ID19: Best Vietnam Cambodia tours 14 days

Itinerary in Brief:
Day 1: Arrival Ha Noi
Day 2: Hanoi city tour (B, L)
Day 3: Ha Noi - Halong bay cruise (B, L, D)
Day 4: Ha Long Bay - Hanoi - Danang - Hoian (B )
Day 5:  Hoian ancient town (B, L)
Day 6: Hoian – Hue (B)
Day 7: Hue city  (B, L)
Day 8: Hue – Ho chi minh ( B, L )
Day 9: Ho Chi Minh – Mekong delta - Ho chi minh (B, L)
Day 10: Ho chi minh - Cu chi tunnel – Siemreap flight( B, D )
Day 11: Siem Reap (B, L)
Day 12: Siem Reap (B)
Day 13: Siem reap – Phnompenh (B, L)
Day 14: Phnompenh departure (B)

Itinerary in Details:

Day 1: Hanoi arrival
Arrival at Noi Bai Airport, you will be warmly welcomed and transferred to hotel by  Asia View Travel’s guide with signboard, check in, relax. Today is free at your leisure to rest or explore, discovering your own first impressions of Vietnam. Overnight at hotel.

Day 2: Hanoi city tour ( B, L )
Breakfast at hotel, This morning we start city tour  with the Ho Chi Minh Complex. This famous site contains the mausoleum of the nation’s founder Ho Chi Minh (Close on Monday, Friday & October for annual maintenance ), the Presidential Palace and the Ho Chi Minh’s house on stilts. Close to this complex is the One Pillar Pagoda, whose origins date back to the foundation of city. We follow this with the impressive Ethnology Museum, dedicated to Vietnam's 54 ethnic groups.  Lunch at local restaurant. Afternoon, visit the Temple of Literature, which is well known as the first university of Vietnam, Vietnam’s first university.  Constructed in 1070, the gardens and well-preserved architecture offer a relaxing glimpse into Vietnam’s past. We continue to visit the Restored Sword Lake (Hoan Kiem Lake) and Ngoc Son Temple,  do a cyclo tour around   around the 36 streets of the Hanoi old quarter to learn more about simple life of Hanoian. Enjoy water puppet show- a remarkable Vietnamese art form that combines traditional music, fireworks, underwater puppeteers, and elaborate puppets floating gracefully over water.Overnight at hotel in Hanoi

Day 3 : Hanoi – Halong bay on board ( B, L,D )
Breakfast at hotel, then 8:30 AM  start a 3. 5 hour drive through the Red River Delta to Ha Long City. Comfort stop en route for photos and coffee ( by your own ) before arriving to Ha Long City.
11.30 – 12.15   Welcome you at Hòn Gai Tourist International Port
12.30   Check in Overnight Cruise, welcome drink and programme introduction
13.00 – 14.30   The cruise start the journey
Lunch served with local cuisines menu and passing the paramount view at Ha Long
such as Kicking Dog Island , Fighting Chicken Islet, Huong Peak, Thien Cung Cave,Dau Go Island…
15.00 – 16.00   Explore Surprise Cave – one of the most famous caves on the Ha Long bay.
16.30 – 17.30   Small boat take you to Titop seaside: visiting islands, climb to Titop Mountain 200m in height to see the whole bay and swimming at Titop Seaside.
18.00   Return to your cruise or relaxation or enjoy sunset on the bay
19.30 – 21.00   Dinner at the restaurant with organised menu
21.00   Free at your leisure like lying on deck or going to catch squid…
Overnight on junk.

Day 4:  Halong – Hanoi – Danang flight – Hoian ( Brunch )
Rising to the tranquil beauty of the bay we have time for an early morning dip with joys and emotions for watching sunrise on sea followed by breakfast. This morning we continue to move around the bay to find more secluded areas. The junk will be near us at all times serving as a back up vessel for those that require it. At around midday we will return to the main harbor before transferring to our awaiting vehicle for a 3.5 hour journey directly to the airport for flight to Danang. The guide in Danang will pick you up, transfer to hotel in Hoian, check in, relax.

