12 Days Spirit Of Vietnam and Cambodia

As the sun sets over the vast temple network of Angkor Wat, find a place in the ancient maze and soak up all the serene magic of this spiritual land.

You’ll visit all the beauty and warmth of this peaceful place incarnate in the Cambodian people when you spend time exploring captivating Siem Reap. It’s also interesting in neighboring Vietnam where you’ll tour Hanoi’s Ngoc Son Temple by cyclo and vibrant local markets; take an overnight cruise of the stunning Ha Long Bay, hands-on cultural experiences including cooking classes, Tai Chi at dawn; wonder the historic town of Hoi An and its lush green valleys dotted with red brick towers dating back to the 7th century; specially experience the horror of the Vietnam War in the vast underground labyrinthine known as the Cu Chi Tunnels in Ho Chi Minh City.

This trip brings you a collection of highlight major attractive sites of the both countries that will impress even the most discerning traveler.
After the tour, if you have more time you can also book with us an extension Beach tour to Sihanoukville by car from Siem Reap or by direct flight back to Phu Quoc Island or relax on Phan Thiet Beach in Vietnam

DAY1: Hanoi Arrival (Meals:No)

DAY 2: Hanoi Full Day City Tour (Meals:B)

DAY 3: Hanoi - Halong Bay Over Night On Boat (Meals:B,L,D)

DAY 4 :Halong bay - Hanoi - Da Nang - Hoi An (Meals: Brunch)

DAY 5: Hoi An City Tour - Kim Bong Village (Meals: B)

DAY 6: Hoi An - Da Nang - Ho Chi Minh Half Day City Tour (Meals:B) 

DAY 7: Ho Chi Minh City Tour & Cu Chi Tunnels (Meals:B)

DAY 8: Ho Chi Minh - Full Day Mekong Delta (My Tho) (Meals:B)

DAY 9 :Ho Chi Minh - Siem Reap (Meals: B)

DAY 10:  Siem Reap - Angkor Thom - Angkor Wat (Meals: B)

DAY 11: Full Day Beng Mealea And Banteay Srei (Meals: B)

DAY 12: Siem Reap Departure (Meals:B)

DAY1: Hanoi Arrival (Meals:No)

Arrive at Noi Bai International Airport, meet your driver for an airport transfer with a private vehicle and English speaking guide. The driving distance is approximately 45 minutes.
Your visa should be pre-arranged, or be sure that your visa-on-arrival letter is in your carry-on luggage. Please go to custom desk as your first point of entry into the country and present these documents for visa upon arrival.
Hanoi or “River-bound City” as its name literally means is Vietnam’s capital with a thousand-year-old history dating back to 1010. The city’s fascinating beauty which is characterized by unique cultural relics, ancient streets of antique houses, elegant French colonial buildings, tree-lined boulevards and romantic lakes has made it one of the most charming cities of Asia.

DAY 2: Hanoi Full Day City Tour (Meals:B)

The city tour begins with a visit to the Ho Chi Minh Complex which features the life of Ho Chi Minh, the nation’s founder. At the complex, visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, where the nation’s founder’s body is preserved (closed on Monday, Friday and through October - November), the colonial Presidential Palace, originally the French Governor Office and a fine example of French architecture in Hanoi, and the rural style Ho Chi Minh’s house on stilts where Ho Chi Minh lived and worked. Stop by one of Hanoi’s icons, the One Pillar Pagoda, built in the 11th Century in dedication to Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara or Buddha of Compassion and reminiscent of a lotus blossom rising from a pond. Continue to the Temple of Literature, known as the first university of Vietnam built in 1070 by the Ly Dynasty to honor Confucius, sages and outstanding Vietnamese scholars.
Afternoon, continue the tour to one of the following museums of choice namely the Museum of Fine Arts, the National Museum of Vietnamese History, the Museum of Revolution, the Museum of Military History or the Museum of Ethnology. Next, head for Hoan Kiem Lake, the center point of Hanoi whose name “The Return Sword Lake” originated from a legend of a sacred sword and home to a rare endangered giant turtle species and visit Ngoc Son Temple on the lake. Take a one-hour cyclo tour of the Old Quarter of Hanoi with its ancient streets representing traditional trades from the past. Finish the tour at the Thang Long Opera Theatre with a traditional Vietnamese water puppet show.

