Vietnam & Cambodia: An Amazing 9-Day Journey from Angkor to Halong Bay

An early start at 8:30 AM gets you ahead of the crowds at Ta Prohm, the Ancestor Brahma and jungle temple, known to most visitors as the Tomb Raider temple. Giant trees have grown over its structures for more than six centuries, and archaeologists have left it largely untouched beyond clearing a path for visitors and strengthening what was in danger of collapse.

You continue to the Victory Gate of Angkor Thom, where the four smiling faces of King Jayavarman VII greet you in the form of the Buddha, flanked by gods and demons. Beyond the gate lies the Great City built between 1181 and 1220 AD — the Elephant Terrace, the Terrace of the Leper King, Preah Palilay, the Ancient Royal Palace, Phimeanakas, Baphuon and, at its centre, the Bayon.

After lunch comes Angkor Wat, the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the City of Temples and one of the largest religious monuments in the world, spread across 162.6 hectares. Originally raised as a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu, it was gradually transformed into a Buddhist sanctuary towards the end of the twelfth century. You walk its galleries and colonnades, its libraries, pavilions and courtyards, with the towers reflected in the still water of the ponds.

Note: visitors are required to wear decent attire, with shoulders and knees properly covered. Tour duration: 7–8 hours.

Meals: Breakfast.

Overnight in Siem Reap.

Free at leisure until your transfer to the airport (driver only) for the flight to Ho Chi Minh City.

Your guide and driver meet you on arrival and continue to your hotel, with check-in as per the hotel’s standard time. The rest of the day is at leisure.

Meals: Breakfast.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

An early pickup and a smooth hour-and-a-half along National Highway 1, through rice field scenery, brings you to the rural district of Trung Luong and on to My Tho.

You begin at Vinh Trang Pagoda before a leisurely cruise on the Tien River, taking in the four islands — Dragon, Unicorn, Phoenix and Tortoise — the fish rafts moored along the water, and the Rach Mieu Bridge above. A stroll along the village road leads to an orchard, where seasonal fruit and honey tea are served to the sound of Southern Vietnamese folk music performed by locals.

The afternoon moves to narrower water: a hand-rowed sampan through the Tan Thach canal, a visit to a coconut candy mill, and a second rowing boat along a small canal in the shade of the water coconut trees. Lunch is at a local restaurant before a motorboat returns you to the main vessel for the drive back to Ho Chi Minh City — a day that gives a fascinating insight into daily life in the delta.

Note: pick-up and drop-off cover centrally located accommodation in District 1. Return times depend on traffic and weather.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

After breakfast, free time until your driver takes you to the airport for the flight to Da Nang, a city of beaches. You are welcomed on arrival and taken to your hotel to check in.

Around 3:00 PM your guide collects you for Cam Thanh, stopping on the way to Non Nuoc Stone Carving Village, where fine stone engraving has been a Da Nang tradition for more than two hundred years.

At the coconut forest — known as the Southeast inside the ancient town — you travel by basket boat, the characteristic craft of the Van Lang fishing village. Fishermen take you into the water forest, or you can try rowing yourself and feel what it is to float on the river.

Continue into Hoi An Old Town with free time for the Fukian Assembly Hall, the Japanese Covered Bridge and the old merchant houses, and for shopping at Nguyen Hoang night market beneath the light of thousands of lanterns. Dinner follows, with Hoi An specialties on the table — cao lau, chicken rice and more.

The evening closes with a boat ride on the river, releasing flower lanterns to pray for good fortune for you and your family, the lantern street glowing around you, before the return to Da Nang.

Note: the basket boat programme may be adjusted according to weather conditions, while still visiting all the attractions listed.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner.

Overnight in Da Nang.

An early departure from Da Nang city centre takes you up to Ba Na Hills, the Sa Pa of central Vietnam, at an altitude of 1,487 metres above sea level. The ascent is by cable car, a system holding four Guinness World Records, with marvellous scenery opening beneath you as you rise.

At Gare Marseille station you reach the Golden Bridge, an architectural wonder envisaging a sash-like route across heaven, alongside Linh Ung Pagoda and Le Jardin d’Amour gardens. A second cable car carries you to the summit and the French Village, a replica of classical and romantic France in a cluster of squares, cathedral, town, village and inns, with shows by European and American artists. Buffet lunch is served at Ba Na Hills at midday.

The afternoon is free for Queen Mountain and Fantasy Park, with thrill rides and games, and for the Wax Museum and its collection of more than forty figures. The cable car returns you to the valley in the mid-afternoon for the drive back to Da Nang.

Note: the Ba Na Hills programme may be adjusted according to your requirements or the conditions on the day. Entrance to the Wax Statue Museum, the France Wine Cellar, the roller coaster, climbing games, prize games and the 10D cinema are not included.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.

Overnight in Da Nang.

Your driver transfers you from your Da Nang hotel to the airport for the flight to Hanoi. On arrival, you meet your driver and continue by private car to your hotel.

The rest of the day is yours. Hoan Kiem Lake and the lively Old Quarter are the natural first stop; Train Street rewards a coffee and a photograph; Dong Xuan Market and the surrounding shopping streets are close by; and the city centre has no shortage of cafés, rooftop bars and places to eat well.

Meals: Breakfast.

Overnight in Hanoi.

Around 7:00 to 7:30 AM, from the Old Quarter takes you to the coast by expressway to Halong Bay. Arriving at Tuan Chau Harbour late in the morning, you board your day cruise for a five- to six-hour journey through the bay’s most striking passages — uninhabited islets and outcrops, each given an imaginative name by local people for the shapes they seem to hold. Lunch of local food is served on board.

The afternoon brings Surprising Cave, its chambers filled with stalactites and stalagmites in the shapes of sea creatures, then Titop Island, where a sandy beach lies at the foot of a towering limestone mountain and the climb to Titop Peak rewards you with the panoramic view for which the bay is famous. At Luon Cave there is kayaking or a bamboo boat ride into the beautiful lagoon beyond.

Cruising back towards Tuan Chau in the late afternoon, there is ample time on the upper deck — tea and cakes, music, and the light softening over the water — before the return journey to Hanoi, arriving back in the Old Quarter in the evening.

Note: swimming at Titop Island depends on the season, and the cruise itinerary may change according to weather and operating conditions. Swimwear, sunglasses and insect repellent are recommended. Beverages are at your own expense.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.

Overnight in Hanoi.

On the last day of the journey, enjoy some free time before your transfer to the airport (driver only, without guide) for your departure flight. Return home with a camera roll full of unforgettable moments and wonderful memories from an incredible journey across Vietnam and Cambodia.

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