Itinerary
This tour gives you an opportunity to explore not one but two phenomenal world famous heritage sites, Halong Bay one of the seven natural wonders in Vietnam and and the Angkor temple complex a UNESCO world heritage site in Siem Reap Cambodia. Travelling from Hanoi in the north to Saigon in the south, from Saigon to Siem Reap and Phnom Penh in Cambodia we will cover a wide range of popular destinations in Vietnam and Cambodia
The tour includes a city tour of Hanoi, Saigon, farming in Hoi An, a cooking class in Hanoi and Hoi An ancient town.
Duration: 16 Days/ 15 Nights
Depart From: Hanoi/ Phnom Penh
Destinations: Hanoi – Halong Bay – Hue – Hoian – Ho Chi Minh – Cu Chi Tunnels – Mekong Delta – Siem Reap – Phnom Penh
Day 1: Arrival Hanoi
Arrival in Hanoi, the tour guide will pick us up and transfer to hotel. Check in and free time for our relaxing. Overnight at hotel in Hanoi
Day 2: Hanoi – Halong Bay (B/L/D)
The tour guide will pick you up at the hotel and transfer to Halong Bay at 8am.
Your heavenly journey across Halong Bay starts around noon on Tuan Chau Island at the doorstep of Vietnam’s most fascinating wonder.
As the vessel sets sails, you will be greeted by Paradise Crew and Cruise Manager who will aim throughout your stay at providing you with the highest standards of service for a pure pleasure and utmost comfort onboard our luxury facilities in the stunning surroundings.
Discover some of the treasures disseminated across the Bay of the Descending Dragon during the afternoon: fascinating caves, pristine beaches, picturesque floating villages, fantastic rock formations rising up out of emerald water.
While onboard, you can take advantage at leisure of our Spa, Beauty & Massage services; surrounded by a stunning setting in motion, you will attend our chef’s cooking demonstration and try your skills in the art of traditional Vietnamese cooking.
Defined to be one of the highlights of your Paradise stay, a highly refined, innovative and varied cuisine will be presented for Lunch and Dinner in the elegant dining-room, accompanied by a wide selection of wines and beverages from around the world.
Day 3: Halong Bay – Hanoi (B/L)
Early birds can attend a Tai Chi demonstration on the sundeck at the break of dawn. Start the day enjoying some Paradise delights with a colorful buffet breakfast. Continue exploring Halong Bay sailing across its 2000 islets and visiting some of its major highlights. Your Paradise Cruise will come to an end on Tuan Chau Island between 10.30am and 11.00am. The tour guide will meet and transfer us back to Hanoi. Arrival Hanoi, check in hotel and relax. Overnight in Hanoi
Day 4: Hanoi Half Day City Tour – Hue (B/D)
We have a free day to relax or go shopping. In the afternoon, we will visit Temple of Literature, Ethnology Museum and watch a Water Puppet Show. Then the tour guide will take you for dinner before transfer you to railway station for the train to Hue at 7pm. Overnight on the train to Hue
Day 5: Hue Half Day City Tour (B/L)
The tour guide will pick you up at the railway station at 8am and we transfer to hotel and have breakfast. We have half day tour in the morning, we are transferred to the Wharf where we will cruise along the Perfume River to visit Thien Mu Pagoda (The Heavenly Lady pagoda), from here we will have a good view of Perfume River and surroundings and we will also visit Thien Mu Pagoda. And then we take our vehicle to Tu Duc King’s tomb, which is one of the most beautiful works of Royal Architecture of the Nguyen Dynasty. The tomb lies in a boundless pine forest. Then we visit Hue Citadel before back to hotel to relax. Overnight in Hue
Day 6: Hue – Hoian (B/L)
After breakfast at the hotel, we travel by vehicle to Hoian along scenic highway 1A. Along the way we will stop to contemplate the stunning views North to Lang Co Beach and South to Danang City. Danang city with Cham Museum – the houses of the most complete collection if Cham Artifacts anywhere in the world; My Khe Beach – where the American named and used to have their Rest and Relaxation; and the Marble Mountain – the five elements of the Universe (water, wood, air, fire and earth). We will arrive in Hoian in the afternoon, check in hotel and relax. Overnight at hotel in Hoian
Day 7: Hoian Old Quarters (B/L)
Having breakfast before we will start our walking tour around the ancient town to visit the Japanese Covered Bridge, the Pottery Museum, Tan Ky old house, the Cantonese congregation, the silk street of Hoian, the temples and pagodas of Chinese appearance. In the afternoon you are free time to relax. Overnight in Hoian
Day 8: Hoian Free Time (B)
Today we have a free day in Hoian. Overnight in Hoian
Day 9: Hoian – Ho Chi Minh (B)
Flight to Ho Chi Minh at by Vietnam Airlines at 1330/1440
After breakfast, free time for us before the guide take us to airport for the flight to Ho Chi Minh. Arrival Ho Chi Minh, the tour guide will transfer us to hotel, check in and relax. Overnight at hotel in Ho Chi Minh
Day 10: Ho Chi Minh – Cu Chi Tunnels (B/L)
After breakfast we are free time. In the afternoon, we will leave Saigon for the Cu Chi tunnels, otherwise known as the “Iron Triangle” or “Iron Land“. On our way there we will drive through pleasant countryside; rubber plantations and rice paddies. Before entering the tunnels, we will see a short introductory video showing how they were constructed, followed by an exploration of the maze of tunnels, some of which have been widened to allow tourist access. Also on display are various mantraps and the remains of an American tank as well as numerous bomb craters made by 500lb bombs dropped by B52 bombers. After that we transfer back to Ho Chi Minh City. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City
