Discover Vietnam and Cambodia tourist highlights with a Paradissa's classic tour for 15 days. The trip starts in Hanoi in Vietnam and concludes in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Adventure Holidays to Vietnam and Cambodia Overview
The highlights of the tour include the charming capital city of Ha Noi, Sa Pa hill-station, Ha Long Bay karst formations, Hue Imperial Citadel, Hoi An Old Port Town and the mysterious Temples of Angkor.
The pace of the trip is easy with tour activities such as culture and nature touring, walking, boat cruising. On the tour, we’ll use private-cabin soft-sleeper trains, luxurious junk and airplane for transportation. Accommodation for the tour is 3-star hotels conveniently located at each location.
"Vietnam and Cambodia Discovery is a cost-efficient and time-saving discovery tour of Vietnam and Cambodia."
Day1 Arrive in Ha Noi (no meal)
Day2 Ha Noi City Tour (B/L)
Day3 Ha Noi - Ha Long Bay (B/L/D)
Day4 Ha Long Bay – Ha Noi/ Night Train for Lao Cai (B/L)
Day5 Arrive in Lao Cai/ Lao Cai – Sa Pa (early check-in with breakfast)
Day6 Sa Pa (B)
Day7 Sa Pa - Lao Cai/ Night Train for Ha Noi (no late check-out) (B)
Day8 Arrive in Ha Noi (day-use room in Ha Noi with breakfast)/Ha Noi - Hue (VN 245: 1240 – 1350) (B)
Day9 Hue (B/L)
Day10 Hue - Hoi An/Walking Tour of Hoi An Old Town (B)
Day11 Hoi An at leisure (B)
Day12 Hoi An - Da Nang - Ho Chi Minh City (VN 325: 1330 – 1440)/Walking Tour of Ho Chi Minh City (B)
Day13 Ho Chi Minh City - Siem Reap (VN 827: 1140 – 1240) (B)
Day14 Siem Reap (B)
Day15 Depart Siem Reap (B)
{Inclusions
English-speaking guide as indicated on the tour itinerary;
Private car for transportation as indicated on the tour itinerary;
Soft sleeper train ticket for Ha Noi – Lao Cai – Ha Noi
Economy air ticket for Ha Noi - Hue/ Da Nang – Ho Chi Minh City - Siem Reap as indicated on the tour itinerary;
Private cabin on a shared junk cruise on Ha Long Bay, private boat cruise on the Perfume River in Hue
Double-sharing accommodation as indicated on the tour itinerary;
Meals as indicated in the program (B-Breakfast/L-Lunch/D-Dinner);
All admission fees during the guided times as in the program;
}
{Exclusions
Insurance of any types;
International airport taxes;
Drinks, phone bills, laundry or personal expenses;
Others not clearly specified in the Inclusions;
}
Detailed itinerary
Day1 Arrive in Ha Noi (no meal)
Paradissa Travel tour guide will meet you at the airport and escort you to your hotel. The rest of the day is free at leisure.
Overnight in Hanoi.
Day2 Ha Noi City Tour (B/L)
Breakfast at the hotel.
We’ll have full day touring this 1000 year old capital city of Vietnam. The tour includes visits to Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the One pillar pagoda, Quan Thanh Temple and Tran Quoc Pagoda, the Temple of Literature - First national university of Vietnam, the Museum of Ethnology, then have a Cyclo trip through the mazes of the Old Quarter, sample the water puppet show of Vietnam.
Overnight in Ha Noi.
The Turtle Tower on the Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi
Day3 Ha Noi - Ha Long Bay (B/L/D)
Breakfast at the hotel.
08:30 am, our tour guide and driver call at your hotel for the trip to Ha Long Bay. At half way, we’ll stop for morning break. The drive goes through the Red River Delta, so you will have plenty of chance to take photos of Vietnamese farmers tilling the vast green paddy fields.
Our destination is the World Heritage Site of Ha Long Bay. The bay offers some 3000 mountain islands and islets towering in the Gulf of Tonkin in the East Vietnam Sea. Upon arrival, you’ll be welcomed on board our luxury junk and treated with wine and fresh local seafood. As our junk cruises further into the tranquility of Ha Long Bay, you will have relaxing time combining the fine tastes of the wine and the freshness of Ha Long Bay. During the cruise, we will stop some times for visiting the amazing Sung Sot cave and the Ti Top white sand beach before anchoring for the night.
Overnight on board the junk in the wild of Halong Bay.
Notes: Please know that on this tour, the clients are to have private car or van, but are to share the junk with other tourists and travelers. Private junk may be available upon request with additional cost.
