10 day Vietnam – Cambodia Holiday Package

Day 1: Arrival in Ho Chi Minh City (D)

Our driver will meet you on arrival at  Tan San Nhat airport and transfer you to your hotel in district 1. The rest of the day is free and you can relax or explore the area around your hotel.

Overnight stay in HCMC

Day 2: Ho Chi Minh – Cu Chi tunnels (B/L)

Soak up cultural delights of bustling Ho Chi Minh City on your full day adventure. Ramble though the streets of Chinatown and discover the real Ho Chi Minh City, from its traumatic past to its beautiful French-colonial architecture and discover the cultural heart and hidden treasures that dot this busy city.

08:00: You will be picked from your hotel and travel out of Ho Chi Minh city to visit the famous Vietcong tunnels at Cu Chi. This incredible system, covering nearly 250km, was shelter to over 16,000 communist guerillas during the American war. You will gain an insight into the tenacity of the soldiers and have the opportunity to go inside the tunnels.

Lunch will be in HCMC and once you finish lunch you visit the haunting but very interesting War Remnants Museum and take a walking tour to Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral, General Post office, Opera house and downtown Saigon. The War Remnants Museum was originally opened in September 1975; it displays items from the American War. In the courtyard there are some larger exhibits including a F5A fighter and a UH1-Huey helicopter. The Reunification Palace, formerly known as the Presidential Palace was the sight of South Vietnam’s surrender in April 1975. Notre Dame Cathedral, General Post Office and the Opera House are beautiful examples of architecture from the French colonial period.

The trip is designed to give you an insight into the history, culture and the daily life activities of the locals in Ho Chi Minh City.

Return to your hotel at approximately 16:30 and overnight stay at the Hotel.

Overnight stay in the hotel in HCMC.

Day 03: HCMC – Ben Tre – Can Tho (B/L/D)

07:30 – Check out and transport will pick you up from your hotel and you will leave Ho Chi Minh city and start your scenic journey along the National Highway toward My Tho.

On arrival at My Tho and visit Vinh Trang Pagoda. Built in 1849, the Vinh Trang Pagoda is located in a large garden in My Tho City. The pagoda is a blend of Asian and European styles of architecture which together create the beautiful but simple features of the pagoda.

Next you will take a leisurely boat ride on the river and view stilt houses, fruit plantations and fishing villages situated on the river bank. Continue on to Tortoise islet where lunch will be served in an orchard garden.

After your delicious lunch, you will take a boat ride to An Khanh and enjoy relaxing on a hand-rowed sampan on the shaded waters while you travel along the natural canals. You will also have the opportunity to enjoy seasonal fruit & honey tea while listening to “Southern Vietnamese folk music” performed by locals.

Visit a small family business and taste their delicious coconut candy which is a specialty of the region & observe the local life style as you roam through fruit plantations and the surrounding area.

Continue on to Can Tho and check into the hotel and enjoy some free time to visit the bustling Can Tho market. Overnight in Can Tho.

Day 04: Can Tho – Cai Rang Floating Market – Chau Doc (B/L)

05:30-06:00: Driver will meet you at the hotel and transfer you by bus to the wharf where you will board a motor boat for a leisurely trip through the tributaries of the lower Mekong to visit Cai Rang floating market.

Cai Rang is one of the 3 biggest floating markets in the delta region and you will see hundreds of boats, packed with local mangoes, bananas, papaya and pineapple as well as many other items for sale.

Then take a ride in the motorboat along small leafy creeks to a village where you can walk around and meet with the friendly locals. For the brave visitors, you can learn how to cross a Monkey bridge which is built by using bamboo and ropes.

12:00: Visit an orchard garden where you will stop for lunch.

After a delicious lunch you will proceed along the scenic canals and calm waters to visit Tra Su Bird Sanctuary before arriving in Chau Doc.

If time permitting on the way to Chau Doc, you may also visit Sam Mountain which is the highest mountain in the Mekong.

17:30: Overnight stay in Chau Doc.

