Highlights of Vietnam, Cambodia & Thailand 19 days

Half day Hanoi city tour (by car or by motorbike – upon availability).  

Begin the first day of the trip with a tour of Hanoi. Depart from the hotel at 08:00 for a visit to Vietnam’s first university: the Temple of Literature. Founded in 1076, Quoc Tu Giam was established within a temple to educate Vietnam's royalty, mandarins and members of the elite.

Continue with a visit to the iconic One Pillar Pagoda, one of Vietnam’s most iconic temples. Nearby is the mausoleum of the historic father figure of modern Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh, and his modest house on stilts. (Sites are viewed from outside; closed Mon and Fri and from Jun-Aug)

After lunch at an authentic Vietnamese Restaurant, back to hotel. Free time at leisure for rest of the day.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi

Halong Bay is listed by UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage and voted as a Wonder of Nature by the New7Wonders Foundation. You will have a night staying in this world famous bay.

After breakfast in Hanoi, depart the capital for the 3hr 30mins drive to Halong Bay. Arrive to Halong City’s jetty (around noon) and proceed with check-in formalities. After a welcome onboard, lunch will be served while cruising towards the bay. In the afternoon, enjoy some sightseeing, on-board activities (depending on each boat’s itinerary) or just spend some time relaxing on the vessel. Towards the end of the day the boat sets anchor for the night among the karst formations. Dinner is served on board.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: On-board an overnight cruise in Halong Bay

Early risers can enjoy a memorable sunrise over the karst formations of Halong Bay. Breakfast will be served shortly thereafter.

Enjoy breakfast (brunch on some boats) while the vessels cruises slowly through the magnificent rock formations back towards port. Upon disembarkation, our driver will be waiting to provide transport to Hanoi for the departing flight. Take a short flight to Da Nang, then transfer to Hoi An, check in hotel and overnight in Hoi An.

Meals: Breakfast, Brunch

Accommodation: Hotel in Hoi An

Morning or afternoon departure depend on availability

Tour guide will take you on a walking of this unique town. The tour will take you down the streets that are being restored and look much like they did over a century ago. Past low tiled buildings, you'll take in a historic house (formerly home to a prominent trader), the Japanese Covered Bridge, a Chinese assembly hall and a museum. The best way to discover Hoi An is to simply wander. Little more than a maze of a few streets, there are temples, museums and preserved houses to visit; yet with some 850 buildings heritage-protected, the best feel for the town comes from the places which are free to all.

Afternoon: Free at leisure

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Hotel in Hoi An

Enjoy a free day in the world heritage listed Hoi An. You may like to wander the Central Market and the street stalls selling paintings, woodwork, ceramics, lanterns and much more. Hoi An is also famous for its talented tailors who can make beautiful items to order within a few hours. For those still feeling adventurous, why not hire a bicycle and tour the surrounding countryside?

Other optional activities include a day trip to My Son Cham (elaborate World Heritage-listed temples that reflect the rich cultural traditions of the Cham civilisation), a cruise along the Thu Bon River and a trip to the nearby Cua Dai Beach.

Optional: We introduce some ways to explore the beauty of Hoi An. You can choose one of below options:

Option 1: Discover My Son Holly Land Half day: My Son Sanctuary - a collection of Champa ruins nestled amongst the mountains in a geological basin of the Quang Nam province.

Price from $ US50/ person

Option 2: Life as a Farmer in Cam Thanh village: Join the farmers in preparing and fertilizing the land. Get to know the villagers’ daily working routines, like raking the ground, sowing, watering and picking greens and many more gardening activities.

Price from $ US70/ person

Option 3: Hoi An Vespa Tour

Price from $ US80/ person

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Hotel in Hoi An

Enjoy your free time before transferring to airport in Da Nang for flight to Ho Chi Minh City. On arrival, transfer from airport to hotel. Spend free time to relax, unwind or explore the dynamic city on your own.

Formerly known as Saigon, todays Ho Chi Minh City is the bustling and vibrating economic centre of the South. Over the past few centuries, Saigon was called the “Pearl of the Far East” and was an important trading centre for Chinese, Japanese and Western merchants who traveled along the Saigon River.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Hotel in Ho Chi Minh

Morning or afternoon departure depend on availability

Enjoy the attraction of Ho Chi Minh City. Sightseeing examples of French colonial architecture and exploring the Vietnam’s turbulent in past at the Museum. Our guide will show you the most interesting sights that Ho Chi Minh City has to offer.

