Essential Vietnam and Cambodia

On arrival in Hanoi, you will be welcomed by a private driver and then transferred to the hotel for check in, refresh… (Early check in upon availability)

Afternoon: Optional program: Take a private half-day Hanoi Street Food Tour, starting at 17:00

Overnight at a hotel in Hanoi.

Meals Included: N/A

The city tour of the capital city occupies your whole day. The sites include of Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, his house-on-stilts, One Pillar Pagoda and Thang Long Citadel then Temple of Literature – Vietnam’s first university. Enjoy lunch at local restaurant, suppose Quan Ngon restaurant.

Afternoon, drive along one of the most romantic peaceful Thanh Nien road in Westlake to Ethnology Museum – a beautiful museum with indoor and outdoor exhibition to learn about Vietnam Culture.

The tour continues with a short walk explore French corner then 1 hour Xich Lo cycling around the Old Quarter. Take part in Water Puppet show before enjoy welcome dinner at Com Viet restaurant.

Meals Included: Breakfast; Lunch; Dinner

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel then check out for 3.5-hour driving to Ha long Bay at 08:15am. Journey there through the rich farmlands of the Red River Delta. Have a stop at the midway to visit at a humanity center. Arrive at the pier around noon, you will be welcomed aboard and greeted with a complimentary drink. Check in your cabin then free to relax before enjoy seafood lunch on board while the cruise heading through the bay.

After lunch, it is time for you to admire spectacular sceneries while the boat cruising to Bai Tu Long Bay, passing through extraordinary limestone karst landscapes; Oan Lagoon, Teapot and Monster Head Islets. Explore Vung Vieng fishing village by local rowing boats or kayaks to discover the interesting daily lives of its inhabitants.

Late afternoon: Vietnamese cooking class is fun to learn how to prepare delicious appetizers. Dinner tonight is a scrumptious a la carte delight with a range of different options guaranteed to please everyone’s palette. Try a specialized massage at spa if you want.

Meals Included: Breakfast; Lunch; Dinner

Try to wake up early to enjoy the nicest time of the day on Ha Long Bay and take part in Tai Chi sessions if you are interested. Relax with an early morning cup of tea, coffee, or juice anywhere you wish on the boat and watch the never ending miraculous scenery unfold before you.

Enjoy our buffet breakfast then visit Surprise Cave (Sung Sot). The 100-stair climb is well worth the extraordinary views this grotto worn over millions of years into a lime stone karst.

Back onboard it is time to check out your cabin, and enjoy early lunch while the boat cruising back habour. Disembark the cruise, tour-guide and driver are waiting for you to drive directly to Noi Bai airport with a short stop en-route for bathroom.

The tour guide will help you check in on the flight to Hue at 17:40 and then say goodbye.

On arrival Hue airport at 18:50, you will be warmly welcome by driver transfer to your hotel.

Meals Included: Breakfast; Lunch

Have breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: Explore Hue Citadel & Khai Dinh Tomb. Enjoy lunch with Hue’s specialties at Ancient Hue restaurant.

Afternoon: Take Xich Lo cycle along Romantic River to the harbor. Embark on the boat to cruise along the Perfume River, and visit Thien Mu pagoda – one of Hue’s most iconic landmarks. Constructed in 1601, a 21- meter tower is the pagoda’s center piece and admires great sunset from the river. Driving back to your hotel in Hue.

Meals Included: Breakfast; Lunch

Have breakfast at the hotel then leave Hue to Hoi An at 08:30 via Cloudy Pass – the most spectacular pass in Vietnam. Stop for a visit at Marble Mountain then continue drive to Hoi An.

On arrival Hoi An, check in hotel and have lunch at Secret Garden restaurant.

Afternoon: Free at your leisure and stroll in charming Hoi An town.

Meals Included: Breakfast; Lunch

Spend morning to visit the nearby countryside by bicycles. You will have chance to visit a typical farmer family where they would share their farming experience and get to know how friendly their buffaloes are. Rowing basket boat on a beautiful river joins the fishermen on the river.

Afternoon: Take a walking tour explores ancient Hoi An town with Japanese Bridge, Phuc Kien Communal house….

The rest of the time is yours to visit some of the good tailors in the town.

19:00 enjoy your own dinner at Ancient Faifoo Hoi An restaurant that Travel Authentic Travel help to reserve in advance for your family.

Meals Included: Breakfast; Lunch

Morning today, you are free at your leisure, last minutes shopping or optional cooking class.

