Unforgettable Vietnam & Cambodia Holiday – 18 Days 17 Nights

Start your sightseeing tour of Angkor area we spend a full day exploring the wondrous ancient ruins with the South Gate of Angkor Thom, which is famous for its series of colossal human faces carved in stone, the impressive Bayon Temple, the Royal Enclosure, Phimeanakas, the Elephant Terrace, the Terrace of the Leper King and the largest as well as the most complete temple of Angkor Wat. This architectural masterpiece was constructed in the 12th century and covers an area of about 210 hectares. We stroll around this massive edifice, seeing the many galleries with columns, libraries, pavilions, courtyards and ponds full of water reflecting the towering temple and the jungle covered temple of Ta Prohm is an incredible sight. There are enormous fig trees and gigantic creepers which embrace themselves in the stone foundations of the structure giving the impression of man's creation being reclaimed by the powerful forces of nature. Enjoy the sunset over Pre Rup temple then transfer back to the hotel

Free at leisure until transfer to Siemreap airport for flight to Ho Chi Minh.

Arrive at Tan Son Nhat airport, welcome by our private Vietnam tour guide and driver and transfer to you hotel for check in.

Ho Chi Minh, the most exciting city of Vietnam, a mecca of commerce, also a city with a chequered history and a rich culture, its pagodas, museums, public buildings, parks and boulevards make it one of the most delightful Vietnam Tours and cities to visit in Vietnam.

Free time at leisure.  Overnight in Ho Chi Minh Hotel.

Today you will enjoy a half-day private excursion to the Cu Chi Tunnels. The Cu Chi Tunnels consist of more than 200 km of underground tunnels, connecting to underground hideouts, shelters, and entrances to other tunnels including innumerable trap doors, specially constructed living areas, storage facilities, weapons factories, field hospitals, command centers, and kitchens. Today, the remaining tunnels have become a major tourist attraction giving the visitor a unique experience and a feel of what underground life was like during the U.S.-Vietnam War. You will be able to discover the tunnel systems and learn about this part of Vietnam's past. In the afternoon, you will take a half-day city tour to visit outside of Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica (is renovating until 2022), a neo-Roman cathedral built by the colonial French with materials entirely imported from Marseilles, Saigon Central Post Office, which was designed and constructed in the early 20th Century by the famous French architect Gustave Eiffel. Then, visit the War Remnants Museum, which features an extensive collection of exhibits including weaponry, photos and documentation on Vietnam’s wars with the French and Americans. You also have free time to go shopping at Ben Thanh Market.

Around 08:00 Tour guide pick you up in your hotel lobby, then driving 90Km (2hrs) to Ben Tre. The boat will cruise along the Ham Luong river (a branch of the Mekong) and stop off at various local workplaces including a brick works, a coconut processing workshop and a mat weaving house.

The boat will then stop at a quiet village where you can have a short walk to experience real Delta village life, boarding your Xe Loi (a kind of motorized rickshaw) and stopping at a riverside restaurant for a delicious and filling lunch, featuring such local specialties as elephant-ear fish and river shrimp.

After lunch it’s time to board a sampan for a relaxing trip along narrow canals. You will back to the river to board your boat. Then, we will head to Can Tho city – the heart of Mekong Delta. Overnight in Can Tho

In the morning, we make the boat cruise to see the Cai Rang floating market (the nicest one with heaps of rowing boats), truly highlights of any Vietnam Tours where you will enjoy the beautiful scenery and see the daily activities of the locals who live along the Mekong canals and later, you will roam through the village to visit a rice husking mill, a rice noodles making shop which are nice chances to discover the daily life of Vietnamese people in Mekong Delta. Then we will drive back to Ho Chi Minh for the flight to Danang.

Upon arrival, transfer to your hotel in Hoi An. Free at leisure. Overnight in Hoi An.

Our guide will meet you at the hotel lobby. Take a boat to estuary. Experience the daily fishing activity of the local fishermen, try to cast the net with their assistant.

Move deep into the water coconut forest in Cam Thanh Village by locally handmade bamboo basket boat. Listen to a brief introduction Cua Dai about the history of this unique area.  Fishermen will show you how to catch the crabs and make origami with water coconut leaf. Split into smaller groups for a short basket boat racing.

Then, visit to a local bamboo craftsman’s house; get an insight to their daily life and the different stages of preparing & making a proper bamboo furniture or bamboo house.

Enjoy the lunch at a local restaurant. Transfer back to the hotel by E-car after the meal. Free at leisure and overnight in Hoi An.

Hoi An Ancient Town - highlight of any tour to Vietnam that no Vietnam Tours maker would skip, is an exceptionally well-preserved example of a South-East Asian trading port dating from the 15th to the 19th century. Its buildings and its street plan reflect the influences, both indigenous and foreign, that have combined to produce this unique heritage site.

Day free to cycle through rice paddies in the countryside of Hoi An ancient town, shop for souvenirs among the antique shops and art galleries, or just sit at sidewalk cafes and soak up the atmosphere of this quaint town. Or relax on the white sandy beach of the famous Danang Beach. Overnight in Hoi An.

After breakfast, leave Hoi An for Hue, the last imperial capital of Vietnam, well-known for magnific architecture, pagodas and royal tombs laid in small villages and surrounding hills and one of the most popular cities for all the Vietnam Tours. En route have a look at the famous Danang Beach and visit Cham Museum which contains the finest collection of Cham sculpture in the world.

Upon arrival in Hue, visit the Imperial Citadel, the Purple Forbidden City. Overnight in a Hue hotel.

