Dear fodors community,

I am looking to get your help with my upcoming trip to Vietnam (9 days) and Cambodia (3 days) from Dec 25th to Jan 5th, 2025. Below is the breakdown of days. Is this itinerary doable? Since we will be visiting Vietnam in late December, we are skipping Sapa as it will be cold and rainy. Any recommendations / must- do's will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for your time and patience!

1) Hanoi: 4 days, including 2 day/1 night cruise at Halong Bay (Hanoi city tour, Thang Long Water Puppet show, Temple of Literature, Imperial Citadel of Thang Long complex and Incense village visit).
2) Da Nang: Fly from Hanoi to Da Nang, 1 day stay, mainly to see Golden hands bridge at Ba Na Hills
3) Hoi An: 2 days (Night Market, Japanese Covered Bridge, Lantern making workshop at The Lantern Lady, An Bang Beach, Coconut boat ride, Vietnamese cooking class, My Son Sanctuary)
4) Siem Reap - Fly from Da Nang to Cambodia, Siem Reap
Siem Reap - 3 days (mainly to visit Angkor Wat central small circuit route, Angkor night market and Konpong Phluk Floating Village)
5) Ho Chi Min City: 2 days (HCM city walking tour/ Cu Chi tunnels and day trip to Mekong Delta)

I'm a bit confused -- it's not clear how you are counting the time it takes to get from one place to another. It might be helpful to present your proposed itinerary by counting nights rather than days. For example, to have 3 days in Siem Reap you need 4 nights there.

In my opinion, do Vietnam first and fly out of Siem Reap or leave Siem Reap for another trip with that limited time.

Thanks for the feedback. I have added the nights to make it more clear.

1) Hanoi: 2 full days/ 2 nights in Hanoi

• Hanoi city tour, Thang Long Water Puppet show, Temple of Literature, Imperial Citadel of Thang Long complex and Incense village visit.

2) Halong bay: 2 days/1 night cruise

3) Da Nang: Fly from Hanoi to Da Nang, 1 night stay.

• Visit Golden hands bridge at Ba Na Hills

4) Hoi An: 2 nights/ 2 days

• Night Market, Japanese Covered Bridge, Lantern making workshop at The Lantern Lady, An Bang Beach, Coconut boat ride, Vietnamese cooking class, My Son Sanctuary

5) Siem Reap: 3 nights/ 4 days

• Fly from Da Nang to Cambodia, Siem Reap
• Visit Angkor Wat central small circuit route, Angkor night market and Konpong Phluk Floating Village

6) Ho Chi Min City: 3 nights

• HCM city walking tour/ Cu Chi tunnels and day trip to Mekong Delta

Sorry, I remain confused. It takes time to go from one place to another, so I don't believe you have the time you think you have. For example, with 2 full days and 2 nights in Hanoi, how can you possibly get to Halong Bay in time to have 2 days (and only one night) there? And while you might be able to get from Hanoi to Da Nang, with only 1 night there, how will you have time to see anything before leaving for Hoi An? I suggest that you mark everything -- including getting to / from airports, checking in/out, etc. -- on a calendar and then come back to us with an itinerary that includes transportation times. Maybe it will work, and if the problem is with my vision, I hope you will forgive and indulge me.

Hi Just a word on the Angkor Temples. The best way to view the complex is by bicycle, and, unless your a fanatic and intend to stop at each site, you can complete the longer circuit easily in an hour or two, leaving ample time fro the " main" attractions. Aside from the temples a late afternoon on the Tonle Sap can be enjoyable. , .

I would suggest that "the best way" is highly subjective. As I see it, it depends on the time of year, travelers' priorities, number of travelers, their physical fitness, etc. And what counts as "ample time" also varies. When I was there, I saw lots of people moving through sites at almost a trot, looking at almost nothing, while others wanted to take time to appreciate details.

I hope you like spending lots of time in buses, taxis, stations and airports because that is where your all be spending most of your usable time if you proceed with that itinerary.

Two nights in a place will never give you two full days of sightseeing. Every time you change location you will lose at least half a day. In Vietnam, possibly more.

Essentially you are trying to visit too many places in te time you have.

Three days (4 nights) is about right for the temples of Angkor. With just nine days in Vietnam, I would strongly suggest sticking with either the north or the south and avoid the centre completely.

You must combine the sensational Cao Dai Temple of Tay Ninh with the tunnels. All the Saigon travel agencies propose that tour

Why? they are both major tourist traps. There are much better places to visit in the delta that truly reflect the nature or that region

With you, everything popular is a tourist trap ! Amazing that so many people, and not only nerds, enjoy both the temple and the tunnels. Not reflecting the life ? Hundred of thousands of Viets are members of the Cao Dai religion, which has a temple in nearly very town in the country, As for the tunnels, of course they do not reflect today, but the reflect perfectly the life of the people during the Vietnam War

I agree with others, I think you are overestimating the time you have in each place, and underestimating the time it takes you to get from A to B.

Your title says 3 days Cambodia, but then you say 5 days
4) Siem Reap - Fly from Da Nang to Cambodia, Siem Reap
Siem Reap - 3 days (mainly to visit Angkor Wat central small circuit route, Angkor night market and Konpong Phluk Floating Village)
5) Ho Chi Min City: 2 days (HCM city walking tour/ Cu Chi tunnels and day trip to Mekong Delta)

Is traveling from Siem Reap to HCMC included? If so, you need to subtract at least 1/2 day (depending on your flight time) from either destination. It takes time to get from the airport to your hotel, check in, and from there to get to the attraction you want to visit that day. Subtract some more...

Unless you land at 6-7am (will you be jet lagged?) you don't have 2 full days in Hanoi. Please review your itinerary, and make sure you consider the flight times. If a flight is at 11 am, it will kill almost your entire day...