Trip to Indochina (Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos)

My cousin and I wanted to go back to Asia to visit new places for a while. We chose Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos for a two-week duration. We left on Sunday, February 2, 2026, in the morning, and returned on Sunday, February 15, 2026.

Cambodia

Day 1

To get to Roissy Charles de Gaulle Airport on Sunday, February 1, 2026, I ordered a Bolt. He was 5 minutes late and on the way, he kept telling me he was tired and had worked too hard. I was afraid he would fall asleep at the wheel and we would have an accident. At one point, he stopped on the side of the road, and I didn't understand why. I think he needed to take a break to go to the bathroom.

Once we were at the airport, I waited for my cousin to check our bags, and our flight took off at 11:35. During check-in at CDG, the airline agent told us that we had to collect our luggage at Ho Chi Minh, where we had a layover, and then re-check it for our second flight to Phnom Penh, our final destination.

Day 2 - Phnom Penh

We made a stopover in Ho Chi Minh, where we landed on Monday, February 2, 2026, at 5:30 AM local time. Once we got off the plane, we weren't quite sure where to go. We saw a sign indicating that we needed to take this path for connections, so we followed it. We asked the passport agent if we should collect our luggage, and he said no. We then met some French travelers who were going to Bangkok, and they told us that their luggage was being sent directly to Bangkok.

So we continued on our way to the boarding area. I rechecked my boarding pass and saw that it said "Ho Chi Minh," which meant our luggage wasn't going all the way to our final destination, Phnom Penh. I asked an airline agent for confirmation, and he told me that no, our luggage wasn't going to Phnom Penh and that we had to pick it up. She made sure they were on our flight, and we were able to pick them up once we arrived in Phnom Penh. They even arrived first on the carousel. By the way, this flight left 30 minutes late, we landed around 10:30.

The taxi ride from the airport to the hotel took 45 minutes.

It was too early to check in because the room wasn't ready, so we waited in the lobby and an hour later, we were able to access it. We stopped at the hotel for a bit, then we went out to walk around the city.

After our walk, we returned to the hotel to rest and then went out to dinner at Banana Kitchen, a restaurant serving Khmer and Thai dishes. We had loc lac beef, amok fish, and fresh coconut, and it was delicious. We then went on a digestive walk.

Day 3

Not being able to sleep too well last night due to the jet lag, we went to have breakfast very early this morning and went for a walk around 8:15.

We first started our walk at the Silver Pagoda and the Royal Palace. We each paid $10 for admission.

We then continued on to the National Museum of Cambodia, which cost $10 to enter. Visiting the building from the outside was free, but the exhibit was not. We weren't allowed to take photos of the exhibit.

We then visited the Wat Ounalom Monastery, which was free.

We passed by a local market.

We finished with Wat Phnom before heading back to our hotel to rest.

We arrived at the hotel, took a nap, and then went out to buy a cold drink and do some shopping for the next morning's breakfast because we leave the hotel at 6:00 am to go to the airport.

We sat on the balcony of our room to sip our drinks. At one point, a lizard entered the room through the window. I went to warn someone at the hotel reception so they could get rid of them for us.

We then went out again to have dinner at Khmer Surin Restaurant.

Day 4 - Siem Reap

We were unable to check in for our morning flight to Siem Reap; we absolutely had to do it at the airport counter.

There was a small problem with our flight number, which caused me a lot of stress. On the airline ticket, it was written K6103 with a departure at 10:00 and arrival in Siem Reap at 10:55. Our taxi driver, who was supposed to pick us up at Siem Reap airport, had this flight number but with an arrival at 8:40 in Siem Reap. Looking at the Air Cambodia airline website, the flight number was K6105 and the times were the same as on the ticket. It was very strange! Anyway, the driver came to pick us up at 10:55 with the flight number K6105.

We had a little less than an hour's drive from the airport to our hotel, Phka Chan. We were greeted with a welcome cocktail and were able to access our suite room where our luggage was brought.

We sat down to rest and then got back down to leave for our excursion on the Tonle Sap. It was a 45-minute drive from the hotel to the lake. Our guide, "Happy" Tear, was super friendly and very radiant, and you can tell he's passionate about his work. Our driver, Handsome, was also kind. The excursion lasted a total of 6 hours.

For the return, our guide told us that he could drop us off at our hotel or at the place of our choice. So we asked him to drop us off at the Golden Pumpkin Restaurant, where we had a great meal.

Day 5

Today was a tiring day because we got up at 3:30 to go on a trip to Angkor Wat. Our guide, Mr. Sam, came to pick us up at 4:30. Angkor Wat is really not far from the city center by car. We arrived around 5:00. We then waited in front of the temple for the sun to rise so we could take some nice photos.

After sunrise, we visited the complex at 6:30 am. We finished the visit a little before 8:00 and went to have breakfast at a typical restaurant, Krou Sar Khmer Restaurant.

We then visited the Preah Dak village for about fifteen minutes.

We then went to Ta Phrom.

We finished with the Bayon temple.