Depart from your hotel to the Reunification Palace; this beautifully preserved palace was the residence of the President of the Republic of Vietnam. On April 30th 1975 the American War officially came to an end here. Afterward, we visit Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral, which was built in 1880, and the Old Post Office, which was built sometime between 1886 and 1891. It is one of the best examples of classical French colonial architecture. Our last stop would be at a local Market where you can practice your bargaining skills while shopping for souvenirs. Discover local life and culture. You’ll find some of the friendliest, liveliest, most convivial people in the city in here. Return your hotel in Ho Chi Minh City.

Free time in the rest of day

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City

Escape the city for a tour of the Mekong Delta, where you'll see what life is like beyond the urban centre of the south. Drive to Can Tho, experience relaxing pace of life in the Delta region. An incredibly fertile region, the Mekong Delta's prime industry is food production, producing approximately half of Vietnam's total agricultural output. Local life for villages in the area revolves around the rivers and canals that make up the delta, so much so that people are more likely to transport by river than road.

Enjoy the fresh air and immerse yourself in the tranquility of the countryside, still untouched by tourism. Board on a long tail boat and experience the diversity of the Mekong waterways first hand as you explore fish farms and exotic fruit farms. Touring the orchards, paddy fields and swamplands of the Mekong Delta, you could be forgiven for thinking you’ve stepped into the pages of a geography textbook.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Hotel in Can Tho

Early wake up with a “should not be missed” floating market in Can Tho. Travel along the Mekong and the natural network of canals by motor boat and sampan under the shadows of water coconut trees. Taste seasonal fruits right from the orchard, meet friendly locals, and visit the region’s lively floating markets.

Northwest of Can Tho meanwhile, and a stone’s throw from the Cambodian border, is the ebullient town of Chau Doc, south of which Sam Mountain provides a welcome undulation in the surrounding plains. The opening of the border here has brought a steady stream of travellers going on to Phnom Penh by boat

Afternoon road transfer to Chau Doc and spend one night at this sleepy little town.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Hotel in Chau Doc

Activities: From early morning, visit the lively floating markets with lots of local and experience their daily activities. Transfer by road to Chau Doc in the afternoon.

Have breakfast at hotel.Head to the boat station, take speed boat to Phnom Penh. Transfer to your hotel and have a short rest. Then visit significant landmarks of Phnom Penh: Royal Palace, Silver Pagoda, Wat Phnom and the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel in Phnom Penh

Activities: Speed boat to Phnompenh

Phnompenh city tour in the afternoon

07:45 Transfer to Mekong Bus station for departure to Siem Reap (7 hour drive). Your guide will not be with you on bus but he/she will meet you in Siem Reap. The bus will stop at Arunras Restaurant for restroom and where you can find your own meals or snack before continue to final destination. Upon arrival Siem Reap, meet your guide at Borei Seang Nam station and transfer to check in at hotel for refreshment.

Siem Reap is the gateway to the UNESCO World Heritage Angkor Archaeological Park which is roughly 7 kilometres away. However, the town itself is worth exploring with day and night markets, Khmer massage and spa treatments, a variety of great cafes and restaurants, and even fish massage!

This afternoon, take a fun by Rermork “Tuk Tuk” ride to visit the Angkor National Museum, learn about “the Legend Revealed” and see how the Khmer Empire has been established during the golden period. Continue to Preah Ang Check - Preah Ang chom, the secret place where local people go praying for good luck or safe journey. Tonight enjoy buffet dinner with Khmer Traditional Dance Show at Amazon or Kulen II restaurant. Relax as you prepare for your much-anticipated visit to Angkor tomorrow.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel in Siem Reap

Activities: Transfer to Siem Reap. In the afternoon, take a fun by Rermork “Tuk Tuk” ride to visit the Angkor National Museum and Preah Ang Check Preah Angkor. Enjoy buffet dinner with Apsara Dance performance.

Morning, visit to jungle Ta Prohm Temple, embraced by the roots of enormous fig trees and gigantic creepers. The temple of Ta Prohm was once used as a location to film the famous Hollywood film Tomb Raider. Begin tour to the antique capital of Angkor Thom, start from the South Gate with its huge statues depicting the churning of the ocean of milk, the Bayon Temple, unique for its 54 towers decorated with over 200 smiling faces of Avolokitesvara, the Phimeanakas, the Royal Enclosure, the Elephants Terrace and the Terrace of the Leper King.

