Overland in Vietnam and Cambodia - 21 Days - ICT02

Upon arrival in Hanoi, you will be welcomed by our guide and transferred to your hotel. Hanoi is one of Asia's most charming cities, with its romantic tree-lined boulevards and colonial houses. The day is free for your own exploration and shopping. Overnight at hotel.

A full day spent touring Hanoi, the political, economic and cultural capital of Vietnam. Starting with the Museum of Ethnology (closed on Mondays), which offers informative and well-documented information on the country’s 54 ethnic groups, including elaborate and colorful hill-tribe costumes. The display continues in the outside garden with fascinating examples of traditional houses from the Kinh’s to the ethnic groups of the Central Highlands. We will then visit the Temple of Literature,  a temple built in honor of Confucius in 1070, and served as the first Royal National University in Vietnam founded in 1076. This temple and its beautiful garden provide an opportunity to learn more about the  Mandarin education that has shaped Vietnam for 1000 years and to relax in this tranquil setting. The afternoon is spent exploring the alleys of Hanoi’s Old Quarter, visit Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son Temple or the Jade Mountain Temple situated in the heart of Hanoi. A delightful water puppet show will perfectly wrap up our day. Overnight at hotel.

Depart from Hanoi to Mai Chau, a picturesque valley, home to many hill tribes including the Dzao, Muong and Thai. We will arrive in Mai Chau around noon and check into the Thai ethnic homestay in Van village. A village of the ‘White Thai’, who predominantly inhabit this area. A typical Thai meal will be served for lunch at the homestay. In the afternoon, you can take a short walk around the village where you will encounter friendly local people, and get the chance to communicate with them and get to know their traditional lifestyle. Enjoy a traditional dance show at night while tasting Ruou Can, the local rice wine. Overnight at homestay.

After breakfast, we will drive to Ninh Binh via Nho Quan with its peaceful countryside settings. After lunch, you have the choice of exploring the village either by buffalo cart or bicycle. Don’t forget to stop and take pictures! We will then board a small rowing boat to explore the Van Long Nature Reserve which covers some 3,000 hectares of picturesque waterscape. You will enjoy two hours of rowing through a spectacular scenery made up of limestone mountains reflected in emerald waters adorned by lush rice paddies. The forest is home to the Delacour Langur, an endangered species counting a mere 200 animals globally. We will disembark our boats and walk to visit two temples dedicated to King Dinh and Le in Hoa Lu, which served as the capital of Vietnam during the 10th century. Overnight at hotel in Hoa Lu.

After breakfast depart to Halong Bay via Thai Binh and Nam Dinh, passing a peaceful countryside typical of Red River Delta with endless rice fields and winding river. We will arrive at Halong’s tourist wharf around noon and embark an elegant wooden junk. Lunch will be served while the boat gently cruises past numerous islands and limestone structures rising from the emerald water. It is also an ideal opportunity to enjoy the sea breeze and refresh your soul. A fresh seafood dinner will be prepared by an experienced chef and served on deck.  A peaceful night on board in your private cabin.

Enjoy breakfast and savor the incredible sunrise from the sundeck while the boat sails to Luon Cave and one of Halong’s floating villages then back to the harbor. On the way back to Hanoi we will stop in Bac Ninh province to visit Vietnam's first Buddhist centre, the But Thap Pagoda, which was built in the 13th century and reconstructed in the 17th century on the southern bank of Duong River. It is renowned for its valuable statues, the most remarkable of which is a thousand-handed and thousand-eyed Buddha considered a masterpiece of Vietnamese sculpturing. It took several years to complete this work of art. We continue our drive to Hanoi where we head to the airport for flight to Hue. On arrival, you are picked up & transfered to hotel for check in. Overnight in Hue.

In the morning, we will visit Hue Imperial City, the remaining vestiges of Hue's citadel, including: Flag Tower, Ngo Mon Gate, Nine Dynastic Urns, Nine Holy Cannons, Thai Hoa Palace and the Forbidden Purple City (Tu Cam Thanh). The tour will end with a visit to Minh Mang Mausoleum, a beautifully landscaped royal complex consisting of 40 buildings (palaces, temples & pavilions). The rest of the day is free for you to explore Hue at your own leisure. Overnight at hotel.

We will depart from the hotel in the morning to visit Tu Duc Royal Tomb, one of the most beautiful royal mausoleum compounds in Hue. You will then enjoy a leisurely boat trip along the poetic Perfume River, and  en route visit Thien Mu Pagoda also known as "Heavenly Lady Pagoda" the symbol of Hue. We will then continue the cruise toward Thuy Bieu eco-village, an ancient village situated on the bank of the Perfume River where lunch will be served.
The afternoon is reserved for cycling through the peaceful village, visiting several communal houses, ancient temples and the highlight: the garden-house, a typical and unique feature of Hue. Soaking your feet in medicinal herb water followed by an excellent blind massage will refresh them after a day of sightseeing. Back to the hotel for the night.

Morning drive on the Mandarin road – a scenic journey from Hue to Hoi An, which allows you to see a picturesque Vietnam with stunning beachs and lust tropical forest. Take some stops for photo taking on route before visiting the Museum of Cham Sculpture - with many precious artifacts of the former Cham Kingdom on display. Continue transfer to Hoi An ancient town which used to be an important South-East Asian trading port from the 15th to the 19th century.  Hoi an town features a fantastic fusion of Chinese, Dutch, Japanese and Portuguese culture. You can see it by your own eyes when visiting  Japanese Covered Bridge, Chinese’s street, Phung Hung old house, Hoi an market and ancient port & the old house of Tan Ky. Especially, on the 1st or 15th of every Lunar month, the town will be lighted up with colourful lanterns instead of electric lamp, turning Hoi An into a sparkling little Disneyland of Vietnam. Overnight in the hotel.