Day 5: Hoian ancient town ( B, L )
Today there are a lot of time to explore  Hoian ancient town, once a major Asian trading port in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Hoi An’s architecture and relaxed lifestyle have changed little over the years. Take a leisurely walking tour of the ancient town center and visit the sites of former merchants’ homes, a 400 year-old Japanese Covered Bridge, and a Chinese Communal Hall. Believed to have been settled no less than 2,200 years ago, Hoi An was known as Faifo to early Western traders. Hoi An was one of the major ports of Southeast Asia from the 17th to 19th centuries. Chinese, Japanese, French, English, Spanish, Portuguese and other traders had small communities here, and the old wooden houses, bridges and temples that remain are reminiscent of a Vietnam of centuries past. This unique old trading town slowly became isolated due to its river silting up and by destroyed rail lines, leaving it untouched by war and frozen in time. Nowadays, this absolutely charming and relaxed town has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Free at leisure. Overnight at hotel in Hoian.

Day 6: Hoian – Hue ( B )
This morning there is plenty of time to discover Hoian by yourself. You might like to take a boat ride with one of the local women across the Thu Bon River. Perhaps you would like to hire a bicycle and head off on a scenic ride to Cua Dai beach, about 4 km away. There's even the chance to improve your culinary skills with a Vietnamese cooking lesson. One thing is for sure - there is no shortage of things to do in this town!.
Afternoon, say good bye Hoian and embark on northern bound journey to Hue, the former imperial capital of Vietnam. Stop en route at the beautiful Non Nuoc Beach and the Cham Museum, which contains the finest collection of Cham sculpture in the world. In Danang you will visit the Marble Mountains, five sacred hills containing dozens of Buddhist shrines. The guide and driver will take you over the beautiful Hai Van Pass - Vietnam's geographical and psychological boundary between north and south. The peak of the pass lies perpetually shrouded in clouds.
Arrival Hue in Hue late afternoon, check in, relax.

Day 7: Hue city ( B, L )
Breakfast at hotel, we then set out for the exploration of Hue's famous highlights, including the Citadel and the Forbidden Purple City. Built in the 19th century by the Nguyen dynasty, the City was home to the former Emperors of Vietnam from 1802 until 1945. We embark on a boat for cruise upstream on the Perfume River, viewing the city and the tranquil villages on the riverbank. We will walk up to visit the Thien Mu pagoda, a nicely located pagoda, overlooks the Perfume River and the beautiful scenery beyond, where you get to learn more about the Buddhism in Vietnam.  One of the most poignant displays here is a car belonging to a former monk, who in 1963, drove to Saigon and set himself alight to protest against the South Vietnamese regime and its treatment of Buddhists. Disembark the board for a visit the elaborate mausoleum of former emperor Tu Duc, built decades before its occupant's death the tomb was used as a palace retreat before the emperors final resting place. End of city tour with a walk to the bustling Dong Ba Market and pass many fantastic eating spots where visitors have a chance to sample some local delicacies.  Overnight at hotel in Hue.

Day 8: Hue - Ho chi minh ( B, L)
Morning after breakfast transfer to airport for the flight to Ho chi minh. Pick up at Tan Son Nhat airport, transfer to city center. We spend the rest of the day to visit the Reunification Palace which was the former residence of the President of South Vietnam until end of April 1975, and some French colonial structures including the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Old Sai Gon Post Office before we shall see the exhibition on Vietnam War to the famous War Museum. Lunch at local restaurant. Afternoon, we pass a place with its famous lacquers and the tour ends at the city's finest shopping street, Dong Khoi Street and the bustling Ben Thanh Market where anything and everything is for sale. Overnight at hotel in Ho chi minh.

