The Encounter: Hanoi/Sapa/TamCoc/SiemReap/DaNang/HoiAn,
$3850/person or $6750/couple

22 Day Itinerary • Hanoi > Sapa > Tam Coc > Siem Reap > DaNang > Hoi An

Trip Highlights:
• Navigate the maze-like spaghetti that is Hanoi’s French Quarter streets
• Visit Hanoi’s fabulous Women’s Museum
• Sit at a street stall and slurp down one of the best soups you'll ever eat
• Be well supplied with amazing photo opportunities
• Visit the ancient Temple of Literature in Hanoi…practice your calligraphy
• Meet all sorts of interesting locals & other travelers along the way
• Walk around Hoan Kiem lake and visit it’s Ngoc Son Temple, see giant turtles
• Attend the world famous traditional water puppet show in Hanoi - unique to the city's lore
• Tour Vietnam’s excellent National Fine Arts Museum, have a coffee in their courtyard
• Stroll around Sapa’s ancient cobbled streets, chat it up with the cute and clever street kids, take selfies with them
• Meet a native tribesperson and traverse steeply-stepped rice fields to visit their village, have lunch there
• Get those feet and calves loosened up with a lounge-chair foot massage…or several
• Light incense for a lost but loved someone on the top of the Bich Dong Pagoda’s winding steps
• Cycle through valleys next to limestone cliffs on little trails skirting rice fields while waving to farmers…lots of waving
• Enjoy a huge family-style cooked meal with many local dishes, including goat, which is farmed locally in the Tam Coc area
• Leisurely pedal your bicycle along winding paths through a fern-grotto cemetery valley then enjoy the bamboo-jungle coffee oasis at the valley's end
• Visit the ancient town of Hoi An, a hands-down favorite for travelers
• Visit a facility that breeds silkworms and harvests their silk. They’re even weaving silk onsite, see their looms, buy a scarf
• Stroll the Hoi An riverbank at sunset, view the fishing boats coming in while the silk lanterns come alive
• Attend a lantern-making class in Hoi An, make a silk lantern - the local historical craft that's famous worldwide
• Go with locals to karaoke, sing your favorite song for the rest of us - or not
• Tour a landmine museum (optional)
• Visit a butterfly sanctuary
• Go for a bicycle ride through the jungly-countryside
• Learn to bargain like a pro at the many markets and street-stalls - Dan can help you
• Hike the ruins of the various Angkor Wat temples in Cambodia's Siem Reap town, the world’s largest temple complex
• Attend a sack-breakfast sunrise at the Angkor Wat Temple
• Have live fish nibble your feet
• Order made-to-measure clothing delivered in a couple days (a Hoi An favorite)
• Enjoy a home-cooked meal in a local friend's home

********
ENCOUNTER ‘26 – JAN 9 > JAN 30th, 2027 (8 travelers max): A custom-curated trip leaning toward culture and arts. Longtime Vietnam traveler Dan has designed the perfect itinerary from experience he’s gleaned after traveling there nearly 50 times since 2001. Dan’s travel companions stay in upscale hotels, eat delicious food, see exquisite scenery and have custom experiences that Dan curates just for our group. We move around at a pace that allows for thoughtful absorption of all the wonderment that’s on offer without wearing you out. Vietnam is one of THOSE places that’s just got to be experienced - then it will surely be loved.

“Going to Vietnam the first time was life-changing for sure; maybe because it was all so new and different to my life before and the world I grew up in. The food, culture, landscape and smell; they’re all inseparable. It just seemed like another planet; a delicious one that sort of sucked me in and never let go.” - Anthony Bourdain

This 22-day, custom-curated itinerary has travelers visiting the capitol city of Hanoi, the nearby picturesque hill tribe area of Sapa, the natural wonders of hidden gem Tam Coc (Nihn Bihn), an overnight stay in hip DaNang to see a giant dragon spit fire (for real) and a few relaxing days in everyone's favorite town on this route: the historic UNESCO Heritage town of Hoi An. This year the trip also includes 6 days to visit Cambodia's Siem Reap to explore the famous Angkor Wat temple complex (an ancient-architectural wonder of the world) - prepare to be wowed beyond belief.

Built in to the itinerary are lots of opportunities to meet the locals and engage with them as they live their daily lives – a specialty offered on all of Dan’s trips. He’ll break the ice for you. We'll be in jungles, rice fields, mountain trails, bustling marketplaces and some sweet beaches at a time of year when the temperatures are not oppressive in SE Asia like many other months of the year. Frankly, this is a perfect winter itinerary to visit these select destinations.

