Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Bangkok to Hanoi: Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam
18 days from Bangkok to Hanoi: three nights at Angkor, Phnom Penh, up the Mekong to Chau Doc, Saigon, Hoi An, Hue and a night on Lan Ha Bay.
18 days · Bangkok to Hanoi · up to 12 guests
Lantern boats on the Thu Bon River in Hoi An after dark. Photo: . Ray in Manila, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hoi_An,_Vietnam.jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 18 days, 17 nights
- Start and end
- Bangkok to Hanoi
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Activity level
Moderate
Mostly easy walking in cities and at temples, 6 to 9 km on foot on the Angkor days over uneven stone and steep steps, two early starts before 5 am, a 3 km bicycle ride on flat lanes and optional kayaking. Every climb and ride has an option to sit it out or use the vehicle.
- Meals included
- 17 breakfasts, 10 lunches, 7 dinners
- Room of your own
- + CAD 885 (estimated price)
- Season
- Best November to March
Highlights
Why this trip
- Wat Pho and the Grand Palace as the gates open in Bangkok
- Angkor Wat at sunrise, then Ta Prohm after the crowds have gone
- Banteay Srei's pink sandstone carvings and an evening at Phare, The Cambodian Circus
- Up the Mekong by speedboat from Phnom Penh to Chau Doc, crossing the border on the river
- Saigon's Independence Palace and a street food evening
- Lantern boats on the Thu Bon in Hoi An and the Hai Van Pass by road
- A night on Lan Ha Bay, with sunset and sunrise from the deck
What makes this trip different
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 885 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Bangkok
Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) to the old city
- Dinner
- Stay in Bangkok
- Drive about 45 min
Your trip starts at Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK), east of the city, where we meet you and drive you to a central hotel within reach of the river and the old royal quarter.
Afternoon
The afternoon is for resting after the long flight, a swim if the hotel has a pool, or a first walk.
Evening
In the early evening you meet your See Sight Tours guide and the rest of the group, no more than 12 of you, for a short briefing on the three countries ahead: the money, the visas, the two border days and what each morning looks like. Then we go out together for a welcome dinner of Thai dishes to share, with your guide explaining what is spicy, what is sour and how to order when you are on your own. If your flight lands late, we meet you at breakfast instead and your guide goes through the briefing then.
Included
- Pick-up at Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK)
- Welcome briefing with your guide
- Welcome dinner
Free time: Afternoon free to rest before the welcome dinner
Bangkok's royal quarter
Wat Pho, the Grand Palace and the National Museum on foot
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Bangkok
- Drive about 30 min
We start early, because Bangkok's royal quarter is at its coolest and quietest in the first hour. Wat Pho opens first, so we begin with the great Reclining Buddha, 46 metres long with mother-of-pearl inlay on the soles of its feet, and the courtyards of glazed chedis around it. Next door, the Grand Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha open at 8:30 and fill quickly once the coaches arrive, so we are near the gate when it opens. Cover shoulders and knees for both.
Afternoon
After lunch together near the river, we walk to the Bangkok National Museum, where the galleries include carved Cham stone figures from central Vietnam, a first look at a culture we meet again later in the trip. The museum closes on Mondays and Tuesdays; on those days we take a long-tail boat through the Thonburi canals instead.
Evening
The late afternoon and evening are free.
Included
- Wat Pho
- The Grand Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha
- Bangkok National Museum, or a long-tail boat through the Thonburi canals on Mondays and Tuesdays
- Cross-river ferry
Optional experiences
- Evening Chinatown street food walk
Easier option: Take a tuk-tuk or the vehicle between the three sites instead of walking.
Free time: Late afternoon and evening free
Activity: Dress code at Wat Pho and the Grand Palace: covered shoulders and knees.
