Overview
We offer this ideal combination named “Exotic Indochina” for further exploring the area by traveling Vietnam from north to south to the temples of Angkor.Complete circuit in 13 days, covering all the essential and authentic tours of these two magnificent country decorated with splashes as we like …To begin, Vietnam will offer you the delight with the legendary Halong Bay, the villages, the cultural and the historical cities charmingly as Hanoi, Hue and Hoi An … .Des crossings breathtaking landscapes, rice fields extending to the horizon … and some excursions by sampan in the Mekong Delta to meet the locals and to discover its lush orchards and picturesque floating markets …
Then you will go to Cambodia by an inter regional flight.
PHNOM PENH will welcome you by its splendid Royal Palace … shimmering golden light … so you’ll be stunned before this hauntingly beautiful at sunset! A free ride in the evening on the dock of Sisovath among the local population would also be a very pleasant experience to make your stay in the capital.
Your tour will end in the precincts of the famous Angkor with our selection of the finest Khmer temples showing a remarkable architecture of the Angkor period … the enigmatic faces of the Bayon temple through the mythical gates of the fortified city Angkor Thom with stones embedded in the jungle of Taprhom temple … not to mention spend half a day at the majestic Angkor Wat! An unforgettable trip!
Itinerary details:
Day 1: HANOI ARRIVE – ½ CITY HANOI
Upon arrival in the airport, you will be welcomed by your guide. Transfer to the center of Hanoi. Panoramic bus tour of the city, through the colonial neighborhoods. Hanoi capital of unified Vietnam, has kept the old-fashioned charm of the French colonial era. The modernization of the city taken by the French in 1882 lasted until 1955 and the city has not changed much since. Some remarkably preserved or restored buildings stand a harmonious architectural together. The Vietnamese capital is undoubtedly the most charming city in the country with all its authenticity, large shaded avenues, many lakes and manicured gardens.
Lunch at your expense, then transfer to your hotel around 14:00. Trishaw ride in the old quarter of Hanoi on Lake of the Restored Sword. Welcome dinner (outside drinks) with musical entertainment. Overnight at hotel.
Day 2: HANOI – HA LONG – OVERNIGHT ON BOARD
Breakfast in hotel then drive about 4 hours to Halong Bay with stop on the way for a short break. Arrive in the boat wharf for embarking a Deluxe Junk for the afternoon cruise. Have lunch while cruising to the magnificent bay of the World Heritage, admiring the fascinating formations of limestone islands. The activities include swimming in the crystal water; visiting a limestone cave; swimming or kayaking. Have dinner and overnight on board.
Day 3: HALONG – HANOI
In the morning, we discover the bay taking gauzy romanticism. Return to port. Drive to Hanoi through the rice fields of the Red River Delta. On the road, stop at the village of Phu Lang pottery. Traditional and contemporary artists craftsmen work together. We will walk along the Cau river. Other option to visit the splendid But Thap pagoda (seventeenth century). Perhaps it is the most beautiful religious building in Vietnam. Then, you will drive back to Hanoi.
Then in the early evening you will attend a puppet show on the water at Thang Long Theatre, typically Vietnamese art in which each puppet is a popular character and every scene has to do with everyday life. Dinner in a local restaurant in Hanoi. Overnight at hotel.
Day 4: HANOI – DUONG LAM – HANOI – HUE
Breakfast at the hotel. Morning departure to the ancient village of Duong Lam. This cultural site, still unknown, retained the old structure of Vietnamese villages with its front door, banyan, her temple, her communal house and his house dedicated to ancestor worship, houses in laterite. The culinary specialties of the village are the Mia chicken, soy sauce, peanut candies, roasted sweet potatoes, rice cakes …Visit the Mong Phu communal house and walk through the narrow streets of laterite. You will visit houses that manufacture soy sauce and traditional sweets and Mia Pagoda, built in 1632, and Buddha statues. Ride cylco surrounding.
