Hanoi → Lan Ha Bay → Hue → Hoi An → Ho Chi Minh City → Siem Reap · map not to scale
At a glance
- Nights
- 13 nights, 6 stops
- Hotel changes
- 5 (including the night on board)
- Travel
- 3 flights within the trip, quoted separately; every other move by private car or boat
- Best for
- Travellers adding Angkor to a two-week Vietnam route
- Budget
- From 1,960 USD per person (14 days × 140, 2 travellers, 4★); 5★ upgrades quoted individually
The short answer
Add Cambodia only if you can give Angkor three nights without rushing Vietnam. In practice that means at least fourteen days for Hanoi, the bay, Hue, Hoi An, Saigon and Siem Reap. With ten days I usually say no, or suggest a south-only route. Think also about stairs, heat, your travel month and what you would give up in Vietnam.
One of the first questions I hear when someone plans a long private trip is whether Cambodia should go in as well. Angkor is close and the flight from Ho Chi Minh City is short. Sometimes that instinct is right. Quite often, though, a second country takes more out of a trip than it gives back.
When I design a route, I start with a few questions about days, people and pace, not with the map. Here are those questions, the cases where I say no, and the two-week shape I build when the answer is yes.
Should you add Cambodia to Vietnam? Start with the number of days
My rule is simple: Cambodia needs three nights at Angkor to be worth the flight. Two nights means one rushed temple day after a travel day. Three nights gives you two half-days among the temples with a rest at midday, which is how our guides run Angkor for couples and families.
So the real question is whether Vietnam can give up three or four nights without becoming a race. In our experience the answer looks like this:
- Ten days or fewer: I almost never add Cambodia to a full Vietnam route. You either cut the bay or Hoi An, or you change hotel every night. A better ten-day shape is south only, which I describe further down.
- Twelve to thirteen days: possible, but only if you skip one region of Vietnam, usually Hue or the Mekong Delta.
- Fourteen days: the point where Hanoi, one night on the bay, Hue, Hoi An, Saigon and three nights at Angkor all fit with at least two nights in most places.
- Three weeks: Cambodia fits easily, and Laos becomes a real option too.
The questions I ask before adding Cambodia to a Vietnam trip
What is drawing you to Cambodia? For most of our guests it is Angkor, which means a Siem Reap stay. Phnom Penh or a quiet island at the end is a different trip, with more nights and another flight.
Who is travelling? Angkor asks more of your legs than anywhere else on the route: some temple levels have steep, uneven steps, and the heat can be strong. For travellers in their seventies I plan shorter temple sessions and let the guide choose which climbs are worth it. For teenagers, Angkor is often the highlight, especially Ta Prohm, with trees growing through the stones.
When are you going? The cooler, drier months are generally the most comfortable for both countries. In hotter months I keep Angkor to early mornings and late afternoons, with a good hotel pool in between.
How will you cross? Most of our trips fly from Ho Chi Minh City to Siem Reap. At the top tier, a Mekong river cruise can replace the flight and two hotel changes, which changes budget and pace, so we decide it early.
What would you give up in Vietnam? This is the question people skip. Every night in Cambodia is taken from somewhere else, and I would rather you choose that knowingly.
When I say no to adding Cambodia
- When the trip is ten days or fewer and you also want Hanoi, the bay and Hoi An.
- When one traveller finds stairs and heat difficult and the main reason for Cambodia is climbing temples.
- When this is your first long-haul trip to Asia and you have already told me you want fewer hotel changes.
- When the real wish is a beach ending. A few nights at a resort in central Vietnam gives most people more rest than a second country.
If the answer is yes: Vietnam and Cambodia in two weeks
This is the fourteen-day shape our team uses most, built from three Metta Voyage programmes. It runs north to south, so Angkor comes once you have adjusted to the heat. Every day is private, with your own guide and driver in each country, and any day can become a rest day.
| Day | Where | What we do | Overnight |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hanoi | Arrival; your guide and driver meet you. Free afternoon, dinner at a local restaurant | Hanoi |
| 2 | Hanoi | Temple of Literature, Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son Temple; a cyclo ride in the Old Quarter; water puppet show | Hanoi |
| 3 | Ha Long or Lan Ha Bay | Private car to the coast, lunch on board, a cave visit, kayaking or the sundeck | On board |
| 4 | Bay – Hue | Tai chi at sunrise, back to port; car to Hanoi airport for the flight to Hue | Hue |
| 5 | Hue | Boat on the Perfume River to Thien Mu Pagoda, the tombs of Tu Duc and Minh Mang; after a midday rest, the Citadel | Hue |
| 6 | Hue – Hoi An | Drive over the Hai Van Pass with photo stops; afternoon free | Hoi An |
| 7 | Hoi An | Early walk in the old town before the day visitors: Japanese Covered Bridge, the assembly halls, Tan Ky House; afternoon free | Hoi An |
| 8 | Hoi An | Basket boats in the water-coconut forest at Cam Thanh and a bamboo craftsman’s house, or a lantern-making workshop | Hoi An |
| 9 | Da Nang – Ho Chi Minh City | Flight south; Reunification Palace, the Old Post Office and the War Remnants Museum | Ho Chi Minh City |
| 10 | Mekong Delta | Day trip to Ben Tre: a boat on the Mekong, a rowing sampan through small canals, lunch of local specialities | Ho Chi Minh City |
| 11 | Cu Chi – Siem Reap | Optional morning at the Cu Chi Tunnels, then the afternoon flight to Siem Reap | Siem Reap |
| 12 | Angkor | South Gate of Angkor Thom, the Bayon and its stone faces, Ta Prohm; rest at midday; Angkor Wat in the late afternoon | Siem Reap |
| 13 | Angkor | Banteay Srei, Banteay Samre and Pre Rup; afternoon free or a boat on the Tonle Sap Lake | Siem Reap |
| 14 | Siem Reap | Free morning, transfer to the airport for your flight home | — |
Three flights join the route: Hanoi to Hue, Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City, and Ho Chi Minh City to Siem Reap. If you want more time on the water, two nights on board is the change we recommend most; see how I choose a bay ship. For the pacing rules behind the Vietnam half, read how I plan two weeks in Vietnam.