Fly to Siem Reap
Bangkok to Siem Reap by air, then sunset at Pre Rup
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Siem Reap
- Drive about 2 h
Morning
A morning flight of a little over an hour takes us from Bangkok to Siem Reap Angkor International Airport (SAI), which opened in 2023 about an hour's drive east of town. Your guide handles the Cambodian visa or e-visa check and the arrival card with you, and a local Cambodian site guide, licensed for the Angkor temples, joins us in Siem Reap.
Afternoon
We check in, have a rest through the hottest part of the day and buy the three-day Angkor pass together in the afternoon.
Evening
Then we drive out to Pre Rup, a tenth-century temple mountain of brick and laterite on the east side of the park, for sunset over the rice fields and sugar palms. It is a steep but short climb, and far calmer than the crowded sunset hill of Phnom Bakheng. Dinner together in town, with first Khmer dishes such as fish amok and lok lak.
Included
- Flight from Bangkok to Siem Reap
- Transfers to and from the airports
- Three-day Angkor pass
- Sunset at Pre Rup with a licensed Angkor guide
- Khmer dinner in Siem Reap
Easier option: Watch the sunset from the base of Pre Rup instead of climbing the steps.
Free time: Early afternoon free after check-in
Angkor Wat at sunrise
Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and the Bayon, then Ta Prohm in the late afternoon
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Siem Reap
- Drive about 1.5 h
This is the alarm-clock day, and it is worth it.
Morning
We leave about 4:45 am to be at Angkor Wat before dawn, when the five towers stand black against the sky and reflect in the pools in front of the west gate. Most of the crowd leaves for breakfast after sunrise, so we stay and walk the galleries and the long bas-reliefs while they are quiet, then have breakfast. Late morning we enter Angkor Thom by the south gate, with its causeway of stone gods and demons, and walk the Bayon, a temple of more than 200 carved faces, and the Terrace of the Elephants.
Afternoon
Lunch is a sit-down meal in the park, then back to the hotel for a rest and a swim through the heat. At about 3:30 pm we go to Ta Prohm, where silk-cotton and strangler fig roots grip the walls, after the morning groups have gone.
Included
- Sunrise at Angkor Wat with a licensed Angkor guide
- Angkor Thom: the south gate, the Bayon and the Terrace of the Elephants
- Ta Prohm in the late afternoon
- Lunch in the Angkor park
Easier option: Skip the upper level of Angkor Wat, which has a steep staircase, and wait in the shade of the galleries.
More active option: Climb to the upper sanctuary of Angkor Wat, when it is open, for the view over the towers.
Free time: Midday rest at the hotel and the evening free
Activity: About 8 km on foot over the day, much of it on uneven stone and steps.
Banteay Srei and a night at the circus
Siem Reap to Banteay Srei and back, then Phare
- Breakfast
- Stay in Siem Reap
- Drive about 2 h
A later start, then a 45-minute drive north-east through villages to Banteay Srei, a small tenth-century temple in pink sandstone with the finest carving at Angkor: lintels and false doors covered in deep, crisp scenes from the Hindu epics.
Morning
We aim to arrive before the late-morning tour buses.
Afternoon
On the way back we stop at a palm sugar stall by the road to see how the sap of the sugar palms is boiled down, and we are in town by lunch. The afternoon is free: a massage, the Angkor National Museum, the old market or simply the pool.
Evening
In the evening we go together to Phare, The Cambodian Circus, where performers who trained at an arts school founded by refugees after the Khmer Rouge years tell Cambodian stories with acrobatics, theatre and live music. Dinner tonight is your own, in town before the show or after it.
Included
- Banteay Srei with a licensed Angkor guide
- Palm sugar stop on the way back
- Tickets for Phare, The Cambodian Circus
Optional experiences
- Kbal Spean riverbed carvings, an uphill forest walk of about 1.5 km each way, added to the Banteay Srei morning
More active option: Add Kbal Spean, a forest walk up to carvings in a riverbed, to the morning.