DAY 3: Hanoi - Halong Bay Over Night On Boat (Meals:B,L,D)

Morning pickup at 8:00 AM from your hotel for transfer to Ha Long Bay, which is about 160 km or 3.5-hour drive away. The transfer is approximately 3 hours. You will see some rural areas of the Red River Delta with plenty of chances to take photos of Vietnamese farmers working in paddy fields and you may stop on the way to admire the local scenery.

Arrive in Ha Long City at 11:30 AM and check in aboard the booked junk right after the welcome drink is served. Start cruising while having lunch on board and enjoy the mighty bay view.

Arrive in Ha Long City at 11:30 AM and check in aboard the booked junk when your journey across Ha Long Bay starts. Ha Long Bay meaning Descending Dragon Bay in Vietnamese as legend has it that it was where a holly dragon landed down from sky. The bay, famous as one of the world’s wonders and heritage sites whose formation dates back 500 million years, consists of around 2,000 karst islands and islets scattered over an area of 1,553 km2.

After lunch, take a short trek to a nearby summit for a panoramic view of the bay dotted with golden sails, go swimming on a quiet beach or sunbath on the sundeck. Later in the afternoon, you will visit an interesting fishing village with an opportunity to interact with local people who have been living in the bay for almost three generations. An optional kayaking trip is available weather permitting. Back onboard enjoy a lavish dinner and enjoy the bay view at sunset. Spend a night on board.

DAY 4 :Halong bay - Hanoi - Da Nang - Hoi An (Meals: Brunch)

In the morning, refresh your body and mind with a Tai Chi exercise on the sundeck at the break of dawn. Have tea and coffee onboard and continue exploring Ha Long Bay sailing across its 2000 islets and visiting some of its major highlights. Normally, check out at 09:30, have a buffet brunch while cruising back to shore. Disembark at 11:00 AM to transfer to Hanoi capital.
Free at leisure until meet our guide then transfer to airport for flight to Da Nang. Flight time is approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes
Arrival Da Nang airport, you are transferred to Hoi An ancient town by private car & guide. The transfer from Da Nang to Hoi An is approximately 40 minutes.

DAY 5: Hoi An City Tour - Kim Bong Village (Meals: B)

In the morning, you will meet your private guide at your hotel who will take you to visit the town. Once a bustling maritime commercial port of Asia between 15th and 19th centuries, Hoi An, recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, is now a peaceful town of exceptionally well-preserved architecture, lifestyles and traditions. The town exemplifies a fascinating fusion of cultures between Vietnam and the outside world including China, Japan, Thailand and the Philippines. Your sightseeing will include the iconic 400-year-old Covered Bridge with a small temple attached to one side as a prominent example of Japanese architecture, the Museum of Trade Ceramics which is an elegant Vietnamese style wooden house built in 1858 showcasing antique ceramic artifacts, the 200-year-old Tan Ky House typifying an ancient Chinese merchant residence, the Ong Temple built in 1653 by Chinese settlers to worship Guan Yu, an ancient Chinese general whose character stands for loyalty, bravery and justice and the local market vibrant with colors and activities.

In the afternoon, continue to The village Craft Centre and workshops showcases craft items and the painstaking process by which they are produced, using specialist tools and techniques passed down since the 15th century when Hoi An flourished as a major sea port. The workshops today make hand crafted furniture and sculptures as well as a range of tempting souvenirs, some of which are exported a field as Europe and North America. Kim Bong craftsmen made a vital contribution to the recent restoration of historic buildings after Hoi An was declared a World Heritage Site in 1999. Moreover, they have been encouraged and rewarded by UNESCO for their preservation efforts.

DAY 6: Hoi An - Da Nang - Ho Chi Minh Half Day City Tour (Meals:B) 

Morning, transfer to Da Nang airport for flight to Ho Chi Minh City
Flight time is approximately 1.5 hours.
Meet your driver for an airport transfer with a private vehicle and guide. The transfer distance is approximately 30 minutes
Afternoon, we start the tour with a visit to the War Remnants Museum which features a comprehensive collection of the machinery, weapons, photos, and documentation of Vietnam War with the both the French and Americans and the Reunification Palace which was the former residence of the President of South Vietnam until end of April 1975. Last, stop for shopping at the French-built Ben Thanh Market which dates back to 1870 and whose main entrance clock tower has become a city’s symbol.

