16 DAYS VIETNAM & CAMBODIA

ARRIVAL TO HANOI

Upon arrival at Noi Bai airport, you will be met and transferred through immigration via our Diplomatic Fast Track service. Arrival at Noi Bai International Airport; meet and greet with our English-speaking guide and transfer to your hotel for check-in (check-in time: 14h00 onwards)

Free time at leisure. Overnight in Hanoi

HANOI

Breakfast at the hotel. Visit Hanoi with the Hochiminh Complex, One Pilar Pagoda, the temple of Literature, and the temple Ngoc Son. Continue to visit the History Museum. In the late afternoon, assistance to the Water puppet show (50 minutes).
Overnight in Hanoi.

HANOI, HALF DAY TO DUONG LAM VILLAGE

Breakfast at your hotel. Transfer to Duong Lam ancient village.

Today, you will enjoy a personalized immersion in rural life by Walking through ancient alleyways to Mong Phu Temple to explore a 400-year-old house and see hundreds of statues at the medieval Mia Pagoda. Enjoy a tasty lunch of local specialties and interact with local people.
Back to Hanoi in the afternoon. Overnight in Hanoi.

HANOI – MAI CHAU

Depart Hanoi to Mai Chau via Hoa Binh town (160 km), through picturesque scenery with stunning views of the mountains on the way. Continue to transfer to Mai Chau. Check-in and lunch (on your own) at the lodge. Visit Mai Chau located in a pretty valley with a patchwork of rice paddies, farms, and stilt houses. The area is the home of many minorities including Muong and Thai.
After lunch, transfer to Mai Hich for trekking. Mai Hich is enriched with the fascinating indigenous cultures of the Thai & Muong ethnic populations, as well as the region's beautiful mountainous landscape and special local food. Back to Mai Chau Ecolodge for the overnight.

MAI CHAU – HANOI & FLIGHT TO HUE

Trekking Pa co village and Xa Linh takes many beautiful photos and communicates with local people. Then you will trek to H'mong Village. You have a chance to learn more about the culture and customs of people here. Pa Co Village is a big "Green H'mong" community living 50km away from Mai Chau. In Pa Co Village, it is famous for the fair market every Sunday morning - called "Pa Co Sunday Market". Pa Co Sunday Market which is 40km away from Mai Chau is a H’mong ethnic market opening every Sunday from 6 am to 10 am. Visiting H’mong’s Pa Co Sunday market, visitors will see H’mong boys and girls in their traditional colorful costumes going to the market to buy, and sell essential items and especially see their lovers. Pa Co Sunday market is special to not only tourists but also local people for its unique spiritual significance. By visiting this market, you have a chance to discover the colorful and unique of H'mong 's culture.
Transfer back to Hanoi, directly to Noi Bai airport for your flight to Hue. 
Arrive at Hue, pick up by your English-speaking guide, and transfer to your hotel for check-in. Overnight in Hue.

HUE

In the morning you’ll visit the Hue citadel. See the tallest flagpole in Vietnam and the Ngo Mon gate where Bao Dai ended the Nguyen dynasty. You’ll also see Thai Hoa palace, the Hall of the Mandarins, and the Forbidden Purple City. Continue to visit Minh Mang tomb, said to be the most majestic of all the royal tombs, renowned for its architecture that blends harmoniously into the natural surroundings.
Thien Mu pagoda, built on a hill overlooking the Perfume River, is an icon of Vietnam and the symbol of Hue city. Go along the beautiful Perfume River, enjoying scenes of daily life and a magnificent sunset on the river. Visit of Thien Mu pagoda. Overnight in Hue

HUE - HOIAN

In the morning, overland drive to Hoi An to view Hai Van Pass, one of the most scenic overland drives. Stop to visit Marble Mountain on the way to your hotel.
Check into the resort and free at leisure. Overnight in Hoi An.

HOIAN

08.00 Drive to visit the Tra Kieu Capital, and enjoy the Cham traditional music. Discover the majestic ancient ruins in a valley roughly two kilometers wide, surrounded by two mountain ranges. The My Son temple complex is one of the foremost temple complexes of Hinduism in Southeast Asia and the foremost heritage site of this nature in Viet Nam.
Back to Hoi An and start a walking tour to visit Hoi An. Catch a glimpse of a long-gone past and a more subdued and simple time. The tour includes visits by Cyclo to Hoi An Museum, many of the town’s renowned Ancient Houses which boast a remarkable architectural style, Assembly Halls of Chinese influence, Art Craft Manufacturing Workshop, and of course the must-see Japanese Covered Bridge. These spots are considered typical architecture styles in Hoi An and reflect clearly the cross-culture between France, Japan, China, and Vietnam… Passing over hundreds of years and withstanding the severity of the weather, Hoi An still exists and keeps its ancient and quiet beauty.
Visit Hoi An’s colorful main market, and experience its amazing sights, sounds, and aromas. We will have the opportunity to interact with the local sellers, and to see and taste the wonderful variety of foods on display.
The evening is yours for free at leisure for your own discovery.
Overnight in Hoi An

