Grand Cambodia and Vietnam

Upon your arrival at the airport, you will meet our local guide at Noi Bai Airport and be transferred to hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure.

Overnight in Hanoi. 

After breakfast, you will be joined in a classic city tour around Hanoi’s center with historical and cultural points. The bus takes you go through out the old street of the capital where you can admire the French colonial houses with their preserved ancient beauty.

Firstly, we stop at Vietnam Women’s Museum to see the old-age tangible and intangible heritages of Vietnamese women, and listen to the emotional touching stories. The next destination is Hoa Lo Prison, which is known as the dark tourism of Vietnam by its scary reappearance of political prisoners’ detaining.

In the afternoon, we will visit the eldest temples such as Temple of Literature (the first University of Thang Long Kingdom) and Tran Quoc Pagoda (Central Buddha in the period of Nguyen Family).

Return to the area of Hanoi’s 36 old town, you will spend 1 hour to see a Water puppet show, which tells you the culture of wet-rice agriculture.

Finally, a cyclo excursion will drive you around Hoan Kiem Lake and The Old Quarter. Let’s experience the heart of Hanoi to learn about Vietnamese culture and daily life.

Enjoy the welcome dinner in local restaurant.

Overnight in Hanoi.

Shuttle bus will pick up at your hotel about 8:00am and depart to Ha Long Bay by road through the rich farmlands of the Red River Delta and the scenery of rice fields (harvest time: 5th month and 10th month of Lunar New Year), water buffalo and everyday Vietnamese village life on both side of the highway No.18.

12.15 pm: Arrive in Ha Long city, board our traditional wooden junk boat, for an overnight journey. Sip on a refreshing welcome drink upon check in before you begin your cruise through to magnificent Bai Tu Long Bay.. Feast on a delicious lunch as you cruise among hundreds of islets (Incense Burner, Dog Stone Islet, Fighting Cock, Finger Islet ) to discover unspoilt pockets of Halong Bay and visit Sung Sot cave, one of the most imposing grottos of the Bay. Attend the Fruit and Vegetable Carving Lesson led by our Head Chef. During the lesson, the chef will conduct Fruit and Vegetable carving, showing the guests how we decorate and make some traditional Vietnamese food.

7.30pm: Enjoy your dinner with fresh seafood on board.

9.00pm: Squid fishing or relax and chatting with your partner, friends, family. Overnight on Ha Long Bay aboard of Junk.

7:00am: For early riser complimentary tea, coffee, fruit and cake are served. Enjoy Tai Chi lesson on the sundeck (lasting for about 30 minutes).

8.00 am: Guests are transferred by tender to the Titov Island. About one hour is spent on the island, allowing time to climb to the peak for a breathtaking 360 degree view of the Bay (there is also an expansive viewing deck half way up). After the climb, there is time left to relax on the beach and have a swim.

9.00 am: Upon returning to the boat, guests will have 30 minutes to freshen up and finish packing. Arrange your luggage and do the check out on board.

9.30 am: Enjoy a wholesome brunch as your boat weaves through strange-shaped limestone rock formations.

11.00 am: Arrive back at Tuan Chau habour and get the bus to Hanoi.

Arrive in Hanoi about 4:00pm. Enjoy Phở or Vietnamese rice noodle soup, one of very famous local specialty in Vietnam that you must taste when travelling to Hanoi. Transfer to Noi Bai Airport for a flight to Danang then. Upon your arrival, our team will pick up and transfer to your hotel in Hoian.

Overnight in Hoi An.

08:30 We take a walking tour through the narrow streets of the ancient town visiting the Chinese Assembly Hall, the 200-year-old Tan Ky house, and the 400 year-old Japanese Covered Bridge. The tour will give you a glimpse of Hoi An’s prosperous past - a bustling international trading port dating back to 16th century. Today, Hoi An is a quiet riverside town, renowned for its quaint architecture, delicious fusion cuisine and excellent 24h tailor-made service.  It is a world heritage site listed by UNESCO.

In the afternoon, free time for shopping, site seeing, beach ...

Optional:

Option 1: Bike tour through Hoi An countryside.

We'll take the bikes for a ride out of the own town and main roads to countryside where we meet the locals working on their herb and vegetable gardens and watch and learn how the Vietnamese farm organically.

We continue our cycle ride through rice paddies, stop to chat with local farmers along the way and see how friendly their water buffalo are when we have the chance to take a ride with them. We stop at the beautiful water palm area and visit a local fisherman and his family for snacks and chat to them about their lives. We then experience a ride on the traditional bamboo basket boat amidst the famous coconut palms where the Viet Cong used to hide during the War. Finally, we enjoy a leisurely cycle back to the centre of Hoi An.

Option 2: Boat trip on Thu Bon River and visit ceramic & carpentry villages.

In the afternoon: take a boat trip on the graceful Thu Bon river and stop to visit the traditional ceramic and carpentry villages. Enjoy beautiful landscape at sunset on the way back.

Back to Hoi An town to have dinner ( your expense ) and take a walking around the town you can see a numerous art galleries and tailor shops, get some made-to-order clothes if you like.

Overnight in Hoi An.

Free at your leisure.

Optional:

Option 1:  Cooking Class in morning/early afternoon.

Walk through the herb gardens, where we'll have the opportunity to interact with local farmers and join them in their daily gardening activities. Rest and enjoy a special herbal drink before we get to know how to make "Cao Lau" and "Tam Huu" for today lunch. Finish the cooking session, sit and enjoy your own creations, then back to hotel.

