Regional journey
HAN-SAI-14-GE
14-day Vietnam and Cambodia: Hanoi to Siem Reap
Travel from Hanoi through Hue, Hoi An and Saigon, then continue along the Mekong to Phnom Penh and Angkor.
Travel from Hanoi through Hue, Hoi An and Saigon, then continue along the Mekong to Phnom Penh and Angkor.
Begin in Hanoi, cruise overnight in Ha Long Bay and continue through Hue, Hoi An and Saigon before flying to Siem Reap for three nights.
The Vietnam section balances major sights with neighbourhood, food and craft experiences. In Cambodia, spend a full day at Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and Ta Prohm, with a second day for Banteay Srei and additional local context.
Travel north to south through Vietnam, then fly directly from Ho Chi Minh City to Siem Reap and spend three nights in Cambodia.
Arrive at Noi Bai International Airport, where a local representative will welcome the group and assist with the transfer into central Hanoi.
After check-in, the rest of the day is free to recover from the international journey.
Depending on the arrival time, guests may take a short independent walk near the hotel or enjoy a relaxed dinner.
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Begin the morning in Ba Dinh, the political heart of modern Vietnam.
Visit the Ho Chi Minh historical complex, including the exterior or interior of the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum subject to opening conditions, the Presidential Palace grounds, Ho Chi Minh’s stilt house and the One Pillar Pagoda.
At the Ho Chi Minh complex, the guide introduces the historical setting and Ho Chi Minh’s continuing place in national memory and public life.
Continue to the Temple of Literature, founded in the 11th century and closely associated with Vietnam’s Confucian educational tradition. The guide explains the historic importance of scholarship, examinations and social advancement in Vietnamese society.
Lunch is served at KOTO, a social enterprise that provides hospitality training and employment pathways for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
After lunch, return to the hotel for a short rest.
In the mid-afternoon, explore the Old Quarter on foot. Continue on foot through selected Old Quarter streets, passing former trade streets, communal spaces, family businesses and the busy commercial life of the district.
Conclude the day with a traditional water puppet performance.
The evening is free for dinner.
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Depart Hanoi in the morning for the coast.
Board an overnight cruise and settle into the cabin as the vessel begins its journey through Ha Long Bay or a quieter neighbouring section of the wider bay system.
Lunch is served on board while the cruise passes limestone islands and sheltered waterways.
Afternoon activities vary according to the selected vessel and sailing route. These may include kayaking, a small-boat excursion, a cave visit or time on deck.
Return to the vessel for sunset, dinner and an evening on the bay.
The cruise is designed as a slower interlude after the walking and cycling experiences in Hanoi and Ninh Binh.
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Wake to the quiet morning atmosphere of the bay, with an optional early activity before breakfast. Guests may join an optional early activity before breakfast.
The cruise continues through the limestone landscape before returning to port in the late morning.
After disembarkation, transfer to the appropriate regional airport for the flight to Central Vietnam. Depending on the operating flight schedule, the arrival airport may be Hue or Da Nang.
Continue by private vehicle to Hue and check in.
No formal evening programme is scheduled. Guests may have a light dinner and rest in preparation for the following day’s cycling and cultural programme.
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Spend the day in Kim Long, a historic residential area along the Perfume River.
Once closely associated with mandarins, royal relatives and influential families of the Nguyen period, Kim Long remains known for its garden houses, traditional architecture and long-established households.
Travel mainly by bicycle along flat roads and quiet lanes, stopping at garden houses and neighbourhood sites along the way. Alternative transport can be arranged for guests who prefer not to cycle.
Visit several garden houses and meet members of local families whose histories are connected to the former imperial capital. Learn how architecture, family ancestry, food, landscape and traditional ideas of health are integrated into daily life.
Depending on the household and season, stop for garden produce, tea, traditional snacks or a demonstration of a local craft.
Join a local cooking session and share a home-style Hue lunch in a garden-house setting.
