16 Days Best of Vietnam Cambodia Tour with Sapa Exploration

Welcome to Hanoi!

Upon arrival, our tour guide and driver will welcome you at the airport. You will be escorted to the hotel and check-in. The rest of the day is at your leisure for recovery.

Note: if your arrival time is early, and you prefer to explore the city instead of taking a nap, please kindly tell our travel consultant, and we’ll recommend one of our suggested activities like enjoying the Hanoi food tour by motorbike at night, or having a half-day cooking class, or walking around the Hanoi food street.

Accommodation: Overnight in Hanoi

Meals: NA

Enjoy your breakfast. In the morning at 8:00-8:30, you will be met by our tour guide at your hotel, and start to explore the city of Hanoi. The morning’s activities include:

1. Tran Quoc Pagoda: located on the shores of West Lake, this pagoda is full of amazing Buddhist symbolism, a must-see for any of Hanoi city tour.
2. Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum: one of the most famous works in Vietnam. With great cultural and historical value, it will expand your understanding of the country.
3. One Pillar Pagoda: Hanoi’s iconic landmark is not to be missed, famous for its extraordinary architecture. This Pagoda is not only a famous tourist attraction but also a religious stop for local pilgrims.
4. Temple of Literature: one of the top historical attractions in Hanoi, is the first university in Vietnam. The temple represents Vietnamese ancient architecture and traditional fondness for learning.

End of the sightseeing, you will have lunch at an authentic Vietnamese restaurant, then take a rest.

In the afternoon, you will enjoy the following activities:

1. Hoan Kiem Lake with Ngoc Son Temple: famous for its peaceful beauty, and cultural as well as historical values.
2. Take a traditional cyclo tour through the Old Quarter: the fascinating experience of rickshaws driving around the Old Quarter and experiencing the daily life of the locals.
3. Savor the best street food in the world: Never miss out the Vietnam food

Enjoying local Vietnamese dinner, you will be escorted to watch a traditional Vietnamese water puppet show at Thang Long Water Puppet Theater. The show lasts 50 minutes. It’s a unique Vietnam performance to display the daily life in Northern Vietnam villages.

After the show ends, you’ll be transferred to the train station to catch an overnight train to Lao Cai, the gateway to Sapa. Sleep on the train in comfortable sleeping compartments.

Accommodation: Overnight on the train

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Early morning arrival in Lao Cai at 5:55 am. From there, you’ll be transferred to Sapa in 1 hour, a picturesque town located in the mountains.

After enjoying a delicious local Vietnamese breakfast, the rice paddy terrace trekking will start at around 8:00 am. During the trek, you'll visit these stops in order.

1. Cat Cat Villiage: home to the Black Hmong people.
2. Waterfall and a hydroelectric station: trek on a dirt trail through rice paddy terraces.
3. Y Linh Ho Villiage: Black Hmong minority, where you can take a rest and have lunch.
4. Muong Hoa Valley: pass through Lao Chai village of the Black Hmong minority.
5. Ta Van Villiage:home to Giay minority.

It’s a very popular trekking route around 15km across different villages of the Hmong, Giay, and Red Dao ethnic minorities, and you’ll enjoy the spectacular scenery of Northern Vietnam highlands. After the trekking, you’ll escorted to the hotel in Sapa.

Accommodation: Overnight in Sapa

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Meet your guide at 8:30 am in the hotel after enjoying breakfast. Then you’ll transferred to Fansipan Cable Car Station.

1. Fansipan Cable Car: the Guinness World Record as the world’s longest cable car.
2. Mt. Fansipan: the roof of Indochina.
3. 20-meter celestial Buddha Statue.

You’ll ride a 15-minute cable car to the Mountain Station, and then go up 600 steps to get to the summit of Mt. Fansipan to breathe in the fresh air and get captivating sights from there.

After climbing Mt. Fansipan, you’ll return to Sapa for lunch and then take a private car to Ninh Binh for 6 hours. The rest of the day is at your leisure for recovery.

