The journey
Crawl through the Cu Chi Tunnels, join a Vespa food tour through Saigon's streets, cycle and fish around Hoi An, ride circus arts and dance workshops in Battambang, then bike to Angkor Wat and zipline through the jungle canopy, twelve days built for families with teens.
Southern Vietnam & Cambodia: Teen Family Adventure is a twelve-day journey through Vietnam and Cambodia designed for families with teenagers, mixing hands-on adventure with genuine cultural discovery. Begin in Ho Chi Minh City with a speedboat ride to the Cu Chi Tunnels, a treasure hunt through Ben Thanh Market and a Vespa-style food and nightlife tour, then continue to Hoi An for an old town discovery walk, a traditional healing and martial arts visit, and a day cycling the countryside and fishing from a bamboo basket boat.
Highlights
- Cruise the Saigon River to the Cu Chi Tunnels and crawl through the wartime underground network
- Join a Vespa-style food and nightlife tour through Ho Chi Minh City's rooftops, seafood spots and live music venues
- Cycle Hoi An's countryside and fish from a traditional bamboo basket boat with local fishermen
- Cycle the villages around Battambang and join a circus arts and traditional dance workshop at Phare Ponleu Selpak
- Sample fried insects and street food on a Siem Reap night market food tour
- Cycle to Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom, then soar through the jungle canopy on an Angkor zipline adventure
Included
Accommodation
11 nights across Ho Chi Minh City, Hoi An, Siem Reap and Battambang
Activities
Cu Chi Tunnels by speedboat · a Ben Thanh Market treasure hunt and a Vespa-style Ho Chi Minh City food and nightlife tour · a Hoi An old town discovery tour and a traditional healing/martial arts visit · Hoi An countryside cycling and traditional bamboo basket-boat fishing · Senteurs d'Angkor handicraft workshop · a Battambang countryside cycling tour with SoksaBike · Phare Ponleu Selpak circus arts campus and a traditional Cambodian dance and music workshop · a Siem Reap night market food and nightlife tour · Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom (Bayon temple, the Terrace of the Elephants) by bike · an Angkor zipline eco-adventure
Also included
English-speaking guide or representative throughout · private air-conditioned vehicle transfers and touring as mentioned · entrance fees for mentioned visits · boat trips as mentioned · breakfast daily from Day 2 (11 total), lunch on Days 3, 4 and 6 (3 total), and dinner on Days 3, 9, 10 and 11 (4 total)
The route
01Ho Chi Minh CityDays 1 to 3
02Hoi AnDays 4 to 6
03Siem ReapDay 7
04BattambangDays 8 to 9
05Siem ReapDays 10 to 12
The full day-by-day itinerary is below.
Day by day
The route in detail
Day 1
Arrival in Ho Chi Minh City
Arrive in Ho Chi Minh City, still known to locals as Saigon, once called the 'Pearl of Indochina' for its architectural wealth spanning pagodas, museums, European colonial buildings and a growing skyline of towers. Meet your guide and driver for the transfer to the hotel, with the rest of the day free at leisure. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.
Day 2
Cu Chi Tunnels by Boat
Depart at 11:00 for a short drive to the Saigon River, then board a speedboat for a scenic ride to the Cu Chi Tunnels, taking in the modern skyline over a light breakfast as the scenery shifts from urban neighbourhoods to open countryside. After around 90 minutes, arrive at Cu Chi to explore a section of the 200-kilometre underground tunnel network. Crawl through the tunnels for a sense of what life was like living and fighting underground, hearing stories of the residents' resilience and seeing relics of wartime weapons. Return by boat, cruising back to the heart of Ho Chi Minh City. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.
Day 3
Ben Thanh Treasure Hunt and a Vespa Food Tour
Transfer to Ben Thanh Market at 09:00 for a fun, family-friendly treasure hunt. Split into small teams, receive a challenge booklet and a basic Vietnamese phrase book, then spend an hour navigating the market, bargaining with vendors, solving puzzles about Vietnamese culture and completing a shopping checklist, all with a guide's help. Regroup afterward at a coffee shop to swap stories and tally the results. In the evening, from 18:00, hop on the back of a motorbike for a Vespa-style food and nightlife tour, starting at a rooftop bar for city views and a cocktail. Cruise through the busy streets past the city's landmarks to an authentic seafood restaurant, then continue to a beloved local institution for banh xeo, Vietnam's iconic savoury pancake, and finish the evening at a live music venue before the ride back to the hotel. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.
