5/5
Vietnam and Cambodia with Angkor
15 days from Hanoi to Siem Reap: a night on Ha Long Bay, Hue, three nights in Hoi An, the Mekong Delta, Phnom Penh and two Angkor sunrises.
15 days · Hanoi to Siem Reap · up to 12 guests
Sunrise at Angkor Wat Photo: Martaapue, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Angkor_Wat_in_Cambodia.jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 15 days, 14 nights
- Start and end
- Hanoi to Siem Reap
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Activity level
Moderate
You are happy with 2 to 4 hours on your feet most days, on uneven temple stone and steep steps, in warm weather, with four early starts and a rest in the middle of the hottest days.
- Meals included
- 14 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 5 dinners
- Room of your own
- + CAD 750
- Season
- January to March
Highlights
Why this trip
- A night on a cruise boat among the karsts of Ha Long and Lan Ha bays, with sunrise from the top deck
- Hue's Imperial City as it opens, then the Perfume River by dragon boat
- Three nights in Hoi An: My Son at opening time, the old town at 7 am and lanterns on the Thu Bon at dusk
- Fly from Saigon to Phnom Penh instead of a 10 hour bus and border day
- Angkor timed for light and crowds: Srah Srang and Ta Prohm at opening, Angkor Wat sunrise from the quieter pool, the Bayon in the afternoon
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 750.
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 Hanoi
Noi Bai airport to the Old Quarter
- Stay in Hanoi
- Drive about 1 h
Your trip starts at Noi Bai International Airport (HAN), about 30 km north of the city. We meet you in the arrivals hall and drive you to your 4-star hotel on the edge of the Old Quarter, your base for two nights. Hanoi has been a capital, on and off, for about a thousand years, and the Old Quarter still keeps its tangle of narrow streets named after the trades once practised on them, from silk and silver to paper offerings. The rest of the day is yours. Walk to Hoan Kiem Lake, sit with an iced coffee on a low plastic stool and watch the motorbikes flow past, or simply sleep off the flight.
Evening
In the evening your trip leader meets the group for a short welcome briefing, so you know what each morning of the next fifteen days holds before it arrives.
Included
- Pick-up at Noi Bai International Airport (HAN)
- Welcome briefing with your trip leader
Free time: Rest of the day free
Hanoi
Hoan Kiem Lake at dawn, the Temple of Literature and the Old Quarter
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Hanoi

Early risers can join your trip leader at Hoan Kiem Lake soon after six, when Hanoi exercises in public: tai chi, ballroom dancing and badminton along the shore before the traffic builds.
Morning
Cross the red The Huc Bridge to Ngoc Son Temple on its island, then go back to the hotel for breakfast. Mid-morning we visit the Temple of Literature, founded in 1070 and home to the Imperial Academy, Vietnam's first university, where stone turtles carry the names of scholars who passed the royal exams. Ba Dinh Square, the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum seen from outside and the small One Pillar Pagoda follow.
Afternoon
The afternoon is free for a nap or a museum. Late in the day you watch a water puppet show at the Thang Long theatre by the lake, an art that began in the flooded rice fields of the Red River Delta.
Evening
Then your trip leader walks you through the Old Quarter for dinner from street kitchens: bun cha, banh cuon and, to finish, an egg coffee.
Included
- Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son Temple at dawn
- Temple of Literature
- Ba Dinh Square and the One Pillar Pagoda
- Water puppet show at the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre
- Street food walk in the Old Quarter
Free time: Afternoon free
Activity: The dawn walk is optional; breakfast is after it.