Day 9: Ho Chi Minh – Mekong delta - Ho chi minh (B, L)
Pick up at hotel, depart for Cai Be, stop for photos at Tan An town over the flat rice fields. Arrive to Cai Be, start the motorized boat to visit the Cai Be floating market, see how river life goes on, experience how people exchanging goods, fruit and many other commodities on their vessels. Visitors then roam into the small villages to visit the orchard, fruit plantation. Keep cruising to Vinh Long through small canals to enjoy the charm of the Upper Mekong Delta. Visit some hand made family business products such as the coconut candy mill, the crispy rice popcorn. Arrive in Binh Hoa Phuoc village the green pearl of Vinh Long town where you can indulge yourself into the nature. Have lunch with fresh river food served in the heart of the garden. Take a nice walk through the bonsai garden. Meet the car/van in Vinh Long. Back to HCMC.

Day 10 : Ho chi minh - Cu chi tunnel - Ho chi minh – Siemreap flight ( B )
Breakfast at hotel, driver to Cu chi tunnel. Cu Chi used to be a bitter battleground for many years during the Vietnam War. Visitors to our country should not miss a visit to this underground village with us intricate network of over 200 km of tunnels at Ben Dinh, 50 km from Ho Chi Minh City. Don"t miss the experience a short, exciting trip through this labyrinth of interlaced tunnels. In addition, green paddy fields along the road to Cu Chi, and see local peasants at work and buffaloes led by children…These are really pleasant sights and will offer you some insights into Vietnamese agriculture as well .
Transfer back Ho chi minh and directly to the airport for flight to Siemreap. The guide in Siemreap will welcome you, transfer to hotel in city center, check in, relax. Dinner at local restaurant and enjoy Apsara show.

Day 11: Siem reap – Angkor tour (B, L)
Breakfast at hotel.
In the morning, 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 and the 12th century 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.
Lunch at restaurant.   
Visit the ancient capital of Angkor Thom (12th century). See the South Gate with its huge statues depicting the churning of the ocean of milk, the Royal Enclosure, Phimeanakas, the Elephants Terrace, the Terrace of the Leper King and Bayon Temple (unique for its 54 towers decorated with over 200 smiling faces of Avolokitesvara).
 
Day 12: Siem reap – Angkor tour (B)
In the morning, visit Prasat Kravan with its unique brick sculptures and Ta Prohm.  One of the area's most beautiful temples, Ta Prohm has been relatively untouched since it was discovered and retains much of its mystery. Its appeal lies in the fact that, unlike the other monuments of Angkor, it was abandoned and swallowed by the jungle, looking very much the ways most of the Angkor temples appeared when European explorers first stumbled upon them. Visit as well Takeo, Chau Say Tevoda and Thommanon.
Afternoon, visit 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.
 
Day 13: Siem Reap - Phnom Penh (B, L)
Breakfast at hotel, transfer to the airport for flight to Phnom penh. The guide in Phnompenh will pick up you, transfer to city center.  Phnom Penh city tour: Visit the Victory Monument, and the National Museum, also called Musee des Beaux-Arts. A French archaeologist and painter, Georges Groslier, designed it in Khmer style in 1917. The museum contains a collection of Khmer art - notably sculptures - throughout the ages. Visit the Royal Palace, built by King Norodom in 1866 on the site of the old town, and the Silver Pagoda. Located within the Royal Palace, the Silver Pagoda is so named because of its floor, which is made up of 5000 silver tiles. The treasures found inside include a solid gold Buddha encrusted and weighing 90kilograms and a small 17th century emerald and baccarat crystal Buddha. Visit Central Market ( or Russian market ), end your afternoon with the visit of the Wat Phnom Temple, Phnom Penh's namesake, from where you can enjoy views over the tree-lined avenues of Phnom Penh during sunset.

Day 14: Phnom Penh - Departure (B)
Breakfast at the hotel. Then take a half-day city tour at the Killing Field and Toul Sleng Museum of the genocide Tuol Sleng Museum (Museum of Genocide): former Tuol Svay Prey High School, in 1975 it became the Khmer Rouge's main torture and interrogation center. It was known as Security Prison 21 - or just S-21.
Transfer to the airport for your departure flight. End of tour.
 
Thank you for traveling with Asia View Travel.
 

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