From Saigon to the Stones of Angkor — 10 Days
10 days / 9 nights

From Saigon to the Stones of Angkor — 10 Days

From Saigon to the Stones of Angkor — 10 Days

This ten-day journey offers a seamless and spectacular crossing linking the historical energy of southern Vietnam to the sacred stone cities of Cambodia along the great natural corridor of the Mekong River. From Saigon and the wartime memories of Cu Chi to the lush coconut groves of Ben Tre, the floating commerce of Can Tho, and the multicultural crossroads of Chau Doc, the itinerary immerses you in the watery heart of the delta.

A memorable upstream voyage aboard a scheduled express boat brings you into Phnom Penh, the royal capital of Cambodia. Scenic overland countryside roads then lead toward the majestic gates of Angkor: three full days of immersion among the enigmatic smiling stone faces of the Bayon, the classical harmony of Angkor Wat, the untamed jungle atmosphere of Ta Prohm, and traditional stilt life on Tonle Sap Lake.

✦ You will love:

  • Discover the historical landmarks of Saigon and the legendary subterranean network of the Cu Chi Tunnels.
  • Complete immersion in the Mekong Delta: Ben Tre coconut plantations, Cai Rang floating market, and the border town of Chau Doc.
  • International express boat cruise along the Mekong River connecting Vietnam directly to Phnom Penh.
  • Exploration of Cambodia's royal capital, visiting the Royal Palace and the glittering Silver Pagoda.
  • Three full days exploring the monumental temples of Angkor and traditional stilt communities on Tonle Sap Lake.
Itinerary MapYou can add an itinerary map in Strapi

Highlights

  • •Warm personalized welcome upon arrival in Saigon
  • •Architectural stroll along historical Dong Khoi Street
  • •Discovering Eiffel's iconic Saigon Central Post Office

Upon arrival at Tan Son Nhat International Airport, you are warmly welcomed by your private French-speaking guide and driver, who transfer you to your charming hotel in the historical center of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Depending on your arrival time, an introductory walking tour allows you to take in the unique pulse of the city.

Stroll along famous Dong Khoi Street (formerly Rue Catinat), admiring French colonial facades including the Municipal Opera House and the elegant City Hall, before discovering the Central Post Office, an architectural masterpiece with an iron-vaulted roof engineered by Gustave Eiffel's workshops. In the evening, enjoy free time to sample southern Vietnamese culinary specialties.

Overnight at hotel in Ho Chi Minh City.

Highlights

  • •Educational guided visit of the legendary Cu Chi Tunnels
  • •Historical visit to the Reunification Palace
  • •Vibrant sensory immersion inside bustling Ben Thanh Market

In the morning, travel northwest to the historical site of Cu Chi, an extraordinary subterranean network extending over two hundred kilometers of hand-dug galleries created during the Indochina and Vietnam wars. Your guided visit explores living quarters, kitchens, meeting halls, and field hospitals. Entering enlarged tunnels is optional and all areas can be viewed from the surface.

Returning to Saigon in the afternoon, visit the poignant War Remnants Museum and the historic Reunification Palace. Conclude your day amidst the vibrant scents and stalls of Ben Thanh Market, exploring displays of local coffee, spices, and silks.

Driving time: approximately 1.5 hours each way (60 km). Overnight at hotel in Ho Chi Minh City.

Highlights

  • •Scenic boat cruise along the wide waterways of Ben Tre
  • •Tranquil hand-rowed sampan ride through shaded water-palm arroyos
  • •Arrival and evening check-in in the regional hub of Can Tho

Depart early heading south into the lush Mekong Delta. Arriving in Ben Tre, renowned as the kingdom of coconut palms, embark aboard a traditional wooden boat to cruise along expansive river waterways. Stop ashore for a pleasant bicycle or motorized cart ride through quiet village trails, visiting artisan workshops that craft coconut milk candies and handwoven reed mats.