Lunch (outside drinks) at the restaurant in Hanoi or home-stay in an old house from the 17th century, with the warmth of family members (subject to availability by the family) in Hanoi.
Rest of time to visit the Temple of Literature. It is the largest building of its kind in Hanoi and is the most complete representation of traditional Vietnamese architecture. It was built in 1070 to worship Confucius (Chinese philosopher at the origin of the three major religions of China and whose doctrine was based on the moral development of the human being). Upon construction, the temple served as the intellectual and spiritual center. Tour first booked the royal family and mandarins, the school became accessible to all the people at the successful completion of the entrance examination, considered difficult, based on the talent, skills and loyal commitment to the imperial power.
Light lunch of “Pho”. Then transfer to Hanoi Railway Station for the night train to Hue ‘7:00 p.m. to 8:00. Overnight on train.
Day 5: HUE CITY TOUR
Arrive in Hue to 8:30 and meet your tour of the Centre. Transfer to hotel for breakfast.
Visit of Emperor Tu Duc Tomb, probably the most romantic, it represents the perfect harmony between nature and architecture. He served as his retreat where he came compose poems or fish. Then visit a factory of conical hats and incense sticks. Lunch during the tour. You will visit the Imperial City, built on the model of the Forbidden City in Beijing, the construction of the citadel began in 1805 and ended in 1832. Surrounded by a long and thick wall of 600 meters, ten gates, four main allow its access: the Peace in the North, that of humanity in the East, that of Virtue in the West, that of the South to the South through which one enters the imperial residence. It opens onto a large courtyard in the center of which stands the Golden Bridge across “the pond of gold water” pool filled with goldfish and water hyacinth. This courtyard leads into the palace of Supreme Harmony, built in 1805, then you will visit the Pagoda of the Celestial Lady, built on the banks of the Perfume River, she knows from afar with its octagonal tower. According to legend, a heavenly lady dressed in red appeared and asked the lord to build a pagoda in order to control the subterranean forces and dominate the region.Overnight at hotel.
Day 6: HUE – DA NANG – HOI AN – ½ DAY CITY HOI AN
Breakfast at the hotel then drive to Danang via the Cloud Pass or via the quick tunnels according to local requirements.
Lunch in Danang. Continue to Hoi An and transfer to hotel. The old town of Hoi An is one of the major attractions of the Danang area with over 800 buildings of historical interest. This ancient trading port, especially flourishing of the fifteenth century in the nineteenth century, is far from stealing its inclusion in Unesco in 1999. The old Hoi An neighborhoods very well preserved, reflect the fusion of cultures between local traditions and influences foreign, that has occurred over the centuries through trade perpetrated in the traditional port of Southeast Asia.
You will end the day with a visit to a factory house of natural silk and silk products.Dinner local specialties in town. Overnight at hotel.
Day 7: HOI AN – FREE DAY
Breakfast at the hotel.Free day without a guide or driver and meals at your expense.
Several cultural activities are available from your hotel (information and reservation at the hotel) bike rental to get to the countryside of Hoi An, cooking classes, introduction to gardening in the vegetable garden of Tra Que …
Day 8: HOI AN – DANANG – HO CHI MINH CITY
Breakfast at the hotel.Transfer to Danang airport for flight to Saigon. Arrival at the airport, welcome by your guide South.
You start the city tour by discovering colonial districts and the main historic sites of the city: photo stop before the Reunification Palace, the former Presidential Palace under the old regime. Then visit municipal Theatre located on Lam Son Square between Caravelle and Continental. The theater was built in 1895 and opened in 1900. The building had a ceiling mobile and could receive up to 800 people. The government had set up the National Assembly. Since 1975 he has regained its original function. The City Hall, controversial at the time of its construction (1901-1908), this huge building resembles a yellow and white birthday cake. The central station which is an important testimony of French architecture in Vietnam. Founded between 1886 and 1891, it recalls the Parisian buildings. And its glass roof, built by Gustave Eiffel’s workshop, similar to the Paris Orsay railway station. Its façade mixture, meanwhile, both French and Vietnamese cultures. On either side of the entrance, are displayed two cards of Cochin – name given to South Vietnam by French settlers – in 1936 both of which have survived the ravages of successive wars that have plagued the country.
