Luxury Vietnam and Cambodia Adventure

Your trip begins with arrival in Vietnam. Your guide will fast-track you through customs and a private driver will meet and greet you at the airport. You will be escorted to the hotel. You can walk through the streets of the city for the remainder of the day. Historic charm, architectural marvels, and shops are splashed all over this area. After enjoying the first day, return to the hotel for a relaxing sleep.

Have a hearty breakfast at the hotel, then head out to the countryside located at the outskirts of Hanoi. Arriving at Mr. Duoc’s house, you will be welcomed with fresh honey tea and green lentils or lotus seeds that were made by his family. Imagine a Vietnam in the old time of war through stories of Mr. Duoc, who is not only a veteran who lived during those hard times but also a green tea expert. You will visit his tea plantation, which is one of the largest in Ri village, and join with locals in green tea processing. Afterward, have a Vietnamese cooking demonstration with another local host and then enjoy a home cooked lunch in a lovely garden. Head to Mai Chau to end the night.

Today you will discover Da River (Black River). Kayaking is the best way to explore the beauty of the river. You paddle through islets, visit fishing villages, meet and talk with local fishermen, and explore secret ponds.

Depart from Mai Chau, cycling around the valley. Explore the beautiful landscape and unique Thai culture in the villages of Lac, Chiềng Sại, Cha, Cha Long, and Tong Dau Village. Soak up the tranquil daily life by seeing the farmers working on their lush green paddy fields, growing rice and vegetables, and grazing livestock depending on the seasons.

After breakfast, depart to Ninh Binh to explore Hoa Lu and Tam Coc. Upon arrival, you will visit Hoa Lu, the ancient capital, to know more about feudal dynasties and historical periods in Vietnamese history.

After lunch, depart to the dock for a boat ride to visit Tam Coc and see the beauty of the karst formations. Then, spend time cycling through the quiet roads along the rice fields and rivers from Tam Coc to Bich Dong (around 5 km).

After breakfast, you will take a drive to Ha Long Bay, one of the great natural wonders of the world and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Upon arrival, the boat crew will welcome you and transfer you to the boat for check-in. Enjoy a cruise around Ha Long Bay with a delicious local seafood lunch served on board. At the same time, you can behold thousands of limestone islands and grottoes rising from the clear, emerald water. You can stop for archaeological tours in the caves near the bay to learn more about this wonderful area. After lunch you will join some activities on the boat to discover the beauty of the bay, such as a visit to a cave or swimming in the sea before getting back to the boat for relaxing and dinner. In the evening, you can join night fishing with locals.

Wake up early today for coffee and tea on the boat. Enjoy the morning in the bay, boating over to Ti Top Island. Here you can swim from the sandy beach or take an optional 20-minute hike to the viewpoint at the top of the island. Head back to the harbor over brunch, then transfer to your hotel in Hanoi’s center. Later you will be transferred to Hanoi airport for your flight to Ho Chi Minh. Upon arrival at Ho Chi Minh airport you will be escorted to your hotel.

Today you will explore the most remarkable places of Ho Chi Minh city in military-style by Jeep. Have breakfast at your hotel before your guide and driver pick you up to begin your Jeep adventure. Drive through Saigon streets towards the Independence Palace/ the Reunification Palace. The palace is a symbolic destination of the end of the Vietnam War during the Fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975, when the North Vietnamese Army tank number 843 crashed through the gates of what was the residence of the President of the Republic of Vietnam. Next, you will admire the Museum of American War Crimes/ the War Remnants Museum is the most popular museum in Ho Chi Minh City. It gathers a collection of the machinery, weapons, photos, and documentation of Vietnam’s wars.
After the Museum, you will see Notre Dame Cathedral and the Old Post Office, which are the best highlights of old Saigon architecture and are located next to each other right in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City. And then, Jeep will take you for a drive along famous roads in Saigon as Dong Khoi Street, and Nguyen Hue Street, and head to Ben Thanh Market, a lively market in District 1, where your guide can help you barter for goods. And then, Jeep goes to Bui Vien Street and back to your hotel.

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel before boarding your flight to Siem Reap. You will have a private transfer to your hotel upon arrival and leisure time for the remainder of the day.

Start your sightseeing tour of Angkor, where you’ll spend the whole 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. Stroll around this massive edifice, seeing the many galleries with columns, libraries, pavilions, courtyards, and ponds. The ponds 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.

Today you will visit Banteay Srei, constructed in the late 10th century by a Brahmin counselor under a powerful king Rajendarvarman. It loosely translates to “citadel of the woman,” but it is a modern appellation that probably refers to the delicate beauty of the carvings. Visit Preah Khan temple, built by King Jayavarman VII and dedicated to his father. It is a huge monastic complex and served as a Buddhist monastery and school, engaging over 1000 monks.

Continue to Neak Pean, a small island temple located in the middle of the last Baray, constructed by a Khmer king in the Angkor area. In the early evening you will be taken by tuk tuk, a small open-sided taxi common in Cambodia, to cruise around the suburb of Siem Reap town and for a blessing ceremony by Buddhist monks for happiness, prosperity, and safety for your journey.

Today you travel to Battambang town, where you can find many French Colonial architecture examples. After checking in, the group will drive along the picturesque Sangker River to Wat Slaket Pagoda, the former residence of the provincial Buddhist patriarch. Visit Ek Phnom Temple, which is an 11th century Angkorian-era ruin built as a Hindu temple under Suryavarman I. The temple consists of prasats on a platform with carvings in good condition. Wat Ek Phnom, a modern pagoda, sits next to the ruin. The river road drive to Ek Phnom from Battambang passes through small villages and rice paddies and is an absolutely beautiful countryside drive. Visit a market where Prahoc, the Cambodian fish paste, is made. Lastly, visit the place where local people take steam-sticky rice cooked in bamboo. Return to town for a short walk to a local market.

Today you’ll visit Ksach Puoy on the banks of the Sangker River. This area grows lots of tropical fruits, and you can learn about traditional farming here. Not far from Ksach Puoy is Cambodia's first vineyard,, Prasat Phnom Banan, where you can pop in for a wine tasting.

A few kilometers further south you arrive at the well preserved 11th century mountaintop Angkorian temple of Phnom Banan. After climbing the 350+ steps you are treated to a wonderfully peaceful setting with superb views across the surrounding countryside, with small villages dotting the endless rice paddies, punctuated with the characteristic sugar palm trees – a wonderful sunset location.

After breakfast, it’s time to check out and travel to the airport for your flight.