The Best Of Vietnam & Cambodia 14 Days

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.

You will have the afternoon at your leisure before an evening welcome dinner at a local restaurant.

Overnight  in Hanoi.

After breakfast, spend your day taking a tour around the capital and visiting such sites as:

the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (outside),a large memorial in Hanoi, located in the centre of Ba Dinh Square, which is the place where Vietminh leader Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence on September 2, 1945.

his former residence, stilt house of Ho Chi Minh, the founder of modern Vietnam, fondly known as “Uncle Ho”.

One Pillar Pagoda, the emperor Lý Thái Tông constructed the temple in gratitude for this in 1049 by erecting a pillar in the middle of a lotus pond, similar to the one he saw in the dream that he met the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, who handed him a baby son while seated on a lotus flower.

Temple of Literature, Vietnam's first national university where offering ceremonies, study sessions and the strict exams of the Dai Viet took place. Built in 1070 at the time of King Lý Nhân Tông, it is one of several temples in Vietnam which are dedicated to Confucius, sages and scholars.

Lunch in a restaurant.

In the afternoon, continue to the Museum of Ethnology, which focuses on the 54 officially recognized ethnic groups in Vietnam.

Then, you will enjoy a very interesting walking tour around the old quarter within 1,5 hours. Firstly the trip start from head of Cao Thang street where local people sell all traditional cooking spices of Vietnam such as onions, garlic, mushrooms, black mushrooms, peppers, lemongrass, ginger, galangal ... Then moving to Dong Xuan market, the biggest market in Hanoi, originally built by the French administration and surrounded by different streets, you will go through the market and turn right to Hang Ma street, the road is shimmered by decorating stuff , Chinese toys, the colorful lanterns, paper goods and in particular paper votive offerings.

Passing by Luong Van Can, Lan Ong, you arrive Hang Buom street where located the oldest temple of Hanoi - Bach Ma Temple, you will take some rest to admire the temple before continue walking through Ta Hien, Dinh Liet street to the most peaceful small alley of Hanoi - Trung Yen. On the way you have chance to explore daily life of local people who live and sharing their life in the confined spaces. We continue to Hang Be street - used to be one of the best well-known outdoor markets in town dating from medieval, with famous food”Mam Tep Chung Thit”, some years ago, it was disintegrated. At the end of this road, there is a coffee shop named Cafe market, where we will invite you a cup of coffee or iced fruit smoothies

We end of trip at Hoan Kiem Lake, in front of Water Puppet show theatre, from here you can continue your walking or back to your hotel.

Discover Hoan Kiem Lake, meaning "Lake of the Returned Sword" , where emperor Lê Lợi was boating on the lake when his magic sword, Heaven's Will, was grabbed by a turtle who quickly disappeared into the depths.

Take a beautiful picture on the The Huc red bridge to Ngoc Son Temple.

Come back to your hotel.

Dinner on your own.

Overnight in Hanoi.

08.00 – 8:30: The Swan shutter bus will pick you up from your hotel and heading to Northeast of Vietnam

12.30: Arrive at Swan office, transferred by tender to Swan Cruise.

12.45: Enjoy welcome drink, be briefing about safety on boat and activities included then check in cabin.

13.30: Delicious Vietnamese set menu while leisurely cruising to the core of Bai Tu Long Bay.

15.00: Arrive to Cap La Island the beautiful area in Bai Tu Long bay. Enjoy kayaking through the karst and breathtaking nature, swimming and relaxing.

17.30: Get back to the boat and enjoys Sunset party while our cruise sailing to the overnight anchorage.

19.00: Sumptuous set-dinner onboard.

20.30: Free time for joining Games, you may also try your luck with squid fishing.

Overnight onboard with Swan Cruise.

06.30: Starting your day with Tai Chi on the Sundeck.

07.00: Breakfast will be served in Western style and furthermore with Vietnamese traditional food

08.00: Explore the Thien Canh Son. Guide will explain the history of Ha Long Bay, Bai Tu Long Bay and this Cave, made by Mother Nature

 09.30: Upon return to the boat you will have 30 minutes to freshen up and finish packing.

Please remove all of your belongings from your cabin, you may leave heavy luggage outside of the cabin (staff will transfer directly to the pier).

10.30: Vietnamese cooking demonstration on boat.

11.00: Enjoy a traditional Vietnamese lunch.

12.00: Disembark in Hon Gai pier

12.30: Farewell Halong Bay then returns to Hanoi

17.30: Drop off your hotel.. Overnight in Hanoi.

Suggest flight: HAN –HUI ( 13:05  -14:20 ) by Vietnam airline or similar – Charge from $120/ticket/pax

Breakfast at your hotel. Free time until transfer the airport catch flight to Hue.

Arrival in Hue, check in hotel (14:00) .Relax and explore Hue by yourself.

Dinner on boat

.Overight in Hue.

After breakfast at hotel, pick up at your hotel, take a boat for a cruise on the gentle Huong River.

Visit Thien Mu pagoda, built in 1601 on the order of the first Nguyen lords, Nguyen Hoang, who at that time was the governor of Hue.

