Vietnam & Cambodia Encounters

Upon arrival our staff will meet you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel in Hanoi for the start of your trip.

Today you will take a tour of the Ho Chi Minh complex in Hanoi, including the Mausoleum, his former stilt-house residence, the Presidential Palace and the Temple of Literature - Vietnam’s first university dating back to 1070. We then take a one-hour cyclo tour through the narrow, chaotic streets of the Old Quarter - a must for any visitor to Hanoi! In the evening we enjoy a guided street food tasting tour through the Old Quarter. Please note: the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is closed from 1st October to 30th November (approx.) for annual conservation.

At around 8 am start your journey to Halong Bay and arrive at around midday to board a traditional junk for an overnight cruise. Halong Bay is widely considered to be one of the natural wonders of the world. Thousands of towering pillars of sea and wind wind-carved limestone karst make the bay an unforgettable and iconic sight. After lunch, explore some of the huge limestone caves dotted around the bay and visit a floating fishing village. Then the captain will find a secluded spot where you can swim, soak up the sun on the top deck, or try your hand at kayaking. In the evening enjoy a seafood feast for dinner.

Enjoy an early morning swim (during the summer), followed by breakfast as you cruise through more spectacular scenery. In the afternoon drive back to Hanoi for your overnight train to Hue. You may have a few hours in Hanoi before the train departs. We recommend that you take time to get a good meal before transferring to the train station.

Upon arrival in Hue you are met and transferred to your hotel. Early check in is subject to availability but breakfast is included. Today enjoy a private tour of this beautiful city which is rich in history, culture and ancient temples. Spend the day exploring the Citadel, which is now a UNESCO World Heritage site, before relaxing on a sunset cruise on the Perfume River

Drive south along a beautiful stretch of coastline and over the scenic Hai Van Pass, to the picturesque riverside community of Hoi An. On arrival, enjoy a walking tour of this charming traditional town now listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. From the 16th to 18th centuries, Hoi An was a thriving international commercial port for Chinese, Dutch, French, Japanese, Portuguese and Arab merchants. Today, it remains a quaint riverside town, renowned for its silk and popular with tourists for its eclectic architecture, tailors shops and numerous cafes. Some of the buildings in the narrow streets have remained unchanged for more than a century and much of the town is now heritage-listed.

Tra Que is a charming little village on the edge of Hoi An town. The village is particularly famous for its sweet scented green vegetables that spice up the famous Cao Lau and Quang noodle dishes that Hoi An locals favour. Upon visiting the village you will have the chance to discover the art of cultivating the plants and have the opportunity to take part in a fun cooking class, where you can learn how to prepare some local dishes. Ride a bicycle to a local farm in Tra Que village, where you will be introduced to the history of the village and the cultivation of the vegetables. You will also discover how some of the crops are used in traditional Vietnamese medicine. As you visit the surrounding vegetable gardens you will join the farmers in preparing the land and fertilizing it with seaweed. You will have the chance to participate in activities such as raking the ground, sowing, watering and picking the greens. Spend the rest of the morning working the land in the time honoured way, before breaking for lunch with a local family. Your lunch will consist of many local delicacies including ‘tam huu’ spring rolls and banh xeo, which is a local pancake dish that is popular in central Vietnam. After your lunch and the exertions of the morning, take a traditional Vietnamese post-prandial nap. At around 3:00pm, bid farewell to your host family before heading back to Hoi An. On the return journey you will stop at Nhat tomb and Ba Le Well. Arrive back in Hoi An town at around 4:00pm.

Fly to Ho Chi Minh City and spend the afternoon on a guided tour of the highlights of this bustling, cosmopolitan city. In the evening, you may like to enjoy a fun cooking class or take a cruise down the Saigon River, complete with local entertainment and a fantastic traditional and international buffet dinner.

The morning begins with a drive through the Mekong Delta to the town of Cai Be, famous for its floating markets. After touring the markets, board a private boat and cruise along the maze of waterways and canals to Vinh Long. Here, feast at the home of a Bonsai gardener for a sumptuous Delta lunch, including the popular 'Elephant ear fish', before continuing to explore the tributaries and canals of the Delta. Towards the end of the day, arrive at the home of a local family. The evening is spent with the family, learning about life in the Delta.

