Vietnam & Cambodia Highlights – 12 Days / 11 Nights

DAY 1: ARRIVAL IN HA NOI

Arrival at Hanoi Airport. Your guide and driver will transfer you to your hotel in the city center.
Overnight in Hanoi.

DAY 2: HANOI AND STREET FOOD TOUR (B/-/D)

After breakfast at the hotel, meet your local guide at 08:30 and start your city tour with a visit to the Temple of Literature, Vietnam’s first university. Its well-preserved architecture and tranquil gardens offer intriguing glimpses into Vietnam’s past.
Continue to Ba Dinh Square, where you can see the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, National Assembly, and Presidential Palace from the outside. Later on, visit the Vietnamese Women’s Museum, where you can learn about traditional culture, marriage customs, childbirth, family life, and women’s role in defending the nation.
In the late afternoon, take a walk around the Old Quarter, named after the original 36 artisan guilds that date back to the 13th century, then stroll around the Hoan Kiem Lake area to admire Hanoi’s busy traffic and taste a wide variety of authentic street food.
Wander around Hang Be Market to enjoy the sights, sounds, and aromas of hundreds of kinds of food. Your tour guide will explain ingredients and the history behind popular northern dishes—you eat as you go, trying seasonal fruits.
As an appetizer, tempt your tastebuds with the famed Hanoi dish Nom bo kho (green papaya salad with dried beef). Then stop to taste a Banh My (short baguette with meat, pickled and fresh herbs and vegetables), followed by a typical Vietnamese dessert: Hoa qua dam (fresh fruit with condensed milk) or Che (sweet soup made from beans or lotus seeds).
After dinner, try a glass of Bia Hoi (local draft beer) at a small corner on Ta Hien and Luong Ngoc Quyen streets and watch local life. If you prefer, head to a local coffee shop for egg coffee, a city specialty. Return to your hotel around 21:00.
Overnight in Hanoi.

DAY 3: HANOI – HA LONG – LAN HA BAY (B/L/D)

After breakfast, depart at 08:30 through the Red River Delta to Tuan Chau Pier, where you board your selected cruise for an overnight stay on Lan Ha Bay. Lunch is served while the vessel cruises among thousands of limestone islets rising from emerald water.
Join activities such as kayaking or swimming, or relax on the sun deck and enjoy the scenery of this UNESCO World Heritage Site. Dinner with fresh seafood and overnight on the cruise.
Alternatively, depart for Ha Long International Port to board a selected cruise for your overnight on pristine Bai Tu Long Bay. After the safety briefing, lunch is served while cruising past limestone islets. Activities include kayaking, cave exploring, and floating village visits, or simply relaxing on the sun deck. Dinner and overnight on the cruise.
The itinerary is subject to change without prior notice due to weather and operating conditions.

DAY 4: HA LONG – HA NOI – FLIGHT TO DA NANG – HOI AN (B/BRUNCH/-)

Enjoy a beautiful sunrise over the bay, followed by a light breakfast. Then enjoy brunch on board as the cruise sails back to the pier, with limestone rock formations gliding by.
Upon disembarkation, your driver will transfer you to Noi Bai Domestic Airport for a short flight to Da Nang. Upon arrival, your driver will transfer you to Hoi An.
Overnight in Hoi An.

DAY 5: HOI AN – BIKING AND WALKING TOUR (B/-/-)

This morning, depart at 08:30 for a cycling tour. Head off to Kim Bong village, known for wood carving. Initially, artisans inherited techniques from northern Vietnam; later, through trade, they adopted Chinese and Japanese know-how and developed their own style. Walk the village to understand daily life and visit a carpenter’s workshop to admire their craft.
Continue on trails to Tra Nhieu village. Immerse yourself in the countryside with stops at local families. From Tra Nhieu, set off on a boat trip on the Thu Bon River to Cam Thanh village. Along the way, fishing farms and water palm trees line the banks. On arrival in Cam Thanh, rest at a local fisherman’s house (Mr. Phong) for green tea and a herbal foot massage. Join a simple cooking session to prepare specialties such as crispy Vietnamese pancakes and Tam Huu, and enjoy your lunch.
In the afternoon, embark on a small round bamboo basket boat through the water palm forest. Transfer back to Hoi An Ancient Town for a pleasant walk through its narrow streets. Stop by the Japanese Covered Bridge, a Chinese communal hall, and former merchant houses. Free time to relax and shop.
Overnight in Hoi An.

