Vietnam and Cambodia trip
I traveled to Vietnam and Cambodia in December of 2014. I got the Vietnam Visa in advance in Washington DC and got the Cambodia Visa on arrival. I did some multi-destination flights to help coordinate my plan. I also had to be a little flexible with the plans as I encountered some bad weather in central Vietnam. This is a guide to what I did but of course you can adjust it many ways to fit what you would like to do. You could also cut out Cambodia and stick with Vietnam for 2 weeks. Below is listed where I was on which days, and which hotels/hostels I stayed in.
My vietnam and cambodia itinerary
Flights to and from Vietnam
Flight into Ho Chi Minh from Washington DC on United Airlines December 6th landing on December 7th
Return trip through San Francisco leaving Ho Chi Minh City on United Airlines on December 23rd
Flight Hanoi to Siem Reap 3:30 PM – 5:10 PM December 18 on Vietnam Airlines
Siem Reap to Ho Chi Minh City 630 PM 7:30 PM December 21 on Vietnam Airlines
Day by Day Itinerary
Day 1: December 6th Leave USA
Day 2: December 7th Land late night Ho Chi Minh City
Day 3: December 8th Explore City: War Remnants Museum, Central area
Day 4: December 9th Tour Cu Chi Tunnels and Cao Dai Temple
Day 5: December 10th Flight to Hue one way-Explore Hue
Day 6: December 11th Hue to Hanoi- Due to poor weather decided to skip Hoi An and head earlier to Hanoi (original plan was to spend at least one night in Hoi An- but since known for beaches and cycling and with anticipation of severe rain for the next days decided to change plan to head to Hanoi earlier which had better weather)
Day 7: December 12th Hanoi Explore
Day 8: December 13th Ha Long Bay tour through Vietnam Backpacker Hostels 3 D/2 N tour
Day 9: December 14th Ha Long Bay
Day 10: December 15th Ha Long Bay back to Hanoi
Day 11: December 16th Hanoi- Water puppet show
Day 12: December 17th Mai Chau Valley Tour – 1 day tour (added this tour onto trip as now with more time in Hanoi area since skipped Hoi An due to poor weather)
Day 13: December 18th Hanoi to Siem Reap Cambodia
Day 14: December 19th Angkor Wat
Day 15: December 20th Angkor Wat
Day 16: December 21st Siem Reap/Angkor Wat flight back to Ho Chi Minh City
Day 17: December 22nd Mekong Delta Day Tour from Ho Chi Minh City
Day 18: December 23rd Flight back to United States early morning
Where I stayed
Ho Chi Minh City: Eden Saigon Hotel December 7-10
Hue: Moonlight Hotel December 10-11
Hanoi: Indochina Legend 2 Hotel December 11-13
Halong Bay: 3 day 2 night tour on island- through Vietnam Backpacker Hostels December 13-15
Hanoi: Hanoi Romance Hotel December 15-18
Siem Reap: La Da Kiri Boutique Hotel December 18-21
Ho Chi Minh City: Hideout Hostel Saigon December 21-23
highlights of the trip
Ho Chi Minh City: Tour to Mekong Delta, Tour Chu Chi Tunnels and Cao Dai Temple, crossing the streets, exploring the city
Hue: Imperial City, Boat ride on Perfume River, Sunset on roof of hotel
Hanoi: Day Tour to Mai Chau Valley, Water puppet show, One Pillar Pagoda, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum
Halong Bay: Cruising the bay, kayaking, sunset boat ride, tubing
Siem Reap: Exploring Angkor Wat
Next time, I want to explore Hoi An, Sapa Region and Cat Ba Island for sure but that is just the beginning of what this incredible country has to offer.
Where is your favorite place you’ve been in Vietnam?
