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Indochina at a glance: Vietnam and CambodiaRoute: Hanoi - Halong Bay - Hanoi - Hoi An - HCMC - Cu Chi tunnels - Mekong Delta - Phnom Penh - Siem Reap - Battambang - BangkokIf you're looking for a genuine Vietnam adventure, yet at the same time would like to see what Cambodia has to offer, you can easily combine the two with this Vietnam and Cambodia holiday, which will take you to the highlights of both Vietnam and Cambodia. Beginning in Hanoi, you'll visit the dragon rock formations of Halong Bay, the friendly town of Hoi An and the haunting Cu Chi tunnels in Saigon. Next, a boat will take you through the Mekong Delta and over the border to Phnom Penh in Cambodia. Here, you'll be confronted by the Killing Fields and Cambodia's tumultuous past. Later on you'll sail across the mighty Tonle Sap Lake and on to one of the Wonders of the World - the famous temple complexes of Angkor Wat. Finally, you'll explore Siem Reap before ending your trip in Bangkok. If you'd like to build your own Vietnam and Cambodia holiday you can take your pick from our range of bite-sized Cambodia and Vietnam tours. Alternatively, you can choose from our ready-made holidays in South East Asia or give one of our friendly travel specialists a call on 01273 322 041. If you'd prefer to travel in Vietnam only, you can also choose from our range of holidays in Vietnam. |
| Duration |
19 days/ 18 nights Departs Hanoi Monday, Wednesday, Saturday |
Accommodation |
Basic accommodation in small towns and standard hotels in larger cities. Comfort levels 2 and 3 (see accommodation) |
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Price |
£1248 per person - based on 2 people |
Includes |
Accommodation with breakfast, transportation as mentioned in the daily itinerary and excursions with English speaking guides. Halong Bay and Cu Chi tunnels entrance fees. |
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Transport |
Mini-van, train, (hydrofoil) boat, private car | Excludes |
Meals, drinks and entrance fees |
Day 1: HanoiToday you'll arrive in Hanoi to begin your Vietnam and Cambodia holiday, and a transfer will be waiting for you at the airport. En route to your hotel you'll catch a glimpse of Vietnam street life. Your hotel is located centrally in the Old Quarter of Hanoi, where you'll find an abundance of food stands and small restaurants on your doorstep. |
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Day 2: HanoiSimilar to Lenin in Moscow, Ho Chi Minh is on display to the entire world in his glass sarcophagus. Tourists can queue up to visit 'Uncle Ho', who is surrounded by guardsmen. |
Day 3: Halong BayYou'll be picked up at your hotel in the morning and taken to the small coastal town of Halong. A Chinese sailing ship (a junk) will be waiting for you on your arrival. On board you'll start out with a lunch fresh from the sea.The boat will start off on its wonderful cruise through the area and it will set anchor at Dinh Huong Island, Ga Choi Island, Dog Island and Sail Island. Then you'll go on to visit the Sung Sot cave and you can take a refreshing dive into the waters at the Titov beach - a real highlight of this Vietnam and Cambodia holiday. In the evening, you'll be able to enjoy magical views while you watch the sun set with a glass of Vietnamese wine in hand. The junk will anchor in nearby Bai Tu Long Bay, a much quieter bay, away from the other tourists. You'll spend the night here on board the junk. |
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Day 4: Halong Bay - HanoiOn the fifth day of your Vietnam and Cambodia holiday you'll wake up to a delicious breakfast before visiting the various islands and rock formations of Bai Tu Long Bay. On the way back to Halong lunch will be prepared on board and, when you get back to the mainland, you'll be transferred to Hanoi.Ha Long literally means 'descending dragons' and according to legends, that is precisely what happened here. Quite some time ago, when ancestors fought to ward off intruders from the north, the gods sent help. A family of dragons appeared from the heavens to help the people protect their country. The dragons landed in the area now known as Halong Bay and started to spew jewels and jade. Once the gems hit the water they changed into islands and formed a natural barrier against the intruders. The Vietnamese were now able to keep their land and they created the country: Vietnam. The dragons enjoyed their stay on earth so much that they decided to stay. The dragon mother can be found in Halong and her children can be found in Bai Tu Long. The dragon's tails form the Bach Long Vi area. |
Day 5: Hanoi - Free timeToday marks your last day in Hanoi before you continue with your Vietnam and Cambodia holiday. If you feel up to it, you could make an early morning visit to Hoan Kiem Lake. Shortly after sunrise, the Vietnamese head out to the lake for an energizing early morning work-out. Men and women practice Tai Chi, play games of badminton or walk around the lake. |
