Vietnam Cambodia Itinerary 14 Days & 13 Nights

This Vietnam Cambodia itinerary for 14 days runs the full length of Vietnam, from Hanoi in the north to Ho Chi Minh City in the south, then crosses into Cambodia for two days among the temples of Angkor. You sleep a night on a Ha Long Bay cruise, walk Hue's Imperial City and the lantern-hung lanes of Hoi An, snorkel off Nha Trang's islands, stand under the waterfalls near Da Lat and ride a sampan through the Mekong Delta before the short flight to Siem Reap. It is built for first-time visitors who want both countries in two weeks without backtracking, and four short in-tour flights replace roughly 40 hours of road travel. Hotels, transfers, cruises, sightseeing with entry fees and ten lunches are included, and every day can be changed before you book.

Five UNESCO World Heritage sites sit on this one route: Ha Long Bay, the Complex of Hue Monuments, Hoi An Ancient Town, My Son Sanctuary and Angkor. Most Vietnam Cambodia tour packages cover the temples and the war history. This one also takes in the coast and the highlands that shorter trips skip, with a day on four islands off Nha Trang and the Pongour and Elephant waterfalls outside Da Lat. In Hanoi you see the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, One Pillar Pagoda and the Temple of Literature. The Siem Reap leg covers Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Ta Prohm, the pink sandstone carvings of Banteay Srei and a floating village on Tonle Sap Lake. Comparing other lengths and routes? See all Vietnam tour packages. Travelling as a couple? Our Vietnam Cambodia honeymoon packages are planned around two.

Starting price: Rs 82,000 per person on twin sharing (was Rs 86,373), which is about Rs 5,860 a day for 14 days. This is a land package: international flights, the four in-tour flights and visas are extra. You compare quotes from up to 3 agents before you pay, change any day of the itinerary, and pay in easy installments. Hotel cost may vary with your dates, so submit your details for the best rates.

Vietnam Cambodia Itinerary 14 Days at a Glance

14-Day Route: Where You Sleep and How You Move

The route runs one way, north to south, so you never retrace a road. Long legs go by air and short ones by road.

Highlights

• Sleep on board a Ha Long Bay cruise, with Surprise Cave and kayaking among the limestone islands

• Visit One Pillar Pagoda, Ho Chi Minh Museum and the Temple of Literature in Hanoi

• Get on a local sightseeing tour of Hue's Imperial City and royal tombs, ending on a Perfume River boat

• Walk the ancient town of Hoi An, from the Japanese Covered Bridge to its lantern-lit streets

• Visit Pongour and Elephant waterfalls in the highlands around Da Lat

• Explore the canals and orchards of the Mekong Delta by boat and sampan

• See Angkor Wat, the Bayon's stone faces, Ta Prohm's tree roots and the carvings of Banteay Srei in Siem Reap

Is 14 Days Enough for Vietnam and Cambodia?

Yes, for a first trip. Two weeks is the shortest length that covers Vietnam end to end and still leaves two full days for Angkor, and that only works because four flights take care of the long hops. Ten-day trips usually drop Nha Trang and Da Lat; seven-day trips pick either the north or the south. What this route does not include is Sapa, Ninh Binh, Phu Quoc and Phnom Penh, and each can be added by swapping a stop or adding a night.

Prefer the mountains to the coast? The 14-day Sapa version replaces Hue, Hoi An, Nha Trang and Da Lat with two nights in Sapa. Want flights from India in one price? The 14 days Cambodia Vietnam tour with airfare includes them on a different route, swapping central Vietnam for Phnom Penh. Short on time? The 10 nights 11 days Cambodia Vietnam holiday keeps the highlights.

Vietnam Cambodia Itinerary 14 Days: Day-by-Day Plan

Day 1: Arrival in Hanoi and an Evening in the Old Quarter

Arrive in Hanoi, where a private car and driver from the agent's team meets you at Noi Bai airport and drives you to your hotel in Hanoi Old Quarter, about 45 minutes away. Check into the hotel, freshen up and relax. The rest of the day is at leisure. Walk to Hoan Kiem Lake, the symbol of Hanoi, and cross the red Huc Bridge to Ngoc Son Temple on its island. Then wander the Old Quarter, where each street was once named after the trade it sold, from silk on Hang Gai (where your hotel sits) to tin on Hang Thiec. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings the streets north of the lake close to traffic and the night market runs up to Dong Xuan. Return to your hotel and stay overnight in Hanoi Old Quarter.

