Vietnam & Cambodia Encounters

Once you arrive in Hanoi, one of our staff members will be there to meet and greet you before transporting you to your hotel. We'll have some time to settle in, before your tour guide briesf you on the itinerary over the next few days and arranges a time to meet you tomorrow.

You have the choice to visit Hoan Kiem Lake tomorrow morning to watch or participate in some early morning Tai Chi with the locals, or sleep a little later.

After some early morning Tai Chi at Hoan Kiem Lake or a good night's rest, we'll have a hearty breakfast before heading out to the city. On the agenda today is a visit to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the One Pillar Pagoda, the Presidential Palace and a visit to an 11th-century relic. We'll also make our way to the Temple of Literature, built to commemorate the Chinese scholar Confucius.

This afternoon, we'll head to the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, before we make our way to the Old Quarter to try some of Hanoi's unique street cuisine and the local brews. For dessert, we'll visit one of Hanoi's best-known ice cream parlour.

Today we make our way to Ha Long Bay, famed for its tall limestone islands and sky blue waters. We'll be boarding a traditional junk boat - the best way to explore the rainforest islands and mysterious caves dotted around the bay - before enjoying lunch on deck.

After a tasty lunch, we'll make our way to one of the most picturesque caves in all of Ha Long Bay - the Sung Sot Cave, which was discovered by a French Admiral in 1901, before cruising to Titov Island for some relaxation time.

We'll return back to the boat for a sunset party on the sundeck before enjoying dinner and socialising with the rest of the travellers. We'll overnight on the junk boat, the perfect opportunity to take in the natural sounds of your Vietnamese surroundings.

This morning we have the choice to either start the day with some Tai Chi or head out on a photo hunt before breakfast on board the junk boat. Afterwards, we make our way to the arc-shaped Luon Cave situated on Bo Hon Island. Due to its height, the cave can only be reached via a small boat or kayak.

We'll head back to the junk boat to freshen up before we head further down the bay, passing the Ba Hang fishing village, Dog Islet and many more. As we make our way back to the harbour, we'll watch a fruit carving demonstration and join a cooking class before we have a traditional Vietnamese lunch.

We'll say goodbye to the junk boat after lunch as we return to Hanoi for some free time. A day-use hotel room will be made available to freshen up before we board the overnight Reunification Express sleeper train south to Hue.

We wake up on board the Reunification Express, as we make our way past rice paddies, water buffalo and rural farmlands. Once we arrive in Hue, we'll head to our hotel before we enjoy a private tour of this historic city and its ancient temples.

We'll also visit the Citadel - a UNESCO World Heritage Site - before we make our way to the Perfume River for a sunset cruise, listening to the sounds of traditional music through the night. We'll spend the night in Hue City.

Today we'll head south, passing the scenic Hai Van Pas to the riverside town of Hoi An. This ancient town, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site was once a bustling commercial port for Chinese, Dutch, French, Japanese, Portuguese and Arab merchants.

We'll continue to the traditional pottery village of Thanh Ha, where we'll learn how to make pottery items such vases, jars, bowls and pots.

From Thanh Ha, we'll make our way to the traditional village of Kim Bong to witness its carpentry and a shipbuilding area where wooden fishing vessels are crafted. We'll also participate in a carpentry workshop, where we'll witness first-hand how the local furniture, sculptures and souvenirs are crafted.

We'll continue down the Bon River, where we watch the local fisherman and possibly even try our hand at some fishing ourselves.

We have the day free to explore the lovely town of Hoi An or take one of our optional activities, which includes a boat trip to some of the nearby islands, snorkelling, exploring the My Son Holy Land, browsing through its busy markets or cooking lessons in the Tra Que village. You can also choose to head out on a tour with the local fisherman where you'll learn how to cast nets, catch crabs and race basket boats.

You can also choose to explore some of Hoi An's famous tailor shops, where you can get a new suit or dress made for you in record time for you to collect tomorrow.

We say goodbye to Hoi An as we make our way to Danang Airport to board a flight to Ho Chi Minh City. Once we arrive, you'll have some time to settle in and freshen up before head out this evening on a vintage vespa tour through the city, trying its unique cuisine and listening to love music.

