17-    15 DAYS: VIETNAM & CAMBODIA

Meet on arrival Hanoi.Transfer to hanoi visit Temple of Literature, built in the 11th century as Vietnam’s first university then transfer to the hotel for check in. Free for lunch. Afternoon,Visit Historiacal Museum,Hoan Kiem Lake with NgocSon Temple and one hour cyclo tour along the Old Quarter and end of the tour is shopping in Hang Dao and Hang Bong streets. In the evening you will attend the performance of the famous Vietnamese traditional art of Water Puppetry at Thang Long Theatre. Dinner at local restaurant & Overnight in Hanoi (L,D)

Have breakfast at hotel and transfer early to Perfume Pagoda,Enjoy the nice boat trip on the Yen stream vanishing into rice fields and hills to get to the mountain and then take a 2 hours pilgrimage to a famous Buddhist pagoda in one of most beautiful caves in Vietnam.Transfer to Hanoi for dinner and train station. Overnight trip to Lao Cai in sharing comfortable sleeping compartments (lower & upper berth per compartment) – train departs approx.21:30h (B,D)

After having breakfast, you will travel by car to Bac Ha, which is 64 km Northeastern Lao Cai. The ride is relatively flat from Lao Cai to Bao Nhai, where you will be taken through rural area. Bac Ha is the largest market in the area, situated inside the small town of Bac Ha. On every Sunday mornings, it is literally a riot of color as many different ethnic groups such as Flower Hmong, Phu La, Black Dao, Tay, Nung minorities... gather to buy and sell. After spending the whole morning exploring the market, your lunch will be served in a local restaurant. After lunch, you drive downhill for about half an hour. You will then start a short walk to Trung Do village, which belongs to the Tay minority. Here you can visit a traditional Tay house, before getting on a boat. You will have a cruise upstream the Chay River to experience the picturesque scenes on the river banks. You will then cruise down stream to the Bao Nhai Bridge, where the car will be waiting for you return back to Sapa (B,L)

In the morning, climb up Sapa hill, only a short walk from your hotel to it’s mystic rock formations, rare orchids and flowers. Enjoy the minority show performed by the young minority ladies and man. Continue trekking with a scenic 6 km drive to Ta Phin Village, lying in a hillside meadow. It is home to Red Dzao and Hmong people. Then we drive to sapa. Oveanight in Sapa (B,L)

After breakfast at hotel.Leave Sapa at 6:00am for Lao Cai then Coc Ly tribal market, which offer the chances to see H’mong and Dzao minority people in their most colorful costumes before transfer to Hanoi about 400km it take 8–9 hours. Lunh ( by themselves) on the way from Lao Cai to Hanoi. Late afteroon arrival Hanoi. Check in hotel. Dinner at local restaurant and O/N in hanoi. (B,D)

After breakfast at hotel. Drive to Halong Bay (165 km east of Hanoi), listed as a World Heritage Area of outstanding natural beauty. “Dragon descending to the sea” as it is known in Vietnamese, picturesque Halong Bay has more than 1,000 limestone islets rising from the sea, many of them containing beautiful grottoes. At noon arrive in Halong city, where you will board the wooden junk. While cruising through the bay, seafood lunch is served on board. Visit Thien Cung & Dau Go caves; circle Tuan Chau, Ga Choi, Dinh Huong, Dog and Sail islands. Stop at Titop Beach. Dinner and overnight on board of the Junk. ( B,L,D)

Breakfast on board, continue cruising to Man’s head and Tortoise islands, Luan cave, Bai Tu Long Bay, Toad island and Bai Tho Mountain. Disembark at Halong pier. Drive to back Hanoi capital and take flight to Hue. Arrival Hue transfer to hotel for checkin. O/N in Hue ( B, L)

Morning, transfer to visit the Citadel – Vietnam»s former imperial capital and recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage site and Visit Gia Long & Tu Duc. Lunch at local restaurant. Afternoon:Take boat along the Perfume River. Being the former royal capital, Hue’s surrounding countryside contains several of the tombs of the former Nguyen Emperors to visit Minh Mang Tomb. Back to the Perfume River to visit the Thien Mu Pagoda, It is an active Buddhist monastery with its origins dating back to 1601 and stop over at Dong Ba market for shopping. O/N in Hue. ( B, L )

