HIGHLIGHTS OF VIETNAM AND CAMBODIA TOUR – 13 DAYS

* Brief Itinerary:

Day 1: Arrival – Siem Reap
Day 2: Siemreap – Freeday
Day 3: Siemreap – Freeday
Day 4:  Siem Reap – Bus to Phnom Penh
Day 5: Phnompenh – Freeday
Day 6: Phnom Penh – Bus to Sai Gon
Day 7: Saigon – Freeday
Day 8: Saigon – Flight to Ha Noi
Day 9: Hanoi – Halong Bay – Overnight on Cruise
Day 10: Halong Bay – Ha Noi
Day 11: Hanoi – Freeday
Day 12: Ha Noi – Freeday
Day 13: Ha Noi – Departure

DAY 1 : Highlights of Vietnam Cambodia Tour to Angkor, Hanoi, Halong Bay: ARRIVAL – SIEM REAP

Warmly welcome at Siem Reap International airport, you are met by our guide & driver and then transferred direct to hotel for check in.

O/N in Siem Reap.

DAY 2 : Highlights of Vietnam Cambodia Tour to Angkor, Hanoi, Halong Bay: SIEMREAP – FREE (B/-/-)

Breakfast at hotel, you’ll be free on your own to discover Angkor Complex (No car & guide)

* OPTIONAL : ANGKOR GROUP TOUR (-/L/-)

08:00 hrs : Our shuttle bus with tour guide will pick you up from your hotel and transfer to South Gate of Angkor Thom. Walk through the South Gate of Angkor Thom via the Naga Bridge, taking some photos. Walk from South Gate of Angkor Thom to Bayon temple via the big trees, play with monkeys (be careful with your things as monkeys might try to take it away from you)

Visit to Bayon Temple and walk to Baphuon, Elephant Terrance, Leper King Terrace and the Royal Enclosure

Lunch is included

13:00 hrs: You’ll be driven to ANGKOR WAT Temple area
Visit to Angkor Wat Temple until sunset

17:30 hrs: Our shuttle bus with guide will bring you back to hotel for the night

O/N in Siem Reap.

DAY 3 – SIEMREAP – FREE (B)

Breakfast at hotel, you’ll be free on your own to discover Angkor Complex (No car & guide)

* Optional: Tonle Sap Lake Tour

This morning we will enjoy a boat ride on the Tonle Sap lake. This is the largest permanent fresh-water lake in South East Asia and flows into Tonle Sap River, joining the Mekong in Phnom Penh. We will see a fishermen’s “floating village” with floating schools, floating police station and more. It is same as a big village floating on the lake, and the “village” moves from place to place following water levels and current.

Lunch not included

* Inclusions: English speaking guide, private car transfer, Entrance fee at mentioned travel sites, cold water & wipes

Transfer to back to Hotel.

O/N in Siem Reap.

DAY 4 – SIEM REAP – BUS TO PHNOM PENH (B)

Breakfast at hotel

Then, you’ll be transferred to Siem Reap bus station for departure to Phnom Penh (Note: Departure at 08:30 – Arrival at 13:30) by a joined tourist bus which will take more than 6 hours to arrive in Phnom Penh where they get picked up and transfer to hotel for check in.

The rest of time, you’ll be free on your own to explore some highlights in Phnom Penh such as the Royal Palace, built by King Norodom in 1866 on the site of the old town, and the Silver Pagoda, located within the grounds of the Royal Palace, the Silver Pagoda is so named because of its floor, which is made up of 5000 silver tiles and National Museum

Dinner not included and night accommodation at hotel

O/N in Phnom Penh.

DAY 5 – PHNOM PENH – FREE (B)

Breakfast at hotel, you’ll be then free on your own to explore the city. (No Car & No Guide)

* Optional: Phnom Penh Sightseeing Tour

We will visit to the Royal Palace, built by King Norodom in 1866 on the site of the old town, and the Silver Pagoda, located within the grounds of the Royal Palace, the Silver Pagoda is so named because of its floor, which is made up of 5000 silver tiles. Then continue your visit to National Museum.