You will be taken to Danang airport in the morning for short flight to Nha Trang, famous for its beautiful soft white sand beaches and turquoise water. The temperatures are mild all year round. Upon arrival in Nha Trang we will drive to hotel for check in. Free time at your own leisure for relaxation. Overnight in Nha Trang

Full day to spend on the white sand beach at your leisure. Overnight at hotel.
 

Full day to spend on the white sand beach at your leisure. Overnight at hotel.
 

You can continue exploring Nha Trang until the departure to the airport for you flight to Saigon. Overnight at hotel.

In the morning, we will visit Cho Lon, Vietnam’s largest China Town where you can shop to your hearts content and sample the fabulous cuisine. We then visit Thien Hau Temple, the most lively temple in Ho Chi Minh City, dedicated to the Goddess of the Sea, and Giac Lam Pagoda, the oldest pagoda in the city. Back to downtown Saigon to visit Notre Dame Cathedral (built in 1877) and the Central Post Office.
In the afternoon, we will visit the Reunification Palace formerly known as Independence Palace. It served as the residence and working place of the President of South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. The tour ends with a visit to Ngoc Hoang Temple dedicated to the Jade Emperor, the supreme deity in Taoism. Overnight at hotel.

Leaving the bustling city of Saigon behind, we depart to the Mekong Delta considered Vietnam’s biggest rice basket. Arrive at Hung Vuong pier in Ben Tre and embark our boat to cruise along Bến Tre River, a tributary of the great Mekong, to explore the local lifestyle and the daily hustle and bustle. Stop at the brickfield belonging to Mr. Tu Lo to see how bricks are made by hand in Vietnam and a coconut candy home factory located along the canal to witness the process of making this local candy and other souvenirs. You will then have the opportunity to taste bee honey tea at a local honey farm and a variety of tropical fruit that grow amply in the orchards of the Mekong Delta. You can then walk or cycle hrough the coconut groves and green rice paddies to soak up and relax in the tranquil countryside atmosphere.
Lunch at a local restaurant.
In the afternoon we will take a trip on small rowing boats through a maze of waterways lined by two rows of palm tree. Cruise back to the pier and disembark. We continue to Long Xuyen passing Sadec where we will visit Kien An Cung Pagoda, built by the family of Huynh Thuy Le, the main character in the novel “L’amant” by French novelist Marguerite Duras, and Trung Vuong primary school where her mother taught. We will continue our trip to Long Xuyen where we will arrive in the late afternoon. Overnight at hotel.

In the early morning, we embark a sampan to explore Long Xuyen floating market, the least visited yet most authentic floating market in the Mekong Delta. It is crowded with thousands of boats jostling for space. We then take a boat trip to visit a floating fish farm where you have the chance to feed the fish yourself. After disembarking the sampan we will visit a village of  the Cham ethnic minority.
Our last stop of the day is Cu Lao Ong Ho also known as "Tiger Island", home of Vietnam's first president. We will then drive to Chau Doc, atown on the border of Cambodia and Vietnam, where we will spend the night. 

In the morning we will take a speed boat to  Phnom Penh and arrive in the capital city of Cambodia around noon. Time to rest and have lunch. The afternoon will be spent exploring Phnom Penh. We commence our tour with a visit to the National Museum, then on to the Silver Pagoda situated inside the Royal Palace complex and lastly  Wat Phnom Pagoda considered the spirittual heart of the city. Overnight at hotel.

After breakfast we will drive 168km to Kampong Thom, a picturesque town situated on the banks of the Tonle Sap Lake. En route, we will drop by Skun Market, a unique place selling spiders. Passing the beautiful landscape of the Cambodian countryside, we will reach Sambor Prei Kuk which once served as the capital of Chenla and was built in the early 7th century. We will continue our drive for 147 km to reach Siem Reap passing quaint villages and lush rice plains. We will stop at Kompong Kdei to visit an old bridge dating back more than 1000 yearsr and was built under the reign of king Chayravaman VII. Overnight at hotel in Siem Reap.

After breakfast, we will visit the South Gate of Angkor Thom also referred to as "Great City", the famous Bayon Temple built in the late 12th century and the Baphoun Temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva, the Terrace of Elephants, the Terrace of the Leper King and Phimean Akas known as "Heavenly Palace".
In the afternoon, we will tour the World Heritage site "Angkor Wat", the world's largest religious building. We continue our day with a visit to Bakheng Hill Temple and watch the sunset from the top of the hill. Back to the hotel. Overnight in Siem Reap.

We will start our day trip by visiting Kbal Spean referred to as “The river of a Thousand Lingas” which is situated 30km north of Angkor Wat, roughly a one hour drive. It closes at 3pm. We will take a forest walk and then return for lunch. We will continue from there straight to Banteay Srei, "The Citadel of Women" built at a time when the Khmer Empire was gaining significant power. Like numerous others, it is dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. It is a masterpiece of Khmer art with its intricate, pink sandstone construction and ornate design. On the way back to Siem Reap, we will visit Srah Srang, "The Royal Bath" and Banteay Kdei, a richly decorated Buddhist temple. Overnight at hotel.

In the morning we will discover Tonle Sap Lake by boat. It is the largest lake in Indochina with a length of 100km. We will cruise for 1 to 2 hours and visit a fishing village where all fishermen live in floating houses. We will then drive back to Siem Reap through the countryside and villages. The rest of the day is free to relax until we bring you to the airport for your flight home. The hotel room is available until noon only.  Asiatica Travel’s services end at the airport.