ITINERARY:
**********
OPTIONAL ARRIVAL DAY: Some travelers enjoy arriving a day early to shake off the flight. This is optional. If you'd like to do so, feel reassured that Dan will already be in Hanoi and will still fetch you from the Airport and get you to the hotel, either by picking you up himself or arranging a private driver through the hotel. If you'd like to arrive a day early, please let Dan know if you'd like him to arrange a room in the same hotel (recommended) that the group will be staying in and he'll book you in on the earlier date.

JAN 7, 2027 - Optional arrival day
DAY (-2) - Airport INTL arrival - greeted outside baggage claim by Dan, board transport to hotel.
• Sleep well, traveler

JAN 8 - Arrival day
DAY (-1) - Airport INTL arrival - Almost all arrival flights in to Noi Bai International Airport from USA are in the evening after dark. But whenever it is, Dan will greet you at the airport outside of baggage claim and he’ll have your chariot ready to transport you to our oasis-of-calm (in other words…taxi to the hotel). Whatever you’re craving when you arrive after journeying from the other side of the world (shower, pillow, drink, food, walkabout, peace/quiet) - everyone’s cravings are unique to them; Dan makes it happen for you once you arrive.
• Sleep well, traveler

JAN 9 - And so it begins…
DAY 1 – HANOI
• Breakfast buffet at the hotel.
• Circumnavigate Hoan Kiem Lake and visit it’s Ngoc Son Temple.
• Short walk to a reputable currency exchange place/change money.
• Walk the Old Quarter streets and learn about the history of local trade at the fabulous Guild Streets.
• Lunch out and about
• Enjoy a spa visit after your long flight.
• Consider a streetside haircut or shave, highly recommended!
• Gather for happy hour & discuss evening activity options.
• Consider joining Dan for “adventure food night,” if you dare. Snails are cool.
• Street food, dine-in, noodle-haus options abound, dinner out on the town.
• Enjoy the lively nightlife in Hanoi’s French Quarter.

JAN 10
DAY 2 - HANOI
• Rise early and enjoy coffee at a squat-chair street stall with Dan (optional).
• Buffet at the hotel
• Visit the National Women's Museum - a short walk.
• Visit Hoa Lo Prison (aka “Hanoi Hilton”) to learn about some of Hanoi's past grimness - a short walk
• Sip coffee at a chic café and observe the activity on the street.
• Walk Hanoi's shopping district, grab an ice cream or an egg coffee (you read that right).
• Lunch - street food?, Dan knows some top spots.
• St. Josephs Cathedral - wow.
• Taxi back to hotel for a siesta, or...
• Take an authentic cyclo ride around town or even just back to the hotel (before they disappear).
• Local street food dinner at bia hoi joint – “Welcome Banquet” on Dan!
• Night cap at Leo's?
• Enjoy the lively nightlife in Hanoi’s French Quarter.

JAN 11
DAY 3 - HANOI
• Rise early and enjoy coffee at a squat-chair street stall with Dan (optional).
• Consider joining the women at the lake doing their group exercises in the early AM – you'll be welcomed if you try, it's a blast.
• Breakfast buffet at the hotel.
• Visit the fabulous Temple of Literature - where you'll surely get your selfie on.
• Explore the National Fine Arts Museum, where the building itself is a work of art.
• Sip coffee at a chic café and observe the activity on the street.
• Lunch on N. Vietnam’s famous dish: bun cha – Dan knows of a terrific place.
• Siesta at hotel
• Visit the pop-up Tet-supply streets and...frankly...jump in and be part of the chaos!
• Spa visit...pamper yourself!
• Attend Hanoi’s famous Water Puppet Theater for a show!
• Enjoy the lively nightlife in Hanoi’s Old Quarter area.
• Dinner: family-style banquet - Vietnamese or Indian?
• Stroll the Night Bazaar in the Old Quarter.
• Check out the social-life traffic jam that is “Beer Corner” for dinner (and a beer!).
• Pack those bags for early departure in the morning.
• Sleep well, traveler.

JAN 12
DAY 4 – HANOI > VIP BUS > SAPA
• Buffet breakfast at the hotel.
• Board our transport to Sapa (about 4-5 hours with stops). Lunch en-route.
• Arrive in Sapa, check in and freshen up before heading out to explore town.
• Attend a traditional music and dance performance by local tribespeople.
• Meet local tribespeople and chat them up, peruse/buy their crafts.
• Enjoy the misty atmosphere and scenic amazement that is Sapa.
• Dinner out on the town.
• Sample “hot wine,” a popular local beverage.
• Night Cap?, Dan suggests the local Reggae Bar a few blocks from the hotel, cozy couches and pool table.

