Vietnam & Cambodia

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Vietnam & Cambodia

From:

9,223,372,036,854,775,807.00

Embark on a beautiful journey through rice paddies and villages, to see how the real hearts of Vietnamese and Cambodian beat. As you learn the history and culture of these heartwarming people, you have the opportunity to make a difference in their lives, as the proceeds of your tour will provide a well for a village, a cow or sampan for a family, a basket of food – such simple things that are so meaningful.

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Fast Facts

Duration:

Days

Group size:

Single supplement:

Destinations:

Vietnam, Hanoi, Hue, Ho Chi Minh City, Cambodia, Siem Reap

Departs From:

Hanoi

Ends In:

Siem Reap

Travel Styles:

Booking validity:

–

Best Months to Visit

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Tour Map

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With its wide boulevards, ancient pagodas and tree-lined lakes, Vietnam’s capital is also the country’s most atmospheric and beguiling city. There is an energy and charm here arising from the genteel mix of French colonialism and Asian grace and tradition. Enjoy a showcase of synchronised t’ai chi at Hoan Kiem Lake; stroll around the lively […]

Type: Hotel

This richly historic 364-room French colonial masterpiece built in 1901 is one of Vietnam's finest hotels, with luxuriously appointed rooms, attentive staff and gracious service. It is ideally located in central Hanoi and houses a beautiful interior garden.

Excellent French cuisine is served at Le Beaulieu, and Hanoi specialties are offered at Spices Garden. The hotel has a well-equipped fitness center with cardio machines and weights, as well as a swimming pool and spa offering massage treatments. All of the guest rooms have broadband internet access and are decorated in an opulent, neo-classical style.

Type: Hotel

It’s a rare hotel that can transport guests back to a bygone era but La Residence Hotel & Spa pulls it off in spectacular style. Built in 1930 as part of the former colonial governor’s residence overlooking Hue’s Perfume River, this architectural gem was restored and re-opened in 2005 as a luxury hotel. The Art […]

Type: Hotel

Park Hyatt Saigon is located in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. It is located near the Central Post Office, the Notre Dame Cathedral, and the Saigon Opera House, where guests can explore the rich culture and history of the city. The hotel offers rooms and suites decorated in a sophisticated French-colonial style, with modern amenities such as free Wi-Fi, flat-screen TVs, and marble bathrooms. Guests can enjoy a variety of cuisines at the hotel, including Vietnamese, Italian, and French. The hotel also features a tranquil spa, a fitness centre, an outdoor pool, and business services.

Type: Hotel

The Park Hyatt is a deluxe boutique hotel situated within close proximity to the ancient temples of Angkor Wat. Set around an inner courtyard with lush gardens and water features, the art deco inspired design is complemented by strong Khmer influences that embrace the future while respecting the past. The hotel's 108 guest rooms all […]

Type: Hotel

Best known as the gateway to the magnificent ancient temple complex of Angkor Wat, Siem Reap is a pleasant town with lovely French colonial and Chinese architecture and a laid-back ambience. The main attraction here is of course the Angkor complex. Covering an area larger than Paris, it encompasses scores of exquisite temple structures featuring […]

Tour Itinerary

Day 1

Upon arrival to Noi Bai Airport, after clearing immigration formalities, collect your baggage and proceed to the exit. Here you will be met by a Luxury Trips representative and transferred to your hotel for three nights.

The regular check-in time is at 2:00 pm.

Location:

LocationHanoi

Accommodation:

Accommodation Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi

Type:

Accommodation Type Hotel

Room Basis:

Room Basis B&B: Bed and Breakfast

Day 2

You will be collected from your hotel for a Half Day Hanoi City Tour.

Tour the city of Hanoi, with its ochre-colored colonial buildings, tree-lined boulevards and scenic lakes. Stop at the old coffee shop in the Old Quarter where your guide will share about the daily life of a Hanoian. Then visit the historic Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, an imposing monument of marble and granite built to house the preserved body of beloved revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh, affectionately known to the Vietnamese as “Uncle Ho”. Tour the One Pillar Pagoda, a Buddhist temple built in 1049 of wood in the shape of a lotus blossom and set on a single stone pillar, considered by many to be one of Vietnam’s most iconic pagodas. Nearby visit Ho Chi Minh’s House, a simple wooden house in a tranquil setting where Ho Chi Minh lived and worked. Some of his belongings are on display and visitors can walk up the steps to see his bedroom. Continue on to the Temple of Literature, Vietnam’s first national university built in the late 11th century. The picturesque temple is an example of well-preserved traditional Vietnamese architecture and is featured on the back of the 100,000 Vietnamese dong banknote.