Day4 Ha Long Bay – Ha Noi/ Night Train for Lao Cai (B/L)
After breakfast, we will take a little sampan to explore a secret lagoon of Ha Long Bay while the surrounding mountains are just waking up. After that we cruise further into the Bay of Bai Tu Long traveling past the Human Head Island, the Turtle Island... to the studio site where the famous Indochine Film was shot. After the last feast, our junk travels back to the harbor for disembarkation at 12.00 A.M. We travel back to Hanoi and enjoy free time at leisure.
In the evening, we will take the overnight train for Lao Cai.
Overnight on board the train. (Local train, air-con soft sleeper in a private cabin)
Day5 Arrive in Lao Cai/ Lao Cai – Sa Pa (early check-in with breakfast)
The journey by train stops at Lao Cai train station early in the morning. Lao Cai border town is where you can gaze across the Red River to China which is just on the other side. From Lao Cai the road winds up the terraced hillsides to Sapa, which offers the stunning mountain views of the North West of Vietnam. We arrive in Sapa and enjoy the rest of the morning free at leisure. Alternatively we can have a walking tour of Sapa colorful market.
Sapa is a town in cloud. This hill station is 1500 m above the sea. Sapa is home to 7 groups of peoples including The Kinh (Viet), The Black H’Mong, The Red Zao, The Giay, The Tay, The Xa Pho. Sapa offers the travelers relaxing holidays, adventure tours with home staying or mountain trekking and hiking. For the travelers who love conquering challenges, there’s the Fan Si Pan Peak which is over 3000 m elevation. This is the summit of Indochina and it can easily be adored from Sapa Town.
In the afternoon, you’ll enjoy a soft adventure trekking tour to the breathtaking valley of Sapa to visit Cat Cat village (of the Black H’Mong people) and Cat Cat waterfall.
Overnight in Sapa.
Day6 Sa Pa (B)
Our morning tour is first by jeep to Lao Chai village (Black H'Mong). From Lao Chai, we have a soft trekking adventure tour amid the green or golden terraces to Ta Van village (the Black H'Mong and the Giay people). We rejoin our jeep at Ta Van and travel back to town for a break.
In the afternoon, we continue with our tour to Ta Phin village visiting the Red Zao people. In Ta Phin we’ll enjoy the stunning nature settings and learn how the Zao live their life. After the tour, we’ll travel back to town and you enjoy free time at leisure.
Overnight in Sapa.
Day7 Sa Pa - Lao Cai/ Night Train for Ha Noi (no late check-out) (B)
Breakfast at the hotel.
We enjoy our morning tour to the wild orchid of Ham Rong Mountain. The mountain is just close to Sapa Town. Climbing the mountain is not a real adventure, but it requires a bit of effort. Once here we’ll be rewarded with the beautiful orchid flowers, the panoramic view of Sapa surroundings and the traditional ethnic minority music performed by the local boys and girls.
In the afternoon, we check out of the hotel and journey to the Gate Way to Heaven and the Silver Waterfall. On Tram Ton Pass, we’ll feel small by the 360 degrees view of the fresh surrounding nature: the ranges of high mountains above, the green valleys with terraces below, dotted in the nature are hill tribe villages and the hill tribe colorful costumes. On a clear day with the sun shining across, we are quite sure that it’s no different from heaven. We cherish the nature beauty for a moment and tour back to Lao Cai Train Station. From Lao Cai, we’ll board the night train bound for Ha Noi. Overnight on board the train.
(Local train, air-con soft sleeper)
Day8 Arrive in Ha Noi (day-use room in Ha Noi with breakfast)/Ha Noi - Hue (VN 245: 1240 – 1350) (B)
Arriving at Hanoi in early morning, we will take you to your hotel and have a room for a few hours. At 10:30 am, our driver (without tour guide) calls back at the hotel and transfer you to the airport for the flight to Hue.
Hue was the capital city of Vietnam from 1802 - 1945. Hue is a charming imperial city with combination of the new and the old. The Perfume River bisects the city into the northern and southern parts. To the north is the ancient citadel surrounded by moats which were home to the royal court of Vietnam in the 19th century. Visiting the ancient citadel you can visit the Palace where the king lived, the quarter for the royal family and concubines, the royal library... Lots of damages during the war are still found here though. To the south is where hotels and fine dining restaurants are located. In Hue, we’ll visit the Imperial Citadel – A World Heritage Site.
Arriving in Hue, we’ll welcomed by our Hue tour guide at the airport and transferred to the city. Enjoy a boat cruise on the Perfume River to the Thien Mu Pagoda and to the Tomb of King Tu Duc.
Overnight in Hue.
Day9 Hue (B/L)
Breakfast at the hotel.
At 08:00 am, our team calls back at your hotel for the tour of Hue Imperial Citadel and the Dong Ba exotic market on the Perfume River Bank.
Enjoy the afternoon at your own pace.
Overnight in Hue.
Day10 Hue - Hoi An/Walking Tour of Hoi An Old Town (B) 
Breakfast at the hotel.