Free time: Afternoon free; dinner on your own
Fly to Phnom Penh
Siem Reap to Phnom Penh by air, the Royal Palace and a river sunset
- Breakfast
- Stay in Phnom Penh
- Drive about 2 h
We fly from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh in under an hour instead of spending six hours on the road. Phnom Penh sits where the Tonle Sap river meets the Mekong, and its riverfront still has the wide boulevards and shuttered villas of the French period.
Afternoon
After check-in and a rest, we visit the Royal Palace when it reopens in the afternoon: the throne hall, the gardens and the Silver Pagoda, whose floor is laid with more than 5,000 silver tiles and which keeps an emerald-green Buddha and a life-size gold Buddha set with diamonds. Dress code is shoulders and knees covered, as in Bangkok.
Evening
At the end of the day we board a small boat for an hour on the river at sunset, past fishing boats and the Chroy Changvar peninsula, as the lights come on along Sisowath Quay. The evening is free, with the night markets and riverside restaurants close to the hotel.
Included
- Flight from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh
- Transfers to and from the airports
- Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda
- Sunset boat on the Mekong and the Tonle Sap
Free time: Evening free
Activity: The Royal Palace closes over midday and on some state occasions; ops confirm the times for each departure.
Phnom Penh: Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek
Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, Choeung Ek, then a free afternoon
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Phnom Penh
- Drive about 1 h
Today is the hard one, and we give it the time it needs.
Morning
In the morning we visit the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, a former high school that the Khmer Rouge turned into the S-21 prison, where thousands of people were photographed, interrogated and sent to their deaths between 1975 and 1979. Your guide stays with you through the rooms, and an audio guide in English carries the survivors' own words. We then drive about 15 km south to Choeung Ek, one of the Killing Fields, where a memorial stupa holds the skulls of victims found in the mass graves around it. Both visits are distressing, and no one has to go inside: your guide can wait with you in the garden.
Afternoon
Afterwards we sit down together for a quiet lunch, and the afternoon is free for the Central Market, the riverside or rest.
Included
- Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum with audio guide
- Choeung Ek memorial with audio guide
- Lunch together after the visits
Optional experiences
- Afternoon Khmer cooking class
- Afternoon tuk-tuk ride to the Russian Market
Easier option: Stay in the gardens at either site instead of going into the rooms.
Free time: Afternoon and evening free
Activity: Both sites contain graphic material and human remains; not suitable for young children.
Up the Mekong to Chau Doc
Phnom Penh to Chau Doc by speedboat, then Sam Mountain at sunset
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Chau Doc
- Drive about 30 min
We cross from Cambodia into Vietnam by river, not by road. An early fast boat runs up the Mekong and along the Bassac channel from Phnom Penh to Chau Doc, about five hours in all, with stops at the Cambodian and Vietnamese river border posts at Kaam Samnor and Vinh Xuong, where your guide helps with the forms and the Vietnam e-visa check. From the deck you see stilt houses, fishing nets on bamboo poles and ferries crossing between river islands.
Afternoon
A packed lunch is served on board. Chau Doc is a busy river town close to the border, home to Vietnamese, Khmer, Chinese and Cham Muslim communities.
Evening
After check-in we drive a few minutes out of town to Sam Mountain, with its pilgrimage temple to Lady Xu at the foot and a view over the flat rice fields into Cambodia from the top, at sunset. Dinner together in town.
Included
- Speedboat from Phnom Penh to Chau Doc, with the border formalities
- Sam Mountain and the Ba Chua Xu temple at sunset
- Dinner in Chau Doc
Easier option: Ride to the top of Sam Mountain by vehicle and walk only around the summit.
More active option: Walk up the steps of Sam Mountain instead of driving.
Free time: Late afternoon free after check-in
Activity: The river border crossing can add an hour or more on busy days. Boat operators and schedules are confirmed by ops before each departure.