Day 05: Chau Doc – Phnom Penh (B)

07:00: Driver will meet you at the hotel and transfer you to the wharf where you will board your air conditioned speedboat to Phnom Penh.

The boat will stop at the border for people to arrange visas before entering Cambodia.

13:00 : Arrive in Phnom Penh and check into your hotel.

Day 6: Killing Fields – Tuol Sleng Museum – Russian Markets (B/L)

08:00 – Your guide will meet you at your hotel and you will drive approx 15 km south to the killing fields of Choeung Ek. In the short period between 1975 & 1978 approximately 17.000 men, women and children were detained and tortured at the notorious S-21 prison and transported to the extermination camp of Choeung Ek. Prisoners were often bludgeoned to death to avoid the cost of bullets and fragments of human bone are scattered around the area. Over 8000 skulls arranged by sex and age, are visible behind the clear glass panels of the Memorial which was built in 1988.

After lunch in a local restaurant, you will return to Phnom Penh and visit the Notorious Tuol Sleng Museum. In 1975, Tuol Svay Prey High School was taken over by Pol Pot’s security forces and became the infamous S-21 prison. S-21 became the largest detention centre and torture facility in the country where more than 17.000 people were held prior to being executed. Some detainees who died during torture were buried in mass graves in the prison grounds. Covering the walls of the museum from floor to ceiling are photographs of men, women and children and unfortunately, virtually all the people pictured were killed by the security forces.

Next is a vist to the Russian Market which is one of the premier shopping destinations in the Cambodian capital. Known as Psar Tuol Tom Pong, it earned its nickname in the 1980s, when Russians were the only tourists in Cambodia. You will find a wide range of goods on sale and is a great place to shop for your souvenirs

1700h: Return to your hotel and overnight in Phnom Penh.

Day 7: Phnom Penh – Siem Reap (B)

09:00: Your driver will meet you at the hotel and you will depart on your road journey to Siem Reap in a private air conditioned vehicle.

15:00: Arrive in Siem Reap and check in to your hotel. Overnight stay in Siem Reap.

Day 8: Siem Reap – Angkor Wat Temple (B/L)

07:30: After breakfast your English speaking guide will meet you at your hotel and you will leave to visit the most famous of all the temples on the plain of Angkor, Angkor Wat.

The temple complex covers 81 hectares and is comparable in size to the Imperial Palace in Beijing. Its distinctive five towers are emblazoned on the Cambodian flag and the 12th century masterpiece is considered by art historians, to be the prime example of classical Khmer art and architecture. Angkor Wat’s five towers symbolize Meru’s five peaks and the enclosed wall represents the mountains at the edge of the world. The surrounding moat is to represent the ocean beyond.

Lunch at local restaurant and in the afternoon and visit the ancient capital of Angkor Thom (12th century). See the South Gate with its huge statues depicting the churning of the ocean of milk, the Royal Enclosure, Phimeanakas, the Elephants Terrace, the Terrace of the Leper King and Bayon Temple (unique for its 54 towers decorated with over 200 smiling faces of Avolokitesvara). Dinner is at a local restaurant where you will be entertained with a traditional Khmer folk performance of Apsara.

Overnight stay in Siem Reap

Day 09: Siem Reap – Prasat Kravan – Srah Srang (B/L)

08:30: Start your city tour by visiting Ta Prohm, one of the area’s most beautiful temples and Neak Pean, a fountain built in the middle of a pool representing a Himalayan mountain-lake which is a paradise. You will also visit Ta Som, built in late 12th century is the most distant temple on the grand circuit an. Preah Khan temple, Built by the King Jayavarman VII.

After lunch you will visit the unique interior brick sculptures of Prasat Kravan, Srah Srang (“The Royal Baths” was once used for ritual bathing), Banteay Kdei (surrounded by 4 concentric walls) and Ta Keo, constructed in late 10th early 11th century

Stay overnight at hotel in Siem Reap.

Day 10: Departure (B)

Time for some last minute shopping or simply relax until your driver comes to transfer you to the airport for your departure.