• The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is closed every Monday & Friday, and all afternoons and from September until December).

After lunch (on your own), you will be collected from your hotel for a visit to Hold the Future – a non-governmental organization based in Hanoi, which was established in March 2002 by Ms. Le Minh Hien. The mission of Hold the Future is to provide children with disabilities with necessary life skills and support in order to move towards more independent lives. The facility offers health care and rehabilitation, vocational training programs, vocational placement and employment. Activities are funded through the sale of handicraft products created by the children, sharing Vietnamese culture through the beauty of traditional craftsmanship. In 2009, after 7 years of successful operation, the foundation was officially awarded an NGO status and was recognized as a registered center by the ‘Vietnamese Save the Disabled Children Association’. Spend half a day with them, learning how they reach success and enjoy their time in making traditional crafts.

Location:

LocationHanoi

Accommodation:

Accommodation Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi

Type:

Accommodation Type Hotel

Room Basis:

Room Basis B&B: Bed and Breakfast

Day 3

Today you will visit an ancient village and 300-year old houses of Duong Lam.

Depart Hanoi for a 1.5 hour drive to Duong Lam, a typical agricultural village in the northern Red River Delta. Duong Lam has the honor of being the birthplace to two Vietnamese kings, and is the first village in Vietnam to be recognized by UNESCO for its Cultural Heritage Conservation. Home to approximately 300 houses built nearly 400 years ago, Duong Lam’s narrow alleyways showcase rural life and ancient Vietnamese architecture. The cultural and historical vestiges of Duong Lam include the Mong Phu Communal House in Mong Phu hamlet – the only hamlet whose original village entrance gate remains intact, here dedicated to national heroes, the 15th century Mia Pagoda known for its 287 ancient statues and the Old Catholic Church. The village well, a traditional feature of communal life, is also a fascinating stop. Finish your tour at an ancient house where you can chat with the friendly owners over a cup of tea before returning to Hanoi.

Location:

LocationHanoi

Accommodation:

Accommodation Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi

Type:

Accommodation Type Hotel

Room Basis:

Room Basis B&B: Bed and Breakfast

Day 4

You will be collected from your hotel and transferred to the airport for the scheduled flight to Hue. UPon arrival you will be met and transferred to your hotel where you will stay for two nights.

Location:

LocationHue

Accommodation:

Accommodation Azerai La Residence

Type:

Accommodation Type Hotel

Room Basis:

Room Basis B&B: Bed and Breakfast

Day 5

This morning gain insight into the rural life in Thanh Toan.

Located only 7 km from Hue’s center, Thanh Toan village is located in the peaceful countryside where the scenes of an ancient 16th century village are still very much visible through the landscape, temples and way of life. Today take a drive to this village and be prepared to get yourself involved in some hands-on experiences to get a taste of rural life. Meet the farmers, and depending on the season, you will be instructed on some processes of rice farming. Continue by rickshaw to explore the countryside, the village and clans’ shrine house, and some typical local workshops. Visit the informative agriculture museum to understand more about rice production before hoping on a sampan to go fishing using ancient techniques. Pass by the intriguing 17th century tiled roof bridge, listen to local chitchatting, chanting folklore verse. These are just a few relaxing moments which offer insights into rural life that you cannot get on any average tourist trail.

Location:

LocationHue

Accommodation:

Accommodation Azerai La Residence

Type:

Accommodation Type Hotel

Room Basis:

Room Basis B&B: Bed and Breakfast

Day 6

This morning drive to the rural outskirts for a small act of kindness and help make the world a better place. A gift of just one cow can offer a big change for poor farmers. Participate in a ceremony during which you donate a small cow to a farmer together with the local authority and villagers as your witness. Chat with the family who received the gift to understand the true impact this gift makes on their family.

Afterwards, transfer to Tan Son Nhat Airport for the scheduled flight to Saigon. Upon arrival you will be met and transferred to your hotel where the rest of the afternoon is at leisure.

Location:

LocationHo Chi Minh City

Accommodation:

Accommodation Park Hyatt Saigon

Type:

Accommodation Type Hotel

Room Basis:

Room Basis B&B: Bed and Breakfast

Day 7

This morning you will be collected from your hotel for a Full Day City Highlights tour.

