Ecstatic Vietnam and Cambodia

Today, you will visit the Reunification Palace, the home and workplace of the President of South Vietnam during the Vietnam War.
Pass by Notre Dame Cathedral, built between 1877 and 1883, most materials for Saigon’s Notre Dame Cathedral were imported from France, and one of the city’s major landmarks and head to visit Saigon Post Office, a classic French colonial structure, is still a functioning post office today and features huge ceilings, a giant portrait of Uncle Ho, and many beautiful details.

Top off the day with a visit to Ben Thanh Market, packed to the rafters with everything from fruits to nuts, from tourist kitsch to true bargains, it is a definite must-see.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

Meal Plan: Breakfast

After breakfast, we head to the airport to catch the flight to Da Nang. Upon arrival, you will be greeted by our local guide and transfer to your hotel in Hoi An.

In the afternoon, you spend the afternoon to walk the ancient streets of Hoi An, lined with Chinese traders’ homes and wooden houses reincarnated as restaurants, cafes, and outlets for local artists, craftsmen and tailors. Explore the beautiful 16th century Japanese Bridge. Hoi An’s unique fusion of Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese architecture is well displayed here, in what is arguably Vietnam’s most tourist-friendly town.

Note: Early check-in is excluded.

Overnight in Hoi An.

Meal Plan: Breakfast

After breakfast, we will transfer to explore the Ky Anh Tunnel network located beneath the village of Thach Tan, part of the larger Tam Thanh commune. Although there are numerous entrances scattered throughout local villages, the main access point is in this village. In the past, the tunnel system spanned as much as 32 kilometers through the area. However, the restored portions we will visit are much shorter, totaling a few hundred meters.

In the afternoon, join in a distillery exploration tour. Head South of Hoi An on the road runs parallel with the coast to Vietnam's first Rhum distillery located next to a pristine stretch of sandy beach. It's home to the country's premium rum brand Sampan made from freshly pressed sugarcane using centuries-old French distillation techniques. During this 1-hour Rhum tasting, you will have chance to taste 3 white rums and 1 aged Rhum under guidance of an expert mixologist. After the tour, transfer back to your hotel.

Note: activities in the distillery are join-in.

Overnight in Hoi An

Meal Plan: Breakfast

After an early breakfast, we depart to Hue. After passing the city of Danang, we start a scenic drive up and down the Hai Van Pass with opportunities to stop and enjoy breathtaking views over the sea and Lang Co Bay. The journey is about 3 and a half hour before we reach the ancient Imperial Capital.

Arrival in Hue, visit incense making villages and discover the daily life of locals, who working strenuously but with joy and enthusiasm.
Next, reach to the quite Thuy Bieu village – famous for growing Thanh Tra fruit (a kind of small pomelo). Enjoy lunch with Hue specialties at a local home in Thuy Bieu village. After lunch, continue to explore the Thuy Bieu village. You will visit garden houses, a unique feature of the Hue countryside, and enjoy relaxed walking around the village. Visit an old communal house, pass by several ancient ancestral temples. You can chat with local people, or simply enjoy a cup of tea.

Next, enjoy a leisure dragon boat ride to Thien Mu pagoda. This 7-storey octagonal tower is a symbol of Hue, here the guide of Sens Asia will explain you the reason why Thien Mu is one of the most important pagoda of Vietnam. Behind the pagoda are peaceful gardens and, somewhat incongruously, the old Austin car which transported Thich Quang Duc to Saigon in 1963 for his self-immolation.

Then drive to your hotel for check-in. Rest of the day is free at leisure.

Overnight in Hue.

Meal Plan: Breakfast and Lunch

Breakfast at hotel.

Start your journey with the visit of The Imperial City, the remnant of a vast citadel. Here you can see the ravages of time and war on what was the carefully designed capital of the Nguyen Dynasty.

Next, visit Minh Mang Tomb or known as “Hieu mausoleum’. This is one of the most mystical tombs of Nguyen Dynasty. Combined between landscape and architecture buildings, the tomb can be considered as a microcosm of Hue Citadel, which is a perfect combination of the manmade and natural beauty of Hue.

End the tour with a visit at Dong Ba market if time permits.

Depending on train schedule, you will be picked up by our guide to transfer to the Train station for the overnight train to Hanoi.
Overnight on train.

Note: 
- Late check-out at hotel is excluded. A supplement for late check-out or a day use room will be applied if required. 
- Sharing 4 soft berth cabin with AC, one berth per pax, on the night train Hue - Hanoi. Kindly be informed that the cabins and the services on the train are very simple and far to reach your expected standard. However, it is a really nice adventure and experience.

Meal Plan: Breakfast

Arrive at Hanoi in the morning. Start your day with a bowl of noddle at local restaurant. Continue, we will visit The Presidential Palace (formerly Palace of the Governor-General of French Indochina), Ho Chi Minh’s house-on-stilt and nearby One Pillar Pagoda. Later we will visit the Temple of Literature is a temple dedicated to Confucius in Hanoi, northern Vietnam. The temple was built in 1070 at the time of Emperor Ly Thanh Tong.