Notre Dame Cathedral was built in red brick on the Paris by a French architect between 1877 and 1880 on the ruins of a pagoda. Masses are still celebrated here in Vietnamese (three daily and six offices every Sunday) for the faithful still relatively numerous. Its square hosts a statue of the Virgin Mary.
Then discovery of Chinatown Cholon, the “grand bargain” in French, ride cyclo, to the southwest of the city that has developed a style with its crowded streets, signs in Chinese ideograms and human moving masses Binh Tay market is full goods (meat, fish, fruit and vegetables, ingredients for Chinese traditional medicine). Visit a traditional factory lacquer fame in Ho Chi Minh City. Overnight at hotel.
Day 9: SAIGON – MEKONG DELTA – SAIGON
Breakfast at the hotel. Departure for the visit of the Mekong Delta. An extensive network of thousands of channels characterized life in the Mekong Delta which spans 40,000 square kilometers. The yellow color of the water is due to land which fertilizes throughout the year fields and rich Delta orchards. The immense rivers and rice fields are dotted with lotus ponds. The main means of transport is the ship.
Stop to visit a Cao Dai temple. All aboard for a ride on a traditional boat of the Mekong through the Dragon islet, Tortoise, Phoenix. etc ..
Visit handicraft factories, tasting tropical fruits, folk traditional representation made by amateur artists music lovers.
Southern specialties including the famous fish lunch at the Elephant Ear, homestay in a shady orchard.
Continue your river trip in small sampan engine in the arroyos.
Landing in the middle of the afternoon.
Back in Saigon, stopping along the way if time allows the Vinh Trang Pagoda, known as the school of Buddhism in South Vietnam.
Farewell dinner at a local restaurant. Overnight at hotel.
Day 10: SAIGON – SIEM REAP
Breakfast at the hotel.
Morning free for your last shopping.
Free lunch.
Transfer to airport for flight to Siem Reap. Welcome by your local Khmer guide. Transfer to the hotel.
SIEM REAP: this is a relatively new city that it even looks like all cities, but you will be surprised at the number of tourists it receives each year. The reason is simple: the famous archaeological site of Angkor Asia is just 7km! This is probably one of the Asian cities most frequented by tourists. The modern center is full of hotels and guest-houses.
Dinner at local restaurant and overnight at the hotel.
Day 11: SIEM REAP
Breakfast at the hotel.
Day dedicated to the discovery of the majestic temples of Angkor.
Angkor Thom: Located north of Angkor Wat, this walled city with five monumental gates was built in the late twelfth century by Jayavarman VII and dedicated to Buddhism. The temples enclosed within its four walls are Bayon, Baphuon, Phimeanaskeas, the Terrace of the Leper King, the Elephant Terrace, the Preah Palilay the Tep Pranam and Prasat Sour Prat. The visit of this set begins with the South Gate with a huge avenue of statues with smiling faces.
Bayon: it is a mountain temple consists of 54 towers with four faces with enigmatic smiles. The lower floors are a pantheon dedicated to the gods of the Khmer construction began at a time of transition between Hinduism and Buddhism, and the top floor is dedicated to Buddha. Fabulous low reliefs of 1200m long, representing more than 11000 sculptured persons, very long frescoes telling the fights and naval battles between the Khmer and Cham, and everyday life
Baphuon: Built in 1060 by King Udayadityavarman II, it is dedicated to Brahmanism. This same king had also built the great Western Baray and its island of Mebon temple-Occidental. Very ruined, this central temple of Angkor second remains an important archaeological site.
