Cambodia - Vietnam Connection

Welcome to Siem Reap, the gateway City to Angkor Complex Temples, the World Heritage Site, also the proud of Khmer People.
Upon arrival at Siem Reap, you will be welcomed by our local tour tour guide and transferred to check in hotel.
After a short rest to freshen up and release jet lag, gear up the exploration of Angkor complex temples with starting at Roluos Group of Monuments featured with the three main temples Bakong, Lolei and Preah Ko which are located about 11 km southeast of Siem Reap town, dated back from the late ninth century and is the ealiest sites of Angkor Period with simimar characteristics of architecture, decoration, materials and construction methods which combine to reveal the beginning of the Classic Period of Khmer art. Return to Siem Reap for dinner with traditional Apsara dance performance. Overnight in Siemreap.

Please note: The normal check in time is 14:00.

After breakfast we explore the Angkor temples including The Preah Khan, built by King Jayavarman VII to dedicate to his father, was a Buddhist temple at the original time and Takeo temple, a mountain temple built in pyramid shape to represent Mount Meru, the mountain of centre of the world in Hindu mythology. Continue visiting the jungle covered temple of Ta Prohm. There are enormous fig trees and gigantic creepers which embrace themselves in the stone foundations of the structure giving the impression of man’s creation being reclaimed by the powerful forces of nature. This temple is famous by being chosen for major activities of Tomb Raider acted by Celebrity Angelina Jolie. The next stop is Banteay Kdei set in a peaceful and quiet place, serving as a Buddhist temple. Its name means Citadel of Chambers. Then continue to Srah Srang – the Royal bathing pool which was once used for ritual washing. Lunch at the local restaurant.
Afternoon, drive to explore the less visited temples at the remote places including Banteay Srei or the Citadel of Women, a temple boasts a remarkable preservation of excellent stone carvings in pink color and Banteay Samre which is believed to be built around the same time as Angkor Wat, because the architecture is of the classic art of the same period though not much inscription has been found for this temple. Late afternoon, return to Siem Reap Town, visit the local market. Overnight in Siem Reap.

After breakfast we explore the Angkor temples including The Preah Khan, built by King Jayavarman VII to dedicate to his father, was a Buddhist temple at the original time and Takeo temple, a mountain temple built in pyramid shape to represent Mount Meru, the mountain of centre of the world in Hindu mythology. Continue visiting the jungle covered temple of Ta Prohm. There are enormous fig trees and gigantic creepers which embrace themselves in the stone foundations of the structure giving the impression of man’s creation being reclaimed by the powerful forces of nature. This temple is famous by being chosen for major activities of Tomb Raider acted by Celebrity Angelina Jolie. The next stop is Banteay Kdei set in a peaceful and quiet place, serving as a Buddhist temple. Its name means Citadel of Chambers. Then continue to Srah Srang – the Royal bathing pool which was once used for ritual washing. Lunch at the local restaurant.
Afternoon, drive to explore the less visited temples at the remote places including Banteay Srei or the Citadel of Women, a temple boasts a remarkable preservation of excellent stone carvings in pink color and Banteay Samre which is believed to be built around the same time as Angkor Wat, because the architecture is of the classic art of the same period though not much inscription has been found for this temple. Late afternoon, return to Siem Reap Town, visit the local market. Overnight in Siem Reap.

Have early breakfast at hotel. Transferred by public bus to the Capital city Phnom Penh. The trip will give you the chance to view the life of the local people through the window.
Upon arriving to Phnom Penh – the city retains its traditional Khmer and colonial styles with French villas and large tree-line sidewalk, we proceed for sightseeing. The first stop is the impressive colorful Khmer-style royal palace complex build in 1866 by the Predecessors of King Norodom. Nearby is Silver pagoda (the emerald Buddha temple), where contain plenty of Buddha Statues decorated and made by gold, diamond, gemstone and silver. We pass through the river-front park where 4 rivers met at a junction include mystical Mekong. Walk up to sacred hill Phnom Daun Penh – also the name of a pagoda and name of the capital nowadays. Having dinner at the local restaurant. Overnight in Phnom Penh.
 

Breakfast at hotel, in the morning we visit Tuol Sleng prison now is Genocide Museum, the most secret part of the Khmer Rouge regime. It’s also called S-21 (abbreviated for Security Office 21), a Khmer Rouge's premier security camp, specifically designed for the interrogation and extermination of anti-Angkor elements. Leave the relics of the bad history of Cambodia, we will visit the National museum; a beautiful Khmer architecture building contains more than 5000 art antiques made by bronze, wood, gold, silver, copper, sandstone and others. Have lunch at the local restaurant before taking the bus to Ho Chi Minh City, the most bustling and dynamic city in VietnaUpon arrival, check in hotel. Your time at leisure. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

After breakfast, your day will begin with a visit to the Reunification Palace, the witness of the fierce Vietnam War ended in 1975. The grand building today is a Museum and Hall of official receptions. Nearby the Palace are the Notre Dame Cathedral (view from outside only), built between 1877 and 1883 and colonial-styled Central Post Office, one of the city’s major landmarks. Then visit Ben Thanh market, a symbol of Ho Chi Minh City. Lunch at the local restaurant.
In the afternoon, transfer to visit Cu Chi tunnels – the network of over 200km of tunnels became legendary when they played a vital role in the War. In their heyday, the tunnels were functioning underground cities including numerous trap doors, specially constructed living areas, storage facilities, weapons factories, field hospitals, command centers & kitchens. After a short introduction video showing how the tunnels were constructed, you will have a chance to crawl into a short section of the tunnels to feel the oppressive narrowness and heat inside. Return and overnight in Ho Chi Minh City. 
 

