Trip overview
This route pairs two very different countries in eleven days. The first half stays low and slow, tracing waterways south of [Ho Chi Minh City](destinations/ho-chi-minh-city) by boat, cart and on foot. The second half crosses into Cambodia by river and by air, ending among the carved towers of Angkor.
Expect two nights sleeping aboard a private sampan, an evening riding pillion on a Vespa through Saigon’s back streets, and three full days around [Siem Reap](destinations/siem-reap) temples. It suits travellers who want their Vietnam and Cambodia in one trip rather than two separate ones, and who don’t mind an early wake-up for a sunrise or a sunset view.
Pace is moderate: some early starts, a fair amount of walking on uneven paths through delta villages, and one internal flight (Chau Doc to Phnom Penh is by speedboat instead, roughly five hours on the water). Compare it with [Discovery Indochina](tours/discovery-indochina) if you want a broader three-country loop that adds northern Vietnam and Laos to the mix.
Highlights
- A Vespa food run through Saigon after dark, riding pillion between street kitchens and coffee bars
- Two nights aboard a private sampan, drifting past orchards and floating markets on the Mekong
- A homestay evening in Vinh Long with live music from a local storyteller
- A speedboat crossing from the delta into Cambodia along the river itself
- A full day in Phnom Penh covering both its royal history and its darker twentieth-century past
- Sunrise or sunset over Angkor Wat, plus a second day at Angkor Thom and the jungle-wrapped ruins of Ta Prohm
- A wooden-boat cruise across Tonle Sap to a floating fishing village
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Day by day
Day 1 — Arrival in Ho Chi Minh City
Your flight lands in [Ho Chi Minh City](destinations/ho-chi-minh-city), where a guide meets you in the arrivals hall for the twenty-minute transfer into town. There is no sightseeing built into today; check in, rest, and get your bearings before the itinerary picks up tomorrow.
Meals: none included.
Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.
Day 2 — Cu Chi tunnels by day, street food by Vespa after dark
The morning belongs to Cu Chi, a hand-dug tunnel network guerrilla fighters used as cover during the war — narrow, low, and sobering to walk through even for a short stretch. Back in the city after lunch, a half-day tour takes in the Reunification Palace, Notre-Dame Cathedral and the Central Post Office from the outside, then a stop in Chinatown for the Thien Hau Temple and its local market.
As evening falls, a driver collects you by Vespa for a night out that is equal parts food crawl and city tour: drinks at a scooter-themed café, a seafood stop, a Vietnamese pancake restaurant, and a swing past the city’s best-known landmarks lit up after dark, finishing at a live-music bar where the ride ends.
Meals: breakfast, dinner.
Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.
Day 3 — Into the Mekong Delta: Ben Tre and a Vinh Long homestay
Leaving the city behind, the road runs into Ben Tre province, known locally for its coconut groves. Several modes of local transport — boat, bicycle cart, on foot — carry you through villages built around small-scale coconut and rice-based trades, with a chance to try Mekong snacks along the way. After a hearty lunch you continue to Vinh Long for the night, checking into a riverside lodge.
In the evening, guides lead you by torchlight to the home of a war veteran who now plays music; his stories of this stretch of the delta are as much a part of the visit as the songs.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner.
Overnight at a homestay in Vinh Long.
Day 4 — Aboard a private sampan toward Sa Dec
After breakfast, a two-hour transfer reaches the river port at Cai Be, where you board a private sampan for the next two nights. The first stretch is an unhurried cruise to Sa Dec, a town that still holds onto a few colonial-era touches — narrow paved lanes, a bonsai garden, and old merchant houses. Dinner is served back on board as the sun goes down over the water.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner.
Overnight on the sampan.
Day 5 — Narrow canals and the Basac River
The sampan leaves the main channel today, threading tighter waterways before joining a stretch of the Basac River. There’s time off the boat too, on foot through a rural village — your guide fills in the detail once you’re on board.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner.
Overnight on the sampan.
Day 6 — Chau Doc
The sampan reaches its final stop at Chau Doc, where you disembark and transfer to a hotel in town. The afternoon is left open — options include the Tra Su bird sanctuary, the local market, or the short climb up Sam Mountain.
Meals: breakfast.
Overnight in Chau Doc.
Day 7 — By speedboat across the border to Phnom Penh
An early breakfast is followed by a roughly five-hour speedboat run down the river into Cambodia. A guide waits at the pier in Phnom Penh and rides with you to your hotel; after that the afternoon is left open, no fixed plans.
Meals: breakfast.
Overnight in Phnom Penh.
Day 8 — A full day in Phnom Penh
Mornings here move through royal Phnom Penh: the National Museum first, then on foot to the Silver Pagoda and Royal Palace grounds, a stop at Wat Phnom on its small hill, finishing among the stalls of the Central Market. Everything changes after lunch — Tuol Sleng, once a school turned prison, sits with the Choeung Ek killing fields as a hard counterweight to the gilded roofs seen earlier.
Meals: breakfast.
Overnight in Phnom Penh.
Day 9 — Fly to Siem Reap, first look at Angkor
A short flight brings you to Siem Reap, gateway to the Angkor temples. After checking in, the afternoon starts at the older Rolous group — Bakong, Lolei and Preah Ko — before the main event: a first walk through Angkor Wat itself, followed by the climb up Phnom Bakheng for sunset over the temple skyline.
Meals: breakfast, dinner.
Overnight in Siem Reap.
Day 10 — Banteay Srei, Ta Prohm and the Angkor Thom complex
Today ranges further out to Banteay Srei, a small pink-sandstone temple carved with detail rarely seen elsewhere in the Angkor complex, then back toward town via Ta Prohm, Neak Pean and Preah Khan, where tree roots and stonework have grown into each other over centuries.
After lunch, the South Gate of Angkor Thom leads to the Bayon’s carved stone faces, the Royal Palace terrace at Phimeanakas, and the Elephant and Leper King terraces. Dinner comes with a traditional Apsara dance performance to close the day.
Meals: breakfast, dinner.
Overnight in Siem Reap.
Day 11 — Tonle Sap floating village and departure
A morning boat trip crosses Tonle Sap, Southeast Asia’s largest freshwater lake and a UNESCO-recognised biosphere, to a floating village built entirely on the water. You’re back in town by midday with open hours before a driver collects you for the outbound flight.
Meals: breakfast.
What's included
- Private transport with an English-speaking guide throughout
- Nightly hotel stays including breakfast, on a twin-share basis
- The overnight private sampan trip on the Mekong
- A round-the-clock support line
- The meals, sights and entry tickets set out day by day above
- Bottled water on touring days
- Speedboat tickets for the Chau Doc to Phnom Penh crossing
Not included:
- International and domestic flights
- Travel insurance and other personal spending
- Early check-in or late check-out
- Surcharges during peak season or public holidays
- Meals not listed in the itinerary, and drinks with meals
- Visa fees, where applicable
- Tips and gratuities
Good to know
The two sampan nights have simple cabins rather than hotel-standard rooms — pack light and bring a torch. Days on the water can be humid, so light layers and sun protection matter more than a heavy bag.
Crossing from Vietnam to Cambodia by speedboat on Day 7 needs a Cambodian visa arranged in advance or on arrival, depending on your nationality; check current requirements before you travel. Once in Cambodia, sightseeing days involve a fair amount of walking on temple grounds, often on uneven stone.
For background on the region before you go, our [Cambodia history guide](travel-guide/cambodia-history-guide) covers the events behind the Phnom Penh sites on Day 8.
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