Day 11: Ho Chi Minh – Caibe Floating Market (B/L)
At 08:00am, we transfer to Cai Be for our visit to floating market and island. The program will start with the visit of Cai Be colorful floating market cruising among local barges full of fruits and vegetables. Then, an optional stop can be made at local workshops where we can see how rice paste, coconut candy and pop-rice, pop-corn is made. The rowing boat will take us deeper into the countryside on smaller canals and to enjoy the peaceful time. It is so interesting to see traditional houses made of wood and palm tree leaves and see some activities of the local farmers with an opportunity to make contacts with them and see how they catch fish… Lunch will be served at local house. After lunch, we can walk around and then we will enjoy some kinds of fruits when listening to the traditional music. One more thing to do in this trip is biking! It will be so amazing to bike on village paths to see the local farms, houses, real life and the ancestral ways to pick up fruits in Mekong Delta. The cruise will end at Vinh Long city where we take our own vehicle back to Ho Chi Minh City. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh
Day 12: Ho Chi Minh – Siem Reap (B)
Flight to Siem Reap at by Vietnam Airlines at 1140/1240
Upon arrival we will be greet by our guide and transfer to the hotel. After that we are heading out for the majestic temples of Angkor. We will visit to the Roulous Group of temples including Preah Ko, Ba Kong and Lo Lei. This afternoon we will visit to the magnificent 12th century Angkor Wat which is believed to be the biggest religious monument ever built in the world and certainly one of the most spectacular. In the end of the day, we will enjoy sunset at the hilltop temple of Phnom Bakheng. Overnight in Siem Reap
Day 13: Angkor Temple Complex (B/L)
Today, we visit of the amazing temples complex of Angkor. The beginning is to explore the complex of Angkor Thom. Angkor Thom was built by King Jayavarman VII at the end of the 12th century, a short while after the completion of Angkor Wat. Angkor Thom, which means “Great City”, is surrounded by a massive perimeter wall and a moat with five monumental gates and covers an area of more than ten square kilometers. The most important monuments are located in the center of the city, namely the Bayon, the Baphoun and the Terrace of Elephants. The Bayon is a fascinating piece of architecture and one of the most photographed. It is a bizarre structure, with a total of 54 towers elaborately decorated with 216 enormous and enigmatic smiling faces. The numerous other structures of this fortified city are the Terrace of the Leper King, the Phimeanakas, Preah Palilay, Tepranom, Preah Pithu, North & South Kleang and Prasat Sour Prot.
Then, we will visit Ta Prohm. The principal singularity of Ta Phrom is that it has not been cleared from the thick jungle, as the rest of the Angkor Complex has been. It looks nearly the same as in the descriptions of the first French explorers, shrouded in undergrowth and in the huge roots of old Banyan trees. Overnight in the hotel in Siem Reap
Day 14: Siem Reap – Phnom Penh (B)
Flight to Phnom Penh 14K6 108 REPPNH@1640/1725
This morning, we are for some shopping or relax. Check out time at 12:00 we then transfer to the airport to take flight to Phnom Penh. Welcome up on arrival in Phnom Penh by local tour guide and driver, we transfer to hotel. Free at leisure in the rest of the day. Overnight Phnom Penh
Day 15: Phnom Penh City Tour (B/L)
We start our tour at 08:00 today with visiting The Royal Palace Complex includes the Royal Residence (closed to the public), the Throne Hall or Vinichhay Temple (the place where kings are enthroned) and the Chan Chaya Pavillon (where traditional dances took place), which includes Wat Preah Keo, better known as the Silver Pagoda. This amazing place, which floor is covered with 5000 silver plates, houses the Preah Keo or emerald Buddha, made of Baccarat crystal. In front stands a 90 kg golden Buddha studded with 9584 diamonds. After this, we will walk about 10 minutes to the National Museum. Built around a central courtyard, the galleries, arranged chronologically, present a collection of Khmer art, mostly sculptures.
In the early afternoon, we will drive about 16 kilometers to the Choeng Ek killing fields and the Tuol Sleng genocide Museum. This former high school in thesuburbs of the capital was converted to a detention and torture centre – known as Toul Sleng or S21 – by the Khmers Rouges when they came to power in 1975. A genocide museum was established at Toul Sleng after 1979 and today it remains as it looked when abandoned by the Khmers Rouges. The pictures of hundreds of faces of those tortured there line the walls inside the old school. Most of the 17’000 people detained at Toul Sleng were eventually transported to Choeung Ek, a mass gravesite known to the locals as the Killing fields after the popular movie of Roland Joffre. Choeung Ek also serves as a memorial to those killed under the Khmers Rouges rule. Overnight in the hotel in Phnom Penh
Day 16: Phnom Penh Departure (B)
Today our vehicle will transfer us back to the airport for our flight to home. Trip ends.
