8 Days Cambodia & Vietnam Essential Tour

On arrival at the airport in Siem Reap, Cambodia, a dedicated tour guide will meet you outside the baggage claim area. An introduction to the city will be shared on the drive to your hotel, where your guide will assist with hotel check in, leaving you free to enjoy a leisurely first evening on your tour. You may like dinner at the hotel or ask your guide to recommend a local favorite.

Meals included: None

After breakfast you will be met by your guide and transferred to the south gate of Angkor Thom, entrance to the once great capital of the Khmer Empire. This massive historical site encompasses series of significant structures, including the Bayon Temple, famed for its contemplative and vivid carvings, Elephant Terrace, a giant platform for Angkor’s King to view his army returning from battle, Preah Khan and Ta Prohm Temple, a famous location in the film Tomb Raider. After lunch, continue your exploration at the world-renowned Angkor Wat Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site, considered the largest and best-preserved religious monument in the world. While here you will be transferred to the Pre Rup Temple, acknowledged as one of the best spots in Angkor to catch an impressive sunset, weather permitting.

Meals included: Breakfast

Notes:

Dress Code: Revealing clothes, such as shorts and skirts above the knees and showing bare shoulders are prohibited in sacred places. Respectful dress is strongly recommended in Angkor.

Smoking: Smoking inside the temple is prohibited at all times.

Public holiday closures: The Bakan Tower (Central Tower) of Angkor Wat Temple is closed on Buddhist Sabbath Days (Buddhist religious days which occur four days each month. On these days, the tower cannot be climbed.

Commence the day with exploration of Kompong Khleang Floating Village, perhaps the most authentic of Cambodia’s floating villages of stilt houses built within the floodplain of the Tonle Sap Lake. During the dry season when the lake is low, the buildings in the villages seem to soar atop their 6 meter stilts exposed by the lack of water. Villagers then move out onto the lake and build temporary stilted houses, returning in the wet season when water level rises again. Traveling on, arrive at the Wat Thmei, Killing Field, featuring a unique glass-walled stupa containing the bones of victims of the Khmer Rouge. Some of the bones were recovered from a nearby well while others are the remains of soldiers who died on a nearby battlefield.

Proceeding to Les Chantiers Ecoles Artisans D’ Angkor, you will be able to observe a workshop that teaches the unique craft of wood and stone carving in the tradition and style of classic Cambodian artistry, before stopping at Wat Preah Prum Rath, the second oldest pagoda in Siem Reap.

Meals included: Breakfast

Enjoy free time to relax or wander before leaving for the airport to take your flight to Hanoi. On arrival, you will be greeted by your local guide who will assist with your hotel check in. Afterwards take a walk through Hanoi’s Old Quarter street markets with a local guide who will share their passion for food, allowing you to discover the exotic flavors of Vietnam with fellow food-lovers. Sample fruit, hawker street food and local specialties like pork crepes. Visit Hanoi’s largest covered market, Dong Xuan, where you’ll enjoy a personalized experience of Hanoi’s best street food areas and taste local flavors.

Meals included: Breakfast

Commence your day with leisure time on Ba Dinh Square, site of the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. Later, visit Ho Chi Minh’s House on Stilts and the nearby One Pillar Pagoda and Temple of Literature, a Confucius center and the first university in Vietnam. After lunch proceed to Hoa Lo Prison (called Hanoi Hilton by American POW soldiers), followed by the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, where you’ll learn about the 54 ethnic groups of Vietnam as depicted in rich collections of objects, photos, video tapes and cassettes. Pay a visit to a local craftsman’s house to learn how the water puppets are made and enjoy a unique water puppet show, a favorite experience for all visitors to Vietnam and a highlight of any Vietnam tour.

Meals included: Breakfast

Note: The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is closed on Fridays and Mondays (most museums are closed Mondays). Your guide may adjust the itinerary accordingly.

Over the next day and a half immerse yourself in an enriching Halong Bay cruise. Start with a three hour scenic drive from Hanoi to the World Heritage site of Halong Bay, where you’ll be impressed by the 1,650 limestone karst islands rising from the sea. Relax and take in the passing scenery where you’ll observe traditional sampans and junks moving across the glittering water, grottos, thick forests, and hidden coves. Check in for the cruise at midday to enjoy a buffet lunch. Sail out on the open water and take advantage of optional activities like kayaking, swimming and diving to add more fun to this trip.

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Continue your leisurely Halong Bay cruise today until brunch is finished (around 10:00am-10:30am). Disembark from the boat around 11:00am. Your guide and driver will meet you at the pier and return you to your hotel in Hanoi by mid-afternoon. You are then free to explore Hanoi for the remainder of the day.

Meals included: Brunch

Enjoy a free morning before you are escorted to the airport for your return flight home.

Meals included: Breakfast