Vietnam & Cambodia: A Gentle Journey

Hanoi / City Tour (L)

Welcome by the guide and driver at Noi Bai International Airport. Transfer to the city center for light walks and visits in Hanoi Old Quarter.

Visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum complex, overlooking Ba Dinh Square, and his stilt house to better understand the life of a great man who lived very modestly.

The One Pillar Pagoda is famous for its original architecture inspired by a legend dating back to the 11th century.

Then visit the Temple of Literature, dedicated to Confucius and his disciples. This complex was Vietnam’s first university.

Welcome lunch at a restaurant with local specialties.

In the afternoon, we visit Tran Quoc Pagoda (Buddhism) and Quan Thanh Temple (Taoism), where you can take part in a Buddhist ceremony and/or see the bronze monk statue of the pagoda.

Then take a look at the “Train Street” area before returning to the hotel to rest.

Dinner at your own expense and overnight in Hanoi.

Hanoi - Halong Bay (B,L,D)

08h00: Meet with the team.

On the way to Ha Long Bay, we cross the traditional Vietnamese countryside, with its villages, markets and rice fields, all brought to life by the daily activities of local farmers.

Arrival in Ha Long around noon, boarding the boat for a 24-hour cruise in Ha Long Bay.

Lunch on board.

An extraordinary landscape, “one of the wonders of the world”, with nearly three thousand limestone islands and peaks in fantastic shapes: turtles, sampan sails, etc., scattered across emerald waters covering more than 1,500 km².

Stop to visit a natural cave, where we are immersed in a mysterious atmosphere among thousands of stalagmites and stalactites. Relax at the end of the day while enjoying the sunset on board.

Dinner and overnight on board.

Please note that you should follow the boat’s program for activities and visits during these two days, depending on the tide and weather conditions.

Halong Bay - Hanoi - Overnight Train to Lao Cai

For those who wish, you can practice Tai Chi or Meditation on the upper deck of the boat early in the morning with a traditional local instructor.

Breakfast, then continue cruising through the bay, passing through beautiful areas before lunch.

After lunch on board, we disembark at around 11h30 and are picked up by the driver and guide for the return to Hanoi.

Arrival in Hanoi, a walk towards Long Bien Bridge (also known as Paul Doumer Bridge during the French period).

Then enjoy a water puppet show, a typical Vietnamese folk art.

Dinner at a local restaurant, then transfer to the railway station for the overnight train to Lao Cai towards the mountains.

4-berth sleeper cabin – tourist comfort.

Lao Cai - Ethnic market - Sapa (B,L)

Early arrival (around 06h00) at Lao Cai railway station, welcome and then breakfast at a local restaurant in front of the station.

Transfer to the ethnic market (the market takes place once a week), and depending on the day of the week, you will visit:

• Bien Phiet : Monday morning
• Coc Ly: Tuesday morning
• Lung Khau Nhin: Wednesday morning
• Cao Son: Thursday morning
• Cho Dau: Friday morning
• Can Cau: Saturday morning
• Bac Ha: Sunday morning

Visit the very colorful and lively market and lunch at a local restaurant.

In the afternoon, depart for Sapa, passing beautiful terraced rice fields hidden behind the clouds, with sightseeing stops along the road at tea hills (tea cultivation is quite important in this region) and a visit to the Chinese border gate.

Arrival in Sapa, visit the local central market for your first impressions of this highland town, a charming resort town chosen by the French during the colonial period.

Dinner at your own expense and overnight at the hotel in Sapa.

Sapa - Fansipan Mountain (B,L)

Breakfast at the hotel.

Meet for a full day to discover Fansipan Mountain at an altitude of 3,143 m by cable car (round trip).

Fantastic panoramic views from the summit.

Lunch at a restaurant at the foot of the mountain before enjoying a beautiful walk through Lao Chai – Ta Van village with beautiful terraced rice fields.

Visit an ethnic school, where you can interact with the children and give them gifts.

Return to Sapa town to rest and enjoy your own discoveries.

Dinner at your own expense and overnight at the same hotel.

Sapa - Hanoi - Flight to Siem Reap (B,L)

This flight includes 10 kg of hand luggage and 23 kg of checked luggage.

Breakfast at the hotel.

Check out of the rooms, then enjoy a beautiful walk towards Ma Tra village, followed by the expressway to Hanoi and the airport for the flight to Siem Reap.

A quick lunch (fast food) along the way, then continue directly via the expressway to the airport for the flight to Siem Reap.

Arrival in Siem Reap, welcome by the English-speaking guide + driver from Siem Reap, then direct transfer to the hotel.

Dinner at your own expense at a local restaurant. Overnight in Siem Reap.

Siem Reap - Roluos Group / Angkor Wat (B,L)

In the morning, visit the Roluos Group (Hariharalaya), located around 10 km from the center. The monuments of Roluos, which served as the capital of Indravarman I (reigned 877–89), are among the largest temples of the pre-Angkorian period and mark the beginning of traditional Khmer art.