DAY 7: Ho Chi Minh City Tour & Cu Chi Tunnels (Meals:B)

Morning, meet your guide and transfer about 75 km North-west of downtown Ho Chi Minh City. Discover the famous Cu Chi Tunnels, which were once a major underground hideout and resistance base of Viet Cong forces during the two wars against the French and the Americans. The tunnels, entirely hand-dug, formed a highly intricate network of interlinked multilevel passageways at times stretched as far as the Cambodian border and totaling over 120 km in length. Its complexity was beyond imagination containing meeting rooms, kitchens, wells, clinics, schools, depots, trenches and emergency exits all aimed for guerrilla warfare. The tunnels were deep and strong enough to withstand destructive bombings and self-contained enough to outlast prolonged sieges. Return to the city at noon time for a rest.
Afternoon, tour in the city starting with Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica, a neo-Roman cathedral built over 130 years ago by the colonial French with materials entirely imported from Marseilles and stained-glass windows from Chartres. Next, visit Sai Gon Post Office, a fine colonial building which was designed and built in the early 20th Century by the famous French architect Gustave Eiffel. Move on to Cho Lon or the city’s China Town where you will visit the Jade Emperor Temple (Phuoc Hai), a rare Taoist structure in Vietnam built in 1909 in dedication to the Lord of Heaven. It’s filled with smoky incense and fantastic carved figurines and still buzzing with worshipers, many lounging in the front gardens.

DAY 8: Ho Chi Minh - Full Day Mekong Delta (My Tho) (Meals:B)

Today, you will be picked up and travel past miles of flat rice fields, along a bustling road to the Mekong Delta, the world’s largest delta and Vietnam's largest rice bowl.
On arrival in My Tho City, board a motorboat and navigate through intricate canals while observing the local daily life up close as well as the landscape of waterways and lush islands. Land on Thoi Son Island where you can listen to Southern traditional music performed by native artists. Next, you will change to a paddle boat to cruise through the narrow canals and visit households with traditional occupations of home-based coconut candy and rice-wine making. Continue travel by motorized boat to another island to visit a bee farm and taste tea with fresh honey from the beehives and enjoy fresh fruits. On the return to My Tho, stop to visit the Vinh Trang Pagoda, a prominent local Buddhist structure built in 1850 with a unique architectural mixture of Vietnamese, Roman, Chinese and Cambodian styles characterized by a highly ornate façade. You might enjoy a lovely lunch at a local Vietnamese restaurant. At the end of the tour, you will find the way back to Ho Chi Minh.

DAY 9 :Ho Chi Minh - Siem Reap (Meals: B)

Meet your driver for an airport transfer with a private vehicle and guide.
Fly from Ho Chi Minh City to Siem Reap. Flight time is approximately 1 hour.
On arrival at Siem Reap international airport, welcomed by our guide and transferred to your hotel for check in and has a rest.
Afternoon time, starting of tours to exploring the floating village of Chong Khneas, located 10 kilometers south of Siem Reap. Take a traditional wooden boat for a ride on the Tonle Sap Lake, the "Great Lake" of Cambodia, one of the largest in Asia and flows into Tonle Sap River, joining the Mekong in Phnom Penh. During your boat ride through Chong Khneas, you will see ordinary Cambodians going about their daily life in the floating village. Your boat will briefly enter the edge of the Great Lake before docking with the Tara – the biggest boat on the Tonle Sap Lake. We 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" move from place to place following water levels and current.
Afterwards, you can lie back in a hammock, take a seat on the viewing deck or get your photo taken at the steering wheel. End of day, you will leave the Tara and head back to the port at Chong Kneas, where your air-conditioned vehicle will be waiting to transport you directly home to your Hotel

DAY 10:  Siem Reap - Angkor Thom - Angkor Wat (Meals: B)