DAY 6: HOI AN – HUE (B/-/-)

At 08:30, leave Hoi An for Hue on a scenic drive via Lang Co fishing village and the spectacular Hai Van Pass. Before reaching the city center, visit Tu Duc’s Mausoleum, one of the most beautiful royal tombs of the Nguyen dynasty, with unique architecture harmonizing with nature. Visit nearby Thuy Xuan incense-making village, famed for aloeswood fragrance and colorful bamboo incense bouquets sun-dried along village roads.
Continue to Khai Dinh Emperor’s Mausoleum, where Nguyen-era architecture blends with European touches, making it distinct from other tombs in Hue.
Overnight in Hue.

DAY 7: HUE – FLIGHT TO HO CHI MINH CITY (B/-/-)

Start your day with the Imperial Citadel, seat of the Nguyen emperors, inspired by Vauban fortifications and composed of Kinh Thanh (capital), Hoang Thanh (imperial city), and Cam Thanh (forbidden city). Continue to the riverside Thien Mu Pagoda, easily recognizable by its octagonal tower.
Transfer to the airport for your short flight to Ho Chi Minh City. On arrival, your guide and driver will transfer you to your hotel in the city center.
Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

DAY 8: HO CHI MINH CITY – BEN TRE – HO CHI MINH CITY (B/L/-)

Depart at 08:00 for Ben Tre, the coconut kingdom of the Mekong Delta. Arrive at Ham Luong Pier and board a boat to explore local life and family-owned businesses along the Ben Tre River, a Mekong tributary. Stop at a brick kiln to learn traditional methods, then visit coconut workshops to see how shell, meat, and water become milk, candy, oil, mats, and charcoal.
Next, visit a sleeping-mat workshop to learn hand-weaving and enjoy fresh fruits and tea. Later, take a xe lôi (motor cart) or bicycle along shady countryside paths past rice fields and vegetable plots. Lunch at a local restaurant with specialties such as elephant-ear fish and river shrimp.
In the afternoon, take a rowing boat on narrow canals shaded by wild coconut palms to Hung Vuong Pier, then drive back to Ho Chi Minh City.
Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

DAY 9: HO CHI MINH CITY – FLIGHT TO SIEM REAP (B/-/-)

Explore colorful Chinatown (District 5): visit Ha Chuong Assembly Hall (Fujian architecture) and Phung Hung Market, known for fresh food stalls and varied goods. Don’t miss “racket coffee” at Ba Lù Café, a Saigon classic. Visit the Saigon Central Post Office and the historic Saigon Opera House, then stroll Nguyen Hue and Dong Khoi streets.
Transfer to the airport and fly to Siem Reap. On arrival, your guide and driver will transfer you to your hotel in the city center.
Overnight in Siem Reap.

DAY 10: SIEM REAP (B/-/-)

After breakfast, head off at 08:30 to visit the antique capital of Angkor Thom: the South Gate with giant statues depicting the churning of the ocean of milk; Bayon Temple with its 54 towers and 200+ smiling faces of Avalokitesvara; Phimeanakas; the Royal Enclosure; the Elephants Terrace; and the Terrace of the Leper King.
In the afternoon, drive to Banteay Srei, beloved for its compact size, superb preservation, and exquisite pink-sandstone carvings. Continue to Banteay Samre (12th century), a central temple with four wings, a hall, and two libraries—the southern example is particularly well preserved. Stop at Pradark Village to see palm-sugar making.
Overnight in Siem Reap.

DAY 11: SIEM REAP (B/-/-)

After breakfast, depart at 08:30 to explore iconic Angkor Wat. Covering 81 hectares, it rivals Beijing’s Imperial Palace in size. Its five towers adorn the Cambodian flag; this 12th-century masterpiece is the prime example of classical Khmer art and architecture.
Continue to the jungle temple of Ta Prohm, embraced by enormous fig roots and famous as a filming location for Tomb Raider.
Optional (evening): the Phare Cambodian Circus, Siem Reap’s unique and top-rated show blending theater, music, dance, and modern circus arts.
Overnight in Siem Reap.

DAY 12: SIEM REAP – DEPARTURE FLIGHT (B/-/-)

In the morning, enjoy a boat ride on Tonle Sap Lake, Southeast Asia’s largest freshwater lake. Board a local boat to visit Kampong Phluk, where houses on stilts rise above seasonal floodwaters. Pass floating houses and flooded forests for a vivid portrait of life on the water.
Free time until your transfer to the airport for your departure flight.