Chau Doc to Saigon
Floating fish farms by boat, then by road through the delta to Ho Chi Minh City
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Ho Chi Minh City
- Drive about 5.5 h
This is the longest road day of the trip, and we say so plainly: about 250 km and around five and a half hours of driving, because there is no fast boat or short flight from Chau Doc to Saigon that saves time. We break it into three parts. First, at 7 am, a small boat on the river takes us past the floating houses with fish farms beneath them and across to a Cham village with its mosque and weavers, while the river is busiest.
Afternoon
Then we drive about two hours to Sa Dec, a flower-growing town on the Mekong, for a sit-down lunch and a walk through the house of Huynh Thuy Le, the Chinese merchant's son who inspired Marguerite Duras's novel The Lover. The final leg, about three and a half hours, crosses the river and joins the expressway to Ho Chi Minh City, arriving about 5 pm.
Evening
The evening is free.
Included
- Boat trip to the floating fish farms and a Cham village at Chau Doc
- Sa Dec flower village and the Huynh Thuy Le house
- Lunch in Sa Dec
Free time: Evening free in Ho Chi Minh City
Activity: Longest drive of the trip, broken by a morning on the water, a long lunch stop and short rest stops every 90 minutes or so.
Ho Chi Minh City
Independence Palace, the War Remnants Museum and the old centre, then street food
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Ho Chi Minh City
- Drive about 30 min
Saigon wakes early and so do we, to walk the centre before the heat. We start at the Independence Palace, the 1960s seat of the South Vietnamese government, kept as it was in April 1975, from the war room in the basement to the rooftop helipad. Then the War Remnants Museum, where your guide stays with you in the galleries and gives the history around the photographs, rather than leaving you to go round alone. Some exhibits are graphic. On foot we pass the Central Post Office, designed under the French in the 1890s, Notre-Dame Cathedral, seen from outside (its restoration has only just finished, so we confirm access at booking), and City Hall from the square at the top of Nguyen Hue.
Afternoon
Lunch is your own choice at Ben Thanh Market or nearby.
Evening
The afternoon is free, and in the evening we head out together for a street food dinner in the side streets of District 4 and District 1.
Included
- Independence Palace
- War Remnants Museum with your guide
- Old centre walk: Central Post Office, Notre-Dame Cathedral from outside and City Hall
- Street food dinner with your guide
Optional experiences
- Cu Chi Tunnels half-day trip, instead of the free afternoon
Free time: Afternoon free
Fly to Hoi An
Ho Chi Minh City to Da Nang by air, then Hoi An and the river at dusk
- Breakfast
- Stay in Hoi An
- Drive about 45 min
Morning
A short morning flight of about an hour and a half takes us from Tan Son Nhat (SGN) to Da Nang, and from there it is about 45 minutes by road to Hoi An. Hoi An was a trading port from the 15th to the 19th century, where Japanese, Chinese and European merchants settled, and its old town of wooden shophouses, assembly halls and temples is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Afternoon
After check-in and lunch on your own, your guide walks you through the old town with the entry ticket, into one of the merchant houses and one of the Chinese assembly halls.
Evening
Then you have time to rest before dusk, when we take a small rowing boat out on the Thu Bon River as the lanterns are lit along the banks, and you can set a paper lantern on the water. Dinner is your own, with the riverside restaurants a short walk from the hotel.
Included
- Flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Da Nang
- Transfers to and from the airports
- Hoi An Old Town entry and walk with your guide
- Lantern boat on the Thu Bon River at dusk
Free time: Early afternoon and evening free
Hoi An at first light and Tra Que
A dawn walk in the old town, then a cooking class in Tra Que village
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Hoi An
Morning
At about 6 am the Japanese Covered Bridge, reopened in 2024 after a long restoration, is often empty, and the yellow walls of the old town take the first light. Your guide walks the quiet lanes with you while the market sets up and before the shops open; please keep tripods off the bridge itself. Back at the hotel for breakfast, then we cycle about 3 km on flat lanes through the rice fields to Tra Que, a village that has grown herbs and greens for Hoi An's kitchens for generations.
