Cambodia & Vietnam Holiday

Trip Itinerary

Day 1-3: Siem Reap

Day 1 - Arrival in Siem Reap

We will meet you on arrival at Siem Reap (REP) Airport and transfer you via a private vehicle to the city and your hotel. Depending on your arrival time, your local guide will meet you at the hotel to brief you about your Cambodia and Vietnam tour, take you around the city and recommend some great dining options. Your luxury Cambodia and Vietnam holiday truly begins.

Day 2 - Exploring Angkor

Leave your hotel in Siem Reap after an early breakfast and travel by private transport to the ancient city of Angkor early to avoid crowds. Your guide will talk you through how these temples were built and the purpose each one served within the complex.

The iconic Angkor Wat temple itself was built in the high classical style of Khmer architecture in the 12th century and still stands as a powerful symbol of Cambodian pride, even featuring on the country's flag. However, there are many other lesser-known temples around the complex worth your attention, many of which are wrapped in the roots and branches of the jungle.

Day 3 - Exploring Siem Reap

After breakfast, you'll travel to Banteay Srei, a temple famed for its intricate carvings depicting battles, scenes of conquest and Khmer daily life, often referred to as the "jewel of Khmer art." Built in the 10th century and dedicated to the Hindu God Shiva, this red sandstone temple is sure to feature in some of your most memorable photos from your trip.

In the afternoon, you journey to Tonlé Sap River and the floating village of Kompong Phluk. The river is the home to many Cham and Vietnamese communities living on floating villages around the lake and is a much quieter area than where most of the tourists visit.

The Kompong Phluk community welcomes curious tourists, and the local people benefit financially from this community tourism initiative. With this in mind, we urge all travellers to be respectful and conscientious of people at work and children at play as we meander around the school, hospital and family dwellings, all floating on the water.

Days 4-5: Phnom Penh

Day 4 - Transfer to Phnom Penh

In the morning, you'll say farewell to Siem Reap and fly to the country’s capital, Phnom Penh, where you can explore or relax at your leisure. Ambling through the streets provides glimpses of colonial architecture that can still be found in the cityscape, exuding timeless charm from a bygone era.

The evening can be spent relaxing at your own pace. We recommend a visit to the Foreign Correspondent’s Club. Situated on the waterfront, a famous and historical location, the building has three floors of cane furniture, a sumptuous international menu and mouth-watering cocktail creations.

Day 5 - Private Tour of Phnom Penh

You take a tour of the capital today, beginning at the Royal Palace, which is the home of the current Cambodian Monarch, King Sihamoni.

Next, there is the option to visit the Tuol Sleng Prison Museum, housed in the building where prisoners of the Khmer Rouge regime were detained and tortured. Although disturbing, the site provides an important account of tragic recent events in the country and serves as a reminder of what still exists in living memory for much of Cambodia's population.

After lunch, we visit another important landmark of Cambodia’s tragic past: the Choeung Ek Killing Fields, just outside the city. This is also a very emotional place to visit, but it provides an opportunity to learn about Cambodian history during the difficult time of the regime.

*Note: we don't recommend visits to Tuol Sleng or Choeung Ek for families, but can instead provide alternative arrangements, such as trips to local markets, the National Museum of Cambodia and other attractions in the city.

Days 6-7: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

Day 6 - Transfer to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

Spend your final morning in Phnom Penh at your leisure, or shopping for last-minute souvenirs. Then, you'll take a flight across the border into Vietnam, with the first stop in the country being Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon and often referred to by its previous name by locals.

Once a small fishing village, HCM City is now a sophisticated and energetic modern city with a huge variety of things to see and do. Once you have checked into your hotel, you'll have the afternoon and evening to explore, including a meeting with an experienced local guide who can recommend and organise evening activities, such as traditional Vietnamese dances or shadow-puppet shows.

Day 7 - Exploring Ho Chi Minh City & Cu Chi Tunnels

In the morning, you'll visit the Cu Chi Tunnels, where the Viet Cong conducted guerrilla attacks on American and South Vietnamese positions, then suddenly disappeared out of sight. You can crawl through the tunnels, which contained hospitals, kitchens and meeting rooms. Then, watch a short film, which shows the construction of the tunnels and living conditions during this time.