Option 2: My Son Sanctuary (8.00-12.00).

At 8.00am. Our driver and Guide will pick you up at your hotel and depart to My Son Holy Land to explore and research. Arrive at My son sanctuary about 9:00am and start to visit My son. In My Son Holy Land, the towers and tombs have been dated from VII century to XIV century, but archaeological findings show us that the Cham kings were buried here since IV century. The total of buildings are more than 70 towers including small, normal and large towers. My Son Sanctuary supposedly is the religion center and culture of the Champa Ancient Kindom. Most of the buildings were built by wood, but they had been destroyed since the 6th century in fires. In the 7th century, My Son was restored by Sambhuvarman who rebuilt the temples with special bricks which have existed until now. Up to the 13th century, more than 70 similar temples had been built, establishing My Son as a sanctuary of Hinduism in the Champa Kingdom. Transfer back to Hoi An for lunch ( your expense ).

Overnight in Hoi An.

The morning we leave Hoi An behind and fly to the bustling and dynamic city of Ho Chi Minh. The locals still prefer to call it Saigon. After check in, our guide will take you to some highlights include the Reunification Palace, the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Central Post Office. Dinner at local restaurant.

Note: Don’t miss Dong Khoi Street’s tourist centre. Dong Khoi Street starts at the Notre Dame Cathedral and runs to the waterfront on the Saigon River. It is the premier shopping district for city insiders in the know.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh.

We depart at 8:00am and head south to the river town of Cai Be, a rural district of Tien Giang province in the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam.

9:30am: take a break at Mekong Rest Stop.

10.30am: Arrive in Cai Be, we board our motorized boat to journey through Cai Be floating market. Here, we will experience how life functions on the delta, as we view the intricacies of commerce – how merchants purchase products from local farmers. During our cruise the town’s secluded canals, we will stop at some local factories to see locals making pop rice cakes, rice paper cakes, coconut candies and products from coconut trees. We also enjoy sampan ride and pedal down narrow natural waterways. Stopping at a local home to try seasonal fruits (such as longan, pineapple, watermelon, rambutan, papaya, jackfruit etc…). Continue walking through the village to get back to our boat which is waiting to bring us to another local house for lunch served with many Vietnamese’s delicious dishes.

After lunch, we are divided into many groups and get on small row boats. During this 20 minutes trip, your boat will zigzag through a maze of shadow canals to enjoy the fresh air along the canal and beautiful water coconut tree scenery. 

Back to Cai Be Pier where you catch our transfer back to Ho Chi Minh City.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

The Great Holy Sight Temple, built in 1926, is considered one of the striking structures of South-East Asia. It is the headquarters of the unique Cao Dai sect, a religion with a hybrid of Buddhism, Christianity & Confucianism. Above the entrance is the all-seeing holy eye – symbol of the sect. Visitors will attend the midday ceremony’s extravaganza to witness the daily mass held by the Cao Dai followers, which is a fantastic experience.

After lunch at the local restaurant, proceed to the Cu Chi to explore the amazing site where Viet Cong hid during the War. It is now a popular spot for both Vietnamese & foreign tourists - the network of over 200km of tunnels became legendary when they played a vital role in the War. In their heyday, the tunnels were functioning underground cities including numerous trap doors, specially constructed living areas, storage facilities, weapons factories, field hospitals, command centers & kitchens. There is plenty of evidence of the fierce battle that took place here during the 1960s when Cu Chi was a "Free Target Zone". Visitors can watch a short introductory video showing how the tunnels were constructed before entering the tunnels. Spend the next hour exploring the tunnels. Afterwards, enjoy tea, cassava (guerrilla-warriors’ food in war time).

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

Today, we stop over at Thien Hau temple, a 150 year old Chinese Temple, followed by the remarkable site of the War Remnants Museum & XQ embroidery workshop. Visit to Ben Thanh Market, time for shopping.

After lunch, we transfer to Tan Son Nhat Airport for your flight to Siem Reap. Afternoon, you'll then have dinner at a local restaurant.

Overnight in Siem Reap.

Begin your day exploring the ancient ruins of Angkor Thom, known for its colossal stone-carved faces. Discover its famous Bayon temple, Baphoun; Phimeanakas, the Royal Palace, the Elephant Terrace and the Leper King Terrace. Next, explore the famous Angkor Wat, the world’s largest religious building and the symbol of Cambodia. Stand before the stone carvings and bas-reliefs that adorn the complex, the magnificent remains of the Khmer Empire. Remain until evening for an opportunity to see a spectacular sunset over the monuments. Dinner this evening is accompanied by an Apsara show.

Overnight in Siem Reap.

Set out to see three impressive Hindu temples: the towering 11th-century pyramid-shaped Temple of Shiva; Banteay Srei Temple with its remarkably intricate carvings; and the well-preserved Banteay Samre Temple.

In the afternoon, spend time at a local monastery where you’ll meet the monks who reside there and participate in a private blessing ceremony. Then we continue to the mystical Buddhist temple Ta Prohm, overgrown by the creeping jungle.

Then you will take your time for shopping at Old Market or discovery at art school "Artisan d'Angkor". 

Overnight in Siem Reap.

In the afternoon, you will be out for a visit by boat, you will discover the great lake "Tonle Sap": real Interior Ocean where there are a lot of fish which exported by the multiple villages of fishermen who you have got the occasion to approach. The rest of the day is at leisure until a farewell dinner.

End of tour and welcome back.