Rising to the sounds of life on the Delta, have an early breakfast before boarding a riverboat to cruise to Vinh Long town, stopping along the way to visit local cottage industries. Then, transfer by vehicle to the town of My Tho to visit the Vinh Trang pagoda, before returning to Ho Chi Minh City.

Drive from Saigon to Phnomh Penh.

The first full day of our Cambodia tour starts with a city tour of Phnom Penh. After breakfast, we’ll head out to the Toul Sleng Prison Museum and the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek. Whilst they may be grim reminder of Cambodia’s troubled past, these sites play an important role in the country’s cultural and historical standing. Later in the day, we’ll make our way to the Royal Palace, constructed in 1866 by King Norodom. We’ll also visit the Silver Pagoda, situated within the grounds of the Royal Palace and is made famous by its floor of 5000 silver tiles. It’s also home to a life-sized Buddha that has been decorated using 9584 diamonds. One of the diamonds weighs approximately 25 carats. Our next stop is a visit to the National Museum which was designed in Khmer style by a French archaeologist and painter, Georges Groslier, in 1917. The museum, also known as Musee des Beaux-Arts, boasts an excellent collection of Khmer art created throughout the ages. We’ll overnight at our hotel in Phnom Penh.

After a busy day in Phnom Penh, we start our day with a hearty breakfast before we head north-west through the countryside to the busy town of Siem Reap - the gateway to the ruins of Angkor - which once served as the seat of the Khmer Kingdom from the 9th to the 15th century. En-route, we’ll make a pit-stop at the Skoun District, visiting a spider market, where you can taste the local delicacy of fried spiders - if you’re brave enough. We’ll also head to the Santuk District to a stone carving workshop before we make our way to the ancient Naga Bridge. Upon arrival in Siem Reap, we’ll make our way to the statue of Yeay Teap as well as the Preah Ang Chek and Preah Ang Chorm Shrine. These shrines are said to bring good luck when worshipped and the locals believe that they protect the entire town. The next stop on our Cambodia tour is a visit to the Psar Chars, also known as the ‘Old Market’ which sells a host of souvenirs such as T-shirts, silverware, silk, wood and stone carvings. It’s also a great place to try some of Cambodia’s unique cuisine. After spending time at the market, we’ll head up into the picturesque scenery of the Kulen Mountains, where we’ll take a short walk through the forest to our home-stay accommodation for the night, situated in a local village.

We’ll start our day with a tasty breakfast with our host family, before exploring the forest trails of Kulen in search of the life-sized elephant statue, as well as smaller statues of lions, a cow and a frog. We’ll make our way to a waterfall, where we’ll enjoy a picnic, before we continue our journey through the forest to the reclining Buddha statue in Wat Preah Ang Thom, which is etched into a massive sandstone boulder. We’ll then continue our walk until we reach a rock plateau, which provides us with breathtaking views of Kulen Mountain and the plains below it, before we stop at another waterfall, where we can swim it's cool waters. Finally we’ll return to Siem Reap and check in to our hotel for the evening.

Today, we’ll be exploring Angkor, journeying through its ancient ruins such as the South Gate of Angkor Thom, renowned around the world for its massive human faces carved in stone, the imposing Bayon Temple, the Elephant Terrace, the Terrace of the Leper. The Royal Enclosure as well as the largest temple of Angkor Wat, constructed in the 12th century. We’ll spend some time browsing around this towering edifice, which houses galleries, libraries, courtyards and pavilions. While we’re here, we’ll also make our way through the incredible temple of Ta Prohm, which has been embraced by the jungle which surrounds it. After a busy day of exploring, tonight we’ll visit one of Siem Reap’s most popular nightlife hubs - Pub Street Siem Reap - which hosts a number of backpacker-friendly bars and pubs, cafes and a variety of unique restaurants to dine at. We’ll overnight in Siem Reap.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end! We’ll transport you to the airport to catch your flight back home, but if you have a late flight, we have a wide range of additional day tours to enjoy, which includes a cooking class, a cycling tour of temples we didn’t visit during the tour a visit to the floating houses on the Tonle Sap Lake. If you’d like to extend your stay in Siem Reap, contact us and we’ll gladly arrange that for you.