A night on Ha Long and Lan Ha bays
Hanoi to the coast, then on board for the night
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Ha Long Bay
- Drive about 3 h

Evening
After breakfast we drive east on the expressway to the coast, about two and a half to three hours with a rest stop, and board a cabin cruiser for one night on the water. Ha Long Bay and the neighbouring Cat Ba archipelago, of which Lan Ha Bay is part, were listed together by UNESCO in 2023: close to two thousand limestone islands and pillars rising straight out of green water. Our route spends most of its time in Lan Ha, where fewer boats sail than in the busiest lanes of central Ha Long. Lunch is served as the boat leaves harbour. In the afternoon you paddle a kayak or ride a rowed bamboo boat between the karsts and into a sheltered lagoon. In our January to March season the water is cool and the bay is often wrapped in soft mist, which layers the islands one behind another like an ink painting. Sunset is on the top deck, then dinner on board.
Included
- Overnight cruise on Ha Long and Lan Ha bays
- Kayak or bamboo boat among the karsts
- Sunset on the top deck
Easier option: Stay on the bamboo boat instead of the kayak.
Sunrise on the bay, fly to Hue
Back to harbour, Noi Bai airport, flight to Hue
- Breakfast
- Stay in Hue
- Drive about 3 h
Morning
The bay is at its quietest before the day boats arrive from the harbours, so set an alarm for sunrise, between six and half past six in our season, and take your coffee to the top deck while the first light picks out the karsts. Many boats also offer a gentle tai chi session on deck.
Afternoon
After brunch the boat sails back and we drive to Noi Bai airport for an afternoon flight south to Hue, about an hour and ten minutes in the air. This is the long travel day of the trip, but every hour of it is seated, and the flight replaces the overnight sleeper train and long road transfers some trips use to cover the same distance. We meet you at Phu Bai airport, a short drive from Hue, and take you to your hotel near the Perfume River for two nights.
Evening
Dinner tonight is your own, close to the hotel, and you can sleep in tomorrow until breakfast.
Included
- Sunrise from the top deck
- Flight from Hanoi (HAN) to Hue (HUI)
- Transfers to Noi Bai airport and from Phu Bai airport
Free time: Evening free
Activity: The longest travel day: about 3 hours by road and a 1 hour flight.
Hue
The Imperial City, the Perfume River and the royal tombs
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Hue
- By boat

Hue was the capital of Vietnam's last royal dynasty, the Nguyen, from 1802 to 1945, and its monuments are a UNESCO World Heritage site. We enter the Imperial City soon after it opens, when the courtyards are cool and nearly empty, through the Meridian Gate where emperors appeared before their court. Inside are the Thai Hoa Palace, restored temples and gardens, and the ground of the Forbidden Purple City, largely destroyed in the wars of the twentieth century and now being rebuilt hall by hall. A dragon boat carries you upriver on the Perfume River to Thien Mu Pagoda, whose seven-storey Phuoc Duyen tower has looked over the water since 1844.
Afternoon
After lunch together we visit two royal tombs that could not be more different: Tu Duc's lakeside garden of pavilions and frangipani, and the hillside tomb of Khai Dinh, finished in 1931, its inner hall covered in glass and porcelain mosaics. The late afternoon is free.
Included
- Imperial City at opening time
- Dragon boat on the Perfume River
- Thien Mu Pagoda
- Tomb of Tu Duc
- Tomb of Khai Dinh
Free time: Late afternoon free
Over the Hai Van Pass to Hoi An
Hue to Hoi An by the coast road and the pass
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Hoi An
- Drive about 4 h
No early start today.
Morning
After a slow breakfast we drive south along the coast, about four hours with stops, taking the old road over the mountain rather than the tunnel most traffic now uses.
Afternoon
The first stop is Lang Co, a fishing town on a strip of sand between a lagoon and the sea, where we eat a seafood lunch together. Then the road climbs the Hai Van Pass, the pass of sea clouds, which crosses a spur of the Truong Son range where it runs down into the sea. At the top, close to 500 metres up, stand the ruins of an old gate and wartime bunkers, with views back over Lang Co and south over the curve of Da Nang Bay. The mountains also split Vietnam's weather, so the southern side is often clearer and warmer. We roll down through Da Nang to Hoi An and check in for three nights.
