Grand Vietnam and Cambodia Tour – 22 Days

Xin chao—welcome to Vietnam! Your driver will meet you at the airport and take you to your hotel by private vehicle. Check in and relax after your journey.

Take a walk to discover the city's historic streets, architecture and varied shops. After your first explorations, return to the hotel for a restful night.

Overnight in Hanoi.

Your guide and bus will collect you from the hotel between 08:00 and 08:30. Around 08:45, visit Tran Quoc Pagoda on Golden Fish Island in West Lake, a historic pagoda with origins in the sixth century.

At 09:30, explore the Ho Chi Minh Complex. Visit the mausoleum when open and stroll through the gardens to the houses where Ho Chi Minh lived and worked between 1954 and 1969. Continue to the One Pillar Pagoda, dedicated to the Goddess of Mercy.

Please cover your shoulders and knees when visiting the mausoleum, temples and pagodas. Mausoleum access depends on opening days and maintenance closures and will be confirmed for your travel dates. The surrounding grounds can still be visited when the mausoleum itself is closed.

At 11:15, visit the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology to learn about the country's 54 ethnic groups. On Mondays, the programme visits the Vietnamese Women's Museum instead.

Around 12:45, enjoy Vietnamese food at a restaurant, with vegetarian options available. Between 14:00 and 14:15, continue to the Temple of Literature, founded in 1070 and associated with Vietnam's first university.

At 15:15, visit Hoa Lo Prison Museum. Built by the French colonial administration as Maison Centrale, the prison became notorious for its harsh conditions. Its exhibits explore imprisonment and the Vietnamese struggle against colonial rule.

Return to your hotel at around 16:30.

Overnight in Hanoi.

Your guide will collect you between 07:30 and 08:30 for the journey to Ninh Binh province, around 120 km from Hanoi. A 20-minute break is planned for approximately 09:30.

At 10:30, visit Hoa Lu, a former Vietnamese capital. Learn why the capital later moved to Hanoi and explore the 17th-century temples honouring Kings Dinh and Le.

At 11:45, enjoy a buffet of regional dishes such as goat and fried rice, with vegetarian choices available.

At 13:00, begin a bamboo-boat trip of around 1.5 hours through Tam Coc. Rice fields, rivers, caves and open skies form the scenery often called 'Halong Bay on land'.

Around 14:30, discover village life on a bicycle ride of approximately 45 minutes. Depart for Hanoi by shuttle bus between 15:30 and 16:00, with hotel drop-off expected around 18:30.

Overnight in Hanoi.

Discover UNESCO-listed Halong Bay, with limestone scenery, time to relax on board and the activities included in your cruise programme.

After breakfast, check out and meet the cruise team in your hotel lobby between 8:00 and 9:00 am; the exact time is confirmed the day before. Arrive at the pier around midday and take a transfer boat to your cruise ship. After a welcome and check-in, lunch is served as you sail between the islands.

Depending on the cruise route, afternoon activities include swimming, kayaking or a cave visit. You can also relax on board. Towards evening, the boat anchors in a scenic spot, with time to enjoy the sunset before dinner.

Overnight on board.

Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Please note: poor weather may lead to changes or cancellation if boats cannot leave port. Your travel consultant will arrange an alternative.

Watch the sunrise over Halong Bay and enjoy breakfast as the boat returns towards the harbour. An early lunch is served before disembarkation. Transfer to Hanoi afterwards and spend the rest of the day exploring independently.

Overnight in Hanoi.

Meals: breakfast and lunch.

After breakfast, enjoy time to relax before your driver takes you to the airport. Fly to Hue and transfer to your hotel on arrival.

Overnight in Hue.

Your guide and vehicle will collect you from your centrally located hotel between 08:00 and 08:30. Take a dragon boat along the Perfume River for around 30 minutes to historic Thien Mu Pagoda.

Visit the Imperial Citadel, seat of the Nguyen dynasty, Vietnam's last royal dynasty. Continue to Dong Ba Market to browse its food and goods, watch the trading and shop for souvenirs if you wish.

After lunch featuring Hue specialities, take a break and enjoy an herbal foot bath. Then visit Khai Dinh's tomb, which combines Eastern and Western influences, and Minh Mang's tomb, whose stately design blends harmoniously with its natural setting.

On the return journey, stop at villages making conical hats and incense, with a chance to learn about the crafts directly from local makers. Return to your hotel between 16:00 and 17:00.

After breakfast at your hotel, enjoy free time until your private transfer to Hoi An.

Overnight in Hoi An.

Your guide will collect you from the hotel. Begin at the Japanese Covered Bridge, built by Japanese merchants. Hear the legend linking the bridge to Namazu, the mythical creature said to cause earthquakes in Japan, as your guide explains the structure's stories and architecture.

At historic Tan Ky House, discover Vietnamese, Japanese and Chinese influences. Learn how its design and feng shui express ideas of harmony and prosperity.

Visit the Fujian Assembly Hall, also known as Phuc Kien. This former Chinese merchants' meeting place honours Mazu, the sea goddess believed to protect sailors and travellers.

At a craft workshop, learn how Hoi An's traditional lanterns are made. Local craftspeople will guide you in making your own lantern to take home as a souvenir.

Finish at Hoi An's main market, where your guide explains the lively routines of trading, shopping and bargaining. Afterwards, continue exploring the town independently if you wish.

Overnight in Hoi An.

From 08:30 to 13:00, explore the countryside around Hoi An and prepare regional dishes.

At a colourful local market, learn about shopping with vendors and the ingredients for your meal. Continue to Cam Thanh, a village connected with the history of the wars against France and the United States.

