A women's journey · February 27 – March 11, 2027
Wake up on the water in Ha Long Bay. Watch the sun rise over Angkor Wat. Do both in thirteen days.
Hanoi's street life, two nights on a private cruise through Ha Long Bay, lantern-lit Hoi An, and four days among the temples of Siem Reap. Twelve women, two countries, and someone handling every detail but the packing.
From $5,400 · $800 holds your spot · only 3 shared rooms left
- Rated 5 stars by past travelers
- Maximum 12 women
- 13 days · 2 countries
- Secure checkout via WeTravel
What this actually is
Two countries, thirteen days,
and no day spent figuring it out.
Vietnam gives you the noise and the colour — Hanoi's Old Quarter, a train that passes close enough to touch, villages where families have made silk and conical hats and incense for centuries. Cambodia gives you the quiet: sunrise over the largest religious monument on earth, and temples the jungle has been slowly taking back.
In between there are two nights on a cruise through Ha Long Bay, three in Hoi An learning to cook the food you've been eating all week, and a group of twelve women who mostly arrived not knowing anyone.
This trip is for you if…
- You want to do things, not just look at them.
- You're happy on your feet — temple grounds, markets, village paths.
- You can roll with a long travel day and a bit of beautiful chaos.
- You'd rather learn to make the spring rolls than order them.
- You want the kind of friendships that outlast the trip.
- Two countries in one journey sounds efficient, not exhausting.
Activity level: Active
What's handled for you
- Private guides in every city.
- All ground transport, plus the flights inside the itinerary.
- Ten nights in boutique hotels, two aboard the cruise.
- Every entrance fee on the itinerary, Angkor included.
- A TDJ facilitator with the group the entire stay.
- All gratuities. Every meal listed by day.
Women only · adults of all ages
5.0
verified traveler reviews on WeTravel
“Touring Vietnam with Dandelion Journals was an unforgettable experience. Every day offered meaningful connections with the people, culture, and history of the country… It was not only seamless but genuinely fun.”
Darcy M. · Vietnam · Verified WeTravel review
“I never had to plan a thing. Everything was taken care of for me… It was a 5-star experience in every way.”
Trina C. · New York City · Verified WeTravel review
The two you'll remember
A bay full of limestone islands,
and a sunrise 900 years old.
Why this pairing?
Because Vietnam and Cambodia are next door to each other and nothing alike — and doing them in one trip means one long flight instead of two.
- Two nights on the Paradise Grand. Not a day trip — a cabin, two sunrises, and the boat carrying on through Lan Ha Bay while you sleep. Tai chi on the sundeck, a cave you walk through, squid fishing after dark if you want it.
- Angkor Wat before the light comes up. We leave in the dark and are standing there when the towers catch first light. Then the galleries and bas-reliefs with a guide, and the small shrines where people still come to pray.
- Ta Prohm, where the trees won. Fig and silk-cotton roots poured straight through the stone walls. It looks staged. It isn't.
- Hoi An by lantern light. A 400-year-old Japanese bridge, tailors' shops, a silk lantern you make yourself, and a private sunset cruise on the river.
- The villages most people drive past. Van Phuc, weaving silk for a thousand years. Chuong, making conical hats for three hundred. Quang Phu Cau, where incense sticks dry in enormous red bundles.
Thirteen days is long enough to stop counting them.
Before you worry about it
Share a room, or don't.
Two options, and neither one requires you to arrive with a friend. Take the shared room at $5,400 and we'll pair you with another traveler — or, after the pre-trip calls, with someone you've decided you like. Take the solo room at $6,500 and you have your own space, on land and on the boat.
Most women on our trips book alone. It stops feeling like a solo trip somewhere around the first dinner in Hanoi.
“Many women join our journeys solo and end up forming deep, lasting friendships. The environment is warm, inclusive, and designed for connection.”
— The Dandelion Journals
Twelve women, thirteen days, two countries.