Evening
In the evening your trip leader walks you into the old town to get your bearings.
Included
- Lang Co
- Hai Van Pass
- Evening orientation walk in Hoi An
Activity: About 4 hours on the road, split by Lang Co and the pass.
My Son and the Thu Bon at dusk
My Son Sanctuary in the morning, the river at lantern time
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Hoi An
- Drive about 2 h

Afternoon
We leave at half past six for My Son Sanctuary, about an hour inland in a jungle valley below Cat's Tooth mountain, to arrive close to opening time, ahead of the tour coaches and the midday heat. Between the 4th and 13th centuries the Cham kings built brick temples here to the Hindu god Shiva, and the towers that survive still show fine carvings cut into bricks fitted so tightly the joints barely show. Many were damaged by bombing in 1969, and the craters remain among the ruins. We are back in Hoi An before noon. The afternoon is free: a tailor fitting, a swim at An Bang beach or a long lunch.
Evening
At dusk we board a wooden boat on the Thu Bon River as the lanterns of the old town come on along the waterfront, and you can set a paper lantern on the water. Dinner together follows in the old town, a chance to try cao lau, the noodle dish Hoi An claims as its own.
Included
- My Son Sanctuary at opening time
- Boat on the Thu Bon River at dusk
Free time: Afternoon free
Hoi An at first light
The old town at 7 am, then a free day
- Breakfast
- Stay in Hoi An

Hoi An's old town is a UNESCO site because it kept the shape of a Southeast Asian trading port of the 15th to 19th centuries, with Chinese assembly halls, Japanese and Vietnamese merchant houses and quays along the river.
Morning
By mid-morning it fills with visitors, so we walk at seven, when the yellow walls are empty, the light is soft and shopkeepers are still setting out. Your old town ticket covers the entries: the Japanese Covered Bridge, reopened in 2024 after a careful restoration, an old merchant house such as Tan Ky, and the Fujian Assembly Hall with its hanging incense coils. The central market is busy with morning trade, and we stop for a banh mi before we part. After that the day is yours. Hire a bicycle and ride out through the rice fields to Tra Que vegetable village, read by the pool, or go back to the tailor. This is a deliberate free day in the middle of the trip.
Included
- Early morning walk in the old town
- Old town ticket: Japanese Covered Bridge, a merchant house and the Fujian Assembly Hall
- Central market
Free time: Free from late morning
Fly to Ho Chi Minh City
Da Nang to Saigon by air, then the city's recent history
- Breakfast
- Stay in Ho Chi Minh City
- Drive about 1 h
Morning
A relaxed morning in Hoi An, then a transfer of about 45 minutes to Da Nang airport and a flight south of about an hour and twenty minutes to Ho Chi Minh City, which most people here still call Saigon. After you check in, your trip leader takes you through the city's recent history. The War Remnants Museum tells the story of the American War from the Vietnamese side, with photographs taken by journalists from many countries; it is hard going in places, and you can step out at any time. The Independence Palace, also called the Reunification Palace, is kept much as it was when a tank broke through its gates on 30 April 1975, down to the command bunker in the basement. A short walk passes the French-era Central Post Office and the red-brick Notre-Dame Cathedral, under restoration in recent years.
Evening
The evening is free: a rooftop bar, Ben Thanh market or an early night before the Mekong.
Included
- Flight from Da Nang (DAD) to Ho Chi Minh City (SGN), with transfers
- War Remnants Museum
- Independence Palace
- Walk past the Central Post Office and Notre-Dame Cathedral
Free time: Evening free
The Mekong Delta
A day in Ben Tre by boat, sampan and bicycle
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Ho Chi Minh City
- Drive about 4 h
We drive south to Ben Tre province, about two hours, crossing the bridges over branches of the Mekong where the river splits into its delta. Ben Tre is coconut country, laced with narrow channels under nipa palms, and we see it at the pace of the people who live there. A motorboat takes you along the wide river, and then a small sampan, rowed by a local boatwoman, slips into canals too narrow for engines. On land you ride bicycles along quiet village paths, past fruit orchards, coconut yards and family workshops, with the vehicle following for anyone who would rather walk part of the way.