Continue to a quiet Thuy Bieu village – 6.5 km from the city centre – a laidback village famous for growing the Thanh Tra fruit (a kind of small pomelo), visit many garden houses, a unique feature of Hue countryside, and enjoy a nice walking and biking around the village.

Visit an old communal house, pass by several ancient ancestral temples and communicate with local people.

Visit an incense making family and discover the daily life of local people while they are working strenuously with joy and enthusiasm. You may also join their activities: gardening, talking and drinking tea with them.

Back to Thuy Bieu restaurant, relax by steeping your foot in medicinal herb water – a traditional therapeutic practice and enjoy excellent massage by blind people.

Lunch at Thuy Bieu restaurant.

In the afternoon, discovery of Emperor Minh Mang’s tomb, ponds and gardens is known for its perfect harmony between architecture and its natural environment. It began to be built during his reign (1820-1841) and was completed only in 1843, two years after his death by his successor Thieu Tri.

Dinner on your own.

Overnight in Hue.

After breakfast at hotel, pick up at your hotel, visit the Imperial Citadel, City of the Nguyen Dynasty (1804-1945), Visit some of the most highly revered site in this World Heritage area; The Flag Tower, South Door, Edict Pavilion, Supreme Harmony Palace, and the Forbidden Purple City.

Transfer to Da Nang through Hai Van Pass and through the picturesque fishing village of Lang Co.

When arriving in Da Nang, visit the Cham Museum and Marble Mountain,  (Ngu Hanh Son) is about 8km southeast of Da Nang City. This is a cluster of five marble mountains lying close to the sea. That is why, it is dubbed Hon Non Nuoc, which means Mountain and Water in Vietnamese.

Continue to the riverside town of Hoi An, an important trading port during the 17th and 18th centuries and officially listed as a World Heritage Site.

Lunch in a local restaurant.

In the afternoon, walk around Hoi An ancient town and exploring its treasures :

Quan Cong temple – the brave and loyal Chinese General.

Phuc Kien pagoda, This is the most well-known assembly hall in the ancient town.Fukjianese were Chinese traders who first came to Hoi An in great number, at least in the XVII century. That was the reason why all above mentioned gods were worshipped in this pagoda after the collapse of the old pagoda.

The Japanese Bridge, Hoi An’s signature landmark used widely as an emblem of the town. It was built by Japanese merchants in the 16the century

Tan Ky ancient house, the most popular of Hoi An’s old houses.

Hoi An port, the World Heritage listed by Unesco.

Dinner on your own.

Overnight in Hoi An.

After breakfast at hotel, the guide will meet you in your hotel lobby, than you will cycle around Hoi An towards the Tra Que vegetable village - About 150 farmers and 400 owners live on there and cultivate about 20 types of vegetables and herbs such as mint, lettuce, basil, cilantro, broccoli and many more. From the more than 40 hectares of land 8 tons of Village Tra vegetables are sold every year. The vegetable growers do not use pesticides or GMOs, using natural fertilizers instead, including seaweed found in the river and harvested by gardeners every morning.

During the walk, you will cross vast rice fields in the countryside and quiet road, far away from the tourist trails. You will see the activities of the inhabitants through the villages of Hoian.

Walk in Tra Que vegetable village and meet local people working in the garden.

The local farmer will teach you all about cultivation methods and how to protect developing vegetable from the insects as well as join the farmers in preparing gardening activities such as raking the ground, sowing, watering greens, transplanting and tending greens.

Lunch on your own.

Return to the hotel.

Following the tour there will be free time for shopping or relaxing in the Hoi An beach.

Dinner your own.

Overnight in Hoi An.

Suggest flight: DAD –SGN ( 08:50 -10:15 ) by Vietnam airline or similar – Charge from $90/ticket/pax

After an early breakfast, transfer to the airport for your morning flight to Ho Chi Minh, under the name Saigon, it was the capital of the French colony of Cochin-china and later of the independent republic of South Vietnam from 1955–75. On 2 July 1976, Saigon was officially renamed Ho Chi Minh City, name of Vietnamese communist revolutionary leader who was prime minister (1945–1955) and president (1945–1969) of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam).

When arriving in Ho Chi Minh, transfer to your selected hotel.

In the same morning, discover a busy Saigon, enjoy a tour in the Old Colonial Residential Quarte and visit:

the City’s old Hotel, a palace built by the French architect Paul Gardès of 1902-19081 in the center of Saigon in Indochina at the time.

the Opera House, inspired by the architecture of the Opera Garnier in Paris, which was built in 1900. The facade of the opera is a replica of the Petit Palais in Paris

Notre-Dame Cathedral, The famous central Saigon Cathedral, built in 1877, is one of HCMC's architectural marvels, built with materials imported from France.

Post Office signed by Gustave Eiffel.

Lunch in a restaurant.

In the afternoon, discover the Chinese quarter “Cho Lon” and its impressive Binh Tay market.

End of the day with a visit to a lacquerware factory.

Dinner on your own.

Overnight in Saigon.