Afternoon
You help in the gardens with a farmer, then cook dishes such as banh xeo pancakes and fresh spring rolls in a cooking class, and eat them for lunch.
Evening
The afternoon and evening are free: a tailor, the beach at An Bang, or a swim at the hotel. My Son is offered as an early morning option for those who would rather see the Cham temples.
Included
- Dawn walk in Hoi An Old Town and at the Japanese Covered Bridge
- Bicycle ride to Tra Que vegetable village
- Cooking class with lunch
Optional experiences
- My Son sanctuary at opening time, instead of the dawn walk
Easier option: Ride to Tra Que in the vehicle instead of by bicycle.
Free time: Afternoon and evening free
Over the Hai Van Pass to Hue
Hoi An to Hue by the Marble Mountains, the Hai Van Pass and Lang Co
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Hue
- Drive about 3 h
Today the drive is part of the trip, about 130 km and three hours of driving in all.
Morning
We leave Hoi An after breakfast and stop first at the Marble Mountains on the edge of Da Nang, limestone hills with Buddhist caves and pagodas inside them. Then the road climbs the Hai Van Pass, where a spur of the Truong Son range runs into the sea and the old Nguyen gate stands at the top. Cloud often sits on the pass, so your guide watches the sky and picks the time; if it is hidden, we take the tunnel underneath and spend longer by the lagoon.
Afternoon
Lunch is seafood at Lang Co, a fishing village between a lagoon and a long sand beach. We reach Hue by mid-afternoon and go into the Imperial City, the walled palace of the Nguyen emperors, in the softer light before it closes.
Included
- Marble Mountains, Da Nang
- Hai Van Pass, weather permitting
- Seafood lunch at Lang Co
- Hue Imperial City with your guide
Easier option: Stay at the foot of the Marble Mountains instead of climbing the steps to the caves.
Free time: Evening free in Hue
Hue, then fly to Hanoi
Thien Mu Pagoda by dragon boat and the tomb of Tu Duc, then a flight north
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Hanoi
- Drive about 1.5 h
Evening
One night in Hue means we use the morning well. After an early breakfast we board a dragon boat on the Perfume River to Thien Mu Pagoda on the north bank. The pagoda was founded in 1601; its seven-storey tower dates from 1844. The monks are at their morning routine and the river is calm. Then we drive to the tomb of Emperor Tu Duc, a walled park of lotus ponds, pavilions and pines that he used as a retreat while he was alive. After lunch on your own near the river we drive to Phu Bai airport (HUI) for an afternoon flight of a little over an hour to Hanoi. In the evening we go out together on foot in Hanoi's Old Quarter for a street food dinner: bun cha, a bowl of pho, crisp banh mi and, if there is room, an egg coffee.
Included
- Dragon boat on the Perfume River to Thien Mu Pagoda
- Tomb of Emperor Tu Duc
- Flight from Hue to Hanoi
- Transfers to and from the airports
- Street food dinner in Hanoi's Old Quarter with your guide
Free time: Midday free in Hue
Hanoi
Hoan Kiem Lake at dawn, the Temple of Literature, Ba Dinh Square and Hoa Lo Prison
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Hanoi
- Drive about 30 min
Hanoi is best seen early, when the people of the Old Quarter are out doing tai chi, badminton and dance classes around Hoan Kiem Lake before work.
Morning
Your guide meets anyone who wants to go at about 6 am; the rest join after breakfast. We then visit the Temple of Literature, founded in 1070 as a temple to Confucius and soon after the site of the country's first university, with its courtyards, gates and stone stelae carried on turtles, naming the scholars who passed the royal examinations. From there we go to Ba Dinh Square and the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum; visits are in the morning only, it is closed on Mondays and Fridays and for an annual maintenance period (in 2026 from early September to early November), and on those days we see it from the square.