Meals: none included (arrival day)

Day 2: Hanoi City Tour: Mausoleum, One Pillar Pagoda and Temple of Literature

After breakfast, the Hanoi city tour starts at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, where Uncle Ho lies in state, and the Ho Chi Minh Museum. Behind them is the stilt house where he lived and worked from 1958, and a short walk away is One Pillar Pagoda, built by Emperor Ly Thai Tong in 1049 to look like a lotus rising from the water. Next is the Temple of Literature (Van Mieu), built in 1070 and from 1076 home to the Imperial Academy, Vietnam's first university. Its stone stelae, carried on stone turtles, list the names of scholars who passed the royal exams.

Have lunch at a local restaurant, then visit the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, which has full-size stilt houses and a communal house of the Bahnar people in its garden. You are then taken to Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son Temple. Don't miss a cycle-rickshaw ride around the Old Quarter to watch everyday life in Hanoi. Return to your hotel for a relaxing overnight stay. Tip: The Mausoleum is closed on Mondays and Fridays and for a few weeks of maintenance most years, so the guide may reorder the day. Cover knees and shoulders and remove hats inside.

Meals: breakfast, lunch

Day 3: Ha Long Bay Overnight Cruise: Surprise Cave and Kayaking

After breakfast, check out from the hotel and take the shuttle bus to Ha Long Bay, about 2.5 to 3 hours on the expressway. Halt at the Humanity Center, a handicraft outlet that supports communities and people with disabilities, where you can rest or buy gifts. On arrival in Ha Long Bay, you are taken to the boat and welcomed by the captain and crew. Lunch is served on board as the boat moves out among the limestone islands and islets.

After lunch, visit Surprise Cave (Sung Sot), one of the largest caves in the bay, where the light falls through the roof onto huge chambers of stalactites. Next, go kayaking around a fishing village and see how families live on floating homes. Back on the boat, a sunset party is arranged on deck, and you can swim in the bay if the weather allows. Dinner is served on board. In the evening there is karaoke, star-watching on the sundeck and squid fishing, followed by an overnight stay on board.

Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner on board · Hanoi to Ha Long Bay: about 170 km, 2.5 to 3 hours

Day 4: Ha Long Bay Cruise to Hue: Pearl Farm and Flight South

Wake up on the water for breakfast, coffee and tea on board. Many guests join the tai chi session on the sundeck at sunrise. The cruise continues to a pearl farm, where local workers show how pearls are seeded and grown. Board again and cruise past more islands and islets, and join the cooking class on board to learn to roll fresh Vietnamese spring rolls. Lunch is served before the boat docks at the pier. Bid goodbye to the crew and disembark.

Board the bus back towards Hanoi, where a car takes you to Noi Bai airport for your flight to Hue. On arrival in Hue, you are met by the agent's representative and escorted to your hotel. Check in and enjoy a relaxing overnight stay.

Meals: breakfast, lunch on board · Flight Hanoi to Hue: about 1 hour 10 minutes (about 570 km)

Day 5: Hue Imperial City, Royal Tombs and a Perfume River Boat

After breakfast, a guide and driver pick you up for a sightseeing tour of the former royal capital. You first visit the Mausoleums of Emperor Minh Mang, set among lakes and pine trees, and Emperor Khai Dinh, whose interior is covered in mosaics of broken porcelain and glass. Watch a performance of Vo Kinh Van An, a traditional Vietnamese martial art, then visit Emperor Tu Duc's Mausoleum, which the emperor used as a retreat while he was still alive. On the way, stop to see how locals make incense sticks and the conical hats Hue is known for.

After lunch at a local restaurant, walk through the Imperial City, the walled capital of the Nguyen Dynasty from 1802 to 1945, and then the seven-storeyed Thien Mu Pagoda on the riverbank. Return to your hotel by boat on the slow-moving Perfume River as the sun sets over the water. The evening is at leisure. Tip: Hue's food is the spiciest in Vietnam. Try banh beo (steamed rice cakes) and the vegetarian dishes of the city's Buddhist kitchens.

