EXPLORATION VIETNAM CAMBODIA IN 15 DAYS

Welcome to Vietnam!

After arriving at Noi Bai Airport, you will be picked up and transferred to the hotel in the city center. Hotel check-in is available from 2pm. The rest of the day is free for relaxing or discovering the city by yourself. Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at your hotel. The first stop is the flower market of Quang Ba – the biggest flower market in the North of Vietnam. Arriving at the market, visitors will be fascinated by the stalls of colorful and fragrant flowers of all kinds. From common flowers like roses, chrysanthemums, and lilies, to the more unusual and wildflowers of Vietnam.

Then, we will drive to Tran Quoc Pagoda. The pagoda, now nearly 1,500 years old, is located on a small peninsula on the east side of West Lake, situated among lush greenery. It was the center of Buddhism in the imperial city of Thang Long (former name of Hà Nội) during the Ly Dynasty and the Tran Dynasty (11th – 15th centuries). After, we will drive back to the Old Quarter for a 1.5-hour walking tour, specially designed for a deeper insight into Hanoian daily life. We will visit the Ngoc Son temple which sits on a green islet in the middle of Hoan Kiem Lake, connected to the lakeside by a graceful scarlet bridge named The Huc. The temple is dedicated to Tran Hung Dao – the General who defeated the Mongols in the 13th century and Van Xuong De Quan – the patron of literature and examinations.

We will continue with a visit to a wellness center for a traditional therapeutic massage to energize and revitalize. After transferring back to the hotel, the rest of the day is free to rest or do your own exploration of the city. Overnight at a hotel.

After breakfast at the hotel, transfer to the harbour of Ha Long Bay, whose name means ‘where the dragon descends into the sea’, already recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Accommodation in the furnished cabin with a splendid view of the bay, welcome drink and an information briefing during your stay on board. An exquisite lunch is served with fresh seafood. Free time to relax before the afternoon’s interesting activities.

Start with an exploration of Cap La Island, the most beautiful island in the bay. This is also the best time to enjoy a kayak ride through the breathtaking karst nature and dive into the emerald water. Later in the cruise, you can enjoy a beautiful sunset. Dinner is served on board. Free time to challenge yourself in night squid fishing or enjoy the tranquility of the night from your boat.

Wake up early to witness an enchanting sunrise. For those interested, a short Tai Chi lesson on the sundeck will refresh your mind and body. In the morning, you can also enjoy a cup of tea or coffee while admiring the extraordinary landscape.

After breakfast, do not miss a visit to the hidden cave of Thien Canh Son. You will also participate in a demonstration cooking class. The chef will show you the tricks of cooking our country’s typical dishes and then enjoy them with brunch.

Disembark from the ship around noon and meet our guide for the transfer to Noi Bai airport. Flight to Hue – our imperial city. Arrival and check-in your hotel.

In the morning, we will take a boat trip on the poetic Perfume River. Our first visit will be to Thien Mu Pagoda (Celestial Lady Pagoda) built in 1601 on the bank of the river. With its seven-storey Phuoc Duyen tower, Thien Mu Pagoda became the symbol of the ancient capital and has often been mentioned in folk rhymes about Hue. We will continue cruising upstream and arrive at Minh Mang Mausoleum, one of Hue’s finest royal tombs. The complex, built from 1840 to 1843 by more than ten thousand workers and soldiers, comprises 40 buildings including palaces, temples, and a pavilion. After a traditional lunch at a local restaurant, we will drive to visit Hue Imperial City. We will visit beautiful structures including the Flag Tower, Nine Holy Cannons, Ngo Mon Gate, Thai Hoa Palace, Nine Dynastic Urns and the Forbidden Purple City. We will then continue to visit the Tomb of Emperor Tu Duc designed by himself before his death. The Tomb includes 50 monuments arranged unsymmetrically and shows the perfect harmony of buildings and nature. Overnight at the hotel.

