12days Vietnam & Cambodia Explorer

Welcome to your holiday with Your Vietnam Travel

Upon arrival at Noi Bai International Airport, either Domestic or International arrival, after clearing all customs procedures, please proceed to exit gate and look for your guide who will be waiting at the lobby, holding the Your Vietnam Travel's signboard with your name on it.

(Early check-in is NOT included and subject to hotel’s availability)

Morning, start a sightseeing today includes explore Vietnam’s charming capital. With its wide tree-lined boulevards, French colonial architecture, peaceful lakes and ancient oriental pagodas, start a Hanoi’s key sites: the Ho Chi Minh Complex (Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum and stilt house), the Presidential Palace, the nearby One Pillar Pagoda; the Temple of Literature; West Lake including the sedate Tran Quoc Pagoda; and one of the city’s museums (a choice between the History Museum and the Ethnology Museum or Hoa Lo Prison). End the day’s explorations, watch a traditional water puppet show. Then, free shopping at the Old Quarter. Overnight in Hanoi.

Escape the city on a tranquil Overnight cruise through Halong Bay, Vietnam spectacular UNESCO world heritage site. Board a traditional wooden junk and set sail through a scenic panorama of over 2000 towering limestone cliffs draped in dense jungle foliage. Explore the hidden cover by kayak, kick back with a cocktail on board and enjoy fresh seafood delicacies.

Awake early and participate in Tai Chi on the top deck or simply relax and enjoy the sunrise over the bay’s towering islands. Enjoy a morning cup of coffee or tea, before setting out to explore nearby islands by rowboat. Return to the junk for breakfast then take advantage of the sundeck and admire the amazing rock formations of Halong. Have brunch on board the boat before returning to Halong pier to transfer back to Hanoi 

Today, free at leisure until transfer to airport for your flight to Hue. Upon arrival you will be welcomed by our tour guide and transfer directly to hotel to leave your luggage. Then, start a city tour Hue, you will board on the boat for a cruise on the romantic Perfume River heading out for the countryside; stop to visit the charming Lady Pagoda (Thien Mu Pagoda). Thien Mu Pagoda is considered the symbol of Hue, and of Buddhism in Vietnam. From here you will rejoin your car and visit King Minh Mang’s Tomb OR King Tu Duc’s Tomb. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before continuing to visit Hue Citadel at afternoon and Dong Ba Market

Morning, transfer to Hoi An via Hai Van Pass with a stop at the Marble Mountains en route which is fascinating maze of cave and temples, hidden with five sacred marble rocks. Arrival Hoi An, check in hotel and Overnight in Hoi An. 

After breakfast at hotel, 9.00 cycling to Cam Thanh fishing Village, where you are able to learn something about local fishing industry and its locally cultural life. You will take a rest at a local home with a cup of tea offered by a local host. Our guide will give you a brief about basket boat adventure. You will be told about the safety instruction how to get balanced on the round basket boat, how to paddle in it a proper way. Of course, life jacket will be provided to you and our local people will help you how to navigate it. We will you be confident until you can row it by yourself. Your tour is ended after a light snack at a local family while enjoying a great round basket performance on the river which is awesome that you can see only one time in your lifetime. Afternoon, take a walking tour of charming Hoi An to explore the city by yourself by visit a lovely old-style house, the Japanese Covered Bridge, a Chinese temple, Tailor shops and the market. Overnight in Hoi An

Hoian is very famous about local foods. Today, you will join in a class to learn how to cook some special dishes of Hoian. Make your own way follow the map given to Hai Café – our meeting point. Be welcomed by Red Bridge cooking class staff before start our interesting day.

Travel by minivan (10 minutes) to Tra Que Organic Village, and walk through the market gardens where local farmers work their fields using the traditional methods of hundreds of years ago – no electrical machinery here. We pick fresh saw-tooth coriander and Vietnamese mint for our cooking lesson later, before trying a special herbal drink at a local home.

To the local village market and with shopping list in hand we purchase a range of local ingredients, including star anise, cardamom, sesame rice paper, water spinach and banana flower.