Meals: breakfast, lunch

Day 6: Hue to Da Nang over the Hai Van Pass and Evening at My Khe Beach

After breakfast, check out from the hotel in Hue and board the bus to Da Nang. The road runs either over the Hai Van Pass, with views back along the coast to Lang Co lagoon, or through the tunnel underneath it, depending on traffic and weather. Check into your hotel in Da Nang and freshen up. The rest of the day is at leisure. Spend it on My Khe Beach, a few minutes from the hotel, or book an optional half-day to Ba Na Hills and the Golden Bridge or the Marble Mountains. After dark, walk to the Dragon Bridge over the Han River, which breathes fire and water at 9 PM on Saturday and Sunday nights, and the Love Lock Bridge beside it. Return to the hotel for an overnight stay.

Meals: breakfast · Hue to Da Nang: about 97 km, about 3 hours

Day 7: My Son Sanctuary and Hoi An Ancient Town, then Fly to Nha Trang

This day takes you on a private tour to Hoi An. After an early breakfast and check-out, visit My Son Sanctuary, a UNESCO World Heritage Site of brick Hindu temples built by the Champa kings between the 4th and 13th centuries and dedicated mostly to Shiva. Go early, because the valley gets hot by noon.

Around midday, walk the ancient town of Hoi An, another UNESCO site: the colourful local market, Tan Ky Old House, the Fujian Assembly Hall and the 400-year-old Japanese Covered Bridge. Silk lanterns hang across almost every lane, and the riverside is at its best in late afternoon when they start to glow. Later, a car transfers you to Da Nang airport for your flight to Cam Ranh, the airport for Nha Trang. On arrival, you are driven about 45 minutes to your hotel in Nha Trang for an overnight stay.

Meals: breakfast · Da Nang to Hoi An: 29 km, about 41 minutes · Flight Da Nang to Cam Ranh: about 1 hour 10 minutes

Day 8: Nha Trang 4-Island Tour: Snorkelling, Tranh Beach and Aquarium

After breakfast, head out by boat on the 4-island tour. First stop is Mun Island, part of Vietnam's first marine protected area, where coral gardens and reef fish sit close to the surface. You can swim and snorkel here. Next, head to Mot Island, where a Vietnamese lunch is served. After lunch, spend time at Tranh Beach on Tam Island, a long white-sand beach for swimming, sunbathing and water sports such as parasailing, diving and jet skis (charged extra).

The day ends at Tri Nguyen Aquarium on Mieu Island, built in the shape of a pirate ship. Here you see large fish weighing 45 kg to 80 kg and sea creatures that include boxfish, sea anemones, starfish, lobsters, lionfish, razor fish, moray eels and turtles. Return to your hotel in Nha Trang for a relaxing overnight stay. Tip: Sea conditions are calmest from February to August. Carry reef-safe sunscreen and a dry bag for your phone.

Meals: breakfast, lunch · Optional: jet ski, parasailing, diving (charges extra)

Day 9: Nha Trang to Da Lat: Pongour and Elephant Waterfalls

After breakfast, check out and board the bus up into the Central Highlands. The road climbs the Khanh Le Pass through pine forest, and the air turns cool as you near Da Lat, which sits at about 1,500 m. On arrival, our tour guide takes you by car to Pongour Waterfall, the largest in the Central Highlands, where the water drops in wide tiers over the rocks. Lunch is served so that you are ready for the next part of the day.

Next, visit Elephant Waterfall, the second widest waterfall in Lam Dong province. Next to the falls sits the Wind Cave, with a narrow entrance between two cliffs that opens into wide, airy chambers where the wind roars like thunder. The rocks near the falls are wet and steep, so wear shoes with grip. Return to your hotel in Da Lat for an overnight stay, and pack a light jacket for the evening, when it can drop to around 15°C.

