Help with Vietnam and Cambodia itinerary

[HolidayHappy123]

Please could you help with my itinerary for a trip I an planning to Vietnam and Cambodia over Christmas and new year. I am particularly interested in whether I have missed anything we ought to do and what sites / activities are recommended for teens:

Hanoi (3 nights, 2 days)
Ha Long Bay cruise (2 nights)
Hoi An (4 nights luxury beach resort)
Ho Chi Min (2 nights)
Sien Reap / Anghor Wat (2 nights)
Koh Rong (4 nights, beach)

I’m looking for a mix of adventure and chill hence the two beach resorts, although we will do some cool stuff in Hoi An. Nothing to do in Koh Rong that I can see.

Please be as critical as you like as I’ve got plenty of time to finesse and amend.

Chuck it into chat GBT. Seriously (if you're not bothered about a carbon footprint). It will do everything for you

Although, I'd avoid Halong Bay, it's so touristy now, so many boats all doing the same things

My DCs loved this
https://www.vespaadventures.com/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23200845060&gbraid=0AAAAAq93UCu0ldxVmutfY11KT3OnghGk7&gclid=Cj0KCQiAprLLBhCMARIsAEDhdPflsJiINDgV0DA-ZKqtozPL-oC_ZJd-vQ0v8KWa0F-ccQn0WCljJi0aAow9EALw_wcB
we had Vespa adventures in HCMC, Hue and Siem Reap.

Personally I would only do one night in halong bay.
Hoi an can be very wet in December.
I would spend more time in SR than in Koh Rong. There are some beautiful hotels in SR if you want to combine AW with some relaxation. I stayed here in 2019 and it was very relaxing, but walking distance to centre of SR.
viroth-hotel.com/?https%3A%2F%2Fwww_viroth-hotel_com%2Fspecial-offers%2F&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22247459244&gbraid=0AAAAADSVqLOyZjDNXr3Aa8R6T1TpUjL3T&gclid=Cj0KCQiAprLLBhCMARIsAEDhdPewOHy6bjIb4Ftb74xl6_VQrnpzMsUJVNG0kG1jQUBdGnCayJi5AHkaAutTEALw_wcB

We were one night in Ho chi min before a river cruise. I found an evening out on a Vespa scooter touring the city and visiting various eating places. Was the best part of our trip.

I’d scrap the extra beach bit in Cambodia, and spend more days in Vietnam - eg HCMC is great and lots
to do there or locally.

Where do you fly in and out of? You could probably fly direct into Siem Reap to start the trip then directly up to Hanoi for example.

IMO two nights only anywhere is a bit hectic also.

We’re going to Vietnam in April on honeymoon. Our itinerary is 3 nights Hanoi, 2 nights Ninh Binh, 1 night Ha Long bay, 6 nights luxury beach resort Hoi An, 3 nights Hue, 2 nights HCMC. We were after some decent down time by the beach and trying to see as much of the place as possible. We booked through Trailfinders who were super helpful. We don’t usually bother with travel agents, but with this being our honeymoon we thought it was worth it.

I personally think Phomh Penh is underrated but also it's quite confronting as focused on the Pol Pot genocide, so it kind of depends if you want to do that- no judgement if you don't. Kep is also cool as there are all these massive abandoned villas and some v nice resorts.

Your itinerary looks great! We also loved Hue, and it's very easy to combine with Hoi An as they are a very scenic 3 hour drive (the Hai Van Pass) away from each other. There is so much to see there and the "walking streets" on an evening are a brilliant atmosphere with great restaurants. Our teens loved everything about it! Halong Bay is stunning but very touristy now, so on our most recent trip we did Lan Ha Bay instead which is just next door but it was much, much quieter. There is so much to see at Siem Reap I would recommend 3 nights there!

You will have a fab trip, it's my favourite part of the world so I'm very jealous!

We spent four nights there n Siam Reap and managed to fill them, used a super driver/guide.
Picked us up from the airport and then headed straight out to Tonle Sap to see the stilt villages and go out on the lake.
The next day we went to Angkor Wat and then two more temples in the complex.
We also added on a stop to see the Hero Rats at Apopo, which were incredible.
Out last day we headed out into the countryside to swim at waterfalls, and see some less frequented temples.

It will be wet in Danang/ Hoian at that time of the year so Phu Quoc island is a good alternative (Fly Hanoi to Phu Quoc and then Phu Quoc to Saigon).
Add one more night to Siem Reap will be better!

@MrsNathanDrakethis sounds like a great itinerary. Did Trailfinders suggest doing it in that order rather than beginning HCMC then following the weather north to Hanoi? Curious as looking at a similar itinerary for Easter 2027. Also what beach resort have you chosen? Hope you have a lovely time

Definitely spend more time in Siem Reap. The Angkor temples are spectacular. We spent 4 nights there (with student kids) and could have stayed longer. Siem Reap is also a great little town and there are some beautiful hotels with lovely pools and gardens. Great restaurants in town too, and fab street food stalls along the river at night. If you only have one full day to explore, you’ll just scratch the surface. Going to see sunrise over Angkor Watt itself is spectacular, then it takes time to see that area of temples. You’ll also want to go and see the ones that are still covered in jungle (the Tomb Raider ones). It’s a massive area and very spread out. You’ll need a guide/driver.

Agree 2 nights at Ha Long Bay is probably a bit much. One is enough. We went to Bai Tu Long Bay with Indochina Junk which we would recommend. It was much quieter than Ha Long Bay - we were the only boat for a while.

I’d also do a bit more research about the beach bit in Hoi An at that time of year. I don’t think it will be warm enough for sunbathing or swimming. Friends have been in February and November and both times it was cool and wet. You may want to do beach stuff further South.

We already had an idea of the places we wanted to visit and Trailfinders did the rest! We just went into their Brighton shop and talked through what we wanted and they recommended hotels and how long we needed in each place. We re staying at the Hoi An Boutique resort.

I think that at the time of year we’re going the weather is ok throughout the country so it didn’t really make a big difference. We didn’t think we’d be able to have the time to do HCMC but they made it work! We’re also flying direct with Vietnam Airlines which is a bonus.

Have you factored in the time to travel between each place? There are some pretty significant distances between each place, so you could easily lose a day on a bus getting there. Presumably plane/s are also involved.

I'd spend more time in Siem Reap, if you can. It's truly amazing. Anghor Wat takes a good 2 days to explore fully, but if you get the chance. Ta Prohm Temple was lost in the jungle for over 200 years; it's completely overgrown with amazing trees, and was the highlight of our trip.

Also, the Bayon Temple was spectacular, and there is a river with amazing carvings in the riverbed. Sorry, don't remember the name.

The food was great, the artisan crafts are out of this world, and you will want to bring it all back. Enjoy our trip!