Today, visit to the antique capital of Angkor Thom, built in the 12th century: the South Gate with its huge statues depicting the churning of the ocean of milk, the Bayon Temple, unique for its 54 towers decorated with over 200 smiling faces of Avolokitesvara, the Phimeanakas, the Royal Enclosure, the Elephants Terrace and the Terrace of the Leper King.
After a short your rest, you will visit the most famous of all the temples on the plain of Angkor: Angkor Wat. The temple complex covers 81 hectares and is comparable in size to the Imperial Palace in Beijing. Its distinctive five towers are emblazoned on the Cambodian flag. This masterpiece is considered by art historians to be the prime example of classical Khmer art and architecture. Angkor Wat’s five towers symbolize Meru’s five peaks - the enclosed wall represents the mountains at the edge of the world and the surrounding moat, the ocean beyond. End of day take a relaxing stopover at Prasat Chrung visiting Tadev Hole and temple with the best Sunset. Return to your hotel and end of the tour

DAY 11: Full Day Beng Mealea And Banteay Srei (Meals: B)

Morning, start your tour at 8:00AM, visit an ancient Hindu temple at the countryside, BANTEAY SREY (citadel of women, 35Km north of Siem Reap), building began in the year 968- and was competed in the year 1,001 AD. Dedicated to Shiva God. In Cambodia, it is a unique pink sandstone temple which has most beautiful deep carvings.
Afternoon, visit Beng Mealea built in the 12th century, the layout and style of Beng Mealea is very similar to Angkor Wat. It’s current state, however, is dominated by jungle. Trees have grown out of the towers and vines entangle columns. Lintels and others building blocks lay around in a tumble and require visitors to climb up and down as they approach the completely collapsed central towers. Ancient capital of Khmer Empire of Rolouse group such as Lolei, Bakong and Preah Ko temples.

DAY 12: Siem Reap Departure (Meals:B)

Free at leisure until transfer airport for departure flight...

PRICES & HOTELS
Package Prices ($) (From 01/10 To 30/04)

Package Prices ($) (From 01/05 To 30/09)

Package Prices ($) (From 01/10 To 31/12)

SURCHARGE FOR FLIGHT TICKET 
Note: Subject to be changed without prior noticed
- From Hanoi (HAN) to Da Nang (DAN): US$ 110 per person 
- From Da Nang (DAN) to Ho Chi Minh (SGN): US$ 110 per person 
- From Ho Chi Minh (SGN) to Siem Reap (REP): US$ 220 per person 

IMPORTANT NOTE: 
• All prices are quoted in USD/ per person, based on Double/Twin occupancy
• Supplement for standard Vietnamese & Cambodia menu meals: US$ 14 for lunch & US$ 18 for dinner in case you need to book more meals. 
• Private services & daily departure
• Quotation is quoted based on English speaking guide: Surcharge for other guide 
- Supplement for German Speaking guide: USD 15/day per group
- Supplement for Spanish Speaking guide: USD 20/day per group
- Supplement for Italian Speaking guide: USD 35/day per group 
• Surcharge for Compulsory dinner for Xmas and New Year Eve
• Surcharge for Peak Season at above mentioned hotels (if have)
• Surcharge for Vietnamese Lunar (TET) New Year - 25% of adult prices

FREE OFFER 
• Mineral water is available during transfers
•Vietnam visa approval letter on arrival (this fees isn’t refundable even clients don’t need) 

HOTELS

Included 

• Accommodation in a twin or double room with daily breakfast
• Lunch or dinner as specified in the itinerary
• Services of a driver and private air-conditioned vehicle during all tours and transfers.
• Experienced English-speaking guide during all tours and transfers
• Vietnam visa approval letter on arrival as complementary
• Private board for sightseeing as mentioned in the program, Entrance fees for all visits as mentioned in the itinerary
• Mineral water is available as complementary

Excluded 

• International & Domestic flight tickets
• Meals, if not specified in the itinerary
• Gratuities for guides and drivers
• Visa stamping fee at the airport (45US$ in Vietnam & US$ 30 in Cambodia, paid by cash at the airport) 
• Travel insurance (we highly recommend that you purchase adequate insurance)
• Personal expenses, such as laundry, telephone, drinks, etc. All other services not specified in the itinerary
• All other services not specified in the itinerary
• Not included VAT