Meals: breakfast, lunch · Nha Trang to Da Lat: about 135 km, 3.5 to 4 hours by road

Day 10: Fly to Ho Chi Minh City and the Cu Chi Tunnels

After breakfast, check out from the hotel and transfer to Lien Khuong airport for the flight to Ho Chi Minh City. On arrival, check into your hotel in District 1 and freshen up. In the afternoon, a guide takes you to the Cu Chi Tunnels, about 70 km from the city. This network of more than 200 km of tunnels was dug from the late 1940s and used as a base during the Vietnam War, when Cu Chi was a “free fire zone”. Before entering, you watch a short film on how the tunnels were built.

You then explore trapdoors, living areas, storage rooms, weapons workshops, field hospitals, command posts and kitchens, and can crawl a short stretch widened for visitors. You are also served tea with steamed cassava, the food the fighters lived on. Return to your hotel in Ho Chi Minh City for an overnight stay. Tip: Ben Thanh Market is about a 10-minute walk from the hotel, and the Central Post Office and Notre Dame Cathedral are a short Grab ride away for the evening. The program has no Ho Chi Minh City city tour, so if the Reunification Palace and the War Remnants Museum matter to you, add a night here and see both in a morning; they are about 1 km apart.

Meals: breakfast, lunch · Flight Da Lat to Ho Chi Minh City: about 50 minutes (234 km)

Day 11: Mekong Delta Day Trip: My Tho, Boat Ride and Sampan Canals

After breakfast, drive south to the Mekong Delta past emerald rice fields. Your first stop is My Tho, the capital of Tien Giang Province, where you visit Vinh Trang Pagoda. Then take a boat ride along the river to see fruit plantations, fishing villages and stilt houses on the banks. At Tortoise Islet, lunch is served in an orchard garden, followed by a boat ride to An Khanh in Ben Tre province.

Next, sit back in a hand-rowed sampan as it slides down narrow canals lined with coconut palms. Listen to southern Vietnamese folk music (don ca tai tu) played by locals while you taste seasonal fruit and honey tea. Walk through the fruit plantation and village to see everyday life in the delta, then return to your hotel in Ho Chi Minh City for an overnight stay. Tip: The best time to visit Ho Chi Minh City is in the dry season between December and April, when it is warm and you are unlikely to need an umbrella.

Meals: breakfast, lunch

Day 12: Fly to Siem Reap: Angkor Thom, the Bayon and Angkor Wat

After breakfast, check out and transfer to the airport for your flight to Siem Reap, Cambodia. Keep your Cambodia e-visa printout or US$30 in cash for the visa on arrival, along with your e-Arrival card. Siem Reap Angkor International Airport sits about 40 to 45 km by road from town. On arrival, you head straight to Angkor Thom, the 12th-century royal city, through its South Gate, where rows of stone figures pull a giant serpent in the Churning of the Ocean of Milk.

Inside stands the Bayon, with its towers carved with more than 200 smiling faces of Avalokiteshvara. You also see the Phimeanakas temple in the Royal Enclosure, the Terrace of the Elephants and the Terrace of the Leper King, considered a masterpiece of Khmer sculpture. After lunch, visit the most famous of all the temples on the plain of Angkor: Angkor Wat. Built in the early 12th century as a Hindu temple to Vishnu, it is the largest religious monument in the world, its site spreading over 162 hectares, and its outline is on the Cambodian flag. Transfer to your hotel in Siem Reap for an overnight stay. Tip: While in Siem Reap, hiring one tuk-tuk driver for your whole stay is a good idea.

Meals: breakfast, lunch · Flight Ho Chi Minh City to Siem Reap: about 1 hour

Day 13: Banteay Srei, Ta Prohm and Tonle Sap Floating Village

Want sunrise at Angkor Wat? Ask your guide for a 5 AM start; the 3-day Angkor Pass covers it. After breakfast, drive about an hour to Banteay Srei, a small 10th-century temple of pink sandstone known as the jewel of Khmer art for its fine, deep carvings. Its name means “Citadel of Women”, and local legend says only women's hands could carve so finely, though it was commissioned by a royal adviser named Yajnavaraha. Then proceed to Ta Prohm, where huge silk-cotton and fig trees grip the stone walls, left much as the jungle reclaimed them.

After lunch, visit Tonle Sap, the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia, and take a boat to a floating village of stilt houses, floating schools and fish farms. The lake is at its fullest from September to November. Afterwards, head to the Old Market (Phsar Chas) to buy souvenirs such as handicrafts, silk and jewellery. Return to your hotel for an overnight stay.