Lunch not included

Visit to Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum or S21, was the former Tuol Svay Prey High School. The Khmer Rouge set up a prison at this site in May 1976, to detain individual accused of opposing the Pol Pot regime, and was Angkar’s premier security institution, the Killing Field of Choeung Ek, and Wat Phnom temples.

Dinner not included and night at hotel.

O/N in Phnom Penh.

DAY 6 – PHNOM PENH – BUS TO SAI GON (B)

Breakfast at hotel

Transfer to Phnom Penh bus station for departure to Saigon by morning bus (Mekong Express) leaving at 08:30 & arriving Saigon at around 14:00

On arrival at Bus station in Saigon, you are met and transferred to hotel for check in.

The bustling Ho Chi Minh City, still called Saigon by many locals, is a center of commerce, finance, culture and tourism in Vietnam. This metropolis, contradiction of its northern counterpart, is crowded with bikes and motorbikes, numerous shopping areas and sidewalk cafes. (If time permits) we stroll around the down town to explore the different local ways of life.

O/N in Ho Chi Minh City.

DAY 7 – SAIGON – FREE (B)

Breakfast at hotel, you’ll be free to explore Ho Chi Minh city by yourself (No Car & No Guide)

* OPTIONAL: SAIGON FULL DAY GROUP TOUR OF CITY AND CU CHI TUNNELS

Today we spend a half day exploring the captivating Ho Chi Minh City. The most places of interest are located near the town center. We pass by the now-demolished wartime American Embassy on our way to the Reunification Palace. This famous edifice was a former residence of the President of Southern Vietnam until end of April 1975. Close to the palace are some striking French colonial structures including the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Old Sai Gon Post Office.

We follow these with a visit to the Jade Emperor Pagoda and the War Remnant Museum with a wealth of images from the notorious conflicts. The sightseeing ends up with a walk around the retail Ben Thanh Market where anything and everything is for sale!

Afternoon: Transfer about 30km north-west of Ho Chi Minh City to Cu Chi town. Cu Chi tunnels were used as the base from which the Vietnamese mounted their operations of the Tet Offensive in 1968. The incredible underground network in Cu Chi stretched over 200 kilometres and became legendary during the American war.

The extensive tunnels were specially constructed with living areas, weapon factories, filed hospitals, command centres, plus accommodation. Today we have an excursion to Cu Chi Tunnels to visit an exposition hall and a widened section of the tunnels to get a feel of the underground life.

There are also possibilities to fire off rounds from an AK47 or MK16 at the nearby rifle range

O/N in Ho Chi Minh City.

DAY 8 – SAIGON – FLIGHT TO HA NOI (B)

Step back in time as you fly from the buzzing, modern city of Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi on VN246 (10:40 – 12:40). Upon arrival at Noibai Airport, you’ll be met by our tour guide & transferred to your hotel in Hanoi for a check-in.

The rest of time, you’ll be free on your own to walk around to explore the highlights of Hanoi

O/n in Hanoi.

DAY 9 – HALONG BAY ON FLAMINGO CRUISE (B/L/D)

7:30 – 08:30: Our SHUTTLE BUS with tour guide will pick you up at your hotels (Note: This pick-up is just applicable for those who use our shuttle bus service)

10h30: Stopover in Hai Duong city where you can experience our hand-made Vietnamese handicraft products.

12h30: Arrive in Tuan Chau Marina Pier (Tuan Chau Island). Followed by activities:

+ Boarding FLAMINGO CRUISE for departure.

+ Welcome drink will be served and cruise briefing, safety instructions, check-in cabins by Cruise Manager.

+ Great lunch is served while cruising passing by islets, through Hoa Cuong floating village.

+ Exploration of Halong Bay passing by Soi Sim Beach, Coconut Three Island. Then arrive in the area of Surprising Cave.

+ Kayaking & swimming or climbing up to the mountain and getting a complete view of Halong Bay at Titov Beach

+ Joining our COOKING CLASS on the sun-deck. Learn how to make the fresh/fried spring rolls and mix fish-sauce.

+ Enjoy a sunset party with fruit and wine.

19:30: Under the magnificent night sky, Our luxury set-menu dinner is served with a variety of Vietnamese and Asian foods.

Evening activities include:

+ Join the SQUID FISHING on a boat with our crew. You can enjoy the squid cooked with assistance from our chef.

