Day 1: Arrival in Hanoi – Welcome to North Vietnam
Upon arrival at Noi Bai International Airport, you will meet our local tour guide and driver before transferring to your hotel in central Hanoi. After checking-in, you will take time to rest and recover from your flight.
Depending on your arrival time, you may begin exploring the nearby Old Quarter at your own pace. Its narrow streets are filled with traditional shops, local cafés, family-run restaurants, and colonial-era houses. Here, you can also walk around Hoan Kiem Lake, a peaceful landmark at the heart of the capital.
The remainder of the day is free for relaxation or an optional introduction to Hanoi’s street-food culture.
Meals: None
Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi
Day 2: Hanoi Cultural and Historical Discovery
After enjoying breakfast, you will begin a guided tour of Hanoi’s most significant landmarks. Firstly, you will visit the Ho Chi Minh Complex, where you can view the exterior of the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and learn about the life of Vietnam’s revolutionary leader. Then, you will continue to visit the traditional stilt house and the elegant One Pillar Pagoda.
Your next stop is the Temple of Literature, founded in 1070 and regarded as Vietnam’s first national university. Its courtyards, gardens, ancient gateways, and stone stelae provide an excellent introduction to the country’s Confucian heritage.
After having lunch, you will visit the area surrounding Hoan Kiem Lake and cross the red-painted The Huc Bridge to Ngoc Son Temple. Besides, you will continue traveling through the Old Quarter by foot or traditional cyclo, observing its lively trading streets and historic architecture.
Concluding the day with a traditional water puppet show, an art form originating in the rural villages of northern Vietnam.
Meals: Breakfast and lunch
Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi
Day 3: Hanoi – Hoa Lu – Trang An – Hanoi
In the morning, you will enjoy breakfast at the hotel before traveling south through the Red River Delta to Ninh Binh. Along the way, you will admire rural scenery characterized by rice paddies, villages, rivers, and limestone mountains.
Then, visiting Hoa Lu, Vietnam’s ancient capital during the Dinh and Early Le dynasties in the 10th and 11th centuries. From here, you can explore temples dedicated to Kings Dinh Tien Hoang and Le Dai Hanh while learning about the establishment of an independent Vietnamese state.
After having lunch at a local restaurant, you will proceed to the UNESCO-listed Trang An Landscape Complex. Afterward, you will board a traditional sampan rowed by a local boatperson and glide along calm waterways bordered by towering limestone cliffs. The route passes through natural caves, green valleys, and secluded temple sites.
Returning to Hanoi in the late afternoon and enjoy the evening at leisure.
Meals: Breakfast and lunch
Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi
Day 4: Hanoi – Halong Bay Cruise – Hanoi
After an early breakfast, you will depart for Halong Bay, one of Vietnam’s most celebrated natural destinations. Upon arrival, you will board a comfortable day cruise and begin sailing through a spectacular seascape of limestone islands and emerald waters.
Next, you will enjoy lunch on board while the vessel travels deeper into the bay. Depending on the selected cruise route and weather conditions, activities may include visiting a limestone cave, kayaking through a peaceful lagoon. Or taking a traditional bamboo boat ride.
Then, you will spend time on the sundeck enjoying panoramic views of the bay’s remarkable karst formations. In the late afternoon, you will disembark and return to Hanoi by road.
Arrive at your hotel in the evening and relax after a rewarding day on the water.
Meals: Breakfast and lunch
Accommodation: Hotel in Hanoi
Day 5: Hanoi – Flight to Siem Reap, Cambodia
In the morning, you will have breakfast at the hotel and enjoy free time until your scheduled transfer to Noi Bai International Airport. Then, boarding your flight from Hanoi to Siem Reap, the cultural gateway to Cambodia’s Angkor Archaeological Park.
Upon arrival, you will complete immigration formalities and meet our Cambodian tour guide. They will transfer to your hotel for check-in and relaxation.
If time permits, you will explore Siem Reap independently. You may visit the Old Market, browse stalls at the night market, walk along the riverside. Or discovering the restaurants and cafés around Pub Street. Traditional Khmer cuisine and an optional Apsara dance performance can be arranged for the evening.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel in Siem Reap
Day 6: Angkor Wat – Angkor Thom – Bayon – Ta Prohm
You will wake up early for an optional sunrise experience at Angkor Wat, when the temple’s iconic towers are reflected in the surrounding pools. Then, returning to the hotel for breakfast or enjoy a packed breakfast arranged in advance.
Next, you will begin your full-day exploration at Angkor Wat, the largest religious monument in the world and the architectural masterpiece of the Khmer Empire. Walking through its galleries to admire extensive bas-reliefs depicting mythology, royal processions, and historical battles.
Afterward, you continue to visit the ancient city of Angkor Thom through its impressive South Gate. Inside, you visit Bayon Temple, famous for its towers decorated with serene stone faces. Exploring the Terrace of the Elephants and the Terrace of the Leper King, once part of the royal ceremonial complex.
In the afternoon, you will discover Ta Prohm, where enormous tree roots intertwine with moss-covered walls and temple corridors. Its evocative combination of architecture and jungle makes it one of Angkor’s most memorable monuments.
Returning to Siem Reap in the late afternoon.
Meals: Breakfast and lunch
Accommodation: Hotel in Siem Reap
Day 7: Banteay Srei – Cambodian Countryside – Tonle Sap Lake
After having breakfast, you will travel through the Cambodian countryside to Banteay Srei. Constructed from pink sandstone, this elegant temple is celebrated for its exceptionally detailed carvings of Hindu deities, floral patterns, and scenes from ancient mythology.
Along the way, you can observe rural villages, rice fields, palm trees, and traditional wooden houses. Subject to local conditions, stop at a village to learn about palm sugar production or other traditional livelihoods.
In the afternoon, you will continue traveling to Tonle Sap Lake, Southeast Asia’s largest freshwater lake. Boarding a local boat to explore a floating or stilt-house community, selected according to the season and water level. Here, you can see how residents have adapted their homes, schools, shops, and daily activities to the lake’s changing environment.
Returning to Siem Reap and enjoy your final evening at leisure.
Meals: Breakfast and lunch
Accommodation: Hotel in Siem Reap
Day 8: Siem Reap Departure
In the morning, you will enjoy your final breakfast at the hotel. This morning is free for relaxation, last-minute shopping, or an optional visit to a local market, depending on your flight schedule.
At the appropriate time, you will meet our driver for the transfer to Siem Reap–Angkor International Airport. Completing departure procedures and board your onward flight, concluding your eight-day exploration of northern Vietnam and Cambodia.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: None
Note: The order of visits may be adjusted according to flight schedules, seasonal water levels, weather, local operating conditions, and the official opening times of attractions.