ENCOUNTER ‘26 – JANUARY 30 > FEBRUARY 14th, 2026 (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 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

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS: This 16-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, an overnight stay in hip DaNang to see a giant dragot spit fire (not joking) and a few relaxing days in everyone's favorite town on this route: the historic UNESCO Heritage town of Hoi An. At the end of the trip, continue on for an additional (optional) 6 days to visit Cambodia's Siem Reap and it’s Angkor Wat temple complex to be...frankly...wowed beyond belief.

Built in to the itinerary are several opportunities to meet the locals and engage with them as they live their daily lives – a specialty offered on all of Dan’s trips. 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 like some other months of the year. Frankly, this is a perfect winter itinerary to visit these select destinations…all while Dan’s got your back.

• 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 eat one of the best soups you've ever had.
• Be well supplied with amazing photo opportunities.
• Visit ancient Temple of Literature to be awed.
• Meet all sorts of interesting locals & travelers along the way.
• Walk around Hoan Kiem lake and visit it’s Ngoc Son Temple.
• Attend a 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.
• Meet a native tribesperson and traverse steeply-stepped rice fields to visit their village, have lunch there.
• Get those calves and feet loosened up with a foot massage any time of day.
• Light incense for a lost someone you love 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/restaurant 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.
• Stroll the Hoi An riverbank at sunset, view the fishing boats coming in while the silk lanterns come alive.
• Learn how to make silk lanterns, the local historical craft that's famous worldwide.
• Go with locals to karaoke.
• Tour a landmine museum (optional).
• Visit a butterfly sanctuary (optional).
• Go for a bicycle ride through the jungly-countryside.
• Learn to bargain like a pro at the many markets and street-stalls.
• Hike the ruins of the various Angkor Wat temples in Cambodia's Siem Reap town.
• Attend a sack-breakfast sunrise at the Angkor Wat Temple from the west grounds facing east.
• Have live fish nibble your feet
• Order made-to-measure clothing delivered in a couple days (a Hoi An favorite).
• Attend a silk-lantern making class and make a lantern
• Enjoy a home-cooked meal in a local friend's home

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.

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JAN 29, 2026 - Optional arrival day
DAY (-1) - Airport INTL arrival, greeted by Dan, board transport to hotel. Optional arrival day before the official start day of the trip. If you'd like to arrive early and stay in the same hotel as the group, would you like Dan to book your room that first night for you (recommended)?

JAN 30 - 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 31
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.

FEB 1
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.

FEB 2
DAY 4 – HANOI > VIP SLEEPER 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.

FEB 3
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.

FEB 4
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).

FEB 5
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.

FEB 6
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.
• Visit the impressive Bich Dong Temple and light incense for lost loved ones.
• 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.

FEB 7
DAY 9 – TAM COC
• Breakfast buffet at hotel
• FREE DAY! Local guide tours (Trang An or Bai Dinh day trips)/read by the pool/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 (with “happy water”)
• Sleep well traveler!

FEB 8
DAY 10 – TAM COC > HANOI > FLY > DANANG
• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Pack those bags, head out for taxi ride to airport
• Lunch at the airport (better than it sounds).
• Fly to DaNang, check in to hotel, rest up.
• 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.

FEB 9
DAY 11 – DANANG > HOI AN
• Breakfast at hotel.
• Check out/store luggage at hotel until afternoon.
• Short walk to Nostalgia Coffee (not it’s real name), very cool.
• 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

FEB 10
DAY 12 – 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.
• Explore some historical architecture gems.
• Leather craft class anyone? (optional)
• Enjoy a meal in a local home with a Vietnamese family.
• Karoake anyone?
• Sleep well, traveler

FEB 11
DAY 13 – 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.
• Feast on banh xeo - BBQ family style cuisine. Come hungry.
• Enjoy the Hoi An nightlife.
• Sleep well, traveler

FEB 12
DAY 14 – 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.
• Lunch then siesta.
• Jump on a bicycle and cruise the mangrove trail through the countryside – Dan knows some fabulous routes.
• Lantern making class (optional - but an included activity!)
• Happy hour with friends at the river.
• Feast on banh xeo - BBQ family style quisine. Come hungry.
• Enjoy the Hoi An nightlife.

