Vietnam – Cambodia border crossing 21 days

Arrive at Noi Bai international airport. Visa arrangements. Welcome by your local tour guide and driver. Transfer to your hotel in the city center. Take an orientation tour on the cyclos (if time permits). Welcome dinner. Overnight at your chosen hotel in Hanoi.

Breakfast at the hotel. Visit Ho Chi Minh Complex, containing the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the Presidential Palace, Ho Chi Minh’s house on stilts and the One Pillar Pagoda. Continue on to the Temple of Literature, Vietnam’s first university. Lunch at a local restaurant. In the afternoon, visit the Hoan Kiem lake, Ngoc Son temple, Tran Quoc pagoda and Quan Thanh temple. Cyclo ride around the old quarter streets from Hang Dau to Hang Gai. Dinner on guest’s account. Transfer to train station for departure to Sapa on the night train (21:00 – 05:00). Overnight in an air-conditioned soft sleeper cabin.

Arrive at Lao Cai station at 5:00am. Pick up at Lao Cai Station, then transfer to Sapa. Have breakfast and a shower in the hotel before the trip starts. Trek down to Lao Chai village to visit the Tay and Day tribes. Have a picnic lunch;then keep going along the Sapa valley to Ta Van village, which is renowned for its beauty. Return to Sapa. Dinner on guest’s account. Overnight at your chosen hotel in Sapa.

Breakfast at the hotel before travelling to Giang Ta Chai village of the Red Zdao tribe where you will have lunch. After lunch, check out and leave your luggage in the hotel, then head down to Cat Cat and Sin Chai villages of Black H’Mong tribe. Enjoy the waterfall in Cat Cat and admire the beautiful scenery along the way. Dinner on guest’s account. Transfer to Lao Cai for the overnight train back to Hanoi. Overnight in an air-conditioned soft sleeper cabin.

Arrive in Hanoi around 5:00 am. Pick up at the railway station. Transfer to a restaurant for breakfast. Then leave for Ha Long Bay. Arrive at Ha Long Bay and board the Huong Hai junk. Have lunch, then visit Ha Long Bay, Thien Cung cave, Dau Go cave, Tuan Chau island, Dog island, Sail island and Ti Top Beach. Have dinner on the junk whilst you watch the sunset. Drinks and overnight stay on the junk. (Optional: Kayaking).

Have breakfast. Visit Man’s Head island, Tortoise island, Toad island and Bai Tho mountain. Return and have lunch on the junk. Return to Ha Long wharf. Coach trip back to Hanoi. Dinner on guest’s account. Overnight at your chosen hotel in Hanoi.

Breakfast at the hotel. Free for shopping until transfer to Noi Bai airport for boarding flight VN 245 to Hue (12:40 – 13:50). Pick up and transfer to hotel. In the afternoon, visit Dong Ba market, the Imperial Citadel from where the Nguyen Dynasty ruled between 1802 and 1945, and the ruins of the Purple Forbidden City. Enjoy a dinner cruise on the Perfume River to the accompaniment of Hue folk songs. Overnight at your chosen hotel in Hue.

Breakfast at the hotel. Take a morning cruise on the Perfume River to visit the royal tomb of Emperor Tu Duc, Thien Mu pagoda and the mausoleum of Emperor Minh Mang, in a setting of gardens and lakes. Free in the afternoon. Dinner on guest’s account. Overnight at your chosen hotel in Hue.

Breakfast at the hotel. In the morning, drive toward Hoi An (about 4 hours). Drive along Lang Co beach and through Hai Wan Pass to Da Nang City. Continue to Hoi An, which was originally a Cham seaport influenced down the centuries by traders from various cultures. On the way, stop at the Marble Mountains. The charm of Hoi An makes it one of the most delightful places to visit in Vietnam. Dinner on guest’s account. Overnight at your chosen hotel.

Have an early breakfast at the hotel prior to visiting the morning market. Afterwards, stroll around the town, visit the Japanese Covered Bridge, the Pottery Museum, Tan Ky old house, the Cantonese congregation, the silk street of Hoi An and the Danang-style temples and pagodas. In the afternoon, visit Myson holy land. Return to Hoi An. Dinner on guest’s account. Overnight at your chosen hotel..

Breakfast at the hotel. Free for shopping in Hoi An. Depart for Danang for a visit of Cham Museum, home to Vietnam’s largest collection of Cham treasures. Lunch at a local restaurant before transferring to Da Nang airport for boarding flight No VN 337 to Nha Trang (14:10 – 15:30). Pick up at Cam Ranh airport and transfer to hotel. Free time for beach activities. Overnight at your chosen hotel in Nha Trang.

Breakfast at the hotel. Take the morning boat trip to visit the Tri Nguyen Aquarium, the off shore islands around Nha Trang including Mun Mot island. Free time for swimming and beach activities. Enjoy a fresh seafood lunch on Tam island. Return to Nha Trang. Dinner on guest’s account. Overnight at your chosen hotel in Nha Trang.

Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to Cam Ranh airport for boarding flight No 451 to Ho Chi Minh City (8:15 – 9:30). Pick up and transfer to hotel. Take a sightseeing tour of the Reunification Palace, which was the former residence of the President of South Vietnam until end of the war in April 1975, and some impressive French colonial structures including Notre Dame Cathedral and the Old Central Post Office. Tour of Danang town and Tien Hau and Quan Am pagodas. After seeing the Emperor Jade Pagoda and the War Remnants Museum, we end the city tour at Ben Thanh market where anything and everything is for sale. Dinner on guest’s account. Overnight at your chosen hotel in Ho Chi Minh city.

Breakfast at the hotel. Drive west to Tay Ninh, headquarters of Cao Dai region. On arrival, attend the fantastic mid-day temple service when followers fill the hall wearing colored robes, a symbol of the curious combination of Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism. On the way back, visit the Cu Chi Tunnels, an underground network of tunnels constructed by Vietnamese fighters during the struggle for independence. The tunnels contained hospitals, accommodation, etc. and were used as a military base for the Vietcong during the American war. Drive back to HCMC. Dinner on guest’s account. Overnight at your chosen hotel in Ho Chi Minh city..

Breakfast at the hotel. Pick up at hotel. Depart for My Tho. Take a boat ride through the Bao Dinh natural canal, view the stilt houses and the fruit plantation along the river bank. Visit the My Tho wholesale fruit market. Proceed to Tortoise island and have lunch in the orchard. Enjoy a boat ride through Tan Thach natural canal in Ben Tre, cruising under the shadow of the water coconut trees. Visit a family business which epitomizes the idyllic rural lifestyle. After trekking through the fruit plantation in Thoi Son island, enjoy a rowing boat ride along the creeks before returning to My Tho by motorised boat. Proceed to Can Tho via Vinh Long and visit the snake market. Check in at hotel. Dinner on guest’s account. Overnight at your chosen hotel in Can Tho.

Breakfast at the hotel. Take a boat trip to explore the picturesque tributaries of the Lower Mekong river (the Bassac river) and visit the Cai Rang and Phong Dien floating markets, which are the best in the region. You will have probably tried Vietnamese vermicelli soup, so now go and see how it is made. Then wander through the village and meet the local people. Learn how to cross the “monkey bridge” which is built from a single bamboo. Stop for lunch. Proceed to Chau Doc via Long Xuyen to visit the Thot Not Bird Sanctuary. Check in at hotel on arrival in Chau Doc. Admire the landscape from the Sam Mountain summit down the Vietnamese – Cambodian border and visit the carved pagoda. Dinner on guest’s account. Overnight at your chosen hotel in Chau Doc.

Breakfast at the hotel. Then take a rowing boat trip through the floating village to visit a fish farm to see how the inhabitants of the Mekong Delta raise fish. Visit a traditional Cham weaving village. Transfer to a speed boat for the journey to Phnom Penh. Arrive at Sisowath tourist dock in Phnom Penh at around 2pm. Pick up and transfer to your hotel. In the afternoon, take an orientation tour along the riverside and the renowned Wat Phnom. Dinner on guest’s account. Overnight at your chosen hotel in Phnom Penh.

Breakfast at the hotel. Go on a City Tour to visit the National Museum of Khmer Art and the Silver Pagoda, in the grounds of the Royal Palace. Afternoon visit to Toul Sleng Museum and the renowned Central Market. Lunch at a local restaurant. Transfer to Pochentong airport for boarding the late afternoon flight FT 996 to Siem Reap (18:20 – 19:15). Pick up and transfer to your hotel. Dinner on guest’s account. Overnight at your chosen hotel in Siem Reap.

Breakfast at the hotel. Visit Prasat Ravan, Banteay Dei, Srah Srang, Ta Prohm, Takeo, Thommanon, Chau Say and Tevoda. Tour the magical temple city of Angkor Wat, known locally as the Seventh Wonder of the World. View the sunset at Pnom Bakheng. Dinner on guest’s account. Overnight at your chosen hotel in Siem Reap.

View the sunrise at Angkor Wat. Transfer to hotel for breakfast. Then visit the South Gate of Angkor Thom, Bayon, Baphoun, the Terrace of the Elephants and the Terrace of the Leper King. In the afternoon, visit the Grand Circuit, including Pre Rup, East Mebon, Ta Som, Neak Pean, Preah Khan, Baksei Chamkrong and the South Gate of Angkor Thom. Dinner on guest’s account. Overnight at your chosen hotel in Siem Reap.

Breakfast at the hotel. Free for your own activities until transfer to Siem Reap airport for boarding flights to Bangkok or Ho Chi Minh City. End of services. Finish your Vietnam Cambodia tour