With over eight million inhabitants and four million motorbikes, Saigon is truly a city that never sleeps. Despite its modernity, Saigon maintains a strong link to the past, and our walking tour takes in some of the city’s most historic landmarks. Transfer to Dong Khoi Street downtown to visit some of the beautiful French colonial-era buildings from the late 19th and early 20th century. Appreciate the splendidly restored exteriors of the Saigon Opera House and the Notre Dame Cathedral, a red brick edifice with twin spires constructed from materials imported from France (entrance is only permitted when no services are being performed). Then head across the square to the Central Post Office, completed in 1891. A short drive away is the former Presidential Palace, the headquarters of the Saigon Government during the American War. Continue to the elegant City Hall (the former Hotel de Ville) which is one of Saigon’s most stunning colonial monuments especially when floodlit at night. Experience Saigon’s famed street coffee culture while your guide provides insights into daily life in Saigon.

This afternoon, choose to visit Salon Saigon, a new contemporary art space housed in a lovingly restored French colonial building. Saigon Salon aims to showcase Vietnamese contemporary art while nurturing local talent, cooperating with foreign institutions and attracting important artists from around the world or the War Remnants Museum for a vivid perspective of the American War through the eyes of the Vietnamese. (Please note that some of the displays are very graphic.)

We then drive to Chinatown to visit the beautiful Thien Hau Pagoda, built by the Cantonese community in the early 19th century to honor the Goddess of the Sea. Take time to make a wish, write it on a small card and attach it to one of the incense coils according to local custom. Continue your visit to FITO, the first museum of traditional medicine in Vietnam, offering an insightful look into the history and application of traditional medicine in everyday life before returning to your hotel.

This evening we will visit Bang Sang School for the blind. The school was founded by blind musician Mr. Dao Khanh Truong who spent most of his life caring for and teaching the children. Meet the children and listen as they sing and play music. Afterwards, we head to Noir Restaurant for a unique dining in the dark experience. The pitch black experience may at first be disconcerting, but aims to encourage diners to use their other senses of taste, touch, smell and sound to identify flavors, textures and ingredients in the gourmet meal. Return to your hotel.

Location:

LocationHo Chi Minh City

Accommodation:

Accommodation Park Hyatt Saigon

Type:

Accommodation Type Hotel

Room Basis:

Room Basis B&B: Bed and Breakfast

Day 8

Today we go off the beaten track to the Mekong Delta.

Depart from Ho Chi Minh City on a 2 hour drive to An Hóa Bridge, and explore the local workshops to see how coconuts are peeled and split using traditional methods. Continue on by boat and visit a local factory to learn how activated charcoal is produced from burning coconut shells in kilns, before traversing the Mekong to visit the island of Tam Hiep, located the 30 km inland between the Cua Dai and Cua Tieu estuaries. Board a small rowing boat to explore the countryside’s verdant depths via a maze of small canals and visit a local family to try local fruits with honey-tea. Adventure on by bicycle* or on foot through small village paths and lush orchards, arriving at a special farm where they plant Tiliacora Triandra (Lá Sâm) to produce a special herbal jelly. Learn how they make this unique food before setting off once more by bicycle or on foot to the home of Ut Trinh for a delicious lunch of local cuisine. Afterwards, return to the boat and visit Long Thanh Communal House, a prime example of traditional Vietnamese architecture.

Sampan boats are an important mode of transportation and livelihood in the Mekong Delta where the intricate network of waterways is often a cheaper, safer alternative to roads in transporting goods and conducting commerce. Yet, despite generations of effort, some families still cannot afford their own sampan, significantly impacting their economic situation. Donating a sampan to a needy family is a meaningful, generous act that will likely impact their future for the better. Travel to the Mekong Delta to interact with the family receiving your sampan donation. Learn about their livelihood and how they intend to use their newly acquired sampan. Participate in a small sampan donation ceremony with local authorities and villagers as witnesses where all will share in the joy that your generosity has made possible.

*Distance can be adjusted according to your physical ability. Can also be done on tri-motorcyle for an additional charge

Location:

LocationHo Chi Minh City

Accommodation:

Accommodation Park Hyatt Saigon

Type:

Accommodation Type Hotel

Room Basis:

Room Basis B&B: Bed and Breakfast

Day 9

Transfer to the airport for the scheduled flight to Siem Riep, Cambodia. Upon arrival, after clearing immigration formalities, collect your baggage and proceed to the exit. Here you will be met by a Luxury Trips representative and transferred to your hotel where you will stay for three nights.