After the excursion, which lasted a total of 9 hours, including transportation, we rested at the hotel and went to soak up the sun by the pool.

In the evening, we went to dinner at the Khmer Taste Restaurant.

Vietnam

Day 6 - Ho Chi Minh

Goodbye Cambodia and welcome to Vietnam! We took the plane this morning to get to Ho Chi Minh. The flight took 1 hour and 10 minutes. The trip to our hotel, Hato Saigon Boutique Hotel & Rooftop, should have taken 30 minutes, but there was a lot of traffic.

We dropped off our bags at the hotel and then went for a stroll in the city center, where we passed by the beautiful Tan Dinh Church, which is very original because it is pink and white, like in a fairy tale.

We entered the Saigon Central Post Office, which was built between 1886 and 1891 during the French Indochina period.

We went to take a look at the Jade Emperor Pagoda.

We continued our stroll with the wind before returning to the hotel.

In the evening, we went to dinner at Quan Bui, an excellent Vietnamese restaurant.

Day 7

Busy day today, the guide came to pick us up at 6:50.

We took the road to the Black Virgin Mountain in Tay Ninh. The trip took almost 3 hours, and the driver was driving very fast while weaving in and out of motorcycles and trucks on the right and left. We were shaken in all directions, it wasn't very pleasant.

To visit the Black Virgin Mountain, we took a cable car.

The area was truly magnificent, and it felt like an upgraded version of Disneyland.

After the visit, we boarded the bus again to visit the Great Divine Temple, also known as the Cao Dai Cathedral or the Tay Ninh Holy See. The cathedral is magnificent, whether viewed from the outside or the inside.

We then went to lunch, the dishes were delicious and very generous.

We ended with the Cu Chi Tunnels, which were used by Viet Cong soldiers during the Vietnam War.

We then returned to Ho Chi Minh around 8:30 pm because there was a lot of traffic.

We went to dinner at Propaganda, where we enjoyed delicious pho.

Day 8 - Da Nang

Today, we took the plane again to head to Da Nang, which is 1 hour and 30 minutes from Ho Chi Minh by air.

The taxi ride to the Cozy Da Nang Boutique Hotel took about 15 minutes. We took a rest and then went for a walk in the city center.

We then went back inside and then out again to have dinner at a typical local restaurant.

After the restaurant, we headed to the Dragon Bridge, which was illuminated. We crossed it to stroll along La Marina and enter a kind of market where vendors offered various types of food. There was also a concert.

We left the market to watch the dragon on the bridge spit fire at 9 PM.

Day 9

Excursion to Ba Na Hills, located about 50 minutes from Da Nang city center.

We took the cable car to start with the Golden Bridge, which spans 150 meters in length.

We then had some free time to wander around the complex.

We then went to lunch at the Four Seasons, which offered a huge buffet.

We then had free time to wander around the park's French village.

In the evening, we went to dinner at Bún Bò Bà Rơi, a restaurant specializing in noodles, particularly crab and beef.

Day 10 - Hanoi

We woke up very early to get to the airport and head to Hanoi. We landed at around 9:15.

We left our suitcases at the hotel reception because it was far too early to get to our room. So, we went to drink a coffee at Always Café, a Harry Potter-themed coffee shop located 5 minutes' walk from our hotel.

We visited the Ngoc Son Temple which was really cute.

We then walked along Hoan Kiem Lake to see the Turtle Tower.

We passed in front of the Hanoi Saint Joseph Cathedral.

We finished with the Old Quarter of Hanoi.

After our walk, we went to the hotel and then went back out to the famous Hanoi Train Street, where we sipped a cocktail while waiting for the train to pass through the street.

After the train passing through the street, we went to eat at Mother's Kitchen.

Day 11

For the day, we had booked a 5-star luxury cruise in Ha Long Bay. A luxurious bus came to pick us up and take us to the famous Ha Long Bay.

We had a buffet lunch included in the package.

The first activity of the day was a visit to the Surprise Cave, but we didn't want to do that; we preferred to stay on the boat because we had to hike.

The second activity allowed visitors to explore Luon Cave by kayak or bamboo boat. We were able to observe monkeys from the boat.

Another optional activity allowed us to explore Ha Long Bay on a speed boat.

The last activity of the day was a visit to Ti Top Island. We could relax on the beach or climb to the top of the island for a magnificent view of the Bay. We decided to climb the 400 steps to access the beautiful view.

Day 12

Today's excursion was very interesting. We visited three villages, one that makes incense, one that makes Nón Lá, Vietnamese hats, and one that makes lacquerware. The excursion also included a lunch.

At night we had dinner at Nhà Hàng Little Hanoi.

Laos

Day 13 - Vientiane

Last day in Hanoi and Vietnam. We took a plane to Vientiane, the capital of Laos.

Our flight was delayed by 1 hour.

After dropping off our belongings at the Chanthapanya hotel, we went for a stroll in the city center where we saw the Inpeng Temple, the Ong Tue Temple, and the Mixayaram Temple.