Mistakes I see most often
- Two nights at Angkor. It looks efficient and turns the temples into one long, hot day.
- Adding Phnom Penh to a two-week trip. It is worth seeing, but on fourteen days it usually costs Hue or the delta, plus another flight.
- Arranging the Cambodia visa last. Visas depend on your passport, and people leave the second country until the final week before departure.
- Planning one long temple day. Splitting Angkor into early mornings and late afternoons, with a pool in between, is what makes it enjoyable for older travellers.
- Ending on a travel day. I prefer a free last morning, so the flight home is the only thing scheduled.
Where to stay
These are the hotels and ships we book on this route. Your quote names each property.
- Hanoi: Fairmont Hanoi. Opened in February 2026 a short walk from Hoan Kiem Lake, with a wellness floor and a 20-metre lap pool.
- The bay: Paradise Grand. A five-star ship on Lan Ha Bay with 39 cabins, each with a balcony or terrace.
- Hue and Ho Chi Minh City. We choose a central 4–5★ hotel and name it in your quote.
- Hoi An: NHAAN Resort & Spa Hoi An. In Cam Thanh village by the Co Co River, with craft workshops and nineteen pairs of connecting rooms for families. Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai, on a kilometre of Ha My beach, is the beach alternative.
- Siem Reap: Amansara. Twenty-four suites in a 1960s royal guest villa, ten minutes from Angkor Wat, with a daily guided temple excursion included. Three nights is the usual stay, which matches my rule.
I explain how I choose between hotels like these in what I check before booking a 4–5★ hotel.
What it costs
A private Vietnam and Cambodia trip at 4★ level is from 140 USD per person per day, based on two travellers sharing, with a private guide and driver, confirmed in your private quote. Over 14 days that is from 1,960 USD per person. A group of four receives 5% off (from 133 USD per person per day), and a group of six receives 8% off. Choosing stays such as Amansara or The Nam Hai moves the trip to our top tier, from 350 USD per person per day, quoted individually.
Domestic flights are quoted separately. To confirm a trip we take a 30% deposit, with the balance due 45 days before arrival, and a non-refundable 100 USD per traveller holding fee (kept even if you cancel early), which is separate from the 30% deposit. Card payments carry a 3.5% fee. More detail is in how I price a long private trip.
For a ready-made version and its current from-price, see Metta Voyage’s 14-day Vietnam Cambodia family tour or the 14-day best of Vietnam and Cambodia.
Visas and health for two countries
Entry rules depend on your passport. For Vietnam, check whether your nationality is exempt and, if not, apply through the government portal at evisa.gov.vn; the Cambodian e-visa is issued through evisa.gov.kh. Read the CDC pages for both countries well before you travel and bring enough regular medication for the whole trip. Our team checks the visa type against your route in the quote.
Other ways to add Cambodia to Vietnam
Ten days, south only. Ho Chi Minh City, the Mekong Delta at Can Tho, Phnom Penh and Angkor: the shape of Metta Voyage’s 10-day Vietnam and Cambodia tour, and the version I suggest when someone has ten days and Angkor is a must. In Can Tho and Phnom Penh we choose a central 4–5★ hotel and name it in your quote.
Cross by river. Heritage Line The Jahan sails seven nights between Saigon and Siem Reap, with shorter sections, and Aqua Mekong runs three-, four- and seven-night itineraries. Both are top tier, quoted individually.
Add Laos as well. With a third week, see three countries in three weeks. For timing, see how I choose the month; for slower travellers, my checklist for parents in their seventies.
Metta Voyage has handled more than 2,000 bookings for over 10,100 travellers. Send us your dates and we will tell you honestly whether Cambodia fits.
Sources
Vietnam e-visa portal: evisa.gov.vn. Cambodia e-visa: evisa.gov.kh. Seasons and travel information: Vietnam National Authority of Tourism (vietnam.travel) and Tourism of Cambodia (tourismcambodia.org). Health advice: CDC, Vietnam, CDC, Cambodia and WHO travel and health. Fairmont Hanoi and NHAAN details: Accor and Hilton announcements, 2026.
Questions we are often asked
Is it worth adding Cambodia to a Vietnam trip?
Yes, if you can give Angkor three nights and still keep at least two nights in most Vietnamese stops. That usually needs fourteen days or more.
Can I add Cambodia to ten days in Vietnam?
Not comfortably on a full north-to-south route. With ten days we suggest either Vietnam alone or a south-only route from Ho Chi Minh City through the Mekong Delta to Phnom Penh and Angkor.
How many nights do I need at Angkor?
We recommend three nights in Siem Reap. That gives two temple days split into early mornings and late afternoons, with a rest at midday.
How do you get from Vietnam to Cambodia?
Usually by a short flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Siem Reap, quoted separately. At the top tier, a Mekong river cruise such as The Jahan or Aqua Mekong can link the two countries.
How much does a private Vietnam and Cambodia trip cost?
From 140 USD per person per day at 4★ level, based on two travellers sharing, which is from 1,960 USD per person for 14 days, confirmed in your private quote. Domestic flights are quoted separately.
David — for The Metta Voyage team. Checked against our itineraries and the sources above on 11 November 2026.