Afternoon, 13:50 your family will be picked up by private car to Da Nang airport, take flight to HCMC then connect to Siem Riep.

Landing Siem Riep about 20:10, private transfer to hotel for check in and relax. The rest of time is free at your leisure.

Meals Included: Breakfast 

Today, we visit Angkor Wat temple one of the largest religious monuments in the world. We marvel around the time seeing the bas-reliefs and carving depicting the different stories of the Hindu God and Hindu deities. We hike inside the forest surrounding the temple till we arrive at the main gate on the western side. You then optional get on the elephant and take short trekking on the elephant from the Angkor Wat temple to the Bayon temple through a nice road flanked with huge trees along the way or transfer by car/tuk tuk. Stop at the south gate of Angkor Thom to take some photos and then continue to transfer to the main temple of Bayon. Then we climb the Bayon temple touring around this massive monument with many towers carved with faces and the bas-relief epic ting the daily life of the Angkor era. We also visit the Elephant Terrace and the Leper king terraces and admire the beautiful sunset before transferring back to the hotel for a bath. Enjoy a welcome dinner with Aspara Show at a local restaurant.

Meals: Breakfast; Lunch; Dinner

In the morning, enjoy a visit to the temples of Preah Khan, Neak Pean and Ta Som, Mebon  Oriental, and Pre Rup of the Grand Circuit.

In the afternoon, we will stop at Banteay Srei temple (the intricately carved and well preserved temple). Along the way, we make stopover at the Preah Dark village and we follow these with a visit to the Banteay Samre Temple adorned with impressive reliefs depicting scenes of Vishunu as well as Krishna legends.

In the evening, take part in an interesting Phare circus at 07:30 pm. Overnight in Siem Reap

Meals Included: Breakfast; Lunch

Today is free till transfer to the airport at 15:15pm by private car for a flight to Ho Chi Minh (Saigon), depart around: 17:45. Arrive in Ho Chi Minh City at 18:45, warmly welcomed by your private driver and transfer to hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

Meals Included: Breakfast; Lunch

In morning: Explore the city’s highlights including Independence Palace (former Presidential Palace of the South of Vietnam), admire the special gothic style of century-old Notre-Dame Cathedral and the nearby Central Post Office then stroll in Ben Thanh Market or optional visit Vietnam’s first traditional medicine museum, the FITO Museum.

Enjoy warm lunch at local restaurant then transfer to visit Cu Chi Tunnel – this underground tunnel complex stretches 250km over three levels and took 25 years to build. Started in the late 1940s by the Viet Minh and then Viet Cong, it housed up to 10,000 people and contained operation rooms, hospitals, living quarters and kitchens with motor cycle engine and bicycle run the generators for power.

You will have around 2 hours walking around for sightseeing and explore the tunnel system including a try of getting though small tunnels. Here you can also imagine what it was like to be a guerrilla with firing Russian Carbine AK 47 (optional). In the late afternoon journey back to Ho Chi Minh City.

Meals Included: Breakfast; Lunch 

Depart centre Saigon at 8.00AM for the 2.5-hour drive to Cai Be, deep in the Mekong Delta. Enjoy the lush scenery and local life along the way. Upon arrival in Cai Be, you will embark on a cruise to visit to the quaint Cai Be floating market. You will see there, at the confluence of the Mekong River and its branch, hundreds of boat laden with fruits and vegetables, each of the seller boat has a pole hanging their advertising stuffs on the top and the buyers wander about for their purchases. There are also mobile karaokes, cafés and food supplies. An exciting atmosphere! Following you will visit some home factories that produce rice paste, rice popcorn, and coconut candy.

After lunch in a home garden restaurant, proceed to evergreen islands among the Mekong River through a large network of meandering tributaries, crisscrossed with countless arroyos. Discover beautiful landscapes along the river and observe the typical Mekong Delta rural life. Visit the orchard garden, enjoy tropical fruits, observe the daily activities of local people, and have a pleasant ride on bicycles through little paths for sightseeing or relaxing on the hammock.
Get back to the boat dock at 4.00 PM and drive back to Saigon – Ho Chi Minh City. The trip ends at around 6.30 PM.

Meals Included: Breakfast; Lunch

Today is departure day. Enjoy some free time for last purchases or simply relax before your transfer to the airport for your flight home or carry on with more of Travel Authentic Asia’s special travel.

Meals Included: N/A