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Day 6: Hanoi - Hoi AnOn day seven of your Vietnam and Cambodia holiday you'll continue your journey as you fly from Hanoi to Danang, near Hoi An. You won't have any problems arranging your own transfers to Hanoi airport and from Danang airport to your hotel in Hoi An. The city of Hoi An is a Vietnamese highlight due to its abundance of small restaurants and cafés, friendly tailors and tropical beach.The historic monuments in Hoi An are less well known. You can buy a ticket for around £5 that covers your entrance fees for the famous Japanese bridge, the ancient trade houses and a small museum. The charming city centre can easily be explored on foot and is exactly as it was in the 17th and 18th century when it was an important harbour and trade post. You can also hire bicycles to visit the large market, the historic harbour and the lovely nearby beach. The beach is surprisingly quiet during the day, but if you stay until sunset, you'll see the beach fill up with local families who come for a dip after a long day at work. |
Day 7: Hoi An - Free timeYou're eight days into your Vietnam and Cambodia holiday and today you're free to wander lazily through the tiny streets of Hoi An. If you're feeling adventurous you can pay a visit to the historical site of My Son (optional). Despite American bombardment, the temple complex at My Son has been well preserved. The area was the most important religious and intellectual centre in Vietnam until the 13th century and the temples are fascinating buildings to explore. Nowadays, My Son is a UNESCO World Heritage site, lying about 40km southwest of Hoi An in a wild, green valley.Hoi An is jam-packed with tailors and you can have a good made-to-measure suit made for a fraction of the prices in the UK. The perfect opportunity to update your wardrobe! Although the tailors can put together a suit for you in no time, it's best to plan to have this done a few days before you travel to the next destination on your Vietnam and Cambodia holiday. This way any alterations can be made while you're in town. |
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Day 8: Optional cookery lesson - Free timeThere are no activities planned on day nine of your Vietnam and Cambodia holiday. If you wish, we can offer you a genuine Vietnamese cookery lesson during the morning. If you choose to take the class, you'll be picked up at your hotel and taken to colourful Hoi An market to buy all of the ingredients for your dishes. Once you've purchased the right ingredients you'll head towards the cooking school where your teacher will show you how to prepare typical Vietnamese meals. Then, you'll make your own meals before eating them for lunch.There are no activities planned for the afternoon, so you can spend the afternoon as you wish. You'll spend all three nights in Hoi An in comfortable, centrally located hotel in the historic centre of town. Walking through the narrow, lively streets and popping into a few of the small souvenir shops is quite a fun way to spend time. The hotel also has a very pleasant swimming pool and breakfast is included during your stay. |
Day 9: Hoi An - Ho Chi Minh CityToday, you'll make your own way from Hoi An to Danang to catch a domestic flight to Ho Chi Minh City, the next stop on your Vietnam and Cambodia holiday. We'll arrange your air travel and you'll be able to arrange your own transfers to and from your hotel. After checking into your comfortable hotel, you'll have time to explore the city on your own. In Ho Chi Minh City, you'll have your own air-conditioned room in a hotel chosen for its central location and the level of comfort that you can expect. Tham Street, Saigon's popular backpacker's street, is right around the corner. There are many fine restaurants and small stores nearby. |
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Day 10: Cu Chi TunnelsToday you'll visit Cu Chi tunnels, 30km northwest of Ho Chi Minh City - another highlight of your Vietnam and Cambodia holiday. You'll travel most of the way by boat and the last section by bus (although if the water levels are too low, the entire trip will be completed by minibus). The Vietcong hid in the tunnels during the Vietnam War in the 1960's. The network of small, deep tunnels covers 250 kilometres and were as both a hiding place and a place from which to launch attacks. They feature living areas, kitchens, ammunition stock rooms, weapon factories and command centres. The Vietcong also built many fake entrances and booby traps to mislead the enemy.Several of the tunnels have been enlarged for tourists, so you can crawl inside and experience them first hand. If you're feeling really fearless, you can also try the original tunnels. Your English-speaking guide will tell you about the history and precise uses of the tunnels. Around 1pm you'll be back in Ho Chi Minh City and you can either explore some more sights or relax on the terrace of a cafe. You'll spend another night of your Vietnam and Cambodia holiday in your comfortable hotel. |