Afternoon, explore Angkor Wat the most famous of all the temples on the plain of Angkor. 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. Last but not least, view a wonderful sunset from Angkor Wat or somewhere possible.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Hotel in Siem Reap

Enjoy your free day in Siem Reap

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Hotel in Siem Reap

Free until transfer to Siem Reap International airport for flight to Bangkok. Guide and driver pick you up at the airport when arriving and transfer to hotel in Bangkok.

Start your Thailand vacation in the stunning city of Bangkok where the past sits beneath the shade of the present offering a respite from the hustle and bustle of the modern world. Skyscrapers tower over the cityscape creating a glistening skyline while temples rise to a lesser extent with gilded and colorful spires giving an impressive and sensitive charm to the a very different vista. Restaurants offer delectable meals with views of the expansive city, where the scent of rich chocolate fondue contains hints of coconut bringing traditional cuisine to the modern age. Vendors and tiny markets give a cultural view of the streets where the alluring aroma of crisp fried chicken and sesame oil drifts beneath the neon lights. Stepping along the streets of Bangkok gives you a stunning diversity, where modern and ancient, lavish and simple decorate the city.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Hotel in Bangkok.

A visit to the Royal Grand Palace, the nation’s landmark and most praised royal monument in Thailand, with the enclosed and dazzling Wat Phra Keo with its revered Emerald Buddha, the Golden Chedi, the Pantheon of the Chakri Kings and the Eight Coloured Towers, is a must. In Thailand by many, it is considered to be a living example of classical Siamese Court, being the former residence of the kings of Thailand.

Wat Pho is also regarded as the first centre of public education and is sometimes called ‘Thailand’s first university’. Mural paintings, inscriptions, and statues found in the temple-educated people on varied subjects such as literature, warfare, archaeology, astronomy, geology, meditation and to be considered, home of the Thai traditional massage. Here, you will enjoy a 30-minutes’ Thai massage as an excellent break after a morning sightseeing. Experience an afternoon trip along the bustling Chao Phya River and the quiet Klongs (canals) in a long tail boat enjoy scenes of life by water. We bring you to a more traditional way of living, more serene and traditional, away from all the high-rise and modern buildings of Bangkok City Centre, as we gently pass Thonburi residential areas. A stop will be made at the “Temple of Dawn” (officially named Wat Arun).

Finally, a visit to the Flower and vegetable market will round off this day. Located close to the Chao Phraya River, this part of Bangkok brings you to a rural piece of Bangkok where they have a vast selection of all kinds of flowers, especially orchids and tropical flowers and see how the merchants create very special flower garlands. The end of this Bangkok day ends at the Golden Mountain.

• Photography is permitted in the Royal Palace Grounds and in the compounds of the Emerald Buddha Temple, but not inside the buildings.

Note:

• Please dress respectfully by not wearing sleeveless, shorts or sandals, when visiting the Grand Palace and temple complex.
• The inner courts of Grand Palace are frequently closed on Sundays.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Hotel in Bangkok

08:00 Pick up at your hotel in Bangkok center.

Departing from Bangkok, you first reach Bang Pa-In Palace - Summer Palace, boasting a mix of European, gothic and Thai-Buddhist architecture. Take the time to explore the charming temples, wander a circle around the lake with colourful tower and also admire the palace's architecture of unusual excellence.

Continue the trip with a short visit to Wat Yai Chai Mongkol - a temple said to have been built by King U-Thong as the place for monks returning from Sri Lanka to rest their heads on the eastern banks of the Pa Sak River.

Then take a short walk to Wat Phra Sri Sanphet - was the holiest temple on the site of the old Royal Palace in Thailand's ancient capital of Ayutthaya until the city was completely destroyed by the Burmese in 1767. You also have chance to visit Wat Mahathat - “the temple of the Great Relic” was one of the most important temples in the Ayutthaya Kingdom. It is a highly-sacred temple famous for its Lord Buddha relics and traditional style once used as a model for other temples in the ancient kingdom. 

13:00 Enjoy lunch in a riverside restaurant with traditional Thai dishes while reveling in scenery of river. 

Afterward, cruising along the Chao Phraya River by longtail boat to see the ruins, imagine once it was the charming and glory city in the past.

16:00 Get on car to head back Bangkok, reaching your hotel in Bangkok center.

Enjoy your free day in Bangkok

Transfer to the airport and say goodbye. We hope to serve you next time.