Day 4
Ho Chi Minh City to Hoi An
After breakfast, transfer to Tan Son Nhat Airport for the short flight to Danang, then continue by private vehicle to Hoi An, one of Vietnam's most picturesque towns and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, once a major Asian trading port in the 17th and 18th centuries. The rest of the day is free at leisure. Overnight in Hoi An.
Day 5
Hoi An Discovery and Martial Arts Healing
Depart at 08:30 for a half-day discovery tour of the ancient town with a local guide, exploring former merchant homes, colourful communal halls, narrow lanes and the iconic Japanese Bridge, along with lesser-known backstreets and alleys. Wander down a small alley to a traditional house where a local family has practised a unique healing method for generations, combining Qigong, Tai Chi and the traditional Vietnamese martial art of Vo; learn a few basic steps under the guidance of the master. Finish with a visit to a cosy local home to sample a traditional dessert before returning to the hotel. Overnight in Hoi An.
Day 6
Hoi An Countryside Cycling and Fishing
Leave the town centre at 08:00 and pedal quiet laneways and country roads past rice paddies and vegetable farms, greeting friendly locals and spotting water buffalo along the way. Reach the pier and board a motorised boat to a fishing village, then climb into a small, round bamboo basket boat to cast a fishing net the traditional way, with locals on hand to help. Continue through a region of water palms and coconut trees, learning about the area's history, before returning to the main boat for a fresh seafood lunch and the ride back to the hotel. Overnight in Hoi An.
Day 7
Hoi An to Siem Reap
Enjoy the morning at leisure before transferring to Danang Airport for the flight to Siem Reap, the charming gateway to the temples of Angkor. On arrival, be welcomed by your guide and transferred to the hotel. Overnight in Siem Reap.
Day 8
Siem Reap to Battambang
This morning, from 09:00, discover Siem Reap's artistic side with a visit to Senteurs d'Angkor, a workshop offering training and job opportunities to disadvantaged young people and women who specialise in traditional Khmer handicrafts, including silk and candle making. Afterward, drive around three hours through the Cambodian countryside and past rural villages to Battambang, Cambodia's second-largest city, known for its laid-back charm and fine examples of French colonial architecture. Overnight in Battambang.
Day 9
Battambang Cycling, Circus and Dance
Start at 08:00 with a fun 30-kilometre cycle through the villages surrounding Battambang with SoksaBike, a social enterprise offering scenic countryside rides, stopping along the way to learn how locals produce rice paper, prahok (fermented fish paste), grolan (sticky rice steamed in bamboo) and other local specialties. Take a break back at the hotel. In the afternoon, visit Phare Ponleu Selpak, a non-profit arts and circus campus that empowers young Cambodians through artistic and educational programs, then join a traditional Cambodian dance and music workshop led by the campus's own teachers, with the chance to exchange stories with the performers themselves. Dinner is served at the Phare campus. Overnight in Battambang.
Day 10
Battambang to Siem Reap and a Night Food Tour
After breakfast, drive back to Siem Reap, around three hours with stops along the way, arriving by early afternoon. The rest of the afternoon is free at leisure to enjoy the hotel. After sunset, travel by remork (Cambodian tuk-tuk) to Street 60 for a Siem Reap nightlife and food tour. Sample contrasting flavours at a stall famous for pickled fruit and fried insects, then continue past stalls of roast pork belly, snails and grilled frog, mingling with locals over a picnic-style meal on bamboo mats. Continue to Wat Damnak Street for smoke-filled grills and a sweet-sour pickled salad, then finish at the stalls around Psar Chas (Old Market) to sample exotic local fruit, before returning to the hotel or, if preferred, being dropped at Pub Street in the city centre. Overnight in Siem Reap.
Day 11
Angkor Wat by Bike and a Zipline Adventure
This morning, cycle to Angkor Wat, a 12th-century temple built by King Suryavarman II to reflect Mount Meru, the mythical home of the Hindu gods, its walls covered in carvings depicting Hindu mythology and more than 2,000 Apsara dancers. Continue cycling to Angkor Thom to visit Bayon temple, dating to the late 11th century, and the Terrace of the Elephants, before returning to the hotel. In the afternoon, head into the jungle for an Angkor zipline eco-adventure, with nine zip lines at varying heights, suspended sky bridges and the chance to abseil from a tree. Start with the easiest lines before building up to the highest, at 50 metres above the canopy, and the longest, at 350 metres, before a soft forest trek back to the starting point. Dinner is served at a local restaurant. Overnight in Siem Reap.
Day 12
Departure from Siem Reap
Enjoy some time at leisure until the transfer to the airport for the departure flight.
Moments
Along the way
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