Afternoon
Lunch is a home-style meal in a garden restaurant: elephant ear fish wrapped in rice paper with herbs, then fresh fruit from the orchards around you. There are no shopping stops built into our day.
Evening
We are back in Ho Chi Minh City by late afternoon, with the evening free for one more bowl of pho.
Included
- Motorboat on the Mekong
- Rowed sampan through the coconut canals
- Bicycle ride through Ben Tre villages
Easier option: Ride in the vehicle instead of cycling.
Free time: Evening free
Fly to Phnom Penh
Saigon to Phnom Penh by air, the Royal Palace and a sunset boat
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Phnom Penh
- Drive about 1 h

Morning
A morning flight of about an hour takes you across the border to Phnom Penh, in place of the long public bus and land crossing that other trips spend most of a day on.
Afternoon
After lunch on your own near the river, we visit the Royal Palace, home of Cambodia's king, built from the 1860s when the capital moved here, as it reopens after the midday break. The Throne Hall's golden roofs rise above the gardens, and in the Silver Pagoda next door the floor is laid with more than five thousand silver tiles beneath an emerald Buddha. Late in the afternoon we board a boat on the Tonle Sap and sail to where it meets the Mekong, watching the sun go down behind the riverfront and the palace spires.
Evening
Dinner tonight is at a restaurant that trains young Cambodians for careers in hospitality, then back to your hotel close to the riverside.
Included
- Flight from Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) to Phnom Penh (PNH), with transfers
- Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda
- Sunset boat at the meeting of the Tonle Sap and the Mekong
Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek, then Siem Reap
Phnom Penh's memorials, a short flight and a free afternoon
- Breakfast
- Stay in Siem Reap
- Drive about 2 h
Morning
This morning is the hardest and most important of the trip, and we give it the time it needs. Tuol Sleng, a former high school in the city, became the Khmer Rouge prison known as S-21, where thousands of Cambodians were held and interrogated between 1975 and 1979 and very few survived. It is now the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. Choeung Ek, about 15 km south, is where most of them were killed; a memorial stupa holds the skulls recovered from the mass graves. An audio guide lets you walk both sites quietly at your own pace, and your trip leader is there for questions.
Afternoon
After lunch we fly to Siem Reap, under an hour, landing at Siem Reap Angkor International Airport, which opened in 2023 about an hour's drive from town.
Evening
The rest of the day is a planned rest after a week and a half on the move: the hotel pool, a massage or an early night before Angkor.
Included
- Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S-21)
- Choeung Ek Genocidal Center
- Flight from Phnom Penh (PNH) to Siem Reap (SAI), with transfers
Free time: Afternoon free to rest
Angkor: Srah Srang, Ta Prohm and the Tonle Sap
A quiet sunrise, Ta Prohm at opening and a lake sunset
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Siem Reap
- Drive about 2 h

Morning
Our first Angkor sunrise avoids the crowd at Angkor Wat. We leave at about a quarter to five with your licensed Angkor guide and watch the sky colour over Srah Srang, the royal bathing pool, whose still water doubles the light; on some mornings your guide may choose Pre Rup instead, a temple mountain with views across the forest. Both open at five and draw a fraction of Angkor Wat's numbers. At half past seven we walk into Ta Prohm as it opens, before the coaches, when soft light falls on the silk-cotton and strangler fig roots prising its galleries apart. Banteay Kdei, across the road, stays quiet even in busy weeks.
Afternoon
We are back for lunch together and the hottest hours at the hotel.
Evening
In the late afternoon we drive to Kampong Phluk, a village of houses on tall stilts, and take a boat out along its channels to the open Tonle Sap lake for sunset, water levels permitting.