JAN 13
DAY 5 – SAPA
• Buffet breakfast at the hotel.
• Walk to Cat Cat Village, explore it's indigo-dye products and artisans.
• Rent a traditional tribal costume and pose for photos (optional).
• Peruse the local indigo-dyed hemp wares, being woven in front of your very eyes. Shake the hand that made it, then take it home, Dan can help you bargain fairly.
• Lunch in a local village.
• Grab a taxi back to the hotel.
• Grab a leg massage to sooth those sore trekking muscles.
• Stroll the French-influenced architecture and streets of Old Sapa.
• Dinner: local BBQ comfort food.
• Night cap?, funky disco skybar anyone?, it's a block away from BBQ joint.

JAN 14
DAY 6 – SAPA
• Visit Sapa’s famous 100 yr old church dedicated to St. Jean and St. Luc
• Visit the Sapa Museum to gain a better understanding of the local tribal communities and their history - great photos on display.
• Lunch
• Seista at hotel.
• Pack up for our transport to TamCoc
• VIP Sleeper Bus transport to Tam Coc.
• Dinner at the rest stop (better than it sounds).
• Overnight slumber in your private VIP sleeper bus cabin (just about as good as it sounds).

JAN 15
DAY 7 – SAPA > VIP LIMO > TAM COC
• Arrive in Tam Coc from our private transport service.
• Unload stuff at hotel, freshen up.
• Dinner down the street at a local comfort-food restaurant
• Pink Throne foot massage before dinner?
• Local food for dinner at fabulous Father's Cooking Restaurant.
• Explore the night life in small but lively Tam Coc Town.

JAN 16
DAY 8 – TAM COC
• Breakfast buffet at the hotel.
• Walk with (before 7am) Dan through the lively morning market – bring your camera!
• Ride bicycles on quiet/flat valley with mysterious cemeteries.
• See local goats climbing vertical limestone cliffs, see flocks of ducks in the colorful rice paddies.
• Take a swim at our hotel’s nice pool, chill on some lounge chairs.
• Dine on goat or duck for dinner at a local restaurant! Or, Indian food night or wood-fired pizza!
• Meet some rugged Western backpackers at a funky pub in town.
• Enjoy the quiet countryside as you slumber the night away.

JAN 17
DAY 9 – TAM COC
• Breakfast buffet at hotel
• Visit the impressive Bich Dong Temple and light incense for lost loved ones.
• Explore farming neighborhood via cement factory loop by bicycle (way better than it sounds)
• Lunch around town.
• Siesta at hotel.
• Local restaurant group dinner (with “happy water” - very optional)
• Sleep well traveler!

JAN 18
DAY 10 – TAM COC
• Breakfast buffet at hotel
• FREE DAY! Local guide tours (Trang An or Bai Dinh day trips)/read by the pool/swim/nap/bike ride/stroll.
• Visit Hoa Lu Temple or Mua Caves – half or full day optional activity with local guide.
• Lunch around town.
• Siesta at hotel.
• Local restaurant group dinner
• Sleep well traveler!

JAN 19
DAY 11 – TAM COC > HANOI > FLY > SIEM REAP (Cambodia)
• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Pack those bags, head out for shuttle ride to airport
• Visit the Cho Hoa flower market on the outskirts of Hanoi on the way to the airport
• Lunch at excellent local pizza joint
• Arrive Noi Bai Airport - fly to Siem Reap (Cambodia), check in to hotel, rest up.
• Arrive Siem Reap, check in hotel, freshen up.
• Explore the neighborhood, its markets, shops & people.
• Khmer food for dinner at a local bustling eatery.
• Night cap?, try “Pub Street!”
• Sleep well in the Land of Angkor

FEB 20
DAY 12 – SIEM REAP
• Enjoy breakfast served out by the pool
• Pick up some SIM cards at the local phone shop (included).
• Head out to the Angkor National Museum
• Lunch out and about
• Afternoon siesta at hotel/swim/relax
• Stroll the Night Market and buy a souvenir
• Have your feet nibbled by hungry fish (it's a thing...)
• Night cap?, try “Pub Street!”