Board small hand-rowed sampans for a peaceful glide through narrow arroyos shaded by water coconut fronds. Following a delicious lunch of delta specialties (including crispy fried elephant-ear fish), continue by private vehicle to Can Tho, the regional capital of the Mekong Delta.

Driving time: approximately 3 hours for 130 km. Overnight at hotel in Can Tho.

Highlights

  • •Vibrant morning spectacle of Cai Rang Floating Market
  • •Exploring the multicultural border town of Chau Doc
  • •Sunset panorama over rice fields from the summit of Sam Mountain

At daybreak, set sail to the spectacular Cai Rang Floating Market, the largest and most vibrant wholesale river market in the Mekong Delta. Hundreds of wooden boats loaded with watermelons, pineapples, mangoes, and root vegetables gather on the water, each boat displaying its goods from a tall bamboo pole.

After a fruit tasting in an orchard, continue west to the border city of Chau Doc, a fascinating cultural mosaic where Vietnamese, Khmer, Cham, and Chinese communities live side by side. Ascend Sam Mountain to visit the sacred Ba Chua Xu Temple and enjoy sunset over vast rice fields stretching towards the Cambodian frontier.

Driving time: approximately 3 hours for 120 km. Overnight at hotel in Chau Doc.

Highlights

  • •Scenic international express boat cruise up the Mekong River
  • •Smooth, crew-assisted river border crossing into Cambodia
  • •Arrival in the heart of royal Phnom Penh on the riverfront

Early in the morning, transfer to Chau Doc pier and embark on a comfortable scheduled express boat for a remarkable international river journey ascending the mighty Mekong into Cambodia. Pass stilt fishing villages and river life while the crew handles border immigration formalities at the Vinh Xuong / Kaam Samnor river crossing.

Arrive in late morning at the river port of Phnom Penh, the royal capital of Cambodia. Warmly welcomed by your Cambodian French-speaking guide, transfer to your hotel. Enjoy an evening at leisure walking along Sisowath Quay where the Mekong and Tonle Sap rivers meet.

Riverboat journey: approximately 5 hours. Overnight at hotel in Phnom Penh.

Highlights

  • •Guided tour of the Royal Palace and glittering Silver Pagoda
  • •Treasures of classical Khmer sculpture at the National Museum
  • •Historic foundation shrine of Wat Phnom on the sacred hill

Dedicate a full day to Cambodia's rich history. Begin at the magnificent Royal Palace, the official residence of the Khmer monarchs built in classical Khmer architectural style, and the glittering Silver Pagoda, paved with five thousand silver tiles and sheltering the sacred Emerald Buddha.

Continue to the National Museum of Cambodia, an elegant terracotta building housing the world's premier collection of Angkorian bronze and stone sculpture. In the afternoon, explore recent history with a dignified visit to the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S-21) (content adaptable to travelers' preferences), before concluding at sacred Wat Phnom, the hilltop sanctuary where the city was founded.

Overnight at hotel in Phnom Penh.

Highlights

  • •Traversing authentic landscapes of the rural Cambodian countryside
  • •Discovering the medieval laterite bridge of Spean Praptos
  • •Arrival and check-in at your boutique hotel near Angkor

Leave Phnom Penh traveling northwest across the vast central Cambodian plains toward Siem Reap. This overland journey provides a genuine window into rural Khmer life, framed by wooden houses on stilts, sugar palms, and oxcarts.

En route, pause at Skun village, famous for tropical fruit stalls and exotic snacks, then admire the ancient laterite bridge of Spean Praptos, a monumental 12th-century engineering feat built under King Jayavarman VII. Arrive in Siem Reap in late afternoon and check in to your charming hotel.

Driving time: approximately 5.5 hours for 315 km. Overnight at hotel in Siem Reap.