Day by day
Hanoi to Ha Long Bay to Hoi An,
then over the border to Angkor.
Three nights Hanoi, two aboard the cruise, three in Hoi An, four in Siem Reap. Tap any day to open it.
Day 1Arrive Hanoi
Through immigration and straight into a private transfer to our boutique hotel in the middle of Hanoi — walking distance to the shops, the restaurants and most of what we'll see. Welcome dinner tonight: pho, fresh spring rolls, and the first round of introductions.
Welcome dinner
Day 2Hanoi — history, a vintage jeep, and Train Street
Morning with a local guide: the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the Temple of Literature where Vietnam's scholars once studied, and the Vietnamese Women's Museum — which is exactly the right museum for this group.
Afternoon in a vintage jeep past the B52 Museum, West Lake and the Long Bien Bridge, finishing at Train Street. You sit with a Vietnamese coffee while locals clear the tracks and a train passes within arm's reach of the café. It is as alarming and as wonderful as it sounds.
Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner
Day 3Silk, conical hats and incense — the artisan villages
Out of the city to Van Phuc, Vietnam's oldest silk-weaving village — a thousand years of it — where you can watch the looms and buy straight from the people running them. Then Chuong, three hundred years of handmade nón lá, the conical hats. Then Quang Phu Cau, where bundles of incense sticks are fanned out to dry in the sun in huge red circles. It is one of the most photographed places in northern Vietnam and you will understand why immediately.
A local market in the afternoon — spices, handmade jewellery, textiles. Bring a bag.
Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner
Day 4Board the Paradise Grand in Ha Long Bay
Private transfer to Tuan Chau port and aboard the Paradise Grand for two nights. Buffet lunch as we sail into Lan Ha Bay, past thousands of limestone islands rising straight out of the water.
Afternoon at the Dark and Bright Cave, then a Vietnamese cooking demonstration with the ship's chef — or fruit and vegetable carving, if that's more your thing. Dinner aboard, then stars, board games, or squid fishing off the deck.
Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner
Day 5Sunrise tai chi, Cat Ba Island, and the quiet of Lan Ha Bay
Tai chi on the sundeck as the light comes up over the peaks. Then out to Viet Hai, a fishing village on Cat Ba Island reached through the calm water of Lan Ha Bay — explored by bicycle or electric cart, past forest and limestone cliffs.
Back aboard for hidden lagoons and secluded coves, an afternoon on the sundeck, and another cooking demonstration.
Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner
Day 6Trung Trang Cave, then fly south to Hoi An
A walk through Trung Trang Cave — 300 metres through the limestone of Cat Ba National Park, stalactites shaped like animals and figures if you look at them right. Brunch aboard, then disembark and fly to Da Nang.
Transfer to Hoi An and check in for three nights: a UNESCO-listed old town of lantern-lit lanes, Chinese temples, Japanese merchant houses and French colonial shopfronts all on the same street.
Brunch · Dinner
Day 7Hoi An — the old town, a lantern workshop, a sunset cruise
A guided walk through the Ancient Town: the 400-year-old Japanese Covered Bridge, the Phuc Kien Assembly Hall, the Tan Ky Old House, the market. Galleries, artisans and the tailors Hoi An is famous for.
Then two things you'll take home — a hands-on silk lantern workshop, and learning how Vietnamese coffee is actually made. We finish with a private sunset cruise on the river, hors d'oeuvres and cocktails, fishing boats and coconut palms going by.
Breakfast · Lunch
Day 8Basket boats, a bamboo workshop and a cooking class
An electric cart through rice paddies to the Taboo Bamboo Workshop, where artisans work on the principle that everything can be made from bamboo. Then by wooden boat to Cam Thanh Coconut Village — casting a fishing net, paddling the round basket boats, and hearing what these waterways meant during the war.
On to Truong Le Farm and Tra Que Vegetable Village, famous throughout Vietnam for herbs grown with seaweed instead of chemicals. You'll pound rice, grind flour, make spring rolls and savoury pancakes, and then eat what you made.
Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner
Day 9Hello Cambodia — fly to Siem Reap
Private transfer and a flight to Siem Reap, then to our resort for four nights. The afternoon is yours: the spa, the pool, or a fifteen-minute walk into town for the markets and cafés. Dinner together.
Breakfast · Dinner
Day 10Sunrise at Angkor Wat, lotus silk, and dinner by tuk tuk
Out before dawn to the largest religious monument in the world, standing in front of it as the first light hits the towers. Then the galleries, the bas-reliefs and the courtyards with a guide, and the hidden shrines where Cambodians still leave offerings. Back for a late breakfast.
Afternoon at a lotus silk farm — fibres from lotus stems spun into cloth, which is as improbable as it sounds — with a hands-on workshop. Then a tuk tuk through Siem Reap sampling Khmer snacks, tropical fruit and local drinks, finishing with dinner and live traditional music.
Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner
Day 11Ta Prohm, Angkor Thom, and the HeroRATs
Ta Prohm first — the temple where enormous fig and silk-cotton roots have grown straight through the walls. Then Angkor Thom and the Bayon with its stone faces, and the Terrace of the Elephants where the Khmer king received his army.
In the afternoon, the APOPO Visitor Centre, where African giant pouched rats are trained to detect landmines and have cleared thousands of them across Cambodia. You'll watch them work, and you can hold one. It is the most unexpectedly moving hour of the trip.
Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner
Day 12Phnom Kulen — a reclining Buddha and a waterfall
Up to Phnom Kulen, one of Cambodia's most sacred mountains and still an active place of pilgrimage. We start at Preah Ang Thom, where a reclining Buddha is carved into the top of a natural sandstone boulder, and monks give blessings to the people who come.
Then a fifteen-minute walk down to the natural springs beneath the waterfalls, a swim if you want one, and a picnic lunch on the grounds. Farewell dinner in Siem Reap.
Breakfast · Picnic lunch · Farewell dinner
Day 13Siem Reap, and home
Breakfast, a slow morning, and a transfer to Siem Reap International for your flight home.
Breakfast
Details can shift with local conditions — when they do, we replace them with something equivalent.
From our travelers' cameras
Vietnam, as our group saw it.
The honest cost
What your money covers —
and what it doesn't.
Included
- Ten nights in boutique hotels, as listed by day
- Two nights aboard the Paradise Grand in Ha Long Bay
- All the flights and ground transport inside the itinerary
- Private guides throughout Vietnam and Cambodia
- Entrance fees to every site listed, Angkor included
- All meals listed in the itinerary
- Every experience listed — cooking classes, workshops, cruises
- A TDJ facilitator with the group your entire stay
- All gratuities
Not included
- International flights to Vietnam and home from Cambodia
- Visas for Vietnam and Cambodia (we walk you through the e-visa)
- Travel insurance (required — see FAQ)
- Hotel incidentals and extra gratuities for staff
- Anything you buy while shopping
- Drinks beyond what's included at group meals
- Personal medical, evacuation, cancellation or rescheduling costs
No hidden line items. What you see here is the whole picture.
Reserve your place
$800 holds your spot.
Two ways to travel, the same thirteen days. The balance can be split into monthly payments at checkout — and the sooner you book, the more months there are to spread it across.
Share A Room
$5,400per person
A shared double room on land and a shared cabin on the cruise. Come with someone, or tell us at registration and we'll match you — many travelers pick a roommate after the pre-trip calls.
Your own space
Solo Room
$6,500per person
A private room in every hotel and a private cabin aboard the cruise, for the whole thirteen days.
How the payments work
$800 today holds your spot
$4,600 remaining on the shared room
≈ $460/mo if you spread it across the months before departure
Illustrative — your exact schedule is set with you at checkout through WeTravel. Book later and the same balance divides into fewer, bigger payments.
Checkout is handled by WeTravel, the booking platform we've used for every Dandelion Journals trip. Booking closes January 9, 2027.