 

Returning to HCM City, your guide will take you on a tour of the city including a visit to the Reunification Palace (preserved as it was on 30th April 1975 when Saigon fell and the Vietnam War ended), the War Remnants Museum and the 19th-century French-built Notre Dame Cathedral.

This evening, ask your guide to direct you to one of the outstanding Vietnamese restaurants in the city for a taste of delicious Vietnamese cuisines, such as exquisitely seasoned pho, fragrant fresh spring rolls and banh mi baguettes with paté.

Days 8-9: Hoi An

Day 8 - Transfer to Hoi An via Da Nang

This morning, you'll fly to Da Nang and then travel by private car to the colourful and charming town of Hoi An. With a history of trading the treasures of the Orient, Hoi An continues to be the hub of the silk and ceramic industry in Vietnam. Listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, the town's narrow streets are filled with globally inspired architecture, including the famous Japanese Covered Bridge.

The evening can be given over to the pleasures of finding a local restaurant, or your local guide can recommend their favourite places. Fresh, local seafood is a Hoi An speciality.

Day 9 - Private Tour of Hoi An

Today, you can take the time to ramble through Hoi An’s pretty maze of streets, appreciating why this is now one of Vietnam’s premier tourist destinations. With some of the best tailors in the country located here, working in nearly 100 silk shops, many visitors take this time to have various clothes made with Vietnamese flair - the speed at which the tailors work is astonishing!

Moments between fittings or sightseeing can be punctuated by coffee and tea stops at the various small establishments found around every corner, each with a charm of its own. If you want to head out of town, you can go further afield and explore the countryside by bicycle, appreciating the green terraces and rice paddies that characterise rural Vietnam.

Day 10: Hanoi

Day 10 - Transfer to Hanoi

This morning, you'll fly into Hanoi, Vietnam’s capital city. Once you're settled into your hotel, in the afternoon, you'll enjoy a city tour, showcasing some of Hanoi’s most interesting attractions.

You'll start with the One Pillar Pagoda, which dates back to 1049 and is one of Hanoi’s oldest structures. Then, explore the Temple of Literature, also from the 11th century, which was the country’s first institute of learning. You can pay a visit to Hoa Lo Prison, which was once used as incarceration for political enemies of the French and later for American prisoners of war, including John McCain.

The late afternoon is the perfect time to saunter around the Old Quarter, with its thousands of speciality shops, proffering silk, lacquerware, spices and anything else you can imagine.

Day 11-12: Halong Bay

Day 11 - Halong Bay Cruise

Today, you will board a stylish boat and enjoy a luxury cruise around Halong Bay, one of the world’s natural wonders. The red-sailed junks navigating through the limestone islands of the bay are nothing short of spectacular

On board, you will be served an authentic seafood lunch, and afterwards, you'll have the opportunity to visit a secret grotto, enjoy a swim if the weather permits, and maybe even do some kayaking. The waters of Halong Bay are host to an immense diversity of ecosystems, including mangrove forests, freshwater lakes and offshore coral reefs.

After you've moored up in the bay for the night, your crew will prepare a delicious dinner while you watch out across the water for the setting sun.

Day 12 - Exploring Hanoi

You'll cruise back to Halong Port, where you'll disembark and take a transfer back to Hanoi. The afternoon is free for you to see more of Hanoi at your own leisure and the perfect time to do some souvenir shopping.

As evening draws in, it is time to plan the final dinner of your trip. Hanoi has a wonderful variety of restaurants, some of them in old French colonial houses or tucked away in the old part of town; your guide will be able to direct you to the best the city has to offer.

Day 13: Return to Hanoi & Departure

Day 13 - Departure from Hanoi

Your luxury Cambodia and Vietnam tour comes to an end. After you've checked out of your hotel, you'll take a private transfer to Hanoi (HAN) Airport in plenty of time for your onward journey.

This extraordinary two-week experience of discovery across Cambodia and Vietnam will you leave with memories that last a lifetime.