Highlights

  • •South Gate and fortified royal citadel of Angkor Thom
  • •Mystical stone faces of the Bayon Temple
  • •Comprehensive guided exploration of the grand Angkor Wat sanctuary

An unforgettable day exploring the supreme monuments of the Khmer Empire. Enter the monumental walled city of Angkor Thom through its South Gate, flanked by stone statues of gods and demons. At its center stands the astounding Bayon Temple, famous for 54 stone towers adorned with more than two hundred serene smiling faces. Explore the Elephant Terrace and the Terrace of the Leper King.

In the afternoon, dedicate your visit to magnificent Angkor Wat, the largest religious monument in the world. Walk through concentric galleries filled with intricate bas-reliefs illustrating Hindu creation epics, then gaze upon its iconic five towers reflecting in lotus ponds as the sun sets.

Overnight at hotel in Siem Reap.

Highlights

  • •Poetic atmosphere of Ta Prohm embraced by giant jungle roots
  • •Exploring the historic stone corridors of Preah Khan
  • •Visiting artisan stone carving and weaving workshops at Artisans d'Angkor

Set out early to experience magical Ta Prohm Temple, deliberately preserved as 19th-century explorers discovered it. Gigantic roots of silk-cotton trees and strangler figs wrap tightly around stone towers, mossy galleries, and carved devata reliefs in an awe-inspiring union of jungle and architecture.

Continue to the sanctuary of Banteay Kdei, the ancient royal reservoir of Srah Srang, and the atmospheric monastery maze of Preah Khan. In late afternoon, visit the craft workshops of Artisans d'Angkor, supporting local communities through the revival of traditional wood and stone carving, lacquerware, and silk weaving.

Overnight at hotel in Siem Reap.

Highlights

  • •Scenic boat cruise to the traditional stilt community of Kompong Khleang
  • •Peaceful canoe ride through the flooded mangrove forest
  • •Private airport transfer for your departure flight

Dedicate the morning to magnificent Tonle Sap Lake, the ecological heart and freshwater lifeline of Cambodia. A traditional boat cruise brings you to the stilt village of Kompong Khleang, where homes perched atop tall wooden pillars rise above the water, followed by a canoe trip through flooded mangrove forests.

Return to Siem Reap for leisure time to purchase handcrafted souvenirs or relax at your hotel. At the scheduled hour, your private driver transfers you to Siem Reap International Airport for your departure flight.

Airport transfer included. End of services by Sensations Vietnam.

Travel Log

Selected moments to experience the landscapes, encounters, and rhythm of this itinerary.

Hang BUI
Lotus Icon

Hang BUIco-fondatrice & créatrice de voyages

Originaire de Nam Dinh, berceau de traditions au cœur du delta du fleuve Rouge, j’ai grandi avec un amour viscéral pour le Vietnam : pour la poésie de ses paysages — des pitons karstiques du Nord aux méandres fertiles du Mékong —, mais surtout pour l’infinie bonté, le sourire et la résilience de son peuple.

Favorite picks:
  • Partager un thé aux fleurs de lotus au lever du jour à Hanoï
  • Naviguer en jonque traditionnelle dans les dédales secrets de Lan Hạ
  • Contempler les rizières en terrasses sculptées de Hoàng Su Phì
  • S'attarder au crépuscule sur les ponts illuminés de lanternes à Hội An

Du souffle majestueux des pitons calcaires du Tonkin à la douceur nonchalante des arroyos du Mékong, le Vietnam est une terre de contrastes poétiques. Mon bonheur est de vous ouvrir les portes de nos adresses confidentielles et de dessiner pour vous un itinéraire fluide, vivant et profondément humain.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Most common questions

Find answers to common questions about this tour here.

The express boat journey from Chau Doc to Phnom Penh is very well organized. The boat crew collects your passports and arrival forms before docking at the Vietnamese border post in Vinh Xuong and the Cambodian post in Kaam Samnor. You are accompanied ashore for passport control while your baggage remains secure on board.

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