Accommodation: Overnight in Ninh Binh

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Your tour guide will pick you up at 8:00 am to start a full day touring Ninh Binh after enjoying breakfast.

Get away from the busy Hanoi city and enjoy the fresh air during a full-day tour in the countryside of Vietnam, you'll see people in the village going about their everyday activities and learn about a calmer part of Vietnamese culture.

1. Hoa Lu temples: discover Vietnamese history during the Dinh, Le, and Ly Dynastys.
2. cycling around the village: ride through countryside roads, rice fields, and along grottoes with tall rock formations in the distance.

Have lunch in Ninh Binh Mountain side homestay to enjoy local food. After a short rest, you’ll take a bamboo boat to start the Tam Coc boat trip.

1. Halong Bay on land: the stunning beauty of paddy field, exploring some of the streams and grottoes.
2. Van Long Nature Reserve: famous for its diversity in the ecosystem with majestic pristine beauty.
3. Mua Caves & Ngoa Long Mountain: panoramic view of Ngo Dong River and paddy fields.

The tour would end at 5:00 pm. You’ll take the private car to the hotel in Hanoi. The rest of the day is at your leisure.

Accommodation: Overnight in Hanoi

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

In the morning, after breakfast, our driver will pick you up at about 8:00, then head to the cruise port of Halong Bay. It takes about 3 hours to arrive. Upon arrival, the cruise staff will help you with the check-in at around 12:00.

Welcome onboard in Halong Bay! You will be greeted with a welcome drink and the introduction and guidelines. Then, you will enjoy the lunch onboard in the elegant dining room.

In the afternoon, you will enjoy some exciting activities such as sightseeing, kayaking, or swimming according to each cruise’s itinerary.

While onboard, you can take advantage of the leisure time of the Spa, Beauty, and Massage services surrounded by the stunning scenery around you. Besides, you can also join in the chef’s cooking class and learn the art of traditional Vietnamese cooking.

In the evening, an elegant dinner is ready with a fusion of Eastern and Western cuisine, accompanied by a wide selection of wines and beverages from around the world.

After dinner, enjoy a leisurely evening onboard, such as joining in board games, squid fishing, a night movie, or bars & karaoke.

Accommodation: Overnight at Halong Bay

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Your second day of Halong Bay Cruise will start with a Tai Chi class for 20 minutes to breathe the fresh air and brighten the day.

After breakfast, continue with the exploration of the tourist sites on Halong Bay. At around 10:00, it’s time to pack your luggage for checkout.

At about 11:30 am, your cruise boat will sail back to the port and you will enjoy an early lunch on the way. Then, our driver will pick you up at the port, heading to the airport of Hanoi for your flight to Da Nang.

Upon arrival in Da Nang, our tour guide will escort you to Hoi An for about 1 hour. Welcome to Hoi An, one of the UNESCO World Heritage sites and famous for the old town. Your tour guide will take you to the hotel in Hoi An for Check-in. You can have the rest of the day to yourself.

Accommodation: Overnight in Hoi An

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

In the morning, after breakfast, you will start your half-day excursion to Cam Thanh village. Your tour guide will pick you up around 8:00 am to 8:30 am. Cam Thanh village is a fisherman at Cam Thanh Water coconut village. During this half-hour, you will experience:

1. Fishing, catching the crabs & coconut mussels: enjoying experiences from learning traditional fishing techniques and exploring tranquil coconut-palm flanked waterways of a past war.
2. Vietnamese bamboo basket boat ride: made of bamboo with the shape of baskets to make you have the very Vietnamese experience.

At the end of the first half of the day, the guide will take you to a very delicious Vietnamese lunch.

