Internationale groepsreis Vietnam & Angkor- Premium Adventure

The capital of Vietnam, Hanoi, is ready to welcome you when you arrive. Get acclimatised and familiarise yourself with the city by wandering the tree-lined avenues.There will be a group welcome meeting this evening with your expert leader followed by an included welcome dinner at KOTO (Know One, Teach One), a well-established training restaurant for disadvantaged youths where you'll be served a blend of Vietnamese and South-East Asian foods.Premium accommodation: The Q Hotel, Hanoi (4 star)

This morning enjoy a sightseeing tour of the city that includes a visit to the Temple of Literature; the site of the oldest university in Vietnam with over 2000 graduates, Hoa Lo Prison & the Old Quarter of the city. Afterwards, we'll visit the famous Bun Cha Huong Lien to try bun cha for lunch; a local speciality dish of noodles, broth and meat served alongside some greens.The afternoon is then free for you to wander around the Hoan Kiem lake and perhaps enjoy the view from a lakeside café.Premium accommodation: The Q Hotel, Hanoi (4 star)

We make an early start for the approximate 4 hour journey to Ha Long Bay; one of the most stunning sights in South East Asia with some 3000 limestone peaks rising directly from the clear emerald sea. We cruise amongst this striking karst scenery, stopping to swim and kayak, allowing us to get to places inaccessible by boat (weather permitting), and enjoy a seafood lunch on board. Later in the afternoon, join your expert leader and group for a drink or two on the top deck whilst watching the sunset in the bay before spending the night on board in twin share cabins.Premium accommodation: Syrena Cruises (join in basis), Ha Long Bay

We continue to cruise around Ha Long Bay this morning before returning to port.Your leader will then introduce your group to the Ha Long Women's Association in the Hon Gai township, a local sustainable initiative that is committed to cleaning up waste in Ha Long Bay and upcyling any waste where possible into items of value. Here you'll meet the local women and witness how they upcyle rubbish materials into beautiful handcrafted products and also may have the chance to try your hand at upcycling as well.We then drive back to Hanoi where the evening is free to explore or relax. There may be an option of seeing a performance of the famous Water Puppets, which your leader can arrange if you have not already seen them and wish to do so (subject to availability).Premium accommodation: The Q Hotel, Hanoi (4 star)

After breakfast we transfer to Hanoi Airport for a flight to Da Nang. In Da Nang, we climb Marble Mountain where we explore the large caves which were used by the Viet Cong as a hospital base during the war. From the mountain peak there are wonderful views over My Khe Beach and the surrounding countryside which leads on to the captivating town of Hoi An, our next destination (approximate1 hour transfer).This evening, the group will dine at a local restaurant whilst enjoying views of the atmospheric Thu Bon river.Premium accommodation: Hoi An Blue Sky Boutique Hotel & Spa, Hoi An (4 star)

This morning will include a walking tour of Hoi An, the original European trading port in Vietnam dating back to the mid-16th century. It is now a living museum, with attractive wooden merchant's houses and pagoda-style temples with Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese and European architectural influences. It is also a marvellous place to wander around and enjoy the thriving riverside market and great silk clothes shopping. After lunch at a local eatery, the afternoon is free to enjoy a town that has become a favourite for so many travellers to Vietnam. Options include a trip to My Son, the Cham civilisation's spiritual home, where Cham kings were buried as long ago as the fourth century. Although wartime bombing has destroyed much of the site, there's a number of interesting stone towers and sanctuaries.Premium accommodation: Hoi An Blue Sky Boutique Hotel & Spa, Hoi An (4 star)

We spend the morning at the wonderful Red Bridge restaurant, located on the bank of the Thu Bon River. Visiting the colourful local market first, we shop for ingredients before taking a boat ride to the restaurant. Here we learn the intricacies of Vietnamese cooking. Under the supervision of an English-speaking Vietnamese chef you have the opportunity to create your own dishes. You don't need to be a proficient cook to enjoy this activity but be warned, you get to eat your creations at the end of the morning! You may choose to stay on and enjoy the idyllic garden at the restaurant or make your way back into Hoi An town for an afternoon at leisure, or jump on a bike (optional) for a ride through the countryside, passing markets, schools and villages before continuing on to Cua Dai beach (5 km).Premium accommodation: Hoi An Blue Sky Boutique Hotel & Spa, Hoi An (4 star)