JAN 21
DAY 13 – SIEM REAP
• Breakfast at hotel.
• Temple day 1 by tuk-tuk - 730am departure
• Return to town as it gets hot midday
• Buy lunch on the street, eat it on a riverside bench
• Consider visiting a local butterfly museum, there’s also a landmine museum.
• Korean BBQ night?
• Happy Hour in the neighborhood.
• Foot massage?… after your first day of 10k+ steps
• Early(ish) to bed for 4:45am departure to see sunrise at Angkor Wat
• Sleep well traveler

JAN 22
DAY 14 – SIEM REAP
• Pick up boxed breakfasts at hotel lobby at 4:30am, board tuk-tuks
• Temple day 2 by tuk-tuk
• Early morning sunrise at Angkor Wat
• Return to town as it gets hot midday
• Lunch out and about
• Afternoon siesta at hotel/swim/relax
• Stroll the Night Market and buy a souvenir
• Have your feet nibbled by hungry fish (it's a thing...)
• Visit a local expat bar to ham it up with salty dogs from all over

JAN 23
DAY 15 – SIEM REAP
• Breakfast at hotel
• Temple day 3 by tuk-tuk - 730am departure
• Return to town as it gets hot midday
• Buy lunch on the street, eat it on a riverside bench
• Consider visiting a local butterfly museum, there’s also a landmine museum.
• Korean BBQ night?
• Happy Hour in the neighborhood
• Sleep well traveler

JAN 24
DAY 16 – SIEM REAP > DANANG
• Breakfast at hotel
• Last chance to grab souvenirs from the Market
• Taxi to airport
• Arrive DaNang, taxi to the hotel
• Comfort food night at famous expat bar
• Go on evening stroll to see a giant steel dragon spit fire, really!
• Visit the night market, play carnival games, try durian
• Have a restful sleep

JAN 25
DAY 17 – DANANG > HOI AN
• Breakfast at hotel.
• Check out/store luggage at hotel until afternoon
• Short walk to Nostalgia Coffee, very cool spot, great coffee
• Stroll the esplanade to view Tet decor, take selfies
• Taxi to DaNang Aquarium” to see some slippery and slithery critters
• Drop by the beach to say hello to the ocean dip our toes in the sea
• Taiwanese tacos for lunch?, yes, it’s a thing…
• Head back to hotel to grab our bags, 25 min transport to Hoi An
• Transport by taxi to Hoi An
• Arrive Hoi An, check in to hotel
• Freshen up, head out to explore the neighborhood
• Visit the tailors to get your custom-clothing orders going asap (optional-but best to do on 1st day to get your orders done in time)
• Happy Hour and dinner out on the town
• Cruise the night market, consider BBQ frog - or - buy an ice cream
• Stroll 30 min or taxi back to hotel. Sleep well, traveler
• Dinner riverside?
• Night Cap? Local bar? Stroll the riverside?
• Sleep well, traveler

JAN 26
DAY 18 – HOI AN
• Breakfast at the hotel
• Walk in to town (10 min), explore.
• Visit the glasses shop?, bring your prescription or get tested free in the shop…a fraction of the price of home
• Allow Dan to show you some active artisan workshops: metalwork, ceramic, silk & needle work
• See silkworms make silk that’s then woven on a loom and dyed right there before your eyes
• Eat lunch like the locals – Dan knows all the best spots
• Visit the tailors - order custom made-to-measure clothing done in a day
• Explore some historical architecture gems
• Leather craft class anyone? (optional)
• Enjoy a meal in a local home with a Vietnamese family
• Karaoke anyone?
• Sleep well, traveler

JAN 27
DAY 19 – HOI AN
• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Beach day anyone?
• Eat lunch at the beach! – Dan knows all the best spots.
• Head back to town, check in with the tailors for fittings.
• Happy hour with friends at the river.
• Enjoy the best Indian food outside of India at Ganesh - really!
• Enjoy the Hoi An nightlife.
• Sleep well, traveler

JAN 28
DAY 20 – HOI AN
• Buffet breakfast at the hotel, or…rise early and eat street food with Dan.
• Rise early and join Dan at the Morning Fish Market (bring your camera).
• Have coffee with new friends and experience getting to know them.
• Hit the beach, it’s a 10 min taxi ride away. Dan knows the best spots.
• Jump on a bicycle and cruise the mangrove trail through the countryside – Dan knows a fabulous route
• Lunch at Dingo Deli - comfort food
• Siesta at hotel, sit by pool, visit tailors
• Lantern making class (optional - but an included activity!)
• Happy hour with friends at the river.
• Feast on banh xeo - BBQ family style cuisine. Come hungry.
• Enjoy the Hoi An nightlife.