The afternoon continues at a relaxed pace and may include herbal foot soaking, tea or seasonal local specialities before cycling back.
The afternoon remains with local households and neighbourhood settings before returning to the hotel. The formal monuments of imperial Hue are reserved for the following morning.
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Visit Hue’s Imperial City, the political and ceremonial centre of the Nguyen dynasty.
Walk through the former royal complex as the guide introduces court life, state rituals, architecture and the changes that followed during the colonial and wartime periods.
Walk through the Imperial City’s gates, palaces and ceremonial spaces, adding the formal world of the Nguyen court to the previous day’s more domestic view of Hue in Kim Long.
After lunch, leave Hue for Hoi An.
Travel south through the coastal landscape, crossing the Hai Van area en route. Continue south over the Hai Van area, with short scenic and comfort stops en route to Hoi An.
Arrive in Hoi An and check in.
The evening is free for an initial independent walk through the old town.
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Begin in or near the historic centre with a lantern-making workshop.
Under the guidance of a local craft instructor, guests learn about the basic structure and assembly of the colourful fabric lanterns now closely associated with Hoi An. The workshop is practical and informal, with each guest completing a small lantern.
Continue by vehicle to Tra Que, a village known for its herb and vegetable gardens.
Walk through the cultivated fields and learn how local herbs and fresh ingredients are used in Central Vietnamese cooking. The farming visit is kept grounded and does not attempt to stage an artificial “farmer for a day” experience.
Join a cooking class using regional ingredients, followed by lunch featuring the dishes prepared during the session.
After lunch, travel to Cam Thanh and the Bay Mau coconut-palm area.
Board traditional round basket boats for a short journey through the waterways, passing nipa palms and the coastal wetland landscape surrounding Hoi An.
Return to the hotel or old town by mid-afternoon.
Allow several hours for rest, swimming, shopping or independent exploration.
In the evening, return to the illuminated old town. Walk along the river and release a small flower lantern on the water as a simple conclusion to the day.
Dinner is at leisure.
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The morning is free.
Guests may return to the old town, visit local shops, relax at the hotel, arrange a spa treatment or spend time at the beach depending on the location of the property.
After check-out, transfer to Da Nang International Airport for the afternoon flight to Ho Chi Minh City.
Upon arrival, meet the local team and transfer to the hotel in central Saigon.
The evening is free for dinner and independent exploration.
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Begin the morning with From Market to Market, a signature walking experience through central Saigon.
Follow a guided route through central Saigon’s markets, trading streets and food stops, observing how traditional commerce sits alongside modern development.
Starting around one of central Saigon’s longstanding food and commercial areas, walk through older market streets, narrow trading lanes, food counters and neighbourhood spaces before continuing toward Ben Thanh Market.
Pause for selected tastings and street-level observations that introduce the different communities and economic layers that have shaped the city.
Move between formal markets, family businesses and informal street trade, with the guide pointing out Vietnamese, Chinese, Indian and European influences in the commercial life of central Saigon.
Walking distances are modest, with frequent stops in markets, lanes and trading streets. Larger groups should be divided into smaller guided sections to preserve access and interaction within the markets and lanes.
The tour concludes around lunchtime.
The afternoon is free.
Guests may independently visit the Reunification Palace, walk along Nguyen Hue Boulevard, shop, enjoy a rooftop drink or return to the hotel.
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Depart the city in the morning for Cu Chi.
Visit the Cu Chi tunnel area and walk through the surrounding landscape while the guide explains the underground systems, rural communities and guerrilla operations based here during the war. The visit includes selected sections of the tunnel complex, but guests are not required to crawl through confined spaces.
Skip the shooting range and spend the visit on the tunnel landscape, underground engineering, living conditions and military history.
Return to Saigon around midday.
Stop for lunch at Phở Bình, a modest noodle restaurant that served as a clandestine meeting and coordination point during the Tet Offensive.