Breakfast at hotel and check out. Head to My Tho, the homeland of coconut and family factories with local products like coconut candy, rice paper,… Upon arrival, embark on the boat cruising on the mighty Mekong River viewing the life to the local people live along the banks. We stop to visit an island in the area, enjoy the fresh tropical fruits served in the heart of the lush garden accompanied by traditional southern Vietnamese folk music. Later, embark on other small boats rowed by the local people thru the small canals shadowed by water coconut trees to visit the local factories. There you will taste the honey tea and see the local people produce the coconut candy milk and of course you also can try it or stroll in the garden where the locals feed honeybee. Lunch at the local restaurant by the Riverside.
In the afternoon, continue to visit Vinh Trang pagoda, a famous pogoda in the area with architecture combination of Chinese, Cambodian, and French cultures. Return to Ho Chi Minh City late afternoon. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.
 

Breakfast at the hotel. Transferred to the airport for the flight to Hanoi. Upon arrival, picked up and transferred to check in hotel. In the afternoon, we will move on to the Museum of Ethnology, where you can find an excellent full collection of 54 ethnic groups living in Vietnam and wonderful implications of artifacts and patterns from their traditional handicrafts and clothes. After that drive to the Old Quarter to have an overall view of the capital by a “green car” visit, which will go through the fascinating network of narrow alleys and shop houses also known as ‘The 36 Streets’ – each street being named after the merchandise traditionally sold there, ranging from fabrics to crafts and from medicines to tombstones. Drop by Hoan Kiem Lake. End of the day, we will enjoy a unique fascinating show of Water Puppetry, a traditional stage art of Northern Vietnam. Welcome dinner will be followed at the fine dining restaurant. Overnight in Hanoi.

After breakfast, drive to Ninh Binh, one of the old capital cities of Vietnam before Hanoi took its leading role in 11th century. The area is featured by lots of well-known sceneries, which include Tam Coc Caves and Hoa Lu ancient capital with the old temples dedicated to King Dinh & King Le reigned in 10th century. The visit in Ninh Binh starts by a boat trip in Tam Coc where spectacular limestone karsts just out from the green paddy fields reminding about Guilin (China) and Halong Bay of Vietnam, which gives this scenery the name “Halong-bay-on-land”. After lunch at the local restaurant you will pedal along the scenic village roads to explore the rice fields, limestone mountains and have a chance to chat with the local people. We stop to visit Bich Dong Pagoda which was built on mountain side featured by its unique architecture of perfect combination of ancient pagodas with cross-covered roofs, natural caves and majestic mountains. The Pagoda has three temples – Ha Pagoda, Trung Pagoda, Thuong Pagoda named as their positions from the foot hill to the top of the mountain. Once you reach to Thuong Pagoda, you will be treated with a beautiful scenic view of the surrounding countryside… Afternoon, drive to Thung Nham where you will check in at a stilthouse. Late afternoon, embark on the small boat rowing to Thung Nham Bird Garden, house of more than 40 species of birds, some of them are named in the Red List of Threatened Species. It is also an important nesting habitat for many species of waterfowl, for instance, storks, herons, cauldrons, soil eagles and many other species of birds. Enjoy your dinner at the restaurant and overnight in Thung Nham Eco-tourism.

After breakfast, head East for more than 3 hours to Halong Bay, the pride of the Gulf of Tonkin, a Natural World Heritage as designated by UNESCO in 1994 and 2006. Upon arrival in Halong, check in the overnight cruise to discover the magnificent beauty of this “Descending-dragon” bay, created by thousands odd-shaped limestone rocks and karst grottoes. After a lunch on board, we can visit the Grottos, stop for swimming or kayaking, passing floating houses and approach islets to enjoy their beauty in close distance. Back to the cruise, enjoy cooking demonstration before having dinner. Evening attend activities on the boat or relax at your own leisure. Overnight on the cruise. 
Please note the program may be little varied upon the cruise you choose. 
 

You should wake up early to enjoy the dawn on the sea in the early morning. The Vietnamese call the "East Sea" by a point-oriented name "Eastern Sea", so you may guess how miraculous seeing the sunrise over the islets of the Bay. After breakfast our boat will continue to cruise in marvelous areas, where almost each islet has its own name, adopting its shape or reminiscent like Sail Island, Fisherman’s head rock, Butterfly rock or Turtle islet etc. Check out your room and have brunch on board while the cruise coming back the pier. Transfer overland to Hanoi. Check in hotel. Your time at leisure. Overnight in Hanoi.

Today, we will start our city tour from the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (closed on Monday & Friday), his simple house-on-stilts and the One-Pillar pagoda near Ba Dinh Square, where the most solumn ceremonies of Hanoi take place. Go on to the Temple of Literature, the very first high school of Vietnam Scholars and a temple dedicated Confucious. After that is your time at leisure to relax and enjoy the services at the hotel or strolling around to visit the City, shop the souvinirs at the market before going home. Check out and transfered to the airport to board the onward flight back home. Say goodbye to Indochina.
The standard check out time is 12:00pm