Visit Preah Ko, built by Indravarman I at the end of the 9th century, and Bakong, the largest and most interesting temple of the Roluos Group, as well as Lolei, with its four brick towers, a replica of Preah Ko, built on an island now covered by rice fields. Lunch at a local restaurant during the visits.

The afternoon is devoted to discovering the magnificent Angkor Wat Temple, listed as a World Heritage Site, and Phnom Bakheng (mountain temple).

Dinner at your own expense at a local restaurant and overnight in Siem Reap.

Siemreap - Bantey Srei - Angkor Thom (B,L)

In the morning: visit Banteay Srei Temple (Citadel of Women), dedicated to Shiva, whose architecture and pink sandstone carvings feature a series of beautiful sculptures.

We then discover Banteay Samre, completely restored before the war. This site gives a good idea of what Angkor may once have looked like.

Lunch at a local restaurant, then visit Angkor Thom (Great City), beginning with the South Gate, the famous Bayon dating from the 12th and 13th centuries, and Baphuon (11th century), dedicated to Brahmanism.

The Terrace of the Elephants, Terrace of the Leper King, and Phimeanakas (Celestial Palace).

Return to Siem Reap town to rest, then dinner at your own expense at a local restaurant.

Overnight in Siem Reap.

Siemreap - Tonle Sapa - Phnom Penh (B,L)

A day travelling by road through beautiful villages and markets, with a stop for a walk at Tonle Sap Lake, the largest lake connected to the Mekong.

Visit a floating school on the lake.

Photo stops and visits to villages along the road, with lunch at a local restaurant.

Arrival in Phnom Penh, direct transfer to the hotel. Dinner at your own expense at a local restaurant and overnight in Phnom Penh.

Phnom Penh - Chau Doc (B,L)

In the morning, early departure for the visits: the Royal Palace, the Silver Pagoda, then the National Museum.

Early lunch at a restaurant, then board the regular speedboat at 12h30 to travel down the Mekong towards Chau Doc in Vietnam.

Arrival in Chau Doc, welcome by the English-speaking guide + driver, then direct transfer to the hotel.

Dinner at your own expense at a local restaurant and overnight in Chau Doc.

Chau Doc - Long Xuyen - Can Tho (B,L)

In the morning, take a private sampan to visit the floating houses, then continue by road to visit Ba Chua Xu Pagoda, Thoai Ngoc Hau Tomb and climb Sam Mountain for those who wish.

Drive to Long Xuyen with photo stops and lunch at a local restaurant.

Then continue by road to Can Tho.

Arrival in Can Tho, transfer to My Thanh District for a walk around the islands to visit orchards and Mr. Bay Cong’s ecological gardens with exotic fruit trees.

Taste these fruits on site in his garden. Dinner at your own expense and overnight in Can Tho.

Can Tho / Cai Rang Floating Market - Sadec - Cai Be (Mekong) (B,L,D)

Breakfast at the hotel.

Early in the morning, take the boat to visit Cai Rang floating market – the most authentic in the region.

Visit the ecological garden with exotic fruit trees and taste the fruits on site.

Disembark, then continue by road towards Saigon with a stop in Sa Dec town in Dong Thap Province. Visit the ancient house of Huynh Thuy Le. The house was the residence of the family of Mr. Huynh Thuy Le, the first lover of French writer Marguerite Duras. This love story later became the memory on which Marguerite Duras based her famous novel The Lover, published in 1984 (translated into 40 languages). Visit Mr. Quach’s pagoda and the local market. Lunch at a local restaurant. Visit one of Madame Marguerite Duras’s schools.

Drive to Vinh Long, then board a boat to reach the homestay. Dinner and overnight at a homestay in Cai Be.

Mekong - Saigon (B,L)

In the morning, depart by sampan to pass through Cai Be market, then visit local workshops: puffed rice sweets, caramel sweets and rice wine.

Walk through the orchards and lunch with a local family featuring the local specialty, Elephant Ear Fish.

Disembark, then drive to My Tho where you visit Vinh Trang Pagoda, the largest pagoda in Southern Vietnam. Continue to Saigon via the expressway.

Arrival in Saigon, visit the Chinese Quarter (Cho Lon). Discover its old neighborhoods, Binh Tay wholesale market (Cho Lon), and Thien Hau Temple, “the Heavenly Lady.” Built by Cantonese immigrants in the early 19th century, this pagoda honors the goddess of the sea and is considered the most beautiful pagoda in the city. Visit a lacquerware workshop if you are interested.

Transfer to the hotel to rest and enjoy your own discoveries.

Dinner at your own expense and overnight in Saigon.

Saigon– Departure (B,L)

After breakfast,

Free time and check-out from the room.

Meet at 11h30 with the guide and driver for lunch, followed by a half-day of discovery & visits in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon):

Photos in front of the Reunification Palace, one of the most important buildings in the city and the former residence of the President of South Vietnam until April 30, 1975, the date marking the end of the war against the United States.

Visit Notre Dame Cathedral and the Old Central Post Office (built between 1877 and 1883, it is one of the finest examples of French colonial architecture). Every stone used in its construction was imported from France.

Return to the hotel to collect your belongings, then transfer to the airport for your return flight.