The restaurant allows the wartime story to shift from the rural tunnels of Cu Chi to the hidden networks operating within the city itself.
Continue to a preserved urban weapons bunker, where arms were once concealed beneath an ordinary residential building.
The final visit is the War Remnants Museum.
At the War Remnants Museum, allow time to move through exhibitions on combat, civilian casualties and the long-term consequences of war. Some galleries contain graphic material, so guests are briefed before entering and may visit at their own pace.
After Cu Chi, return to Saigon for sites connected with clandestine wartime networks and the later public memory of the conflict:
Return to the hotel in the late afternoon.
The evening is free.
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Fly from Ho Chi Minh City to Siem Reap and transfer to the hotel.
After lunch and time to settle in, begin with a gentle introduction to Cambodia and the civilisation of Angkor. Depending on the confirmed flight schedule, visit the Angkor National Museum or take a guided orientation through central Siem Reap before the following day’s temple visits.
This evening, enjoy dinner in Siem Reap. An optional performance by Phare, The Cambodian Circus, offers a lively introduction to contemporary Cambodian creativity.
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Begin at Angkor Wat, the monumental temple complex created in the early twelfth century and later transformed into an enduring centre of Buddhist worship. Walk through its galleries and bas-reliefs with the guide explaining the temple’s architecture, religious imagery and royal setting.
Continue to Angkor Thom, the last great capital of the Khmer Empire. Enter through its monumental gateway and visit Bayon, known for its enigmatic stone faces and vivid depictions of both royal history and everyday life.
Return to the hotel for lunch and a rest during the hottest part of the day.
In the late afternoon, visit Ta Prohm, where immense tree roots envelop the remains of a monastic complex, creating one of Angkor’s most evocative encounters between architecture and nature.
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Travel through the countryside to Banteay Srei, a smaller temple celebrated for the exceptional detail of its pink sandstone carvings.
On the return journey, gain a glimpse of rural life and the contemporary communities surrounding Angkor. Depending on group interests and seasonal conditions, continue with either an exploration of Tonlé Sap and its water-based livelihoods or a visit focused on Cambodian crafts, social enterprise and the continuing legacy of war and recovery.
Return to Siem Reap for a farewell dinner.
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Transfer to Siem Reap–Angkor International Airport for onward departure.
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The museum or city orientation is confirmed only after the Ho Chi Minh City–Siem Reap flight schedule is fixed. The arrival day remains deliberately light.
The Cambodia stay includes a full Angkor day, a midday hotel rest and a separate Banteay Srei day.
Temple starts, shaded breaks, vehicle access and walking distances are adjusted for season and mobility. Temple days are paced to allow enough time at the major sites without trying to visit every temple.
The lake option depends on water levels, season and the suitability of the operating community. Crafts or social-enterprise visits provide a reliable alternative.
Passport validity, Cambodia entry rules, baggage allowances and the international flight sector are reviewed before deposit.
The evening performance is offered when show schedules and arrival timing allow; it is not required for the core journey.
Hanoi, Ninh Binh, the bays and mountain routes, with practical advice on pacing and connections.
See destination →Imperial sites, garden houses, pagodas, food and how long to stay.
See destination →Hoi An, Da Nang, Mỹ Sơn, craft, food and realistic Central Vietnam weather planning.
See destination →Compare Bến Tre, Cần Thơ and Châu Đốc before choosing the Delta route.
See destination →SaigonWalks Add a SaigonWalks route through Chợ Lớn and historic trading districts before the journey enters the Mekong Delta.
Travel from Hanoi to the Mekong with more time for regional food, neighbourhoods, rural landscapes and everyday life between the major sights.
Travel south through ancient capitals, Cham sites, historic cities and southern archaeological landscapes on a heritage-focused journey across Vietnam.
We will confirm the route, hotel level, inclusions and proposal timeline.