Location:

LocationSiem Reap

Accommodation:

Accommodation Park Hyatt Siem Reap

Type:

Accommodation Type Hotel

Room Basis:

Room Basis B&B: Bed and Breakfast

Day 10

This morning enjoy a cooking experience.

All across Asia, food is at the very heart of every single person’s day. As the average Cambodian makes per day, the means and ways of eating fresh healthy and seasonal foods are at the forefront of every meal time. Today you will be part of a culinary experience, creating some of Cambodia’s most fashionable and iconic dishes, while engaging with the day to day lives of its people. Starting out from the private farm, with your Chef, you will view the range of different vegetables, available in the season growing fresh & organically. Your Chef will explain to you the key ways in which they filtrate water, tend to their crops and create the perfect harvest!

Continue to a local and completely tourist free village, where you will be the highlight of the villagers day! Walking with the chef to explore local traditions, weave past market traders and view the range of produce. Together with your chef, you will select a basket of harvest and dried goods for you to present to the Head Villager, as a kind offering in their day to day lives; giving back in the purest and simplest way! Having tea or sugar cane juice in the village in a simple cafe, will give you a real feel of the true lives of the Khmer.

Returning back to the farm, where your Chef will lead you through the remarkable ingredients used to make your 3 course lunch. You will prepare it at your own station, while he talks you through the methods used to create each dish. Have fun with learning about the new vegetables, creating the sauces and tasting as you go. The experience can be as advanced or as Chef-led as you wish! Afterwards you will eat your lunch, at the Farm House and enjoy the fruits of your labor in a truly philanthropic, engaging experience in Cambodia.

This afternoon we visit the Angkor National Museum, which opened in November 2007, offering a comprehensive collection of Cambodian artifacts showcasing the origins of Khmer art, culture, and architecture. With eight galleries in total, it covers in depth, the history of Cambodia and the Khmer Empire as well as a fascinating collection of Buddhist artifacts. Apart from the antiques and historical relics, they have successfully integrated state-of-the-art multimedia technology to help bring the exhibitions to life.

Location:

LocationSiem Reap

Accommodation:

Accommodation Park Hyatt Siem Reap

Type:

Accommodation Type Hotel

Room Basis:

Room Basis B&B: Bed and Breakfast

Day 11

One of the most pressing issues facing rural villagers in Siem Reap is a lack of access to clean water. We have the opportunity to transform the lives of poor Cambodians by creating sustainable communities where they have access to safe water. Our visit today will afford the opportunity to donate a well to the community to provide safe drinking and cleaning water for over a hundred rural Cambodians for years to come. Travelling to the most underprivileged, yet stunning rural countryside, you will officially declare the water pump ready for use, adding the finishing touches to the work already created. You will be welcomed by a small gathering to commemorate this incredible occasion, and a plaque with your name will stand at the site of the water pump, out of respect for the kindness shown to this local community. The villagers will gather to declare the well officially open, and to thank you personally for your kindness.

Location:

LocationSiem Reap

Accommodation:

Accommodation Park Hyatt Siem Reap

Type:

Accommodation Type Hotel

Room Basis:

Room Basis B&B: Bed and Breakfast

Day 12

Transfer to the airport for your departure flight.

Location:

LocationSiem Reap

Accommodation:

Accommodation Park Hyatt Siem Reap

Type:

Accommodation Type Hotel

Room Basis:

Room Basis B&B: Bed and Breakfast

Rates

From:

9,223,372,036,854,775,807.00

Enquire Now

Price Includes:

•   Private transfers and transportation on tour
•   Sightseeing with Local English speaking guides (one guide in each city)
•   Entrance fees
•   Meals as specified (meals only, no drinks/ water)
•   Cold towels and water on sightseeing days

Price Excludes:

•   Airport Assistance Service
•   Separate luggage truck
• Vietnam & Cambodia visas
•   Other meals where not mentioned in the program
•   Drinks/water at included lunches and dinners
•   Other flights & airport taxes
•   Hotel early check in/ Late check-out
•   Overweight luggage
•   Personal expenses
•   Travel insurance
•   Tips & gratuities
•   Other services not listed in inclusive column
•   Overnight accommodation is inclusive of hotel tax, hotel service charges and includes daily breakfast

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Vietnam & Cambodia