FLIGHT DANANG/SAIGON

Breakfast at your hotel, then transfer to Danang airport for flight to Saigon.
Arrival to Saigon, meet and greet with your local guide and transfer to your hotel for check in. Free time at leisure for your own discovery.

Optional: Western dinner in the dark at Noir restaurant at USD 55/pax

SAIGON VISITS

Breakfast then in the morning, start to visit Saigon with Notre Dame cathedral, the Post office, the Reunification (outside) and Ben Thanh market.
Continue to visit Fito museum. A unique blend of traditional and modern architecture, the museum includes one ground floor and five upper floors that are home to 18 exhibition rooms. You may see a delicately carved wooden pictures with different captions that illustrate different types of traditional medicine. This was a place where over 50 skillful engravers have worked hard to complete these carved pictures for nearly 3 years. The architecture of this museum shows the typical features of traditional architecture in different regions of Vietnam. It reflects many features of the Northern house in the basin of Red River, of the Hue style and some of the Cham ethnic minority group styles. In the Cham tower are exhibited some Linga - a ritual sculptures which represent a power, a diligence and a vital force in the Cham religion. This museum is equipped with modern audio-visual technology, which regularly shows "A Century of Health Care Experiences" - a documentary film about the history of Traditional Vietnamese Medicine.

SAIGON – CAI BE – CAN THO

Breakfast at your hotel then check out. Transfer to Cai Be in the Mekong Delta.
The program will start with a boat trip in Cai Be; cruising among local barges full of fruits and vegetables. It is interesting to visit the handicraft village where you can see how they make some special products: making rice net for spring rolls, fish sauce & soya sauce, and sewing coconut leaves for cottage roofs. Then, an optional stop can be made at local workshops where you can see how to make rice paper, coconut candy, and pop-rice, pop-corn. A delicious lunch will be served at an ancient house over 170 years old.
After lunch, we’ll come to Tân Phong island. The rowing boat will take you deeper into the countryside on smaller canals and enjoy a peaceful time. It is so interesting to see traditional houses made of wood or palm leaves and see some activities of the local farmers with an opportunity to make contact with them and see how they catch fish or pick up fruits in ancestral ways in the Mekong Delta..
Come to visit a garden, have a cup of tea, and enjoy the local music in the garden. One more option for you if you like biking around the village on the narrow paths. The cruise will end at Vinh Long City. From here, you will go by car to Can Tho (only 30km more), and check in to your hotel.

Overnight in Can Tho

CAN THO - SAIGON

Breakfast. In the morning, you will take a boat to Cai Rang floating market – The biggest whole sale tropical fruits on floating market.
After experiencing floating market, you will visit a local family who made noodles by handmade with 3
generations and you can try to learn how to make noddle with them.
Check out & transfer back to Saigon. Overnight in Saigon.

FLIGHT SAIGON / SIEM REAP

Breakfast, check out. Transfer to Tan Son Nhat airport for your flight to Siemreap.
Arrive at Siem Reap international airport with a greeting from your guide and driver. Be transferred to your hotel for check-in. The small but expanding town of Siem Reap is the gateway to Angkor. This is the most popular destination for travelers in all of Cambodia, perhaps even in South-East Asia.