Arriving at Red Bridge Cooking School we have a chance to freshen up before beginning our class. Working together with our Red Bridge Chef we learn the traditional ways of preparing and cooking Vietnamese food from scratch. Using the freshest ingredients and traditional Vietnamese utensils (still in use today) we cook 4 famous dishes, including the national dish ‘Pho’.

After the class we sit down and a chance to savour the dishes we have prepared.

Leisurely cruise (25 minutes) along the Hoi An River back to central Hoi An.

Bring your swimsuit and after the cooking tour has finished relax and enjoy free use of our 20 metre swimming pool.

Overnight in Hoian.

After breakfast, check out hotel, our driver will pick you up at hotel lobby & transfer to Da Nang. Uppon arrival, transfer to Ba Na cable car station. Sitting in the cable car cabin, midair, looking upon the endless tree line of the forests, guests will be able to enjoy breathtaking views of the lush jungle and waterfalls along the way. Upon arriving, visit the Golden Bridge, then visit the French village on top of the mountain, Take a walking tour to visit Linh Ung Pagoda, where you can find the Big Buddha statue. Continue to visit Le Jardin Garden, The Old Villas of French, the Nui Chua Mountain – the top of Ba Na range, visiting Nginh Phong top and free for joining games in Fantasy Park – the third biggest indoor games zone in Vietnam with series of interesting games: 4 – 5D film, skiver, The death race, Dinosaur park… End of the day take cable car back to station, then transfer to airport for flight to Siem Reap. Upon arrival, meet our driver and transfer to hotel for check in. 

Breakfast at the hotel. Depart for Banteay Srei temple this morning. This red sandstone temple is one of Angkor’s most significant structures as its walls are decorated with elaborate carvings which have been preserved remarkably well. They provide an excellent into the Angkor civilization and their beliefs. It was built in the 10th century and was dedicated to the Hindu god – Shiva. Continue on a pleasant drive through the countryside to Beng Mealea, a sprawling jungle temple constructed in a distinctly Angkor Wat style by King Jayavarman II in the early 12th century. It preceded and may have served as a prototype for Angkor Wat. Contrary to Angkor, few carvings or bas-reliefs are evident. Today the temple is largely overrun by vegetation and the stone walls are crumbling which adds to its charm in a unique way. Accessibility has improved as elevated walkways have been set up throughout most of the temple, although to see all corners does require a sense of adventure as you will need to climb over stone blocks or walk through narrow passageways. Enjoy a picnic lunch in the shady surrounds of the temple before transferring back to Siem Reap for 1.5 hours. (It is advisable to wear sturdy, walking shoes with a decent grip)

Early morning at about 5.00 am, you will be transferred to visit sunrise at Angkor Wat – After sunrise, we continue to visit Angkor Wat, one of the modern wonders of the world. Be amazed by the sheer size of the temple and learn how the Khmer Empire prospered between the 9th and 13th centuries, around the time when Angkor Wat was built. Stroll through the intricately carved hallways that show hundreds of fine carvings and discover small shrines still in use today by the local people. 08.00 am, return to the hotel for breakfast. After breakfast, visit Angkor Thom, the ancient royal city of the Khmer Empire with its centerpiece; the Bayon temple. As you approach, you will notice the enigmatic faces of former King Jayavarman VII looking in every direction. Your guide will take you to the Terrace of the Elephants, which served as a platform from where the King could welcome back his victorious army, and the Terrace of the Leper King, which holds detailed carvings winding along a narrow passageway that leads to the Baphuon complex. Enjoy the homemade lunch at the local house, then continue to visit Neak Pean, East Mebon temples, and end the day with Ta Prohm temple. This beautiful temple is overgrown with fig trees, giving a haunting yet exotic atmosphere. The magnificent roots of the trees have merged over the centuries with the temple’s huge stone blocks, emphasizing a ‘forgotten city’ feeling.

Drive about 45-minutes to the countryside, stopping en route to visit a local village. Arrive at the quay and board a local boat for a 1.5-hour ride on the Tonle Sap Lake (Mychreay Floating Village), also known as the Great Lake of Cambodia. Find out how communities live and work on the lake; see the floating schools, markets, and police stations, among others; observe their daily lives. Drive back to Siem Reap, and visit the old market and artisans Dángkor before transferring to the airport for departure.