After a yummy breakfast, we will transfer to Da Nang by the mountainous road to arrive at Ba Na hill. After checking in at the ticket counter, we will walk to Hoi An Station. We will take a cable car which reaches a height of nearly 5,000 feet (1,487m), stretching over three and a half miles in length (5,771m). We will admire the truly spectacular views of luscious dense rainforest and beautiful waterfalls below, above you at the peak can be seen enormous stone hands holding the magnificent Golden Bridge. On arrival at Marseille Station, it’s time to enjoy an amazing view from the mountain to the beach below, while strolling on the recently world-famous Golden Bridge at 150m in length and at a height of 1,414m above sea level. After wandering through D’Amour flower garden and Debay Wine Cellar, another cable car ride will take you to the French Village, a romantic replica of a classical French town. Don’t forget to visit Ba Na’s spiritual attractions such as Linh Ung Pagoda, Rain Sheltering Teahouse, Linh Phong Stupa, the Holy Mother Shrine, etc. You will also have free time to enjoy the attractions at Fantasy Park – The “Entertainment Paradise”, discover the ghost house before going to your hotel in Hoi An.

After a delicious breakfast, we will take a bicycle to Tra Que village. Thanks to the special condition of rich soil and water, the village has long been known for growing many kinds of vegetables: lettuce, salad, houttuynia, fragrant knotweed, basil, and coriander vegetables etc.., with which the traditional specialities of Hoi An have gained part of their fame. We will have a yummy lunch and participate in daily activities with the local farmers.

In the afternoon, we will take a half-day walking tour of Hoi An ancient town. In this UNESCO-classified world heritage site, we will visit Chua Ong Pagoda (dedicated to “Quan Thanh De Quan” – an ancient Chinese general), the 200-years-old Tan Ky house (with Japanese and Chinese influenced architecture), and the Japanese Covered Bridge (built by the Japanese then living in Hoi An to connect their quarter to that of the Chinese).

Say goodbye to Hoi An and flight to Saigon. On your arrival to Ho Chi Minh City (former name is Saigon), you will be welcomed by our tour guide and driver. After transferring to your hotel at the city center (Check-in is available from 2pm), there will be time for your free exploration of the largest city in Vietnam. We will visit Notre Dame Cathedral, constructed between 1877 and 1880 by the French. We will take a few steps from the Cathedral to the General Post Office to admire its interior with the arched roof and curved windows, reminiscent of early European railway stations.

We will visit the Reunification Palace, formerly known as the Presidential Palace. After a prepared lunch, you will take a guided cycle tour for 2-3 hours to learn a deeper understanding of Saigon daily life. We will visit some local markets with several stops arranged at Ho Thi Ky flower market; The medicinal plant store; the Thien Hau Temple in the Cho Lon town, 5th district. Overnight at the hotel.

After a yummy breakfast, we will leave the hotel at 8am and make our way to Ben Tre Province in the Mekong delta. Upon arrival at Hung Vuong Pier (90km from Saigon), we get on a boat and cruise along the Ben Tre River. The boat will stop at a traditional brick factory for you to explore its imposing ovens.

We will have a short break at a coconut candies workshop, where you will observe how coconut flesh is used and processed. A short tuk-tuk ride on the winding small road of the countryside will take you into the green villages and we will stop at a family braiding mats. The local restaurant will prepare typical dishes of the Mekong delta for your lunch. Following this, we will board a rowing boat to join the maze of canals and return to the landing stage. We will then transfer to Can Tho province. Overnight at the hotel or homestay in Can Tho.

We will be early birds and take a morning boat trip to Cai Rang floating market. The largest in the region, Cai Rang floating market offers boats bursting with fruit and vegetables freshly gathered every day. After exploring the busy market, you will take a walk in Mr. Tu Dung’s orchard to taste fresh local tropical fruits. The following visit is to a workshop where you will see how the local (canna indica) vermicelli is made. Then, we will travel back to the mainland by boat, then we will drive to Chau Doc.