Included
- Angkor 3-day pass
- Sunrise at Srah Srang or Pre Rup
- Ta Prohm at opening time
- Banteay Kdei
- Boat at Kampong Phluk and sunset on the Tonle Sap
Easier option: Skip the sunrise and join the group at Ta Prohm at 7:30.
Free time: Midday rest at the hotel
Activity: Late in the dry season the lake can be too low for boats at Kampong Phluk; we then go to another lake village.
Angkor Wat at sunrise, the Bayon after lunch
Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and a farewell night
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Siem Reap

Today is Angkor Wat. We are at the moat by five, when the site opens, and instead of joining the crowd at the famous left-hand reflecting pool, your guide takes you to the quieter pool on the right, where the towers stand against the brightening sky with far fewer people around you. Angkor Wat, built in the early 12th century for King Suryavarman II and dedicated to Vishnu, is the largest religious monument in the world.
Morning
Once the sun is up most visitors leave for breakfast, and that is when we go in: the long galleries of bas-reliefs, including the Churning of the Ocean of Milk, and the steep stairs to the upper level when it is open. Breakfast and a rest at the hotel follow.
Afternoon
After lunch we enter Angkor Thom through the South Gate to the Bayon, its towers carved with more than two hundred calm stone faces, quieter in the afternoon.
Evening
Tonight is our farewell: dinner together and seats at Phare, the Cambodian Circus.
Included
- Angkor Wat at sunrise
- Angkor Wat galleries and bas-reliefs
- Angkor Thom South Gate and the Bayon
- Phare, the Cambodian Circus
Free time: Late morning rest at the hotel
Activity: The upper level of Angkor Wat closes on Buddhist holy days; shoulders and knees must be covered.
Depart from Siem Reap
A free morning, then the airport
- Breakfast
- Drive about 1 h
Morning
A morning with no alarm. Your Angkor pass is valid for three separate days within ten, and we have used two, so you can go back to the temples on your own: a tuk-tuk to Banteay Srei, the small pink sandstone temple about 35 km north with the finest carving at Angkor, or a slow second look at the Bayon.
Afternoon
Or stay in town, walk through the Old Market by the Siem Reap River, have a last swim and a Khmer amok curry for lunch. Your trip leader can help plan whichever you choose. At the time that suits your flight we drive you to Siem Reap Angkor International Airport (SAI), about an hour from town, for your flight home or onward. The trip ends here, in Cambodia, so there is no long drive into Thailand. If you would like more time, we can add nights in Siem Reap or a few days on the coast before you fly.
Included
- Drop-off at Siem Reap Angkor International Airport (SAI)
Free time: Morning free
- Hanoi2 nights
- Ha Long Bay1 night
- Hue2 nights
- Hoi An3 nights
- Ho Chi Minh City2 nights
- Phnom Penh1 night
- Siem Reap3 nights
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: January to March is the season. Hanoi and Ha Long are cool and often misty in January and February, so pack a warm layer for the boat; swimming in the bay is for warmer months. Hue and Hoi An are past their autumn rains and get drier and warmer through March. Saigon, the Mekong and Cambodia are dry and hot, with heat building at Angkor from March. Tet, the Lunar New Year in late January or February, closes many shops for several days.
Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- A first trip to Vietnam and Cambodia with the travel handled
- Early risers who want Angkor without the crowd
- Travellers who would rather fly than spend a day on a bus
Not for you if you want
- Travellers who want beach time built in
- Anyone who wants to avoid hard history: the war and genocide sites are part of the trip
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
14 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Hanoi2 nights
- Ha Long Bay1 night
- Hue2 nights
- Hoi An3 nights
- Ho Chi Minh City2 nights
- Phnom Penh1 night
- Siem Reap3 nights
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 14 nights: 13 in central 4-star hotels in Hanoi, Hue, Hoi An, Ho Chi Minh City, Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, and 1 night in a cabin on an overnight cruise on Ha Long and Lan Ha bays
Transport
- Pick-up at Hanoi Noi Bai airport (HAN) and drop-off at Siem Reap Angkor airport (SAI)
- Flights from Hanoi to Hue, Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh and Phnom Penh to Siem Reap
- A private vehicle and driver for the group in each city and between Hue and Hoi An
- Boats on the Perfume River, the Thu Bon, the Mekong, the Tonle Sap at Phnom Penh and at Kampong Phluk
Your guide
- A trained See Sight Tours trip leader with the group from Hanoi to Siem Reap
- Licensed local guides at the major sites, including Angkor
Activities
- Entry to every site in the day plan, including the Temple of Literature, the Imperial City and royal tombs of Hue, My Son, the Hoi An old town ticket, the War Remnants Museum, the Independence Palace, the Royal Palace, Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek
- Angkor 3-day pass, with sunrises at Srah Srang or Pre Rup and at Angkor Wat
- Water puppet show in Hanoi
- Kayak or bamboo boat on Lan Ha Bay
- Sampan and bicycles in Ben Tre
- Phare, the Cambodian Circus in Siem Reap
Meals
- All 14 breakfasts
- 5 lunches: on the cruise, in Hue, at Lang Co, in Ben Tre and in Siem Reap
- 5 dinners: the Hanoi street food walk, on the cruise, in Hoi An, in Phnom Penh and a farewell dinner in Siem Reap
Not included
- International flights to Hanoi and from Siem Reap
- Visas for Vietnam and Cambodia
- Travel insurance
- Lunches and dinners not listed
- Drinks
- Tips
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 750
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We confirm your departure within 24 hours.
Want your own dates? We can book the same 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 confirmation.
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
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
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Good to know
Questions
What does the trip include?
14 nights in central 4-star hotels and a cruise cabin, four flights within the trip, a private vehicle and driver, a See Sight Tours trip leader throughout with licensed local guides at the sites, every entry in the day plan including the Angkor pass, 14 breakfasts, 5 lunches and 5 dinners.
How do we get between the cities?
By air for the long legs: Hanoi to Hue, Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh and Phnom Penh to Siem Reap. Our own vehicle and driver cover the rest. No single drive is longer than about 3 hours, and the Hai Van Pass day is split by stops at Lang Co and the summit.
Which airports do I fly into and out of?
Fly into Hanoi Noi Bai (HAN), where we pick you up. Fly home from Siem Reap Angkor International (SAI), about an hour from town; we drop you there on day 15. International flights are not included.
How early are the starts at Angkor?
Two of the three Angkor days start at about a quarter to five, for sunrise at Srah Srang or Pre Rup and then at Angkor Wat, each followed by a rest at the hotel in the heat of the day. The Bayon is in the afternoon, when it is quieter, and the last morning is free.
When is the best time to go?
January to March. Central Vietnam is past its autumn rains, Cambodia is dry, and Angkor is not yet at its hottest. Hanoi and the bay can be cool and misty in January and February. We avoid the week of Tet, the Lunar New Year.
Do I need visas?
Most visitors, including Canadians, need a visa for Vietnam and for Cambodia. Vietnam issues e-visas online; Cambodia offers an e-visa or a visa on arrival. Check the current rules for your passport well before you travel.
How big is the group?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests.
Can we travel privately or on our own?
Yes. Besides the small group, the trip comes as a private trip for your party only, on a date you choose. If you would rather travel on your own on your own dates, ask us from the dates section: we can book the same hotels, flights, transfers and guided visits for you.
How much does it cost?
Prices are per person sharing a room, with taxes, and differ by style: small group or private. The small group starts from CAD 2,935 per person, and a room of your own is from CAD 750 more. Pick your start date when you request to book, and we confirm your trip within 24 hours. Nothing is charged until then.