Day trips and short excursions from the cities of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos
About
About Indochina Excursions
Indochina Excursions plans day trips and short excursions from the main cities of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. We write every plan as a timed day, with its sources, and we say which trips we are the wrong choice for.
What we do
We plan one thing: the day, or the two to three days, that a traveller spends away from the city where they are staying. Ha Long Bay from Hanoi, My Son from Hoi An, Angkor from Siem Reap, Pak Ou and Kuang Si from Luang Prabang, the Mekong at Can Tho from Ho Chi Minh City, and shore days for cruise passengers.
Every excursion is private to one party: a vehicle, a driver, a guide, and where needed a boat. The plan you receive is the plan the guide carries.
How we write a plan
- Start from the fixed point at the end of the day — dinner, a train, a flight, all-aboard.
- Take the travel time from a named source; where sources disagree, use the longer one.
- Take opening hours from the site authority where it publishes them: Angkor Enterprise for the Angkor park, the My Son management board for My Son.
- Add a traffic margin, then set the pickup as a window.
- Write the cut list: what goes first if the day runs late.
The same sources sit under every table on this site, with the date we read them. The day-trip planner is the full set.
What we do badly, or not at all
- Multi-country packages of a week or more. We do not build them. Our longest trip is three days.
- Trekking. Our walking is temple stairs, cave paths and village lanes; for mountain treks, look elsewhere.
- Luxury hotel-led journeys. Where a night is included, it is a mid-range hotel chosen for its location.
- Large coach groups. Our plans are written for one private party, not for a coach of forty.
- Languages other than English. The site and plans are in English; a guide in another language is checked case by case and not promised.
Why there are no reviews on this site
We do not publish testimonials here. A page of praise is easy to write and impossible for you to check. What you can check is the plan: the travel times and fees on every page carry a source and a date, so you can verify them before you book. If anything about a day is unclear, ask in the form and we answer in writing.
Where we work
North, centre, south
Hanoi, Hue, Hoi An and Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City, and the cruise ports of Ha Long, Chan May, Tien Sa and Phu My.
Siem Reap, Phnom Penh
The Angkor park and the outlying temples; short days from Phnom Penh.
Luang Prabang, Vientiane
River and waterfall days from Luang Prabang; the train link from Vientiane.
City guides are on the starting cities page; the excursions are listed on the excursions page.
Things we will not do on your day
- Add a shopping stop that earns us commission.
- Ask the driver to make up lost time by driving faster.
- Run a boat trip under a storm warning.
- Tell you a day works when the road time says it does not.
Getting in touch
There is one way: the form on this page and on the contact page. We reply by email to the address you give. Prices and booking steps are on the pricing page and the how to book page.
Common questions
Questions travellers ask most
Are your excursions private?
Yes. Each plan is for one party with its own vehicle and guide. On Ha Long Bay the boat can be shared or private.
Do you sell multi-country tours?
No. We plan day trips and excursions of up to three days that start from a city.
Why do you cite blogs and agencies for some times?
Because no official body publishes those travel times. We label the source type and plan on the longer figure when sources disagree.
Can I ask questions before I book?
Yes. Ask in the form and we answer in writing before you commit to anything.
Related
Read next
Excursions
Excursions
All excursions in one table: length, pickup window, travel each way, return time.
View this journey
Plan
Day-trip planner
The planner table: one-way travel times, pickup and return windows and seasons to avoid, with sources.
View this journey
Excursions · Prices
Prices
How excursion quotes are built: party size, boat type, pickup time and the entrance fees inside them.
View this journey
Excursions · Booking
How to book
The booking steps: what to send, what you get back, and what happens on the morning.
View this journey
Contact
Contact
The contact form, and what to put in it so the first reply is a real plan.
View this journey
Start planning
Tell us about the trip you have in mind
Dates, party size and the places you care about are enough to start. You get a draft route and an indicative price, not a brochure.