VI04 Best of Vietnam & Cambodia ( 11 days / 10 nights )
Hanoi - Ha Long Bay - Ho Chi Minh City - Mekong - Siem Reap
Day 1 Hanoi – Arrival
Arrive in Hanoi and transfer to your hotel. The rest of the day is at your leisure.
Overnight in Hanoi
Day 2 Hanoi – Sightseeing
You will have a full day to explore Hanoi’s illustrious history. In the morning, visit the imposing marble edifice housing the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum (CLOSED ON MONDAYS and FRIDAYS) before moving onto his wooden stilt house and the One Pillar Pagoda. You will then explore the first university of Vietnam, the Temple of Literature, which is imbued with the profound philosophies of Confucianism. In the afternoon, visit Hoan Kiem Lake and the Ngoc Son Temple. A one-hour cyclo tour of Hanoi’s Old Quarter allows you to catch a glimpse of ancient Hanoi and learn about traditional Vietnamese architecture. The tour includes a stop at an ancient Vietnamese "long house."
Overnight in Hanoi [Breakfast]
Day 3 Hanoi – Ha Long Bay
Drive through rice paddy fields to Ha Long Bay. Board a junk for a cruise among hundreds of islets of Ha Long Bay. Enjoy a seafood lunch and a swim (if weather permits). Drop anchor in the late evening for an overnight stay among the dramatic limestone peaks rising out of the sea.
Overnight on a Junk [Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner]
Day 4 Ha Long Bay – Boat Cruise – Hanoi – Ho Chi Minh City
Spend the morning cruising through the limestone cliffs and emerald waters of Ha Long Bay before returning to the wharf area. Transfer to Noi Bai Airport for your flight to Ho Chi Minh City. Upon arrival, transfer to hotel.
Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City [Breakfast]
Day 5 Ho Chi Minh City – Cu Chi Tunnels – Sightseeing
This morning you will visit the amazing Cu Chi Tunnels where Vietnamese guerrillas built a labyrinth of narrow tunnels as hideouts during the war. Return to Ho Chi Minh City in the afternoon for a half-day city tour. Highlights include the Reunification Palace (photo stop), the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Central Post Office, Chinatown, the Binh Tay Market and either the Thien Hau Temple or the Quan Am Pagoda.
Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City [Breakfast]
Day 6 Ho Chi Minh City - Cai Be - Tra On
Drive to Cai Be and take a boat cruise to the Cai Be area. You will have a chance to observe the lively activities of local merchants trading their produce from laden vessels. Visit a village where you will see some family run businesses that make rice cake and rice paper. Board the riverboat Bassac and cruise to Cho Lach. Have lunch onboard while cruising on the waterways with a stop for a brief guided tour around riverside villages. Drop anchor at Tra On for an overnight stay onboard.
Overnight onboard the Bassac. [Lunch, Dinner]
Day 7 Tra On - Cai Rang Floating market – Ho Chi Minh City
Early in the morning, leave Tra On and cruise to Can Tho City. On arrival, explore the colourful and bustling floating market at Cai Rang before disembarking at Can Tho Pier. Drive back to Ho Chi Minh City.
Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City. [Breakfast]
Day 8 Ho Chi Minh City - Siem Reap
Transfer to the airport for your flight to Siem Reap. Upon your arrival, transfer to your hotel. In the afternoon, explore Khmer temples from the early Angkorian period. Visit the Roluos group of temples dating from the 9th and 10th centuries including Preah Ko, Bakong, and Lolei Temples. Return to your hotel in the early evening.
Overnight in Siem Reap. [Breakfast]
Day 9 Siem Reap - Angkor Complex
Enter Angkor Thom via the Southern Gate and explore the ancient city, then proceed to visit the ruins at Bayon, Baphoun, Phimeanakas, the Royal Palace, the Elephant Terrace and the Leper King Terrace. In the afternoon, visit the magnificent Angkor Wat where its extraordinary architecture offers an opportunity to experience a spectacular sunset over the monuments.
Overnight in Siem Reap. [Breakfast]
Day 10 Siem Reap – Banteay Srei – Banteay Samre – Ta Prohm – Visit Local Monastery for Blessing Ceremony
After breakfast, visit the graceful 11th century Temple of Shiva – Banteay Srei – and the Banteay Samre Temple. On the way back, swing by the Ta Prohm Temple which is mystically enveloped in the jungle. In the afternoon, we drive to a local monastery and meet the resident monks and participate in a private good luck blessing ceremony and wishing you good health and a safe journey, performed by local monks. Sit on the mat while the monks chant blessings and sprinkle holy water on you – a traditional way which is believed pass on the good luck of the gods. Afterwards, a sacred thread will be tied around your wrist. This will protect you from any evil spirits or accidents – a memorable experience! Ending the tour by relaxing after a long day of climbing around temple ruins as you get pampered with a rejuvenating traditional an-hour Khmer or foot massage.
Overnight in Siem Reap. [Breakfast]
Day 11 Siem Reap - Departure
Free until transfer to the airport for departure flight.
[Breakfast]
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