This morning we transfer to Da Nang Airport for the flight (approx. 1 hour and 25 min) to Saigon, officially known as Ho Chi Minh City. This is an exciting and absorbing city where scooters pack the streets and temples stand defiantly alongside modern developments. Devastated by the Vietnam War, it is now a bustling free market city where anything goes. The Saigon River and Ben Thanh market, are within walking distance and are highly recommended.After arrival, your group will dine at a Saigon institution, Pho Hoa on Pasteur, which has been in operation for over 50 years. Here your group will enjoy a tasty lunch of Southern style Vietnamese noodles and spring rolls.This afternoon a city tour will include a visit to the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Reunification Palace and the War Remnants Museum. The Museum has an interesting photographic record of the Vietnam/American War. Please be aware that some images at the museum are very graphic.Premium accommodation: Sila Urban Living, Saigon (4 star)

Today we leave the city behind us and head north to visit the infamous Cu Chi tunnels. Used by the Viet Cong during the war, the network covers 3 levels and incorporates around 240km of tunnels. Traditionally, these were very narrow but some areas have been widened to allow tourists to explore the system. Claustrophobes may prefer to stay outside in the sunshine!In the afternoon we return to Saigon and the rest of the day is free for individual exploration.Premium accommodation: Sila Urban Living, Saigon (4 star)

In the morning we drive to Cai Be in the Mekong Delta (approx 2½ hours), known as the 'rice bowl' of Vietnam. This region produces most of Vietnam's fruit, sugar cane and coconuts. We take a boat trip on the mighty Mekong River, passing many orchards and friendly locals also travelling by boat. Recently, Cai Be floating market has become less crowded and smaller as fruit trading is mostly now done by trucks due to the bridge being built. However, this is still a great opportunity to see a local market and the trade being conducted traditionally on a smaller scale. We stop to see some small cottage industries such as rice paper and coconut candy, getting a chance to sample the produce along the way before enjoying the local speciality, ‘Elephant Ear Fish', for lunch.After lunch, we continue by boat to Vinh Long where our private transport is waiting to take us to Can Tho. This evening, the group will dine and enjoy local Mekong specialties.Premium accommodation: TTC Can Tho Hotel, Can Tho (4 star)

This morning we take a boat trip to visit Cai Rang floating market, the biggest and most lively floating market in the Delta, with great photo opportunities. It is a maze of hundreds of boats packed with fruits, vegetables and plants, where samples are hung from the tops of long poles so that buyers can see from a distance what is for sale.Afterwards, we drive back to Saigon where the remainder of the afternoon is free. This evening, you'll meet your leader and group for a final traditional meal in a 'Vietnamese style house' restaurant setting located in the heart of Saigon.Premium accommodation: Sila Urban Living, Saigon (4 star)

Today we transfer to Saigon Airport for the flight to Siem Reap in Cambodia.On arrival into Siem Reap, the group will be met by our Cambodian expert tour leader. Here the group will spend the next two nights at the intimate Lynnaya Urban River Resort & Spa – providing the perfect base to explore Angkor!This evening, we enjoy a welcome dinner in the local village of Lum Orng at Cambodia's first farm to table restaurant where your group will feast on authentic Khmer cuisine based on traditional recipes made with many ingredients from the organic garden.Flight-time dependent we may have the opportunity to see the sunset at the temple-complex this evening. If not, we will enjoy this majestic marvel tomorrow evening. Premium accommodation: Lynnaya Urban River Resort & Spa, Siem Reap (4 star)

A full day spent exploring the Angkor complex. We will visit the incredible Angkor Wat and the many temples inside the Royal City of Angkor Thom, including the magnificent Bayon, which comprises of 54 intricately carved towers in one single temple. The Bayon certainly left an impression on an early traveller in 1925 who stated 'we stand before it stunned. It is like nothing else in the land.' We will also see other less-visited outlying temples. Particularly impressive are Banteay Srei and Ta Prohm, which is still covered in jungle as it was first found. Re-discovered in the 1870s and famously described as being 'grander than anything of Greece or Rome' by the French explorer Henri Mouchot, this World Heritage Site stands alongside Chichen Itza and Machu Picchu as one of the world's most spectacular archaeological sites. A truly magical experience and a photographer's paradise!This evening, gather with your leader and group members for a special farewell dinner featuring traditional cuisine and entertainment.Premium accommodation: Lynnaya Urban River Resort & Spa, Siem Reap (4 star)

For land only clients, the tour ends this morning in Siem Reap after breakfast.