JAN 29
DAY 21 – HOI AN
• Buffet breakfast at the hotel …rise early and eat street food with Dan
• FREE DAY! Marble Mountain, My Son Sanctuary, cooking class, cycling tour, photo tour, beach
• Cruise around with Dan, get your errands & to-do items handled, acquire those souvenirs
• Kick back at your favorite local café for a cup and a ponder your travels
• Pick up any custom clothing or eyeglasses you ordered
• Consider buying an extra piece of luggage, plentiful and inexpensive
• Lunch
• Visit Pottery Village? (optional - included activity!)
• Dinner out on town - so many options…
• Enjoy your last evening in Hoi An

NAN 30
DAY 22 – HOI AN
• Buffet breakfast at the hotel, or… rise early and eat street food with Dan (optional)
• Kick back at your favorite local café for a cup and a ponder your travels
• Grab a haircut or manicure/pedicure before your flight?
• Grab those last things you must take home with you (silk lanterns!)
• Pack those bags.
• Hotel check-out noon.
• Transport to Da Nang airport for departure to home or connection to Hanoi/Saigon. Safe travels!

***************************
TRIP COST:
THE ENCOUNTER - VIETNAM & CAMBODIA Jan 9 > JAN 30, 2026

TRIP COST: - $3850 per person or $6750 per couple (in shared room).

INCLUDED:
• Small group experience with no more than 8 travelers
• Dan will travel with you as companion, consultant & concierge
• 22 nights mid > upper range hotel (not including laundry, room service, mini-bar, etc.)
• Group travel insurance with MAJOR MEDICAL and emergency EVACUATION coverage
• Hanoi Water Puppet Theater tickets
• All group ground transportation
• 2 inter-Asia flight > includes = 23 kg checked baggage and 7 kg carry-on
• Hanoi Art Museum admission ticket
• National Women’s Museum admission ticket
• Bich Dong Pagoda admission ticket
• Ngoc Son Temple admission ticket
• Hoi An Heritage entrance ticket, good for 5 visits to historical locations around town
• 3-day all-access temple pass to visit Angkor Wat complex in Siem Reap
• Angkor National Museum admission ticket
• All full breakfasts provided by the hotels
• 2 lunches & 2 dinners
• 1 pre-arranged 30-day multi-entry visa for a US citizen to enter Vietnam
• 1 visa-on-arrival 30-day single-entry visa for a US citizen to enter Cambodia
• Welcome group dinner in Hanoi
• Loan of an I-phone smartphone pre-loaded with a local cell service, your own personal phone number while in Vietnam (make phone calls and send text messages), contacts & handy apps
• Unlimited pre-trip email & phone support with Dan to help travelers prepare
• Arrival and departure transport to/from Hanoi/DaNang/Siem Reap/Hoi An

NOT INCLUDED:
• International airfare to Hanoi(HAN) and home from Da Nang City (DAD), or, round trip to Hanoi (HAN) and a domestic flight from Da Nang (DAD back to HAN at the end of the trip to catch your international leg home).
• Drinks
• Meals (except breakfasts and 2 dinners + 2 lunches)
• Laundry services.
• Hotel bar or mini-bar charges.
• Taxi trips outside of main itinerary activities.
• Excursions outside of main itinerary offerings.
• Tips: gratuities for guides & drivers.

ACCOMMODATION:
• Based on Dan’s travel philosophy that emphasizes establishing an “oasis of calm” at the end of each day, we’ll be spending a large portion of the overall trip budget on convenient & comfortable upper-range hotels with all the amenities you’ll need to feel safe & well pampered. Most hotels will have pools & gyms, all have nice lobbies, bars, security, laundry facilities (drop at front desk) and 24/7 attendants. Receptionists speak English. All hotels have been vetted by Dan and come highly recommended.

FLIGHTS:
• Our trip consists of two inter-Asia flights, which is included with your trip cost. Air travel within Vietnam is booked on Vietnam Airlines or Cambodia Angkor Air, both world-recognized and reputable airlines with excellent safety records. You are allowed 7 kilos of carry-on (15 lbs) and 23 kilos of checked baggage (50 lbs) for each flight. Please let us know well in advance if you plan on needing an upgrade on your checked baggage allowance.

DEPOSIT:
• Please contact Dan directly to book this trip via a 1/3 down payment, thank you. Visa/MC/Discover, Google Pay, Venmo, PayPal, checks, money orders accepted, whatever payment method is most convenient to you.

BOOKING TERMS:
• At least 1/3 of the trip cost is required when booking - this deposit will hold your space - please try and pay the rest prior to 45 days before departure, thank you. Once a deposit is received, you then risk 33% of the overall trip cost if you cancel. If you cancel within 30 days before a trip starts, you forfeit 50%, within 15 days 100%.

• To make a payment for this trip, please contact Dan directly: SureFlaneur(at)gmail.com. Our mailing address: Sure Flaneur Travel, P.O. Box 777, Port Townsend, WA 98368, USA. Visa/MC/Discover, Venmo, Google Pay are also available methods - please inquire.