Early morning,transfer to Hoi an visit the ancient town of Hoi An. Hoi An is a charming, small town which can be easily explored on foot. Between the 17th and 19th centuries Hoi An was a thriving international trading port with a large Chinese and Japanese population. Then in the second half of the 19th century the harbor began to silt up and most of the town’s commercial interests moved to nearby.Lunch at local restaurant. Afternoon, proceed to visit My Son. O/N at hotel in Hoian. (B,L)

Morning, fee leisure untill transfer to aiport for flight to Ho Chi Minh. Arrival Ho Chi Minh take short sightseeing tour acquaints us with the city’s major sights to visit History Museum or War Remnants museum, the former Presidential Palace, Thien Hau Pagoda (built by the Cantos congregation in the early 19th )Centre Post Office. Then transfer to Binh Tay Market or Ben Thanh Market for shopping. O/N in Ho Chi Minh. (B,L)

7:30am. Morning drive to My Tho the heart of the Mekong delta, famous for its vast rice fields and most beautiful landscapes. Visit the Vinh Trang Pagoda en route and stop by the bank of Tien Giang river. Take a boat trip on Mekong River to Phoenix Island where local handicrafts and sweets from coconut are being produced. Enjoy fresh seasonal fruits and traditional live music and songs performance. Take a short ride on a horse carriage to a typical local house to taste some homemade honey–tea. Proceed by small sampan boats through the small canals and side arms of the river to observe the daily life along the river banks with a stop and short leisurely walk at the Turtle Island. Lunch will be served at a local restaurant before driving back Ho Chi Minh City then take flight to Phnom Penh. Arrive in Phnom Penh, meet with tour guide in Phnom Penh then trasnfer to the local restaurant for dinner. Later check–in hotel. Overnight ( B,L)

Breakfast at hotel, we commerce tour with visiting the Toul Sleng Genocide Musuem, then we continue by road to by crossing Kg. Thom province before Siem Reap. Arrive in Siem Reap, we tranfer you to check–in hotel, Dinner in hotel & Overnight in Siem Reap(B,D)

Breakfast at hotel. We visit Angkor Thom: Victory Gate, Bayon, Baphuon, Phimean Akas, Elephant Terrace and Leper King Terrace. In the afternoon, we visit Group of Roluos including Preah Ko, Bakong, Lolei temples. Dinner at Ree Hotel’s Restaurant. Overnight at hotel. Siem Reap (B,D)

This morning we continue visiting the petit circus of Prasat Kravan, Banteay Kdei, Sras Sreng, Ta Keo, Ta Prohms. In the afternoon, visit the world wonder of Angkor Wat, architecture and bas reliefs and sunset view over Angkor Wat from the top of Phnom Bakheng hill. Dinner with traditional dance show at Amazon local restaurant & Overnight in Siem Reap (B, D)

This morning, you do excursion by boat on Tonle Sap lake with visiting the floating villages and market, visit the Les Artisan D’Angkor and old market., we visit the Silk farm at Pouk Commune until transfer you to the airport for departure flight. End of Service, (B, L)

• Transportation in private air–conditioned
• Accommodation in twin shared
• Boat as per itinerary
• English speaking guide ( each city)
• Admission fee to indicated sights
• Meals: Vietnamese, Cambodian & Chinese for lunch or dinner as mentioned on the program
• Meals: daily breakfast at hotel
• Train: Hanoi–Lao Cai (4px in one cabin with air-conditioned with wood, soft bed)
• Private boat in Sapa, Hue, Mytho
• Boat trip on TonleSaplake in Siem Reap
• Gov’t tax and service charge
• Luggage handling and drinking water
• AsiaExplorerTravel’s gift on arrival&dept

• Stamping Vietnam visa US$25/pax
• Letter for Vietnam visa on arrival US$25/pax
• Cambodia, Visa on arrival US$20/pax
• Cambodia, Domestic airport tax US$6/pax
• Int’l air tickets to / from Vietnam & Cambodia
• Int’l air tickets to / from Vietnam & Cambodia
• Travel Insurance in all kinds
• Single room (quoted separately)
• Tip, drinks, personal expenses and others