Day 11: Mekong DeltaThe next two days of your Vietnam and Cambodia holiday will be spent in the Mekong Delta. The Mekong River, with its vast fertile delta, is the backbone of the economy in the south. Around 7:30am, the minibus will arrive to take you in the direction of Cai Be. From here, you'll hop onto a boat and sail in a small group through the Mekong Delta. In Cai Be you'll sail past colourful, floating markets, where vendors will offer their wares from their boats jammed with produce, dangling their produce in the air from a long pole.You'll also sail through canals inhabited by the people of the Mekong Delta. Daily life will pass you by as you sail past small villages, rice paddies and family businesses- a real highlight of your holiday in Vietnam. While sailing through the maze of canals, you'll visit one of the many islands in the Mekong - Vinh Long Island. After a lunch consisting of Mekong Delta specialities, you'll sail for approximately 3 hours until you reach Can Tho, where you'll arrive in time for sunset. In the event of unforeseen circumstances, for instance low water levels, this entire portion of the trip will be conducted by mini bus. You'll spend the night in a comfortable, modern hotel in the centre of Can Tho. In the evening you'll be able to enjoy a refreshing drink on the banks of the Mekong river- a real highlight of the first day of your travels from Vietnam to Cambodia. |
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Day 12: Can Tho - Chau DocEarly this morning you’ll travel by boat in small groups to the largest floating market in the Mekong Delta, Cai Rang. Hundreds of boats and vendors gather here to trade all kinds of exotic fruits. To get closer to the action you’ll step into smaller bamboo rowing boats and weave your way through the market. The market is full of small boats darting through the water as vendors sell their wares.Later, you’ll travel by bus from Can Tho to the border town of Chau Doc where you’ll arrive in late afternoon. You’ll visit the floating riverside village in Chau Doc by boat in a small group. Many people make a living from catching fish here, with personal fish farms under their floating houses. You'll take a small boat to these farms and may even get the chance to feed the fish. Make sure you stand back though or you will be sure to get wet! At the Cambodian border you’ll find a Cham village, home to the descendants of the ancient kingdom Champa of central Vietnam. The villagers here are Muslim and the village has a mosque and Arabic school. You can buy a last Vietnamese souvenir at one of the weaving shops in the village where they sell beautiful hand-woven shawls and clothes, as your Vietnam and Cambodia holiday continues into Cambodia tomorrow. You’ll be staying the night in a basic but comfortable hotel before continuing your Mekong Delta journey tomorrow, on the thirteenth day of your Vietnam and Cambodia holiday. |
Day 13: Mekong Delta - Phnom PenhYou're two weeks into your Vietnam and Cambodia holiday and today you’ll travel by speedboat to Cambodia, stopping at the border to buy your Cambodia visa (around 25 USD). You’ll arrive in the harbour of Phnom Penh at around 1.30pm where you can take a tuk-tuk to your hotel. The rest of the day is yours to spend as you wish, as your city tour will take place tomorrow.Phnom Penh is a charming city with many historic colonial buildings. Unlike most Cambodian cities, Phnom Penh is fairly modern, with paved roads, modern stores, beautiful boulevards and many ATMs. You can visit the National Museum of Cambodia, built in 1917 with a large collection of Khmer artefacts. Afterwards, you could visit the Silver Pagoda, otherwise known as the temple of the Emerald Buddha, and the Royal Palace. The Silver Pagoda is famous for its silver floors. In the afternoon, you can climb the hill to Wat Phnom temple, after which the city was named. You'll sleep in a comfortable, cosy hotel in Phnom Penh. |
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Day 14: Phnom Penh - City TourToday, you'll visit more remote parts of Phnom Penh with your guide, such the Silver Pagoda and the National Palace but also the remains of the Pol Pot regime as the Tuol Sleng Museum and Killing Fields. The Tuol Sleng Museum is quite an impressive museum which confronts visitors quite directly with Cambodia's brutal past by means of photography. The Silver Pagoda, or the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, is famous for its solid silver floor, made up of 5000 silver tiles weighing over 1kg each. At the Apsara Foundation in Phnom Penh, very poor Cambodian children can enjoy singing and entertaining lessons. Opening hours permitting, your guide will take you to see this interesting project. You'll stay another night in your small, comfortable hotel before your Vietnam and Cambodia holiday continues tomorrow. |
Day 15: Phnom Penh - Siem Reap
On day sixteen of your holiday in South East Asia you'll travel by bus to Siem Reap. The bus trip should take about 5 hours. During the trip you can some nice views of people going about their daily lives. Villages on stilts, endless rice paddies, children playing and peole selling their wares will pass you by. We can also arrange for you to take this journey by boat instead, during which you'll travel across the famous Tonle Sap Lake. If you would like to arrange this instead, please make a note of it on your Quote Request Form or let one of our Travel Specialists know. On arrival in Siem Reap you'll be greeted by a crowd of rickshaw drivers, so just pick one and travel to your hotel in Cambodian style! Your centrally located hotel has air-conditioned rooms and friendly staff.
