Follow the Mekong – 15 Days

Embark on 15 days of Vietnam & Cambodia highlights, from the busy street of Hanoi Old Quarter to the picturesque Mekong Delta with its vibrant markets to the temples of Angkor Wat.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Spend a day venturing through the city, taking in museums, markets and other colorful sights in Hanoi
• A luxury cruise in Ha Long Bay
• A romantic escape in quaint Hoi An Town
• Private boat trip on Mekong River from Chau Doc to Phnom Penh
• Phnom Penh city tour on cyclo
• The fantastic temple complexes and UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Angkor Wat

ITINERARY

Day 1: Hanoi Arrival
Day 2: Full Day Hanoi City Tour
Day 3: Hanoi – Halong Bay
Day 4: Halong Bay – Hanoi/Fly to Danang – Transfer to Hoi An
Day 5: Hoi An – Kim Bong Village – Tra Que Farm – Hoi An
Day 6: Hoi An
Day 7: Hoi An – Danang/Fly to Ho Chi Minh City
Day 8: Cu Chi Tunnels – Ho Chi Minh City Tour
Day 9: Ho Chi Minh City – Ben Tre – Can Tho 
Day 10: Can Tho – Chau Doc
Day 11: Chau Doc – Boat trip to Phnom Penh
Day 12: Phnom Penh – Siem Reap
Day 13: Angkor Wat Tour
Day 14: Angkor Wat Tour
Day 15: Siem Reap Departure

DAY 1:             HANOI ARRIVAL (D)

Welcome to Hanoi! Upon arrival in Hanoi, you will be picked up from the airport and transferred to a hotel for relaxing and welcome dinner.
 
Overnight in Hanoi.

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DAY 2:             FULL DAY HANOI CITY TOUR (B, L)

Depart your hotel to visit the Ho Chi Minh Complex (Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Ho Chi Minh Museum and One pillar pagoda) and the Tran Quoc Pagoda. Continue to the Temple of Literature, the first University in Vietnam dating back to the 16th century. 
 
In the afternoon, enjoy a walking tour through the Old Quarter will provide another fascinating insight into the character and history of the city, before moving on to Dong Xuan Market with its bustling stalls and brisk trading of day-to-day local goods. Finish the day with a traditional water puppet show
 
Overnight in Hanoi.

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DAY 3:             HANOI – HALONG BAY (B, L, D)

After breakfast, ransferred to Halong Bay. Arrive at Halong City at noon and proceed with check-in formalities. After your welcome onboard, a lunch will be served while cruising towards the bay itself. A truly memorable experience awaits you as you cruise the delightful Bay. In the afternoon, enjoy some visits and/or activities depending on each boat’s itinerary or just spend some time relaxing on board. 

Towards the end of the day the boat sets anchor for the night among the karst formations. Dinner is served on board.

Overnight onboard Halong Bay.

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DAY 4:             HALONG – HANOI/FLY TO DANANG – TRANSFER TO HOI AN (BRUNCH)

Start your day with calming Tai Chi, enjoy the sunrise over the Bay and continue cruising. Enjoy the brunch on the way back to port, transfer to Hanoi. En route visit Thanh Chuong Palace, the home and studio of Thanh Chuong, of the most celebrated painters in Vietnam. More a living space than a museum, the Palace is an architectural gem showcasing Vietnamese traditional cultural objects, exquisite antiques and remarkable structures.

Continue driving to Hanoi Airport, then take a short flight to Danang. Arrival Danang, transfer to Hoi An for check in Hotel.

Overnight in Hoi An.

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DAY 5:             HOI AN – KIM BONG VILLAGE – TRA QUE FARM – HOI AN (B, L)

Take a morning boat journey along the Hoi An River to the village of Kim Bong. The village residents have long been famed for their carpentry skills. Disembark and enjoy a walk through the village, stopping to visit old Colonial houses, temples, several workshops and shops.

Crossing back to the mainland by boat, drive to the village of Tra Que to visit a farm where you can learn about the traditional gardening methods deployed by the residents of the region. Transfer back to Hoi An in the early afternoon where the remainder of your day is at leisure.

Overnight in Hoi An.

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DAY 6:             HOI AN WALKING TOUR (B)

After breakfast, enjoy a walking tour around Hoi An ancient town and explore its treasures: the Japanese Bridge, Phuc Kien Pagoda, Phung Hung Old Merchant House, and Quang Dong Assembly Hall.

Your afternoon is free at leisure.
 
Overnight in Hoi An.

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DAY 7:             HOI AN – DANANG – HO CHI MINH CITY (B, D)

Free morning at leisure.
 
In the afternoon, we drive to Danang to take the short flight to Ho Chi Minh City. Upon arrival, you will be transferred to hotel, check in.
 
Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

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DAY 8:             CU CHI TUNNEL – HO CHI MINH CITY TOUR (B, L)

After breakfast, visit the famous Cu Chi, an incredible underground tunnel network constructed by Vietnamese resistance fighters during the long struggle for independence. The tunnels, over 250km in length and up to three levels deep in places, played a huge part in the Viet Cong’s victory over the Americans, allowing them to control a large rural area surrounding Ho Chi Minh City.