After a short rest, we are about to start the afternoon tour. Your tour guide will bring you to the edge of the old town for a half day of exploration. During the tour, you will visit:

1. 200-year-old Tan Ky House: a beautiful home that has been lovingly preserved over seven generations.
2. Museum of Trade Ceramics: with fascinating pottery artifacts from all over Asia and the Middle East
3. Chua Ong Pagoda: the neighborhood around it has distinctly Chinese-inspired buildings and is lovely to explore at a relaxed pace.
4. Hoi An Market: reputed to be one of Vietnam’s best.

After the sightseeing tour, we'll take you back to the hotel, and then you can have the rest of the day to yourself.

Accommodation: Overnight in Hoi An

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Your local tour guide and driver will meet you at the hotel at 8:00 am and drive to Hue for a visit. It lasts about 2 hours. 

Welcome to Hue! The former Imperial Capital of Vietnam from 1802 - 1945, was known for its royal mausoleums, traditional imperial cuisine, and pagodas. After lunch, you’ll start your Hue tour at around 1:30 p.m.

1. Thien Mu Pagoda: unofficial symbol of Hue City with its origins dating back to 1601.
2. Minh Mang Tomb: the 2nd Emperor of the Nguyen dynasty was buried.
3. Perfume River: take a dragon boat cruise to enjoy the open view of the river and the peaceful landscape along the river banks.

Admiring the beautiful scenery and the sunset of Hue, you can enjoy Vietnamese traditional folk songs on the boat cruise.

At 7:00 pm, head to Be Xuan Garden House Theatre for a traditional Vietnamese cuisine. Ben Xuan is like a special place where East meets West, offering a unique experience that celebrates Hue's heritage through music, beautiful buildings, culture, art, and food.

Explore the stunning royal architecture, like the Garden House Theatre and Painting Exhibition, and enjoy a delicious meal. Then go back to the hotel for the rest.

Accommodation: Overnight in Hue

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast, you'll continue your day in Hue. During this half-day tour, you’ll visit:

1. Hue Capital Citadel: a well-known UNESCO-recognized World Heritage Site which is a 520-ha fortress-like grand complex
2. Tu Duc Tomb: resting place of the fourth King of the Nguyen dynasty.
3. Dong Ba market: biggest commercial center of Hue province and the adjacent regions.

In the afternoon, enjoy your time and wait for our tour guide to pick you up to the Hue Phu Bai International Airport, taking a flight to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), about 80 minutes. Upon arrival in Saigon, our tour guide will escort you to the hotel and have a rest.

Welcome to Saigon, the largest city, business, and financial hub of Vietnam! Its history dates back hundreds of years. Saigon is famous for its fascinating culture and ornate pagodas and temples.

Around 6:00-6:30 pm, your tour guide will bring you to join in the dinner cruise on the Saigon River. After the tour, back to your hotel and have a good rest.

Accommodation: Overnight in Saigon

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

After breakfast, at about 8:30 am, we will drive about 1.5 hours to Cu Chi Tunnels, where you discover these amazing systems developed by the guerrillas fighting in the Vietnam War. You will see various weapons used in the war on display. It will take the whole morning to explore and enjoy.

After lunch at a local restaurant, back to Saigon city to explore the iconic highlights, including:

1. Notre Dame Cathedral: honored as one of the world's 19 most majestic cathedrals, the only representative from Southeast Asia, seen as the architectural symbol of Ho Chi Minh City
2. Old Saigon Post Office: Vietnam’s largest post office and oldest colonial structure, is one of the must-sees, attracting visitors with its aesthetic and historical values
3. Cholon: the largest Chinatown in Ho Chi Minh with many traditional shops, markets, and local food stalls.
4. Emperor Jade Pagoda: a sacred place of Saigon, built by a Chinese merchant named Liu Daoyuan, where people pray and seek blessings.

End of the sightseeing tour, you will be escorted to the hotel and enjoy free time for the rest of the day.

Accommodation: Overnight in Saigon

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast, enjoy your time and wait for our tour guide to pick you up to the airport, taking a flight to Siem Reap, about 90 minutes.