Afternoon
After lunch together we visit Hoa Lo Prison, the French colonial jail later known to American airmen as the Hanoi Hilton.
Evening
The rest of the afternoon and the evening are free.
Included
- Hoan Kiem Lake at dawn, for early risers
- Temple of Literature
- Ba Dinh Square and the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, when open
- Hoa Lo Prison
- Lunch together
Optional experiences
- Thang Long water puppet theatre, early evening
Free time: Late afternoon and evening free
A night on Lan Ha Bay
Hanoi to the coast, then an overnight boat among the islands
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Lan Ha Bay
- Drive about 2.5 h
Afternoon
After breakfast we drive east on the expressway, about two and a half hours, and board an overnight boat around midday. Ha Long Bay's thousands of limestone islands rise straight out of the Gulf of Tonkin, and in 2023 the UNESCO listing was extended south to the Cat Ba archipelago and Lan Ha Bay, which has fewer boats and quieter water. We choose a route in that quieter part. Lunch is served on board as we cruise out. In the afternoon there is kayaking among the karsts and through low arches into enclosed lagoons, or swimming from the boat or a small beach when the weather is warm.
Evening
Back on deck for sunset, when the islands fade into dark outlines one behind another. Dinner is on board, and you sleep on the water instead of driving back to Hanoi the same evening.
Included
- Transport from Hanoi to the harbour with your guide
- Overnight boat in Lan Ha Bay in a private cabin with its own bathroom
- Kayaking among the islands, weather permitting
Easier option: Stay on the boat or take a bamboo rowing boat instead of a kayak.
Activity: Kayaking and swimming depend on the weather and the sea. The boat and its licensed route are confirmed by ops before each departure.
Sunrise on the bay, back to Hanoi
Lan Ha Bay to Hanoi, then a farewell dinner
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Hanoi
- Drive about 2.5 h
Morning
Get up for sunrise if the sky is clear: the light comes up behind the islands and the bay is at its stillest. There is an optional tai chi session on the top deck, then a light breakfast and a last short cruise or a visit to a cave or a floating fishing area, depending on the route. Brunch is served on board before we return to the harbour in the late morning and drive about two and a half hours back to Hanoi.
Afternoon
The afternoon is free for the shops of the Old Quarter, a last coffee on a balcony above the traffic, or rest.
Evening
In the evening we meet for a farewell dinner together, the last dinner of the trip, with your guide and the group, at a restaurant serving northern Vietnamese food.
Included
- Sunrise and a morning cruise on Lan Ha Bay
- Cave or floating fishing area visit, depending on the boat route
- Transport back to Hanoi
- Farewell dinner
Free time: Afternoon free in Hanoi
Depart from Hanoi
A free morning, then Noi Bai International Airport (HAN)
- Breakfast
- Drive about 45 min
The last day is yours, with no early start.
Morning
Breakfast at the hotel, then the morning is free until your airport transfer. Walk round Hoan Kiem Lake once more, visit the Vietnamese Women's Museum or the Hanoi Opera House area, or find a last bowl of bun cha before the lunchtime queues. If you would like more time in Vietnam, we can add hotel nights in Hanoi at the end of the trip, or arrange the north as an extension with Ninh Binh or Sapa; ask when you request to book. We drive you to Noi Bai International Airport (HAN), about 45 minutes north of the city, at the time that suits your flight home. Allow at least three hours before an international departure.
Evening
If your flight leaves late in the evening, a late checkout can be requested but is not guaranteed.
