Easy Vietnam and Cambodia

Arrival in Hanoi, handling of the immigration operations and transfer to the hotel. Hanoi is the political capital of Vietnam, and its name means in Vietnamese "on this side of the river", because it lies along the bank of the Red River and it is inhabited by about a million inhabitants. Imperial capital since 1010 and during the Le dynasty from 1428 to 1788, it retook its role in French Indochina during the colonial period from 1902 to 1953, to become the political capital of the country after the reunification in 1976. In the afternoon, visit of the Pagoda with a single pillar built in 1049 to represent the purity of the lotus flower; Mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh (the esplanade); the Temple of Literature, an ancient university built in 1070 in honor of Confucius; the Quan Than temple; the Lake of the Returned Sword, surrounded by ancient trees. Overnight at the hotel.

We will have breakfast at the hotel. In the morning departure for Halong Bay, defined the eighth wonder of the world, with lunch onboard based on seafood. The bay, dotted with karst rocks, over the millenia has undergone the erosion of wind and water, creating a phantasmagorical environment of islands, islets and stacks, some of which are hundreds of meters high. Some islands have also formed an internal lake, accessible through a passage that completely disappears during high tide, while others have caves and stranger formations. During the midseason, the morning mist creates even more suggestive effects, making islands and rocks appear and disappear in the distance.
According to a legend, the hundreds of islets are the remains of the tail of a dragon sunk in the waters of the bay. Visit of a cave. Dinner and overnight on board.
(optional overnight stay in the hotel in Halong Bay)

We will have breakfast on board, continuation of the cruise in the bay. In the late morning return to the port and departure to Hanoi airport, with a few stops along the way. Lunch in a local restaurant. Boarding and departure operations
with flight to Saigon. Arrival and transfer to the hotel. Free time. Overnight at the Hotel.

We will have breakfast at the hotel. Morning departure and visit to the famous underground tunnels of Cu Chi. At the end return to Saigon. Beginning of visits to Saigon, a dynamic city also rich in evidence of the past: the Notre Dame cathedral dating from 1877, the Post Office, the Binh Tay market, the Cho Lon district and the Thien hau pagoda. Lunch in a local restaurant. Overnight at the Hotel.

We will have beakfast at the hotel. In the morning the is an excursion to the Mekong delta, the largest rice basket in the country. Transfer to My Tho. Cruise on the Mekong to observe the daily life of the local populations living along the great river: floating farms for fish breeding and floating markets, sailing in small canals bordered by papaya and coconut trees. After leaving the boat, we will visit the locals to see how they make their "household appliances" fo the home with coconut trunks and roof coverings. We will taste seasonal fruit with traditional music performances. The journey continues with a horse-drawn carriage ride on quiet and non-busy roads to an orchard where a cup of tea and natural honey will be offered. You will experience a small sampan for transfer to a local house for lunch. In the end, disembarkation and continuation to Chau Doc. Arrival and accommodation in the Hotel. Overnight at Hotel.

We will have breakfast at the hotel,then we will transfer to the pier and transfer to Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, through the river. Arrival after about five hours of sailing. Transfer to the hotel. Lunch in a restaurant. In the afternoon, visit of the city: the Silver Pagoda in the Royal Palace and the Khmer Museum. Overnight at Hotel.

We will have breakfast at the hotel,then we will transfer by land to Siem reap (about 5 hours). Arrival and start of the visit of Angkor Thom, capital of Angkor from the 10th to the 15th century. If Angkor Wat is the masterpiece of classical Hinduism, Angkor Thom is the example of the transition to a different inspiration, that of Mahayana Buddhism, which matured after the catastrophe of 1177, when Angkor was submerged by the invasion of the Cham from present-day Vietnam. The spokesperson for this change was King Jayavarman VII who completely restructured Angkor and, with a feverish construction campaign from 1181 to 1220, built the fortified citadel of Angkor Thom, which means "city that supports the world by giving it its own law". We will visit the sites of Jayavarman VII (1181-1220): South Gate, Bayon, Terrace of the Elephants, Terrace of the Leper King; the 11th-century sites: Baphuon, Phimeanakas, North and South Khleang, the 12 Prasat Sister Prat. Lunch in a restaurant. In the afternoon end of the visit to the archaeological sites of Preah Khan, Neak Pean, Ta Prohm (Jayavarman VII). Overnight in the hotel.

We will have breakfast at the hotel,then we will departure for the excursion to the temple of Banteay Srei, about 28 kilometers from the city and considered a true jewel of Khmer art, it is known as "the Temple of the Females". The peculiarity of this temple, the only one to have been built by a court dignitary and not by a King, are the pink sandstone bas-reliefs.
On the way back we will stop at the temple of Banteay Samre (Suryavarman II, 1113-1150), the Eastern Mebon, the Pre Rup temple and Prasat Kravan (10th-century temples), dedicated to Shiva. Lunch in the restaurant. In the afternoon visit of the majestic architectural complex of Angkor Wat, considered the most harmonious monument of Angkor in style, proportions and conception, which has become a national symbol representing the unity of the Cambodian people. The same complex is depicted on the country's flag. The temple was built by King Suryavarman II (1113-1150), the "king protected from the sun" who wanted to make it his mausoleum. Its construction began in 1122 and ended in 1150, the year of his death. Angkor Wat occupies an area of 2 million square meters, surrounded by a 200-meter-wide moat, the banks of which were covered with steps. It is the only temple facing west, towards the sunset, on the way of the dead. Impressive is the decoration of kilometers of bas-reliefs carved on the walls, in the arcades and in the galleries, which illustrate with incredible richness and vivacity the main scenes of the Indian epic poems. Return to the hotel and overnight.

We will have breakfast at the hotel,then we will departure for the excursion to Lake Tonlé Sap, the largest in all of Southeast Asia, is an exceptional natural phenomenon that provides fish resources and water for irrigation to almost half of the Cambodian population. In the rainy season (May-October) the extension of the basin goes from 2500 sq km to 13.000 sq km while the depth grows from 2.2 meters to 10 meters. This extraordinary process makes Tonlé Sap lake one of the richest freshwater fish reserves in the world. Thanks to this extraordinary ecosystem, the lake has been declared a protected biosphere. Visit the floating fishing village of Chong Kneas, with its typical wooden buildings. Return to the hotel. Free time for individual visits or shopping until the transfer to the airport in due time for departure for Italy