After breakfast at hotel, pick up and drive to My Tho is the capital city, center of economics, education and technology of Tien Giang Province, located in the Mekong region of South Vietnam. The majority ethnic is the Viet, and some of the Chinese, the Cham and the Khmer. Boat rides on the MỹTho River are popular with tourists, and the city is known for hủtiếuMỹTho, a type of soup.

After 2 hours arrival  in  My  Tho , take a boat trip along the Mekong river and around a fishing village and some islands.

Cross the Mekong river, turn into Vam Xep canal to see daily life of local inhabitants in Ben Tre province (so-called Coconut village).

Visit Quoi An village to see a bee farm and some handicraft workshops to enjoy some honey-tea and see how people make things from coconut wood.

Take the horse-cart on village path and stop at Mr Nam Ngo orchard, taste honey with tea or wine. See bees-breeding in wooden boxes under longans tree.

Visit Muoi  Hai orchard.   Enjoy seasonal fruits and listening to traditional music.

Take rowing-boat along water palm creek.

Boat to see local people make coconut candy, taste candy (Special products of Ben tre province).

Lunch on islets at Mientay  Riverside restaurant.

Guest will  feel relax & enjoy local foods good menu in nice restaurant on the river bank.

After lunch back to My Tho city by  boat  to  next visit or next destination.

Vinh Trang pagoda is located three kilometers from the city center. It was built in 1849. The pagoda contains both Asian and European architecture .the pagoda resembles the five-tower Angkor Temple. A monk and his architect traveled to Cambodia prior to building the pagoda for inspiration and eventually combined Khmer architecture with European styles for the pagoda.

Dong Tam Snake Farm is located about 10km from My Tho in the direction of Vinh Long.The snake farm is really to be recommended to those truly charmed by snakes. Dong Tam also has a collection of mutant turtles and fish on display. The cause of their genetic deformities is almost certainly the spraying of Agent Orange during the American War, which was particularly intensive in the forested parts of the Mekong Delta.

Return to HCM city.

Dinner on your own.

Overnight in HCMC.

This morning you will drive to the Cao Dai Temples in Tay Ninh to observe the midday service.

Following lunch we will drive to the Cu Chi Tunnels and then return to HCMC at around 6 pm.

Tay Ninh, near the Cambodian border, is home to the unique Cao Dai sect, whose patron saints include Joan of Arc, Victor Hugo and Winston Churchill to name a few.

The religion is a hybrid of Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism and Christianity. The Cao Dai Temple at Tay Ninh has been described as a "Walt Disney World of the East." The temple's exterior is decorated with multi-colored dragons of all shapes and sizes competing for space with a number of religious symbols.

Above the main entrance is the all-seeing holy eye, the symbol of the Cao Dai sect. The interior is just as engaging, as statues of Jesus Christ, Buddha and the Hindu god, Brahma, stand side by side.

The trip to Tay Ninh is combined with a visit to the Cu Chi Tunnels.

At its height, the tunnel system stretched over 250 kilometers, from Saigon to the Cambodian border, and was three levels deep.

The network included innumerable trap doors, specially constructed living areas, storage facilities, weapons factories, field hospitals, command centers and kitchens.

Today the remaining tunnels have become a major tourist attraction giving the visitor a unique experience and a feel of what underground life during the U.S.-Vietnam War must have been like.

Dinner on your own.

Overnight in HCMC.

Suggest flight : SGN –REP (08:30-09:30) or Similar –Charge from $215/ticket/pax

In the morning you will take a flight to Siem Reap in Northern Cambodia to visit the fabulous ancient sites of Angkor, one of the wonders of the world.

You will visit Angkor Thom (or " Great City"), which is in some ways even more spectacular than the colossal Angkor Wat, as it has nearly disappeared into the jungle.

Upon arrival in Siem Reap, you will be met and transferred to your comfortable hotel for check in (subject to availability).

The tour starts by visiting the famous temple: Angkor Wat. Angkor Wat has been a World Heritage Site since 1992, famous for its beauty and splendour.

Angkor Wat features the longest continuous bas-relief in the world, which runs along the outer gallery walls and narrates stories from Hindu mythology.

After that, you will visit Bakheng Temple and enjoy a romantic sunset view form Bakheng hill.

Dinner on your own.

Overnight in Siem Reap.

Today you will embark on an elephant ride from the South Gate of Angkor Thom into the jungle to see famous Bayon Temple (unique for its 54 towers decorated with over 200 smiling faces of Avolokitesvara), Baphoun, the Elephant Terrace and Terrace of the Leper King.

Lunch on your own.

In the afternoon, you will continue to visit fabulous Ta Prohm (embraced by the roots of enormous fig trees and gigantic creepers) Pre Rup, East Mebon, Krovan, Srah Srang, Banteay Srei and Ta Keo. At dinner, you will be treated to a charming Apsara dance show at a local restaurant.

Overrnight in Siem Reap.

You will board a boat on Tonle Sap Lake and cruise past floating villages, complete with schools, restaurants, and hospitals.

Visit the school known as "Les Artisans d'Angkor" before transfer to Siem Reap International Airport for your departure.

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