Welcome to Siem Reap! Upon arrival, our tour guide will meet you at the airport and escort you back to the downtown city. 

In the evening about 6:10 pm, your tour guide will pick you up to enjoy the welcome dinner with a sumptuous buffet dinner while enjoying the Khmer traditional dance performance.

After that, you will be escorted to the hotel, and have a good rest.

Accommodation: Overnight in Siem Reap

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Today, you will get up a little bit early, at about 5:00 am for the sunrise of Angkor Wat, and experience the breathtaking moment.

After enjoying the sunrise, you will be escorted to the hotel for breakfast and have a little rest. Your guide will pick you up at about 10:00 am to start your Angkor Temple discovery. In the morning, you will visit:

1. Ta Prohm: one of the largest temples built during the Khmer empire, a Buddhist temple dedicated to the mother of Jayavarman VII.
2. Banteay Kdei: considered to be one of the main groups of temples in the Angkor complex with peaceful and quiet surroundings.

After lunch at a local Cambodian restaurant, you will continue to visit:

1. Angkor Wat: the 7^th wonder of the world, is a miniature replica of the universe in stone, its beauty and state of preservation is unrivaled.

After the tour, we prepare a Mudita Signature Treatment for you after touring the temples of Angkor Wat, rejuvenate with a spa session in Siem Reap. Using an herbal compress, your masseuse provides a massage treatment that is said to reduce tension and improve energy flow throughout the body.

After that, you will be escorted to your hotel, enjoy your free time, and have a good rest.

Accommodation: Overnight in Siem Reap

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

In the morning, after breakfast, enjoy your free time until your tour guide picks you up and checks out.

This morning you’ll travel through the Cambodian countryside with your tour guide to Phnom Penh. The journey will take about 6 hours driving.

On the way, you will stop at Kompong Thom to visit Sambor Prei Kuk temple, the main temple of the pre-Angkorian archaeological site built in the 7th century, older than those of Angkor Wat.

Then enjoy a local lunch before continuing to Phnom Penh, stopping en route at Skuon market, the adventurous can try ch’ngain (deep-fried Tarantula), a local speciality.

Upon arrival for hotel check-in, the rest of the day is free at your own leisure. 

Accommodation: Overnight in Phnom Penh

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Enjoy your breakfast and our tour guide will pick you up to start exploring Phnom Penh, Cambodian’s capital city.

In the morning, you will enjoy the following activities:

1. Take a Tuk-tuk ride to visit the Silver Pagoda which is decorated with about 5000 silver tiles on the floor and the Royal Palace where the Khmer royal family lives.
2. Prison and Killing Field/Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum: a museum chronicling the Cambodian genocide.
3. National Museum: home to the world's finest collection of Khmer sculpture: a millennium's worth and more of masterful Khmer design.

After the tour, enjoy the lunch at a local restaurant and have a short break.

In the afternoon, we will head to the Mekong Island of Phnom Penh, where you will enjoy a cycle tour around the countryside of Phnom Penh, discovering the small villages, local schools, silk-weaving houses, and beautiful rural landscapes.

Then, you will enjoy the sunset cruise with unlimited beer & soft drinks, exploring the Mekong, Tonle Sap, and Four Faces Rivers, as well as Diamond Island and the local fishing village. Gain an authentic experience by observing the housing and lifestyle of the locals who live along the riverbank.

After the tour, you will be escorted to explore the local night market of Phnom Penh. Then, back to the hotel and have a good rest tonight.

Accommodation: Overnight in Phnom Penh

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Enjoy your breakfast and free time in the morning until your tour guide picks you up to the airport. Tour service ends here.

Hope you enjoyed a great trip with us and we look forward to seeing you next time.

Note: If you’re planning to continue exploring the Indochina region, like Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos, please never hesitate to tell us, we’re tour experts for all of these destinations.

Accommodation: NA

Meals: Breakfast