In the afternoon, we will visit the spectacular Tra Su forest. This mangrove is composed of cajuput trees and home to over 70 species of birds, 140 plant species, 20 species of reptiles, and many other animals. We will hop onto a small boat before sailing on a river covered by lenses of freshwater (floating on the denser saltwater below), lotus hearts and water lilies. To get a breathtaking view of the forest and our neighboring country, Cambodia, we will climb six floors of the observation tower.

Arriving at Chau Doc in the late afternoon, you will visit Chua Hang on Mount Sam – an exceptional pagoda combining the different cultural and religious influences of the region. Its architecture and panoramic view are truly worthy of a cinematic setting.

After a refreshing breakfast at your hotel, we will take a 5-hour-cruise on Mekong to reach Phnom Penh. The afternoon, we visit all the Royal Palace monuments: Chan Chhaya Pavilion, the Silver Pagoda and the National Museum, which has the world’s finest collection of Khmer sculptures. Discover the monument of Independence, which is shaped according to the central tower of Angkor Wat and was erected in 1958 to commemorate the country’s independence from France in 1953. We will proceed with the visit of Wat Phnom Daun Penh – a hillside pagoda built by Lady Daun Pen in 1372l. Wat Phnom remains today as the highest artificial hill in Phnom Penh and the centre of much entertainment. Overnight at hotel.

After breakfast, transfer from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap by private car. A road trip allows you to witness the daily life of the local people. The first stop is at the village of Skoun, not far from Phnom Penh and known as the ‘city of spiders’ for its fried tarantula, the local delicacy that not everyone dares to taste. Next, we recommend a stop at Kompong Kdei to admire Spean Praptos – an ancient Angkorian bridge.

On arrival in Siem Reap, settle in at your hotel. Dinner with Apsara.

We start very early in the morning so we can capture the iconic picture of the pre-dawn facing Angkor Wat temple. Sunrise at Angkor Wat can be a busy venue especially during the months of December, January, February and March.

After sunrise, we will explore the vast and rich of Angkor Wat temple, taking pictures at different angles, playing with light and shadows and capturing the most beautiful devatas carved in sandstone.

Next destination will be the Ta Prohm Temple, famous for its giant trees where the most impressive scenes of the Tomb Raider movie were filmed. We will continue by veering you away from the crowd to a remote temple in the jungle. We will also visit places out of the beaten path where you will capture unique pictures.

Next, at Golden Hour, will be the impressive Bayon temple with its 54 towers and 216 faces overlooking the defunct city of Angkor Thom. The final stop will be at one of the gates of Angkor Thom to capture sunset over the moat. Overnight in Siem Reap.

Depart for the Tonlé Sap. You will enjoy a boat ride on the Tonle Sap Lake. This is the largest permanent fresh-water lake in Southeast Asia and flows into Tonle Sap River, joining the Mekong in Phnom Penh. You will see a fishermen’s “floating village” with floating schools, floating police station, etc. It is same as a big village floating on the lake, and the “village” moves from place-to-place following water levels and current. You will go to local pagoda, where you should change to clothes you can get wet in as here you will experience the ceremony “SrouchTeok”, which roughly translates into “Water blessing”. A monk will chant in ancient Pali as he splashes water over you, washing away your sins and bad luck so you can start fresh and by being a good person can increase your good luck.

Visit the Rolous Group including Lolei, Preah Ko & Bakong temple first. This island temple consists of four brick towers on a double plate rite platform. The 3 temples Bakong, Lolei and Preah Ko – located 11 Kilometers (6.8 miles) southeast of the Siem Reap Market – comprise the Rolous group of monuments and are dating back to the late ninth century and is the earliest site of the 600 years Angkor Period that is open to visitors. Overnight in Siem Reap.

Breakfast will be served in your hotel. Depending on your departure time, you will have free time to relax or buy souvenirs for your relatives or friends. Our driver will take you to Siem Reap International Airport at least 3 hours before departure.

Thank you very much for travelling with Asia Viva Travel.

Have a safe return flight!