In the afternoon journey back to Ho Chi Minh City. Visit the Former Presidential Palace, the town’s center with the Notre Dame Cathedral, the City Hall, the Municipal Theater, Quan Am Pagoda, Cho Lon and China town.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

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DAY 9:             HO CHI MINH CITY – BEN TRE – CAN THO (B, L)

This morning, leave bustling Ho Chi Minh City for the 2 hour drive to the delta town of Ben Tre. Board your local boat through small canals with beautiful tropical scenery. En-route visit the brick making factory, where the locals still use centuries-old traditional methods to make the bricks by hand then visit a small factory producing handicrafts made of coconut. Afterwards, take a ride on a horse driven cart along country roads, through the fruit plantation before enjoying lunch at riverside restaurant.

In the afternoon, enjoy a ride in a rowing boat along the palm creek before heading to Can Tho. Arrival Can Tho, check in hotel.
 
Overnight in Can Tho.

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DAY 10:           CAN THO – CHAU DOC (B, L)

Wake up early for a breakfast cruise to the colorful Cai Rang floating market which bustles with wholesalers on big boats. Here, during the early morning market hours, larger sized boats anchor and create lanes that smaller boats weave in and out of. The main items sold here are fruit and vegetables and every boat has a long upright pole at its bow from which samples of the goods for sale are hung. The waterway becomes a maze of hundreds of boats packed with mango, bananas, papaya, pineapple, and even floating pho vendors. 

Following your visit to Cai Rang and Can Tho depart for the 3-hour drive to Chau Doc. En route you’ll have a chance to stop at the bamboo basket-making hamlet of Long Thanh.

The rest of the evening is at leisure. 

Overnight in Chau Doc. 

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DAY 11:           CHAU DOC/BOAT TRIP TO PHNOM PENH – CITY TOUR (B, D)

In the early morning, departure for the 4-hour boat ride to Phnom Penh. It’s an hour to the border where you will clear visa formalities (visas must be obtained in advance) before continuing into Cambodia.
Upon arrival Phnom Penh, our guide and driver will pick you up & transfer to hotel for check in.

After a relaxing break, you will set out to discover the most remarkable sights of Phnom Penh in a cyclo, an original Phnom Penh means of transportation. First, we visit the Royal Palace, situated on the site of the former citadel and built by King Norodom in 1966, the Palace still serves as the King and Queen’s residential quarters. Also within the walls of the Palace is the Silver Pagoda, so called because of five thousand silver tiles that line its exquisite floor. If time permits there is also the option of visiting the National Museum, which houses the world leading collection of Khmer art and sculpture, and Wat Phnom the founding site of the city.

Overnight in Phnom Penh.

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DAY 12:           PHNOM PENH – SIEM REAP (B, L)

This morning we travel overland through the picturesque Cambodia countryside from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap. Along the way, we visit Sambor Prei Kuk, the most impressive group of pre-Angkorian monuments in Cambodia. It is known as the most relevant pre-Angkorian historical and cultural site in the country.
We arrive in Siem Reap late afternoon and check in to the hotel.
 
Overnight in Siem Reap.

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DAY 13:           ANGKOR WAT TOUR (B)

After breakfast at the hotel, we spend a full day discovering the famous Angkor Complex. We enter the South Gate of Angkor Thom Temple and marvel at the wonders of the eerie Bayon, the terrace of Elephants and the terrace of the Leper King. Afterwards, we continue and visit Ta Prohm temple, shrouded in the jungle and left untouched since it was found by French explorers in the 1850s.
 
In the afternoon we visit the Angkor Wat Temple. This architectural master piece was built in the 12th century, took 30 years to complete and represents the Khmer civilization at its grandest. Covering 81 hectares, it is one of the largest religious monuments ever built.
 
Late afternoon, we enjoy the superb sunset view from Phnom Bakheng Hill.
 
Overnight in Siem Reap.

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DAY 14:           ANGKOR WAT TOUR (B)

After breakfast at the hotel, we drive to Banteay Srey, one of the most unusual temples of Angkor. It lies 20 km north of the main group and is mostly made up red sandstone covered with elaborate decorations.
 
We also visit Banteay Samre, built in the third quarter of the 12th century. It consists of a central temple with four wings preceded by a hall and accompanied by two libraries, the southern most of which is remarkably well preserved. 
 
This afternoon, we set out on a cruise on beautiful Tonle Sap Lake, passing a floating village and getting a glimpse into the daily life on the lake.
 
Overnight in Siem Reap.

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DAY 15:           SIEM REAP DEPARTURE (B)

Enjoy your final day in Cambodia at leisure. Continue exploring Siem Reap on your own, go on a bargain hunt for silk scarves or shadow puppets at Psar Chas, the Old Market, or relax into a wicker chair in a sidewalk café. We will transfer you to the airport for your flight back home!

SERVICE INCLUDED

• Shared accommodation in twin/double room with daily breakfast
• Tours as per itinerar with local speaking guide (NO guide on board Halong Bay)
• All transfers and transportation with air-con vehicles
• All entrance fees as program
• Meals (B: Breakfast; L: Lunch; D: Dinner) as indicated in the program
• A bottle of mineral water per day tour

SERVICE EXCLUDED 

• Drinks
• Mineral water beyond that supplied
• Tips
• Personal expenses and tips
• Visa to Vietnam, Cambodia
• Airfares (international and domestic)
• Meals (other than mentioned in the program)
• Airport taxes  
• Early check in or late check out
• Insurances
• Optional excursions and activities
• Additional transfer required due to any emergency situation
• Items of a personal nature (Phone calls, laundry, beverages…)
• Peak season surcharges if any
• All not mentioned above