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Day 16: Siem Reap - Angkor tour with guideToday is sure to be one of the highlights of your Vietnam and Cambodia holiday, and you'll visit part of the Angkor temple complex with your guide. In order to see the entire complex, you would need to spend several days here since there are dozens of temples spread out over an area of about 25 kilometres. Angkor is the name of the ancient capital of the Khmer empire which was founded in the 8th century AD. The empire stretched all the way to southern Vietnam and China. |
| The temples were once surrounded by a thriving city filled with wooden houses. Sadly, the city is long gone, but the temples themselves are magnificent. For centuries, the city was overgrown by jungle until the ruins were discovered by French explorers in 1900. Several temples have been restored but others are still overgrown. The Ta Prohm temple gives you a real sense of being lost in the jungle. Giant trees tower over the temples and the gigantic roots have wrapped themselves around the temple walls. It’s a strange but impressive sight. You’ll spend another night in Siem Reap before continuing your Vietnam and Cambodia holiday tomorrow. |
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Day 17: Angkor - independent visitOn the eighteenth day of your Vietnam and Cambodia holiday you'll visit Angkor independently, giving you plenty of time to explore the temples at your own pace. Angkor is the name of the ancient capital of the Khmer-empire that was established during the 8th century after Christ. The empire was enormous and included territory all the way down to Southern Vietnam and China. Later on the Thai ruled this territory during the Siamese empire and introduced many Buddhist influences. Siem Reap literally means "victory by Siam".For centuries the temples were buried by the jungle until a French expedition discovered the ruins early in the 1900s. Several of the temples have since been restored. You'll spend another night in Siem Reap. |
Day 18: Siem Reap - Battambang
Sometime during the morning you'll be picked up at your hotel and taken to the pier just outside of Siem Reap. Here you'll board a boat to Battambang, your next destination on your Vietnam and Cambodia holiday. Along the way you'll pass floating villages filled with waving children. You'll travel through small waterways and later on you'll travel across the mighty Tonle Sap Lake. At the end of the afternoon you'll arrive in Battambang. Here you'll be able to go for a ride on a bamboo train. The bamboo train is nothing more than a bamboo raft and a carriage that has been placed on a train track; however it is a traditional means of transportation for this area. The train ride will take you through rice paddies and give you an interesting glimpse of traditional country life. Battambang is a provincial city with a lively market where people come from all around to stock up on ingredients for their meals. You'll spend the night in a basic but comfortable hotel across from the local market. |
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Day 19: Battambang - Trat - BangkokYou'll head out of Battambang for the Thai border quite early in the morning by private car since the roads in this area are quite poor. About a 3-hour bumpy drive later and you'll reach the border. After receiving an exit stamp in your passport, you'll cross the border by foot. On the Thai side of the border another driver will be waiting to take you to Trat. The difference between Cambodia and Thailand will be immediately noticeable. The sandy, pot-holed roads in Cambodia will transform into modern paved roads, making the trip to Trat much smoother. Your driver will take you to the Trat bus station where you'll catch a bus to Bangkok. It's best to purchase your own bus ticket here - your driver will help you with this. Eventually, you'll arrive in Bangkok at the end of the day and your Vietnam and Cambodia holidays comes to an end. |
Holiday South-East Asia - A Peek at Your Accommodation (click to enlarge)
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