We start our vintage vespa tour at Cafe Zoom for cocktails and a few appetizers before we make our way to a popular restaurant for a meal. Afterwards, we'll experience the Saigon nightlife the way the locals do.

We'll make our way through Chinatown and District 4's busy streets, meeting the locals and enjoying seafood and drinks. We'll also make our way through District 3 and District 1, exploring Banh Xeo, the speciality of Saigon and its southern food. We'll also head to a hidden Vietnamese-style coffee shop for some live music. Drinks and food are included.

We'll say goodbye to Ho Chi Minh city as we make our way through the Mekong Delta to the town of Cai Be. We'll have some time to explore its famous for its floating markets before boarding a private boat as we make our way to Vinh Long.

Once we arrive in Vinh Long, we'll have a tasty delta lunch at a Bonsai gardener's house, where we'll taste the popular 'Elephant ear fish' - before we head back out, exploring the tributaries and canals of the delta.

This afternoon we'll visit a local family, where we'll relax and try to catch fish by hand to prepare for dinner. Tonight, we'll have dinner with the locals, learning about their way of life before settling in for the evening.

We'll wake up to the sounds of the Mekong Delta and have an early breakfast before we cycle to a local market to buy some food for lunch. Using the ingredients we've just bought, we'll learn how to make a few traditional Vietnamese dishes for lunch, before we say goodbye to the local family and make our way back to Ho Chi Minh City.

Today, you'll have some free time to explore the city before you say goodbye to Vietnam as we cross the border to Cambodia's capital city of Phnom Penh.

You'll have some time to settle in at your hotel for the evening, before we arrange a time to collect you tomorrow.

Today, we'll visit a few remnants of Cambodia's bloody past - the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek and the Toul Sleng Prison Museum.

We'll then head to the Royal Palace and the famous Silver Pagoda and its silver tiled floors. The treasures found inside the Silver Pagoda include a solid gold Buddha encrusted and weighing 90 kilograms and a small 17th century emerald and baccarat crystal Buddha.

We'll make our way to the National Museum which is home to a stunning collection of Khmer Art before we spend the rest of the night relaxing in Phnom Penh.

After spending some time in Cambodia's busy capital - we make our way to Siem Reap - the gateway to the Angkor ruins. We'll make a few pit stops along the way - first at the Skoun District to visit a spider market, where if you're brave enough, can eat fried spiders. We'll also visit the Santuk District for a stone carving workshop, before we visit the ancient Naga Bridge.

Upon arrival in Siem Reap, we'll visit the statue of Yeay Teap as well as the Preah Ang Chek and Preah Ang Chorm Shrine, built to commemorate two Buddhas. The locals believe that Preah Ang Chek and the Preah Ang Chorm Shrines protect the entire town of Siem Reap.

Later in the day we'll head to the Psar Chars, also called the 'Old Market', where anything and everything is for sale, before heading to Kulen Mountain to check in at our accommodation for the day.

After breakfast, we'll head out to explore Kulen Mountain. We start by taking a forest trail to find the life-size elephant statue, which represents the mountain's guardian, and the smaller statues of lions, a cow and a frog.

Once we reach the waterfall, we'll have a picnic before we visit the reclining buddha statue in Wat Preah Ang Thom, which is carved into a huge sandstone boulder. Preah Ang Thom is the sacred and worshipping God for Phnom Kulen. We'll reach a rock plateau, providing us with scenic views over Kulen Mountain, before stopping at a waterfall for a swim. We'll return to Siem Reap and check in at our hotel for the night.

Today we'll explore Angkor's ancient ruins such as the South Gate of Angkor Thom - home to huge human faces carved in stone, the impressive Bayon Temple, the Royal Enclosure, Phimeanakas, the Elephant Terrace, the Terrace of the Leper King and the largest as well as the most complete temple of Angkor Wat, built in the 12th century.

This evening, we'll head out to Pub Street Siem Reap - the nightlife hub of the town, which has rows of backpacker-friendly bars and pubs, packed nightclubs and international restaurants. We'll overnight in Siem Reap.

We hope that you had an amazing time in Vietnam and Cambodia! After breakfast, we'll transfer you to the airport to board your flight home.