From here, drive to the city center for an Old Quarter, the bustling heart of Hanoi, has been a commercial centre since King Ly Thai To built his palace there in the 11th century. Skilled craftsmen started to migrate and artisan guilds were formed on the famous "36 Streets". Previously, each street carried the name of the item produced and sold there, and many still have the same names. This is a place you must see to experience Hanoi, where you will find shopping and cultural/historical sites all wrapped into one.

In the late afternoon, you will be treated a water puppet show - the unique Vietnamese art dates back to the 11th century. The show was originally performed on rice paddies.

Afterward, transfer to hotel for check-in and free time at leisure.

Overnight in Hanoi.

Note: Early check-in at hotel is excluded. A supplement for early check-in or a day use room will be applied if required.

Meal Plan: Breakfast

Departure in the morning from Hanoi. We drive across the Red River delta and reach the coast a little before noon. We then embark on a beautifully crafted junk for an overnight cruise in the legendary seascape of Ha Long Bay. Once on board, we are served a delicious seafood-based lunch, while the surrounding limestone outcrops make for a truly magical setting. In the afternoon, we reach a less travelled area where we will devote ourselves to pure relaxation. The program is not fixed and depends on the time of the year and weather, but there will be an opportunity to visit a cave as well as explore a floating village or do a little bit of kayaking over the course of these 2 days. We end the day on the sundeck as the sun sets on this magical seascape. This evening, you can enjoy an aperitif or attend a cooking demonstration before dinner. Overnight in a comfortable private cabin with an en-suite bathroom.

Note: 
- Cruise itinerary and schedule are subject to change due to weather, tide levels and operating conditions. Swimming or kayaking excursions may be cancelled due to poor weather.
- No private tour guide on board. There is a sharing in-house English speaking guide to assist all passengers.

Meal Plan: Breakfast lunch and Dinner

For those early birds, start the day with a proposed Tai Chi session, while tea and coffee are served as the sun rises and illuminates the surrounding seascape. We then continue our exploration of the bay. Upon returning to the boat, check-out of your cabin and enjoy a light brunch while cruising back to the pier. We disembark and transfer back to Hanoi. 

The guide and driver will pick you up and from there we will transfer directly to the airport for your flight to Siem Reap. Upon arrival, our local guide will pick you up and we will take a short transfer to your hotel in Siem Reap.

Overnight in Siem Reap.

Hotel/Other Details: Light brunch while cruising back to the pier.

Today is dedicated to the discovery of the essentials of Angkor temples. Let’s first explore Angkor Wat, easily the most famous and best-preserved of all temples within the Angkor complex. It is a massive three-tiered structure crowned by five lotus-like towers rising 65 metres from ground level. Next, visit the ancient walled city of Angkor Thom, the last capital of the Great Khmer Empire under the reign of Jayavarman VII. Bayon Temple, Baphuon, the royal enclosure, and the Terraces of the Elephants and the Leper King are the main elements of this 12th-century masterpiece. A lunch break will be arranged in a local restaurant and will be at your own expense. We continue to Ta Prohm Temple, which, unlike most of the other Angkor temples, has been left just as it was when rediscovered: a photogenic and atmospheric maze of trees growing out of the ruins.

In the afternoon, we will visit the APOPO visitor centre (join-in activities), a landmine clearing organization that uses Hero Rats to sniff out the deadly explosives. 

Return to the hotel in the late afternoon and enjoy the rest of the day at your leisure.

Overnight in Siem Reap.
 
Note: Appropriate attire when visiting Angkor temples is long pants (covering the knee) and shirts that cover the shoulders. Skirts, small shorts, tank tops, and other items of revealing clothing are not allowed within temple grounds. Visitors can and are frequently turned away from temples when wearing revealing clothing.

Meal Plan: Breakfast

After breakfast, immerse yourself into pure traditional Khmer village: Banteay Cheure Village. It will be a unique chance to join with locals to plant young trees and to support the community. Afterward, explore the village and learn how to make Kar Larn (sticky rise cook in bamboo), rattan handcrafted, little farming for groceries and vegetables.

Then, it will be perfect time to join hands with one of local family in preparing typical lunch with them and eat together.
In the afternoon, you will head out to Kampong Khleang “floating village”, which is, in fact, a settlement of stilt-houses called home by over 20,000 people. Depending on the season and the water level, structures can tower up to ten meters above the water or be totally immersed and give visitors the impression that houses are actually floating. Greeted by waves of the friendly locals, here you can glimpse Cambodia’s countryside culture and traditional family lifestyle.

Overnight in Siem Reap.

Note: From February to August/September the water level of the Tonle Sap Lake is very low. It’s muddy and the boat can get stuck. If clients are still keen on having a boat trip on the lake we’ll change to Chong Kneas floating village instead of Kompong Kleang where the condition is a little bit better for the boat trip.

Meal Plan: Breakfast and Lunch

The day is free at your leisure until transfer to Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport for your departure flight. We wish you a pleasant flight!
 

Meal Plan: Breakfast