FEB 13
DAY 15 – 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!)
• Comfort food night/non-Asian food – Pick between Indian/Italian/Mexican, Dan vouches for each.
• Enjoy your last evening in Hoi An.

FEB 14
DAY 16 – 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 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. Safe travels!

*OPTIONAL EXTENDED 6 DAYS CAMBODIA / ANGKOR WAT TEMPLES
FEB 14
DAY 16 – HOI AN > DANANG > SIEM REAP
• Midday transport to DaNang (25min) to board flight to Siem Reap.
• 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 15
DAY 17 – 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!”

FEB 16
DAY 18 – SIEM REAP
• Breakfast at hotel.
• Temple day 1 by tuk-tuk - 8am 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.

FEB 17
DAY 19 – SIEM REAP
• Pick up boxed breakfasts at hotel lobby at 4:30am, board tuk-tuks.
• 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.

FEB 18
DAY 20 – SIEM REAP
• Breakfast at hotel.
• Temple day 3 by tuk-tuk - 8am 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 19
DAY 21 – SIEM REAP
• Breakfast at hotel.
• FREE DAY! Local guide tours: Stilt Village? Elephant Sanctuary?
• Read by the pool/shop the steet market/hit the spa/relax.
• Local eatery lunch
• Siesta at hotel
• Happy Hour in neighborhood
• Sleep well, traveler.

JAN 20
DAY 22 – SIEM REAP
• Breakfast at hotel.
• Pack those bags.
• Grab a haircut or mani/pedicure before your flight?
• Taxi to airport
• Fly to USA or to Hanoi or Danang for flight home.
• Overnighting in Hanoi or Danang before flight home on 21st?, Dan can help you book a hotel near the airport.

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TRIP COST:
VIETNAM ONLY: Jan30-Feb14 - $2750 per person or $4950 per couple (in shared room).
CAMBODIA ONLY: Feb 14 - Feb 20 - $1550/person or $2550/couple (in shared room).
VIETNAM & CAMBODIA: Jan30-Feb14 - $4300/person or 7500/couple (in shared room).

INCLUDED:
• Small group experience with no more than 8 travelers (up to 10 for “special trip”)..
• Dan will travel with you as companion, consultant & concierge.
• 15 nights (Vietnam portion) and/or 6 nights (Cambodia portion) 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 flights > includes = 23 kg checked baggage and 7 kg carry-on.
• Hanoi Art Museum admission.
• National Women’s Museum admission.
• Hoa Lo Prison admission.
• All full breakfasts provided by the hotels.
• 1 pre-arranged 30-day single-entry visa or 1 pre-arranged 90-day multi-entry visa for Vietnam (if going to Cambodia and returning to VN).
• 1 entry visa to enter Cambodia
• Welcome group dinner in Hanoi on Dan.
• Dinner in local friend’s home cooked by his mother…really.
• Loan of an iPhone smartphone pre-loaded with local cell service + your own personal phone number while in Vietnam (make phone calls and send text messages), contacts, maps, currency converter, our itinerary/calendar & some handy apps like “translator.”
• Unlimited pre-trip email & phone support with Dan to help travelers prepare over the months leading up to departure.
• Arrival and departure transport to/from Hanoi/DaNang/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, 24/7 attendants. Receptionists speak English. All hotels have been vetted by Dan and come highly recommended.

FLIGHTS:
• Our trip consists of two short international flights between Vietnam and Cambodia, which is included with your trip cost. Air travel is booked on Vietnam Airlines or Cambodia Angkor Air, world-recognized and reputable airlines with an excellent safety records. You are allowed 7 kilos of carry-on (15 lbs) and 23 kilos of checked baggage (50 lbs). Please let Dan know in advance if you plan on needing an upgrade on your checked baggage allowance. (PRO TIP: both airlines are “Skyteam” airlines, so if you have a mileage plan with Delta, let Dan know when booking and he'll make sure you get those miles).

DEPOSIT/BOOKING:
• Please contact Dan directly to book this trip. Dan accepts Visa/MC/Disc, Venmo, PayPal, checks, cash, gold bullion.