TEMPLES OF THE BEATEN TRACK – BIKING TOUR

Enjoy your breakfast at the hotel, then kick your sweaty day start with the guide on two wheels go through the Angkor Park and make the first visit to Kravan Temple, which is a small 10th century temple consisting of five reddish brick towers on a common terrace, located at Angkor, Cambodia south of the artificial lake or baray called Srah Srang. The temple was dedicated to Vishnu in 921 CE, according to inscriptions on door jambs. Then jump back on the bike, continue cycling through the jungle and sometimes cycle on the bike path next to the main road to Batchum temple, which is a small temple built by Kavindrarimathana, a learned Buddhist minister of Khmer king Rajendravarman, at the middle of the 10th century. It is about 400 meters south of Srah Srang. Leaving the temple and passing through a typical Khmer village with its wooden houses on stilts and observing the daily activities of its people.
Make another stop to visit Banteay Kdei temple, which is also known as the “Citadel of Monks”. Constructed in the same period as Ta Som, the temple reminds of a smaller Preah Khan or Ta Prohm. Enjoy your lunch in a Khmer house that was once the residence of a French anthropologist. Today, this traditional wooden house built on stilts also serves as a relaxing and cultural stage. The house was built in 1996 according to traditional construction codes contained in old manuscripts now mostly transmitted orally.
After lunch, continue afterward to Ta Prohm temple, which is considered to be the most photographed temple within the Angkor complex. Constructed in the Bayon style between the late 12th and early 13th century, Ta Prohm was left pretty much untouched by archaeologists. The trees that grow out of the ruins allow for a mysterious feeling filled with photogenic opportunities. King Jayavarman VII constructed the temple as a Mahayana Buddhist monastery and university and it is estimated that close to 80.000 people resided at the temple.

Continue the visit on the bike to the Victory Gate from where a short hike brings you to the East Gate, also known as the Gate of the Death. This gate remains beautifully untouched in a very quiet part of the complex surrounded by forest. Then continue forward to the centerpiece of the city; the Bayon, which served as a Mahayana shrine dedicated to Buddha. Its most distinctive features are the 216 serene stone faces that seemingly face all directions. Afterward, continue walking through the forest to the Phimeanakas and the Baphuon, both structures built in the pyramid style in the 11th and 10th century respectively. Then continue to the nearby small temple, beautifully overgrown with trees called Palilay, where you will take a short relax and grab a cool drink (soft drink or coconut juice) to recharge your energy before visiting the next, the Terrace of the Elephants, which is a 300 meters long terrace.
The south stairway is framed with three-head elephants gathering lotus flowers with their trunks. The central stairway is decorated by lions and garudas in bas-reliefs in a stance of support for the stairways.

Likewise, the Terrace of Leper King was constructed in the 12th century. The curious name of this terrace refers to a statue of the Leper King that is on the platform of the terrace. Continue to the South Gate of Angkor Thom. Take the opportunity to photograph the impressive entrance to Angkor Thom, which translates to “Great City”.
In the evening, you will be conducted to see the only one acrobatic in Siem Reap which so called The Phare Circus, this is so much more than a conventional circus, with an emphasis on performance art and a subtle yet striking social message behind each production. Cambodia's leading circus, theatre and performing arts organization Phare Ponleu Selpak opened its big top for nightly shows in 2013 and the results are a unique form of entertainment that should be considered unmissable when staying in Siem Reap.

SUNRISE AT ANGKOR WAT – VISIT AT BANTEAY SREI & PREAH KHAN

Start the day before the break of light and visit Angkor Wat, which dates back to the first half of the 12th century. Sunrise at Angkor remains mystic and allows for pictures seen only in guidebooks. King Suryavarman II constructed this magnificent masterpiece and built it to become the largest religious monument in the world. This temple is an expression of Khmer art at its highest point of development. The temple was initially built as a Hindu structure and converted in the late 13th century to Theravada Hindu use. The temple’s bas-relief is considered to be the greatest known linear arrangement of stone carving and describes beautiful scenes of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata epics. It took in its entirety roughly 30 years to construct Angkor Wat.
Continue afterward to one of the jewels in the Angkor area, Banteay Srei dates back to the late 10th century. The enchanting temple is nearly everyone's favorite site. The special charm of this temple lies in its remarkable state of preservation, small size, and excellence of decoration. It was built by a Brahmin of royal descent who was a spiritual teacher to Jayavarman V, which is unique as this makes Banteay Srei the only major temple built by a non-King. A special feature of the exquisite decoration was the use of hard pink sandstone. After visiting this beautiful structure continues to visit largely unrestored, Preah Khan is one of the excellent monuments that is often given a pass for no obvious reason. Regarded as one of the largest structures in the Angkor Kingdom, Preah Khan was home to 100.000 officials and servants. The temple offers a serene jungle-like environment and allows visitors to regain that “exploring” feeling. Afterward, return to the accommodation.
This evening you will be picked up by Tuk Tuk for exploring the Fine Dining Siem Reap Food Tour. You will receive 1 drink at each location, a starter at Mahob, a main course at The SugarPalm, and dessert at Malis. (Tour not available on Monday)

SIEM REAP DEPARTURE

After breakfast at the hotel, the day is free at leisure until the appointed time with your guide transfer to Siem Reap airport for your departure flight.