Paras and I are married for an year, we were contemplating on different options for our anniversary trip, we both are travel freaks and believe in exploring the place locally.
A trip to Vietnam and Cambodia was on our list for quite some time. We decided to explore this option for our 16 day long anniversary trip (phew, it was longer than our Honeymoon trip).
While we were exploring the travel & stay options for our trip, we stumbled upon TravelTriangle and figured it was much easier and economical to plan our trip with them, we planned the trip our way with all the convenience and ease of a travel agent.
We customized our 15 nights-16 days tour package with the help of Anna from Indochina Charming Travels, one of the vendors with TravelTriangle.
Duration: 15 Nights 16 Days
Trip Type: Historically romantic
Cost: INR 151961
Inclusions: Flights, Transfers (including airport and sightseeing), Hotels, Breakfast, and Sightseeing
Exclusions: Activities not part of the package
Without writing much, we’ll let our itinerary & images do the talking.
Day 1: Hanoi & the charming night market
We arrived at Hanoi airport around 11am. A private car was ready to pick us up and transfer us to our hotel in Hanoi, Old Quarter. We spent the evening watching the traditional water puppet show and with a stroll at the night market. The traditional market is organised only during the weekends and the whole town comes alive during this time.
Day 2: Soaking in the city charm
This day was our city tour in Hanoi, we visited Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum, the final resting place of Viet Nam’s greatest father Ho Chi Minh, one pillar pagoda, Temple of literature and we sampled the amazing Vietnamese cuisine at the a local restaurant in old quarter. The same evening we boarded a train to visit the Sapa Valley, where we were upgraded to a two bed private cabin :)
Day 3: Trek to Sapa Valley
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Sa Pa is a town in the Hoàng Liên Son Mountains of northwestern Vietnam. A popular trekking base, it overlooks the terraced rice fields of the Muong Hoa Valley, and is near Phang Xi Pang peak, which is climbable via a steep, multiday guided walk. We were guided by a local tour guide for our 12 km long & beautiful trek to Lao Chai & Ta Van Village. We stayed with a local tribal family overnight.
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Day 4: Trek back to Sapa & train to Hanoi
We trekked back to Sapa visiting the Sin Chai village, it is the village located at the foot of Fansipan Mountain which is called the roof of Vietnam and Indochina.
Day 5-6: Cruising along the Halong Bay
And it was another lucky day for us, our guide informed us that we have been upgraded to a 4 star cruise for our Halong Bay excursion. (we were super excited with all the upgrades we were getting in this trip)
Towering limestone pillars and tiny islets topped by forest rise from the emerald waters of the Gulf of Tonkin. Designated a World Heritage site in 1994, Halong Bay is spectacular scatter of islands, dotted with wind- and wave-eroded grottoes, is a vision of ethereal beauty and, unsurprisingly, northern Vietnam’s must visit destination.
We had amazing seafood at the cruise and also got a chance to attend a Vietnamese cooking class. The tour also includes a visit to surprise caves- biggest and the most amazing cave in Halong Bay.
Day 7-8: The lantern festival
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We took a flight from Hanoi to Danang and reached Hoi An, (the most beautiful town in Vietnam). We arrived right on the day of Lantern festival. It is an age-old tradition that sees the entire old town shut off electricity, close the traffic and transform into a magical melange of flickering candles, multi-coloured lanterns and lively gatherings.
The next day was spent exploring the town on bicycles, we cycled around the Tra Que vegetable and visited a small craft store where we learned to make lanterns.
Day 9: Visit to the paradise caves!
We took a evening night flight to Hue for our next day tour to Paradise Caves. Surrounded by forested karst peaks, this remarkable cave system extends for 31.4Km though it’s only possible to visit the first kilometre. The scale is breathtaking, as wooden staircases descend into a cathedral-like space with colossal stalagmites and glimmering stalactites.
Day 10-11: Ho chi Minh and city life
This was our last city in Vietnam, where we planned to explore Mekong Delta & Cu chi Tunnels.
The Mekong Delta in southern Vietnam is a vast maze of rivers, swamps and islands, home to floating markets, Khmer pagodas and villages surrounded by rice paddies. We took a boat ride to explore the region and also sampled various local delicacies of the area.
Next day was spent in exploring the Cu Chi Tunnels, they are an immense network of connecting underground tunnels located in the Củ Chi District of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam, and are part of a much larger network of tunnels that underlie much of the country. The Củ Chi tunnels were the location of several military campaigns during the Vietnam War. We also got a chance to fire Ak 47 & other military rifles at the tunnels.
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Day 12: Siem Reap & Temples of Angkor
Angkor Wat is a temple complex in Cambodia and the largest religious monument in the world, with the site measuring 162.6 hectares. It was originally constructed as a Hindu temple of god Vishnufor the Khmer Empire, gradually transforming into a Buddhist temple toward the end of the 12th century.
After a tiring day spent exploring the temples, we pampered ourselves to a foot massage at our hotel.
Day 13: Visit to the floating village
Kampong Phluk is a commune and village in Siem Reap Province in northern-central Cambodia. It is a village built on stilts on the Tonle Sap.
During the dry season when the lake is low, the buildings in the villages seem to soar atop their 6-meter stilts exposed by the lack of water.
The evening was spent at the pub street exploring Cambodian cuisine & local flavours. The whole town comes alive on the streets, there are live street performances, music, amazing food, Pit is deal for a night out of bar-hopping with like-minded travellers as its numerous bars are easily accessible on foot while unique cocktails and beers cost only US$1 (or less) during happy hour.
Day 14-15: Swimming in the Kulen Mountain & exploring the surrounding areas
Phnom Kulen, is a mountain range in Siem Reap Province, Cambodia. It is is located 30 km northwards from Angkor Wat. Its name means “mountain of the lychees”.There is a sacred hilltop site on top of the range.
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Phnom Kulen is considered a holy mountain in Cambodia, of special religious significance to Hindus and Buddhists who come to the mountain in pilgrimage.
We spent the day swimming in the waterfall, we arrived back at our hotel around afternoon, since the day was quite relaxed we decided to visit the local circus performance.
Phare circus shows are unlike any in the world: dance, theater, original live music and breathtaking circus arts are used to tell uniquely Cambodian stories, both traditional and modern. It had amazing vibe & energy and was an excellent way to end our memorable trip to the two beautiful countries.
Reading our travel account, I am sure by now, you know how much my husband and I love to travel. It is one of those fantastic experiences in life where we both can discover the world through our own romantic point of view and create memories of a lifetime! And this trip is a testimony to that.
Vietnam and Cambodia showed us a glimpse of the amazing life and times of the past along with their magnificent culture that still keeps them shining.
Everything that we witnessed was further made better with each other’s company and in the end, spending our anniversary exploring the marvels of these countries was the best decision we ever took.
High Points:
- The traditional night market
- Trek to Sapa Valley
- Cruising along the Halong Bay
- The lantern festival
- Paradise Caves
- Cu Chi Tunnels
- Siem Reap & Temples of Angkor
- Swimming in the Kulen Mountain & exploring the surrounding
Tips for travelers: Vietnam and Cambodia both offer an out of the world romantic historical experience. Stories of the past that you will find out here are best experienced either solo or with your partner – so go on and explore their hidden gems and embark on a romantic adventure!
You too can witness a romantic adventure escapade like they did! Simply book a Vietnam and Cambodia package here and let us do the planning!