Included
- Drop-off at Noi Bai International Airport (HAN)
Free time: Morning free
- Bangkok2 nights
- Siem Reap3 nights
- Phnom Penh2 nights
- Chau Doc1 night
- Ho Chi Minh City2 nights
- Hoi An2 nights
- Hue1 night
- Hanoi2 nights
- Lan Ha Bay1 night
- Hanoi1 night
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: November to March is the dry season in Thailand, Cambodia and southern Vietnam, with warm days and the lowest humidity of the year at Angkor. The Mekong is still high in November and December, which makes the river crossing to Chau Doc at its greenest. Hue and Hoi An can have heavy rain and flooding into early December. Hanoi and Lan Ha Bay are cool, around 15 to 20 degrees, and often misty from December to February, so bring a light jacket for the north.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Travellers who want Angkor and the whole length of Vietnam in one trip without the long border bus days and sleeper trains
- First-time visitors to Southeast Asia who want someone else to handle three sets of borders, money and flights
- Anyone who wants the history of Cambodia and Vietnam explained by a guide who stays in the room
- Solo travellers who want a small group and a clear single price
Not for you if you want
- Travellers who want a beach stay; this route has none
- Anyone set on northern Thailand, Laos, Sapa or Ninh Binh, which this route does not reach
- Those who dislike early starts: two mornings begin before 5 am
- Travellers who want a slow trip: 18 days, three countries and ten bases is a full pace
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
17 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Bangkok2 nights
- Siem Reap3 nights
- Phnom Penh2 nights
- Chau Doc1 night
- Ho Chi Minh City2 nights
- Hoi An2 nights
- Hue1 night
- Hanoi2 nights
- Lan Ha Bay1 night
- Hanoi1 night
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 17 nights: 2 in Bangkok, 3 in Siem Reap, 2 in Phnom Penh, 1 in Chau Doc, 2 in Ho Chi Minh City, 2 in Hoi An, 1 in Hue, 3 in Hanoi and 1 on an overnight boat in Lan Ha Bay
- Central hotels of a 3-star-plus standard with air-conditioning and private bathrooms; we name each hotel when we confirm your dates
- A private cabin with its own bathroom on the boat
Transport
- Pick-up at Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) and drop-off at Noi Bai International Airport (HAN)
- A vehicle and driver for the group in each city and region
- Flights from Bangkok to Siem Reap, Siem Reap to Phnom Penh, Ho Chi Minh City to Da Nang and Hue to Hanoi, with airport transfers
- Speedboat up the Mekong from Phnom Penh to Chau Doc
- The overnight boat on Lan Ha Bay, the river boats in Bangkok, Phnom Penh, Chau Doc, Hoi An and Hue, and bicycles to Tra Que
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group from day 1 to day 18, including on the flights and at both borders
- Licensed local guides where a site requires them, including at Angkor
Activities
- Bangkok: Wat Pho, the Grand Palace and the Bangkok National Museum (or a canal boat on Mondays and Tuesdays)
- Siem Reap: three-day Angkor pass, Pre Rup at sunset, Angkor Wat at sunrise, Angkor Thom and the Bayon, Ta Prohm, Banteay Srei and Phare, The Cambodian Circus
- Phnom Penh: Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda, a sunset river boat, Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and Choeung Ek
- Chau Doc: Sam Mountain and a morning boat to the fish farms and a Cham village; Sa Dec on the way to Saigon
- Ho Chi Minh City: Independence Palace, the War Remnants Museum and the old centre
- Hoi An: Old Town entry, a lantern boat at dusk, a dawn walk and a Tra Que cooking class
- The Marble Mountains, the Hai Van Pass and Lang Co
- Hue: the Imperial City, a dragon boat to Thien Mu Pagoda and the tomb of Tu Duc
- Hanoi: Hoan Kiem Lake, the Temple of Literature, Ba Dinh Square and Hoa Lo Prison
- Lan Ha Bay overnight cruise with kayaking, weather permitting
- All entrance fees for included sights
Meals
- 17 breakfasts
- 10 lunches, including a packed lunch on the speedboat, the cooking class lunch and a brunch on the boat
- 7 dinners, including a welcome dinner, two street food evenings, dinner on the boat and a farewell dinner
Not included
- International flights to Bangkok and from Hanoi
- Visas and arrival cards for Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam
- Travel insurance
- Meals not listed above
- Drinks
- Tips for guides, drivers and boat crews
- Optional activities, such as the Cu Chi Tunnels, My Son and Kbal Spean
- Extra hotel nights before or after the trip
- Personal expenses
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 885 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
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Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
Prices in these answers apply from Jan 1, 2027. Black Friday offer: 15% off the small-group price for requests received by Dec 1, 2026. From CAD 3,775 per person. Dec 2 to Dec 31: from CAD 4,085. From Jan 1, 2027: from CAD 4,440.