+ Or Relax yourself with our happy-hour drinks at the bar.

Overnight on Flamingo Cruise.

DAY 10: HALONG BAY – HANOI (B/L)

06:15: Tai Chi class on the Sun-deck.

07:15: Have breakfast with Coffee, tea and Bakeries on board.

08:00: Visit the SURPRISING CAVE (Hang Sung Sot) discovered by the French in 1901. Opened for tourists since 1936, now it is a must-see and a symbol for the geological value of Halong.

09:30: Check out time. Then relax on the sun-deck or inside the restaurant to enjoy the bay’s scenery.

10h15: Enjoying a traditional Vietnamese lunch while cruising back to the pier.

12:00: Disembarkation at Tuan Chau Pier. Our car will be at your disposal to pick you up then drive back to Hanoi.

16:00: Arrive in Hanoi. End of the trip!

O/N in Hanoi.

DAY 11 – HA NOI – FREE (B)

In this morning, after having breakfast you could be free on your own to discover some significant travel sites in Hanoi by yourself. (No Guide & No Driver)

* OPTIONAL: HANOI FULL-DAY CITY GROUP TOUR

8.00: We pick you up from your hotel and take you to visit the Ho Chi Minh Complex which includes Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum – the final resting place of the beloved national hero, Uncle Ho. Then we visit the President Ho Chi Minh’s stilt house where he lived off and on from 1958 to 1969. You’ll also go to the Ho Chi Minh Museum where you can learn about this remarkable man and what he did for Vietnam and the region.

Next, you’ll visit the One Pillar Pagoda which is actually a group of structures that collectively make up a pagoda built over the water in the middle of a square lake

After that you’ll have a chance to explore the Tran Quoc Pagoda on the Shore of West Lake. From there you’ll go to the Temple of Literature which was Vietnam’s first university and is dedicated to Confucius.

Alternatively you can choose to have lunch at a restaurant in the Old Quarter. Afterwards you’ll walk through the Old Quarter where you’ll get a sense of the daily life of this busy city on your way to Hoan Kiem Lake – the heart and soul of Hanoi. This is the part of town where the commercial streets of modern Hanoi meet the ancient 36 streets and numerous alleys amongst temples, pagodas and lakes.

Finally you’ll stop at Museum of Ethnology. This superb museum showcases the depth of Vietnamese cultural diversity with an astounding collection of 15,000 artifacts gathered from throughout Vietnam. Maps, displays and dioramas are labeled in Vietnamese, French and English. Displays portray a typical village market, the making of comical hats and a Tay shamanic ceremony, videos show the real thing. You can also check out a traditional Black Thai house reconstructed in the museum. There’s also a centre for research and conservation where scientists from all over the world study traditional Vietnamese cultures.

* Included: Seat-in-coach transfers by A/C tourist car, entrance fee, lunch, Englisk speaking guide.

O/N in Hanoi.

DAY 12 – HANOI – FREE – WATER PUPPET SHOW AT NIGHT (B)

Today you will have leisure time for shopping or discover Hanoi by yourself.

By the end of day (at around 18:30 or 20:15), we’ll arrange the first-class tickets for a “Water Puppet Show” prolonging roughly within 1 hour. You can totally walk by yourself from your hotel to the Water Puppet Theatre for around 3 – 5 minutes.

O/N in Hanoi.

DAY 13 –HANOI – DEPARTURE (B)

Afternoon: see off at the airport.

End of services!!!

Inclusions:

• Transportation in private with air-condition
• Accommodation at 3-star hotels in Double/Twin shared room
• Overnight Cruise trip in Halong Bay (Seat-In-Coach)
• Local English speaking guides
• Entrance fee at indicated sights
• Domestic air ticket (Saigon – Hanoi)
• Water Puppet Tickets in Hanoi
• Meals as indicated in the itinerary: B = Breakfast, L = Lunch & D = Dinner
• Gov’t tax and service charge
• Luggage handling and drinking water

*Exclusion:

• Visa stamping fee on arrival
• Optional tours as mentioned
• Travel Insurance in all kinds
• Single room (quoted separately)
• Other foreign language guide
• Peak tourist season or special event rates
• Tip, drinks and other personal expenses