A full day trip to visit the old capital city of Vietnam under the Nguyen Dynasty ruled from 1802 to 1945, with first stop at the Imperial Citadel giving you a better understanding of the beauty of Vietnamese Royal architecture and culture.  Then we will take a beautiful dragon boat trip along Perfume River and visit to Thien Mu Pagoda – one of the most popular attractions in Hue. It is located on the banks of poetic Perfume River with typical traditional architecture of Hue pagodas and famous for the event that buddhist monk from this temple, Thich Quang Duc, burn himself to death for anti-government protest in 1963. The next stops will be King Ming Mang and King Khai Dinh tombs which are the most beautiful works of royal architecture of the Nguyen dynasty. Overnight in Hue.

After breakfast, our tour guide and driver in Hue will transfer you to the airport for the morning flight with Vietnam airlines to Hanoi.

Upon arrival, our guide and driver will welcome you, pick up and transfer to the hotel for check in.

Afternoon Hanoi tour starts visiting the Temple of Literature (or you might choose one of the museums in Hanoi – Hilton Hanoi, Military museum, Museum of History, Ethnology museum..), then move to the West Lake and pay a visit to the oldest pagoda Tran Quoc. Continue drive to Hoan Kiem Lake and the French Quarter (Old Quarter Hanoi), visit Ngoc Son Temple, The Huc Bridge and Ma May ancient house. A Green Car (or cyclo ride) tour around the Old Quarter to experience the exciting local daily life of Hanoians. Tour ends after a cup of coffee or tea at an authentic Hanoi corner cafe where you can have talks with local people, exchange cultural way of life. Overnight in Hanoi.

Enjoy a 2 hour drive to Ninh Binh province. It is a spectacular landscape of limestone karts peaks permeated with valleys, some of which are submerged, and surrounded by vertical cliffs. After fresh up at Lua Vang Restaurant, hop on your bike for a leisured 4-km cycling around the winding paved road to enjoy peaceful moment of Northern countryside. Along the way you might see cows or buffalos working on rice fields with farmers or lazy relaxing under shade (depend on rice season). Stop at a farm where you can join in some agriculture activities such as gardening, collecting eggs, picking up grass and helping the family prepare food for their guests. Enjoy lunch in rustic yet cozy setting. In the afternoon, transfer to Van Long - the largest natural reserve of wetlands. It is also home to 32 stunning grottos named after their different shapes. In the dry season, Van Long is the wintering place of migratory birds from the North. Sit on a rowing boat floating through the picturesque scenery with spectacular mountain ranges creates a natural wall surrounded a vast expanse of water. Return to Hanoi in the later afternoon.

Enjoy breakfast in the hotel. then you’ll join a 5-hour drive to Sapa. Upon arrival, check-
in hotel. Afternoon, join a walking tour to Cat Cat's hill tribe villages which are home
to the minority H'mong people. We will encounter some of the local minority people and learn about their life. Learn about their life and culture. Overnight in Sapa

Depart Sapa on an 8km (5mi) drive to the start of the O Quy Ho Mountain Pass along the Hoang Lien Son mountain range with several stops for photos of stunning Mount Fansipan and Sin Chai Valley. Turn and follow a narrow tarmac road, passing forests and waterfalls before arriving at the Ban Khoang Commune, home to the Black H’mong and Red Dzao ethnic groups. Walk to explore this remote village for an overview of local life. Then drive to the Ta Giang Phinh Valley, inhabited by the Black H’mong who live in several hamlets along a peaceful stream. Enjoy lunch on the banks of the stream, followed by a 2hr walk through wild and unspoiled scenery with imposing mountains and picturesque terraced fields. Observe the local villagers engaging in their daily activities including ploughing, harrowing, harvesting and handicrafts. Mid-afternoon, meet the car and return to Sapa.

The markets in the Northern Vietnam are always the colorful meeting places for the hill tribes, spotlight for any Sapa Tours and of course, your unique Vietnam tour experience. Minority people come down from the mountains to sell their products, or just for catching up on the latest news, gossip, drinking away troubles or seeking for lover. In the morning, drive to visit one of the areas weekly markets;

Market days:

• Can Cau Market - Saturdays
• Bac Ha Market or Muong Hum Market or Muong Khuong Market - Sundays
• Cao Son Market - Wednesdays
• Lung Khau Nhin Market - Thursdays
• Coc Ly Market - Tuesdays

In the afternoon, drive back to Hanoi for overnight.

Depart for a 2.5 hour journey to Halong Bay. Make a stop en route for some refreshment (around 15-20 minutes). On arrival in Halong Bay, This UNESCO World Heritage site boasts a wild beauty of clustered limestone islets and crescent beaches. Then board your deluxe junk, settle into your cabin and prepare your appetite for an enjoyable lunch on deck. Settle on board your main boat to begin a 2 day/1 night cruise through the spectacular Ha Long Bay. Afterwards, take an exhilarating kayak trip through the lagoon, have a refreshing swim or simply relax on board and enjoy the sunset.

Overnight on junk.

Wake up early and take a position on the upper deck to witness the sun rise over the bay, a cup of hot tea in hand. Early morning is truly a magical time on the bay as the limestone karsts appear all around you in different shapes, sizes and colours. Continue sailing through magnificent Ha Long Bay. Enjoy a brunch on board before arriving at Ha Long City Pier at noon where transportation will be waiting for and drive back to Hanoi. Overnight in Hanoi.

Free time at leisure until our private guide will see you off at the airport. We hope that you have enjoyed your Vietnam family holiday with us and look forward to organizing your next trip. We say goodbye and see you again!!!

We hope you have had a memorable trip and wish you pleasant onward travels!