23 Days | Travel across the heart of South East Asia through Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand





Vibrant Vietnam, charismatic Cambodia, beguiling Bangkok; this journey covers the very best of South East Asia. From the graceful elegance of Hanoi, across the serene beauty of Halong Bay, to the quaint charms of Hoi An and the frenetic energy of Ho Chi Minh City, experience ancient customs and delicious cuisine while travelling through the heart of Vietnam. Embark on an exciting tour down the Mekong River to Phnom Penh, and spend several days exploring the enigmatic temples of Angkor Wat. The bright lights of Bangkok are the ideal way to cap off this South East Asian adventure.
Trip overview

- Start
- Hanoi, Vietnam
- Finish
- Bangkok, Thailand
- Theme
- Explorer
- Destinations
- Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia
- Physical rating
- Indicates how physically exerting a trip is, and how fit you will need to be to enjoy it. More info on physical ratings
- Style
- Original
- Ages
- Min 15
- Group size
- Min 1 - Max 16
- Trip code
- TVSLC
- Experience local life during homestays in Da Bac and the Mekong Delta. Get to know local families, participate in their activities and enjoy a homestyle meal.
- Cruise the sea of the limestone karst studded Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most beautiful spots in Vietnam.
- Spend a day in Hue, touring the city's sights on a motorbike, cruising down Perfume River and eating lunch at a serene nunnery.
- Watch the sun rising over Angkor Wat as it did over 800 years ago with your leader. Wander through the amazing ancient temples on a guided tour and with a three-day Angkor pass to cover your whole time in Siem Reap, you can explore this incredible temple complex as much and as often as you like.
- Discover the countryside around Battambang with a bike ride around rural farms to meet with local producers, through a social enterprise that supports the local communities and provides training opportunities.
- You'll be spending two nights with local families on this trip. While the accommodation is shared and basic, this is a great opportunity to connect with the local people (and enjoy delicious home-cooked meals!). Read more about the experiences here:Â https://www.intrepidtravel.com/adventures/community-based-tourism-vietnam/
- You cover a lot of distance on this trip, including on overnight trains. Accommodation and amenities are shared and basic, but the experience of rubbing shoulders with the locals makes it all worthwhile. For more about what this experience is like, see our blog post here:Â https://www.intrepidtravel.com/adventures/what-to-expect-on-an-overnight.
- This trip involves a 10 km trek in the hills of Da Bac, as well as included city walking tours. While being on your feet can be a bit tiring, this is the best way to truly get under the skin of a place.
- There are some long travel days by both private and public transport (up to 10 hours on the road), including the days that we cross from Vietnam to Cambodia and Cambodia to Thailand. Your leader and local guides will assist with the border crossings, but plenty of patience is advised.
- Some travellers enjoy Siem Reap so much that they decide they want to stay extra days rather than continuing with the group to Bangkok. You are welcome to sign off the trip to enjoy more of Cambodia, however we aren’t able to reimburse any unused services or provide alternate onward travel arrangements.
- At times your accommodation may not have continuous hot water. Most travellers don’t find this a problem however, and are often keen to cool down from the heat with a refreshing cold shower!
Itinerary
View the itinerary for departures between 01 January 2024 - 31 December 2024
Inclusions
20 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 2 dinners
Boat, Overnight sleeper train, Private minibus, Public Bus, Taxi, Train, Motorbike
Guesthouse (1 night), Homestay (1 nights), Hotel (19 nights), Overnight sleeper train (1 night)
- Hanoi - Blue Dragon breakfast
- Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh Complex
- Hanoi - Temple of Literature
- Hanoi - Water puppet show
- Da Bac - Homestay Dinner
- Da Bac - Homestay Lunch
- Da Bac - Sung Cave & Village Tour
- Da Bac - Sung village to Da Bia hike
- Da Bac - Da Bia Lunch
- Cat Ba Island - Kayaking
- Cat Ba Island - Boat trip on Lan Ha Bay
- Cat Ba Island - Lan Ha Bay Lunch
- Hue - Imperial City Full Day Tour
- Hue - Highlights & back streets by motorbike
- Hue - Royal tomb of Emperor Tu Duc
- Hoi An - Old Town walking tour
- Ho Chi Minh City - War Remnants Museum
- Ho Chi Minh City - City tour
- Mekong Delta - Boat Cruise and Homestay
- Mekong Delta - Guesthouse Dinner
- Mekong Delta - Boat Cruise Lunch
- Phnom Penh - The Killing Fields of Choeung Ek
- Phnom Penh - Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S21)
- Kampong Chhnang - Pottery village visit
- Battambang - Rural food by bike tour
- Siem Reap - Three day Angkor Pass
- Siem Reap - Angkor Temples Guided Tour
- Siem Reap - Sunrise at Angkor Wat
- Chong Kneas - Tonle Sap floating village visit
- Hanoi - Fine Arts Museum - VND30000
- Hoi An - My Son Cham tour (entrance fee, guide and transport included) - USD45
- Hoi An - Boat & Bike with Sunset View & Home Cooked Dinner Experience - USD54
- Hoi An - Food Adventure Urban Adventure - USD37
- Hoi An - Hoi An Walking & Cooking Class Urban Adventure - USD55
- Ho Chi Minh City - Reunification Palace - VND40000
- Ho Chi Minh City - War Remnants Museum - VND40000
- Phnom Penh - Royal Palace & Silver Pagoda - USD10
- Phnom Penh - Wat Phnom - USD2
- Phnom Penh - National Museum - USD10
- Phnom Penh - Cyclo tour - USD4
- Phnom Penh - Khmer massage - USD8
- Battambang - Cooking Class - USD12
- Battambang - Phnom Sampov bat caves - USD15
- Battambang - Bamboo railway - USD10
- Siem Reap - Angkor Zipline Silver Tour - USD54
- Siem Reap - Landmine Museum - USD5
- Siem Reap - Phare Circus Ticket - USD18
- Siem Reap - Angkor Zipline Gold Tour - USD87
- Bangkok - Chinatown Sights and Bites Urban Adventure - THB1960
- Bangkok - Jim Thompson's House - THB200
- Bangkok - Temple & River of Kings Urban Adventure - THB2900
- Bangkok - Tuk Tuk Experience Urban Adventure - THB2500
Dates and availability
Important notes
1. Please provide your full name exactly as per passport at the time of booking (including any middle names listed on your passport) for train and flight tickets. Ticketing fees may apply for amendments to details within 45 days of departure, and in some cases you will be required to cover the cost of issuing a new ticket.
2. A single supplement is available if you’d prefer not to share a room on this trip. The single supplement excludes Day 3 (homestay), Day 6 (overnight train) and Day 13 (guesthouse) where you will be in shared accommodation and is subject to availability. Please speak to your booking agent for further information.
Want an in-depth insight into this trip? Essential Trip Information provides a detailed itinerary, visa info, how to get to your hotel, what's included - pretty much everything you need to know about this adventure and more.
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