Meals: breakfast, lunch

Day 14: Free Morning in Siem Reap and Departure for India

After breakfast, the day is at leisure until your airport transfer. Most hotels check out at noon, so plan the morning around your flight time. You can visit the Angkor National Museum, which explains the temples you have seen, pick up Kampot pepper and Khmer silk at the Old Market, or book a final traditional Khmer massage near Pub Street. Allow about an hour for the drive to Siem Reap Angkor International Airport and reach two hours before departure. Flights back to India connect through Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore or Ho Chi Minh City, and most routes reach Delhi or Mumbai the same night or early the next morning.

Meals: breakfast

Hotels

Note: Our agents will provide you these or similar hotels depending on availability.

Inclusions and Exclusions

Vietnam Cambodia Trip Cost from India for 14 Days

A 14-day Vietnam Cambodia trip from India costs about Rs 1,48,000 to Rs 1,80,000 per adult once flights and visas are added. The land package is the fixed part. Flights, and the month you travel, move the total most.

Prefer one price with flights from India? Compare the 14 days Cambodia Vietnam tour with airfare, which takes a different route through Phnom Penh.

Visa for Indians: Vietnam e-Visa and Cambodia e-Visa

Indian passport holders need two visas for this trip, and both can be sorted online before you fly. Vietnam must be an approved e-visa before boarding. Cambodia accepts an e-visa or a visa on arrival at Siem Reap.

Apply for both at least two weeks before departure. Step-by-step help is in our guides to the Vietnam visa for Indians and the Cambodia visa for Indians.

Flights from India and the Best Time for a 2-Week Vietnam and Cambodia Trip

Book an open-jaw ticket. Fly into Hanoi and home from Siem Reap, so the trip never doubles back. IndiGo, VietJet and Vietnam Airlines fly from Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata to Hanoi, some routes non-stop. From Siem Reap, flights home connect via Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore or Ho Chi Minh City. More routes are in our guide on how to reach Vietnam from India.

This route crosses three climate zones, so no month is perfect everywhere. February to April comes closest.

Month-by-month detail is on our best time to visit Vietnam and best time to visit Cambodia pages.

Travel Tips for Indian Travellers on This Route

Vegetarians eat well at breakfast every day, and the included lunches can be made vegetarian if you ask when you book. Say “an chay” for vegetarian in Vietnam and ask for no fish sauce, which goes into dishes that look meat-free. Indian restaurants are easy to find in Hanoi's Old Quarter, Hoi An, Nha Trang, District 1 in Ho Chi Minh City and around Pub Street in Siem Reap; see our guides to Indian restaurants in Vietnam and Indian restaurants in Cambodia.

Vietnam runs on the dong and Cambodia mostly on US dollars, so carry a forex card plus small dollar notes for Siem Reap. Indian UPI apps do not work at most shops. A local eSIM or a SIM from the arrival hall costs a few hundred rupees for two weeks of data, and Grab works in every Vietnamese city on the route. Cover shoulders and knees at temples and the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. For one traveller's account of the same two countries, read Pranav's budget trip to Vietnam and Cambodia.

Other Vietnam and Cambodia Itineraries

• Vietnam Cambodia 14 days with Sapa and Ha Long cruise: the mountain version of this trip.

• 14 days Cambodia Vietnam tour with airfare: flights from India in one price, on a route through Phnom Penh instead of central Vietnam.

• 11 nights 12 days Cambodia Vietnam holiday and 10 nights 11 days Cambodia Vietnam holiday: two to three days shorter.

• 7 nights 8 days Vietnam Cambodia tour and 10 days Vietnam Cambodia tour with airfare: for one week or ten days.

• More ways to plan: Ha Long Bay tour packages, Hoi An tour packages, Cambodia tour packages and Vietnam Cambodia Laos tour packages. Read up on the temples before you go on our Angkor Wat entry fees page, or start with the Vietnam tourism guide.

Prices, inclusions and day timings on this page are checked by our Vietnam and Cambodia desk against the supplier rate card, and visa details against the official Vietnam and Cambodia e-visa portals.

Edited by TravelTriangle