What does the Bangkok to Hanoi trip include?
17 nights in central 3-star-plus hotels and a night on a boat in Lan Ha Bay, four flights and the Mekong speedboat, airport transfers, a vehicle and driver in each city, a See Sight Tours guide throughout, licensed guides at Angkor, every sight in the day plan with entrance fees including the Angkor pass, and 17 breakfasts, 10 lunches and 7 dinners.
How big is the group?
The small group runs with 7 to 12 guests, never more. Comparable group trips on this route take 12 to 24. With 12 or fewer, everyone fits in one vehicle and one boat, hears the guide inside museums and temples, and boards flights and borders faster.
Who leads the trip?
A See Sight Tours guide travels with your group from Bangkok to Hanoi, including on the flights and at the two borders, so you do not change leaders between countries. Licensed local guides join where a site requires them, such as the Angkor temples. We name your guide when we confirm your departure.
How fit do I need to be?
Moderately fit. Most days are walking in cities and temples, with 6 to 9 km on foot over uneven stone on the Angkor days, steep steps at Pre Rup and Angkor Wat, two starts before 5 am and a short flat bicycle ride. Every climb, ride and kayak has an easier option, and you can sit out any part.
Is there a single supplement for solo travellers?
Yes, a room of your own is from CAD 885 more, shown up front before you request to book. Solo travellers join the same trip, the same meals and the same vehicle as everyone else. If you would rather share, ask us and we will try to match you with another solo traveller of the same gender.
When is the best time to do this trip?
November to March, the dry season in Thailand, Cambodia and southern Vietnam. Hue and Hoi An can still be wet into early December, and Hanoi and Lan Ha Bay are cool and often misty from December to February. We avoid the week of Tet, the Lunar New Year, when many places in Vietnam close.
Do I need visas for Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam?
Usually two of them. Canadians and many others can enter Thailand visa-free for a tourist stay with the online arrival card. Cambodia needs an e-visa or a visa on arrival at the airport. Vietnam needs an e-visa before travel, valid for the Vinh Xuong river border. Check the rules for your passport before you book flights.
How do we cross from Cambodia into Vietnam?
By speedboat up the Mekong from Phnom Penh to Chau Doc, about five hours including the border posts at Kaam Samnor and Vinh Xuong. Your guide helps with the forms. It replaces the road crossing at Bavet most trips use, and the river is the more interesting way into the Mekong Delta.
Why fly instead of taking buses and sleeper trains?
Because the long road and rail legs are what travellers on this route complain about most. Four flights of one to two hours each replace a road day from Bangkok to Siem Reap, six hours from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh, and the sleeper trains up the coast of Vietnam, so the time goes to the places instead.
How does booking work?
Choose a start date and request to book. We check availability and provide the final quote, itinerary and booking terms before you accept. No payment is taken when you send the request. Prices are per person sharing a room, with taxes: small group from CAD 4,440 and private from CAD 7,990.
Can I do this trip on my own dates?
Yes. The private style is for your party only, on a date you choose, from CAD 7,990 per person. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask us from the dates section and we will quote the same hotels, flights, boats and guided days for you.
Are the Killing Fields and the war museums suitable for everyone?
They are distressing, with graphic photographs and, at Choeung Ek, human remains, so they are not suitable for young children. They are included because they explain the countries you are travelling through. Your guide stays with you inside, and anyone can wait in the gardens instead without missing the rest of the day.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
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