over a glass of traditional ice tea or coffee before getting back on the saddle and continuing your journey. Stop along the way for a chat with locals and some of the best views Southern Vietnam has to offer. Return to your hotel and a well earned break!

Overnight in Chau Doc.

Say good bye to the delta and travel to Ho Chi Minh City about seven hours by car. There will be plenty of stops along the way to stretch your legs and take photos.

Then fly to Siem Reap and the magnificent temples of Angkor.

Overnight in Siem Reap.

Start with a visit to the South Gate of Angkor Thom where statues of the gods of good and evil line the entrance. Your next stop is the Bayon, known for the hundreds of smiling faces that grace the towers. The bas reliefs are quite impressive and tell stories of daily life and the great battles that were fought between the Khmers and ancient Thais. Move on to Phimeanakas, shaped a bit like a pyramid with two ponds in the rear. The ponds were once used for religious rituals but today serve as swimming pools for Khmer kids. Walk to the top of the temple for impressive views of the Angkor complex.

See the rows of trunks that form the wall of the Terrace of the Elephants, a platform from which King Jayavarman surveyed his army. Close by is the Terrace of Leper Kings, which includes a statue depicting Yana, the Hindu god of death. Then it’s a short drive to one of the most loved temples of all - Ta Prohm. This small crumbling temple is held together by giant tree roots giving it a magical feel.

Return to Siem Reap for lunch and to escape the hot sun. Then later in the afternoon explore the magnificent Angkor Wat, the world’s largest religious monument. This visually spectacular temple is a massive three-tiered pyramid, rising 65 metres from the ground and crowned by five lotus towers. It’s the national symbol of Cambodia and proudly appears on the country’s flag. End your day with sunset views over the jungle from the top of Pre Rup Temple before returning to Siem Reap.

Overnight in Siem Reap.

Your guide will meet you at your hotel and transfer you to the airport for your flight.

See you next time!