The Phimenakas where according to legend, the king met the snake queen who took the appearance of a beautiful woman and this union, the king drew wisdom that ensured the well-being of the country.
Terraces of the Leper King and Elephants: attached to the palace of Phimeanakas, which only a few ruins remain, the terraces were used by King Jayavarman VII as a platform from which he sees his ghost victorious army.
Lunch at local restaurant.
Afternoon: visit the famous Angkor Wat.
Angkor Wat, the most famous and most majestic temple of Angkor, the towers are the emblem of Cambodia. This gigantic temple “mountain” funeral sandstone and laterite, dedicated to Vishou, is the most flamboyant example of Khmer architecture, at the height of its excessiveness and sophistication built on over 80 hectares … If researchers do not agree on the function of Angkor Wat, however they are unanimous in admitting that it is a sanctuary, since even the gods of -rois Rouge had palaces built of wood and covered with straw or tiles; the stone buildings used exclusively to worship gods and deified rulers.
Phnom Bakheng: Resting on the top (60 meters) of one of the three hills that rise from the plain, with some 109 laps on five square terraces and steadily decreasing, it was the first temple built on the site of Angkor. From this height, you have a beautiful panoramic view of the surrounding countryside and the three towers of Angkor Wat in the distance.
Dinner at local restaurant and overnight at the hotel.
Day 12: SIEM REAP – PHNOM PENH
Breakfast at the hotel. In the morning, transfer to Phnom Penh. Meet the Guide at Phnom Penh. Lunch at the restaurant in Phnom Penh on arrival.
PHNOM PENH, CAPITAL: Phnom Penh is the sixth city in the country after Nokor Phnom, Angkor, Longvek, Srey Sunthor and Oudong. Its name is an honorable lady (Mrs. Penh) which, according to legend, built the Wat Phnom now become a symbol of the capital. Covering an area of 41km, Phnom Penh, with its tree-lined avenues, its flowery parks with fountains and historical monuments is a major political, economic and cultural, as well as a center of communication and tourism the country. Today, Phom Penh fully breathe the air of modernism.
In the afternoon, orientation tour in the capital, passing headlights monuments like:
Wat Phnom: Built in 1434 housing sacred relics, this temple is a symbol of the capital Phnom Penh linked to a legend that your guide will tell you. Today Wat Phnom remains the highest artificial hill overlooking the city.
The Monument of Independence: built to commemorate the end in 1953 of the French protectorate in Cambodia. The monument is decorated with a hundred Nagas, snake-like pattern, historical and cultural landmark of the country, still in vogue in the business world.
Visit inside the Royal Palace: Built in 1866 by King Norodom, the Royal Palace is now the residence of His Majesty Preah Bat Samdech Preah Norodom Sihamony king of Cambodia. The Palace is actually made up of different structures grouped in an enclosure like a pagoda.
Silver Pagoda: Situated within the grounds of the Royal Palace, Silver Pagoda takes its name from its soil made up of 5000 silver tiles. It is home to masterpieces such a solid gold Buddha encrusted with 9584 diamonds weighing 90kg and a Emerald Buddha and Baccarat crystal dating from the seventeenth century.
The National Museum: Temple of Khmer art, there are mainly sculptures dating from different periods of Cambodian history, costumes of the dancers of the nineteenth century, barges and royal palanquins. More than 5,000 works of art are on display.
Walk along the street Sisovath the edge of the Mekong River. Overnight in hotel
Day 13: PHNOM PENH – DEPARTURE
Breakfast at the hotel.Transfer to the airport for departure flight.
END OF TOUR
Others
• HIKING IN THE NORTH OF VIETNAM AND EXPLORE SIEMREAP – IND0004 (13 Days)
• INDOCHINA CLASSIC – IND0002 (14 Days)
• OVER SOUTH OF VIETNAM AND EXPLORE CAMBODIA – IND0001 (11 Days)