If you're thinking of coming alone
Most people do.
Almost everyone on a Dandelion Journals trip books without a travel companion. Not because they wanted to go alone — because thirteen days in Southeast Asia didn't line up with anyone else's calendar.
You'll be matched, not stranded
Choose the shared room and tell us at registration — we'll pair you with someone, or with a traveler you've met on the pre-trip calls.
Twelve women, thirteen days
By the second night on the boat you'll know everyone. Groups this size do that on their own.
You're never navigating this alone
Airport transfers, private guides in both countries, internal flights arranged, and a facilitator with the group the entire time.
Women only, all ages
Our trips are for adult women who are curious, easy-going and up for a full day.
From women who have travelled with us
Every trip. Every review.
Five stars.
“Touring Vietnam with Dandelion Journals was an unforgettable experience. Every day offered meaningful connections with the people, culture, and history of the country. The level of planning was exceptional—every detail was thoughtfully handled, from simple comforts like water during transfers to incredibly knowledgeable guides who brought each place to life. This is a trip I know I'll revisit in my memories for years to come.”
Darcy M. · Vietnam · March 2026
“I had a fantastic time. The trip included interesting and educational experiences with a wide variety of activities… I can't wait for my next trip with the Dandelion Journals!”
Amy B. · Roatán · February 2026
“I never had to plan a thing. Everything was taken care of for me… It was a 5-star experience in every way.”
Trina C. · New York City · November 2025
Before you book
The questions people actually ask.
How active is this trip?
Active. You'll walk temple grounds and village paths, cycle on Cat Ba Island, paddle a basket boat, and cook standing up. There are also travel days with one to two hours on the road and two internal flights. If you like being busy, this is the trip.
Do I need travel insurance?
Yes — it's required on this trip, and it isn't included. Shop for what suits you. We and many of our past travelers have used Travel Insured International and find their policies comprehensive and reasonably priced.
Do I need a visa?
Yes, for both countries. Vietnam is a straightforward e-visa and we'll walk you through the application and support you if anything snags.
What if I don't have a roommate?
Take the shared room and tell us at registration — we'll pair you with another traveler. Many women choose a roommate after meeting the group on the pre-trip calls. Or take the solo room and skip the question entirely.
How does paying work?
$800 holds your spot. The balance is arranged with you at checkout through WeTravel and can be split into monthly payments. Booking earlier means more months to spread it across — the trip doesn't get cheaper later, the payments just get bigger. Booking closes January 9, 2027.
What's the food like?
In Vietnam: pho, banh mi, fresh spring rolls, seafood and tropical fruit, plus more refined dining in the evenings. Khmer food in Cambodia is lighter and more subtly spiced than Thai — lemongrass, kaffir lime, galangal, turmeric and fresh pepper rather than heat, with rice, grilled meats and a lot of fresh vegetables.
What about dietary restrictions?
We accommodate dietary needs and restrictions — tell us when you book. This is also a non-smoking trip, including accommodations, activities and transfers.
Do I have to join every excursion?
No. We recommend it, but if you'd rather have a slow morning by the pool in Siem Reap, that's fine wherever the schedule allows.
Is this trip for solo travelers?
Absolutely — most women book on their own and end up forming friendships that outlast the trip.
What language will people speak?
Vietnamese in Vietnam and Khmer in Cambodia, but English is widely spoken in the cities, hotels and sites we visit — and you'll have a private guide with you throughout.
Still deciding? Email letsgo@thedandelionjournals.com or call +1 (678) 692-6584. A real person answers.
February 27 – March 11, 2027
Twelve women are going.
One of them could be you.
Thirteen days through Vietnam and Cambodia — Hanoi, two nights on Ha Long Bay, Hoi An, and four days at Angkor. From $5,400, and $800 holds your place while the rest spreads out over the months ahead.
Booking closes January 9, 2027
The Dandelion Journals · luxury travel designed for connection