Take a bamboo basket boat through the nipa-palm waterways. Discover small gifts woven from palm leaves, such as hats, watches and rings, and learn about casting fishing nets and catching small purple crabs in the canals.

During the cooking class, learn about local ingredients and traditional Vietnamese methods, then enjoy the five dishes you have prepared.

Enjoy a free day in Hoi An.

Overnight in Hoi An.

After breakfast at your hotel, enjoy free time until your private transfer to Da Nang Airport for your flight to Ho Chi Minh City.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

Meet your guide at the hotel at 08:30 and explore neighbourhood streets with buildings dating from the 1960s.

At Ban Co Fresh Market, sample small bites and drinks. Explore the lanes and old apartment blocks around Nguyen Thien Thuat Street, then visit a concealed weapons cache prepared by the Saigon commandos for the Tet Offensive in January 1968.

Enjoy coffee at a local café, then travel through Chinatown's traditional medicine streets to learn about their longstanding healing traditions. Visit Thien Hau Temple.

Enjoy typical Vietnamese dishes for lunch, then return to your hotel at around 13:30.

Discover Vietnamese food and Saigon's nightlife through local favourites. During the evening, visit two local restaurants to try different dishes, drinks and city specialities. Ride through the lively traffic by jeep, passing some of Ho Chi Minh City's well-known sights.

Finish at a rooftop bar with a drink and panoramic views.

Depart from the meeting point at 08:00 for the drive of around 1.5 hours to the Cu Chi Tunnels. Your guide will introduce the history, followed by a documentary about the tunnel network and the fighting in the region.

Explore weapons workshops, medical stations and kitchens, with the option to crawl through an accessible tunnel section. Afterwards, try cassava, a staple food for the guerrilla fighters.

The itinerary includes the option of visiting a nearby shooting range, with AK-47, MK16 or machine-gun activities subject to the operator's conditions and separate charges. Afterwards, leave Cu Chi and return to Ho Chi Minh City.

Travel from your hotel to Cai Be and take a boat trip to the area of the Tien River once known for its wholesale floating market. Learn how road transport and changes in farming have reshaped local trade. The surrounding orchards reveal the richness of this fruit-growing region of the lower Mekong.

Walk through small villages, visit an old house and learn about local traditions. At a family workshop, see coconut sweets and crispy puffed rice being made. Sample fresh fruit and listen to southern Vietnamese folk music, an important part of the delta’s culture.

Paddle along small canals and enjoy the peaceful surroundings. Explore the natural scenery of Tan Phong Island, then prepare Vietnamese dishes with local residents and share the meal in a garden.

Cycle along village lanes through orchards, meet island residents and learn about their daily lives. Visit Ba Kiet’s old house, then return by boat to Cai Be, where your bus is waiting for the onward journey to Can Tho.

Overnight in Can Tho.

After breakfast, take a boat trip through the lower Mekong's scenic waterways around the Bassac River and visit Cai Rang Floating Market.

Visit a local noodle workshop on foot, then admire the distinctive architecture of Munir Ansay Khmer Pagoda. Continue by boat to Con Son, where you visit an orchard and taste seasonal fruit.

After lunch, travel by car to Chau Doc.

Overnight in Chau Doc.

Please note: traffic and weather may affect your arrival time.

After breakfast, enjoy free time until pick-up for your transfer to the pier. The journey by modern speedboat to Phnom Penh takes approximately 5.5 hours.

Travel along the Mekong and watch daily life unfold on its banks: small villages, stilt houses, riverside trading, farmers at work and children greeting passing boats.

Overnight in Phnom Penh.

After breakfast, visit the Royal Palace, the residence of Cambodia’s king and royal family. Explore the complex, laid out like a small royal city, then visit the Silver Pagoda and its cultural treasures, including a gold Buddha weighing around 90 kilograms and decorated with 2,086 diamonds.

Visit Wat Phnom, one of the city’s best-known pagodas. Local tradition attributes its founding in 1373 to the wealthy widow Daun Chi Penh, who built it on an artificial hill.

In the afternoon, visit the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, formerly the S-21 prison. This former school was used by Pol Pot’s security forces to imprison thousands of people, many of whom were later taken to Choeung Ek and killed.

Finish at the Russian Market, also called Toul Tom Poung, known for clothing, Buddha figures, woodcarvings, betel-nut boxes, silk, silver jewellery and traditional musical instruments.

Overnight in Phnom Penh.

After breakfast, transfer to the bus station for the journey of around five hours to Siem Reap. On arrival, transfer to your hotel and check in.

This afternoon, visit Artisans d'Angkor to see traditional woodcarving and stone sculpture. Continue to Wat Thmey, a memorial site where a glass-sided stupa holds the remains of victims of the Khmer Rouge.

Overnight in Siem Reap.

Explore Angkor Thom, entering through the South Gate. Visit Bayon, built by King Jayavarman VII in the late 12th and early 13th centuries and known for its 54 towers, along with the Royal Palace area, Phimeanakas, the Terrace of the Elephants and the Terrace of the Leper King. Continue to Preah Khan, dedicated by Jayavarman VII to his father. This extensive complex served as a Buddhist monastery and school for more than 1,000 monks. In the afternoon, explore Ta Prohm, where giant fig trees and vines wrap around the stonework. Finish with sunset views from Phnom Bakheng.

Overnight in Siem Reap.

After breakfast, visit Tonle Sap Lake for a private guided boat trip. Southeast Asia’s largest freshwater lake is linked to the Tonle Sap River, which joins the Mekong in Phnom Penh.

Visit a floating fishing village with schools, a police station and other community facilities. The village’s position changes with water levels and currents.

Afterwards, transfer to the airport for your departure flight.

Your journey comes to an end.