Continue our journey through the scenic countryside of the Central Region of Vietnam to Hoi An. We’ll stop at the Lang Co Beach with fine white sand against the green mountain backdrop and on the Hai Van Pass which offers 360 degrees of breathtaking mountain and sea view. Descending the mountains, we’ll make our way to Da Nang where we tour the Cham Museum. At this museum we can adore the artifacts from the Cham Cultures which thrived in the Central Region of Vietnam from the 2nd through the 15th century.
Arriving at Hoi An in the afternoon, we’ll have an oriented walking tour of Hoi An ancient town which was busy with trade back a few centuries ago. Walking in the narrow streets flanked by old merchant houses we can imagine the hustling and bustling time when the town was filled up with merchants and goods from around the world. We’ll visit some old merchant houses, a Chinese Congregational Hall, Hoi An Museum, and the famous Japanese covered-bridge.
Overnight in Hoi An.
Hoi An was a famous trading port back to the 16 – 19th centuries. Hoi An was visited by merchants from China, Japan, Persia, Europe….at the times. Hoi An residents are composed of Vietnamese, Chinese. Hoi An’s architecture is the perfect combination of Vietnamese, Chinese and Japanese styles. Hoi An nowadays still retains the atmosphere of the old town of the heyday which never fails to charm the visitors.
Apart from the cozy ancient town, Hoi An also offers the pristine white sand Cua Dai Beach which claimed one of the most charming beaches in the world. Hoi An has always been unforgettable memory for our dear travelers.
Day11 Hoi An at leisure (B)
Enjoy full day free at leisure for relaxing on the beach or for checking the fine silk of the region. Only accommodation with breakfast is provided by Paradissa Travel.
Overnight in Hoi An.
Day12 Hoi An - Da Nang - Ho Chi Minh City (VN 325: 1330 – 1440)/Walking Tour of Ho Chi Minh City (B)
Breakfast at the hotel.
You enjoy free time at leisure until we transfer you to Da Nang Airport for your flight to Saigon. Arriving at Saigon Airport, you’ll be picked up and escorted to the city. Before getting to the hotel, we’ll have an oriented walking tour of Saigon down town area. The rest of the day is free at leisure. Overnight in Saigon.
Day13 Ho Chi Minh City - Siem Reap (VN 827: 1140 – 1240) (B)
Breakfast at the hotel.
You have free time at leisure until our car transfers you back to the Tan Son Nhat Airport for your flight to Siem Reap, The Kingdom of Cambodia. Arriving in Siem Reap, meet our Cambodia tour guide and we’ll drive to Rolous Town.The monuments of Roluos, which served as the capital of Indravarman I (reigned from A.D 877-89), are among the earliest permanent temples built by the Khmers and mark the beginning of Khmer Classical Arts.
In Roluos, we’ll tour the temples of Preah Ko (erected by Indravarman I in the late 9th century and dedicated by the King to his ancestors), Bakong (the largest and most interesting of the Roluos group temples, it has an active Buddhist monastery) and Lolei (built on an islet in the center of a large reservoir by Yasovarman I, the founder of the first city at Angkor).
In late afternoon, we’ll climb the Phnom Bakheng Hill to the hilltop temple and adore the stunning sunset view over the countryside and the fabled Angkor Wat.
Overnight in Siem Reap.
Phnom Bakheng Temple, Siem Reap, Cambodia
Day14 Siem Reap (B)
Breakfast at the hotel.
Our morning tour starts with Angkor Thom the ancient capital of Angkor Thom (12th century). See the South Gate (with its huge statues depicting the churning of the ocean of milk), Bayon Temple(unique for its 54 towers decorated with over 200 smiling faces of Avolokitesvara), the Royal Enclosure, Phimeanakas, the Elephant Terrace and the Terrace of the Leper King. Return to Siem Reap for refreshment.
In the afternoon, we’ll enter the legendary world of Angkor Wat. We’ll have 2 to 3 hours for a guided tour which we’ll learn about the magical works of the Khmer to build these unrivaled structures. Then we’ll have some brief moments for self-exploring the upper levels of Angkor Wat. Since the top levels are vertically steep, it’s necessary we clamber them with good care.
Overnight in Siem Reap.
Angkor Wat, View from the Eastern Gate
Angkor Wat complex covers 81 hectares. Its distinctive five towers are emblazoned on the Cambodian flag and the 12th century masterpiece is considered by art historians to be the prime example of classical Khmer arts and architecture. Angkor Wat's five towers symbolize Meru's five peaks, the enclosed wall represents the mountains at the edge of the world and the surrounding moat symbolizes the ocean beyond.
Day15 Depart Siem Reap (B)
You have free time until we transfer you back to Siem Reap International Airport for your departure flight. Time to bid farewell to the fabled temples of Angkor and your discovery tour of Vietnam and Cambodia comes to an end.
