Vietnam and Angkor Wat Tour - 9 Days

Itinerary of the Vietnam and Angkor Wat Tour

Day 1: Arrive in Hanoi
Welcome to Hanoi, Vietnam’s bustling colonial capital. Upon arrival at Noi Bai International Airport, your guide and driver will welcome and escort you to your hotel in the city center. In the afternoon, enjoy an orientation walk, visiting Hanoi’s main attractions: the Opera House, Old Quarter, Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son Temple.
Meals: N/A.
Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi.

Day 2: Hanoi City Tour
Depart from your hotel in the morning and have a full-day tour in Vietnam’s charming capital. Start with a visit to the Ba Dinh Square where stands the Mausoleum of President Ho Chi Minh who led Vietnam to independence from French colonial rule. This site has become an important city landmark and a perfect place to learn more about Vietnam’s rich history. From there, wander through the beautiful surrounding gardens toward the One Pillar Pagoda and Presidential Palace, where a replica of Ho Chi Minh’s simple working space is on display. You tour will be followed by a visit to Temple of Literature, which is well-known as Vietnam's oldest and foremost monument to education.
Later, heading to West Lake visiting the sedate Tran Quoc Pagoda & Quan Thanh Temple and finally one of the city's museums (a choice between the History Museum and the Ethnology Museum). You will conclude a day with a traditional Water Puppet Performance – a unique folk art that originated a thousand years ago during the Ly dynasty. A water puppet show depicts the daily activities in Vietnamese rural life as well as important historical events and ancient legends. Each water puppet is hand-carved and given five layers of lacquer paint to protect the puppets from the water and to add vital colors to the performance.
Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi.

Day 3: Hanoi – Drive to Sapa
Early morning, your guide and driver will meet you at your hotel and then leave Hanoi for Sapa on a six-hour journey on the Vietnam’s longest and modern highway. Upon arrival, check in the hotel followed by your lunch (your own account).
The afternoon is full of activities. You’ll walk down streets for the orientation guided tour that endures one-hour and the tour includes all the key sites such as the Old Church, local market and the dining and shopping streets… Then, continue by a drive to Sau Chua ethnic Black Hmong village. This village has been recently discovered and much less visited. It is located on the mountain summit, therefore you can take the best photos of panorama Sapa town down there at sunset. Besides, you will have lots of interactions with the villagers who show their great hospitality and want to share their life so you’ll learn more about how they live. Back to the hotel then and have the rest of day at your leisure.
Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Hotel in Sapa.

Day 4: Sapa Trekking
Enjoy breakfast at the hotel, before setting out on a trek to explore Sapa’s cultural diversity and haunting natural beauty. Take a guided hike through yawning valleys decorated with terraced rice fields and pass through remote hill tribe villages. You have three trekking options to choose from: Soft trek (~ 3 km), medium trek (~ 6km) and long trek (~12km). Trekking is an excellent way to explore the daily life and familiarize yourself with the cultures of the H’mong, Dzao and Dzay people who populate the region. Drive back to Sapa in the late afternoon.
Meals: Breakfast, Picnic Lunch.
Accommodation: Hotel in Sapa.

Day 5: Sapa – Drive back to Hanoi
You are free in the morning. We recommend you to walk up to Ham Rong (Dragon Mountain) which offers great photo opportunities, panorama view of the town, local arts etc. You may like to visit Silver Waterfall and Heaven Pass in O Quy Ho Village or take a cable car to visit Fansipan summit which is the highest peak in Indochina (tickets excluded, please contact your travel consultants in advance to organize this mornning tour).
After lunch, farewell the beautiful Sapa Town for a 6 hour journey back to Hanoi.
Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi.

Day 6: Hanoi – Halong Bay – Overnight on cruise
Enjoy breakfast at the hotel before setting out on a 2.5 hour drive to the UNESCO World Heritage Site: Halong Bay.
Spend nearly 24 hours cruise on the amazing Halong bay: a natural wonderland composed of jutting limestone islands and sparkling turquoise waters. Arrive at the dock around noon and board your junk. Savor a gourmet lunch of fresh seafood onboard as you sail out into the mystical bay. In the afternoon, cruise around some of Halong’s many islands, including Dinh Huong and Ga Choi. Along the way visit one of the bay’s 3 largest caves (Thien Cung, Dau Go or Sung Sot). Stop at an island cove with a sheltered white-sand beach and take a dip in the warm waters of the Gulf of Tonkin (weather permits). Pass the night on your junk, lulled to sleep by the gentle rocking of calm waters.
(The route and activities depend on specific cruise, weather condition and permission of the Halong Authority and could be changed by season).
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.
Accommodation: on cruise.

Day 7: Halong Bay – Hanoi – Fly to Siem Reap
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 Bai Tu Long Bay as you navigate back to Halong City. Have brunch on board the boat before returning to Halong pier. Your driver will meet you at the dock and take you to Noi Bai Airport of Hanoi for your flight to Siem Reap - the gateway to mystical Angkor temples. Upon arrival, your guide and driver will meet you and take you to your hotel.
Meals: Brunch.
Accommodation: Hotel in Siem Reap.

Day 8: Siem Reap – Angkor Temples
You have a full day exploring Angkor’s enigmatic temples. Picked up early at your hotel by tuk tuk, you will have chance to watch magnificent sunrise over Angkor Wat Temple. Dawn is one of the most beautiful and haunting times to visit the temples, whose ancient sandstone blocks are gilded gold by the early morning rays.
For your most convenience, a table with hot tea or coffee and breakfast box are arranged and served right on site of Angkor Wat.
After breakfast, you will visit Angkor Thom’s imposing South Gate, topped with the four serenely smiling faces of Avalokiteshvara. Next, venture to Bayon to become hypnotized by the smiling stone faces of the temple. Gain fascinating insight into the temple’s ancient origin from your guide, hearing of vicious battles and attempting to decipher the intricate bas-reliefs that detail scenes of cockfighting and childbirth. Later, you will visit the Elephant Terrace, the Terrace of the Leper King and finally Ta Phrom Temple. Back to your hotel and remain day is at leisure.
Meal: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Hotel in Siem Reap.

Day 9: Siem Reap – Tonle Sap Lake – Departure
Immerse yourself in the rich culture surrounding Siem Reap on a boat tour along Tonle Sap Lake. After breakfast at the hotel, you will take a short walk through a tranquil Siem Reap neighborhood to learn about the local way of life before driving to Tonle Sap Lake to board a local boat for a cruise through the floating villages.
Return to Siem Reap for lunch. Continue to one of the city’s lively open markets, Psar Chass, also called the “Old Market”, for last minute shopping before driving to the airport to catch your departure flight.
Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: N/A.