Splendours of Vietnam and Cambodia 19 days

Begin the journey by unraveling Vietnamese culture, history, and religion in the capital of Vietnam with Hanoi’s highlights:

• Ho Chi Minh complex which includes the mausoleum for the nation’s hero-Ho Chi Minh, his modest former residence, the Presidential Palace, and the One Pillar Pagoda
• The Temple of Literature, Vietnam’s first national university (1076) established by Emperor Ly Thanh Tong, and dedicated to Confucius to honor literary scholars.
• The museum of your choice either the National Fine Arts Museum, the Ethnology Museum, or the Vietnamese Women Museum
• A ride of exploration through the lively ‘Old Quarter’ (over 1000 years old) by traditional cyclo
• A water-puppet show, a traditional and ancient art form, unique to Vietnam

Highlight experience: Gain knowledge about Vietnamese traditions

• From Hanoi, travel to the Trang An – a UNESCO World Heritage site of both cultural and natural significance, where a boat trip and cycling awaits.
• Visit Hoa Lu, the site of the country’s first capital, which covered almost three sq km.
• Board a sampan and navigate Trang An River where limestone towers rise above rice fields.
• Bike towards Bich Dong Pagoda where you may access the pagoda by climbing the stairs carved into rock walls.
• If timing allows, continue biking through the countryside to the Thai Vi temple in Tam Coc.
• Acquaint yourself with your homestay host and settle yourself into their daily routine.

Hihghlight experience: Journey through Northern Vietnam’s natural beauty

Arrive early in the morning at Lao Cai Train Station where your guide will welcome and transfer you to a hotel to rest and have breakfast before starting a new day of discovery:

• The colourful and vibrant Bac Ha Market awaits your presence, meet many ethnicities: Flower H’mong, Black Dzao, Tay, Dzay, Ha Nhi and Nung
• In the afternoon, visit Ban Pho village and the colourful Tay and H’mong inhabitants
• Tour the colonial H’mong Kings House that was built by the French a century ago

Highlight experience: Explore Vietnamese ethnic minorities’ life

It’s time to really immerse yourself in the daily lives of some of Vietnam’s most diverse ethnic minorities

• Hike within the village of Y Linh Ho in Muong Hoa valley among the terraced rice fields
• Trek to the village of the H’mong minority, Lao Chai
• Amble two km to Ta Van village, inhabited by the Giay ethnic tribe
• Saunter through trails, forests, and gardens to the Black H’mong ethnic group’s village, Ma Tra

Highlight experience: Trekking through rice paddies and ethnic tribe

Transfer to go sail the spectacular UNESCO World Heritage site seascape: Halong Bay. Your cruise will navigate to Bai Tu Long Bay, a well-selected route beyond the main tourist circuit. Get ready to experience the bay’s treasures

• Admire the fascinating formations of the bay
• Adventure within the fantastically formed Thien Canh Son cave
• Retreat to the white-sand beach of Hon Co Island and participate in activities such as kayaking or swimming
• Relish the taste of skillfully prepared local seafood
• Settle into your cabin while the boat anchors for a night’s rest

Highlight experience: Water activities amidst the most beautiful bay in the world

For the final day in the bay, undertake activities that become precious memories:

• Delight in breakfast with a mystical view under the morning sun
• Help the local people in their endeavours to protect the environment in Halong Bay
• Visit the Vung Vieng fishing and pearl farm via a rustic row-boat
• Dive into the refreshing bay
• Indulge in lunch and appreciate the fresh ingredients used to craft the dish
• Settle into an evening flight from Hanoi to Hoi An. Arrive and be welcomed by our guide and be transferred to your arranged accommodation

Highlight experience: Delicious seafood freshly caught from the ocean

Stroll through the Imperial Citadel and daydream about its former dynasty.

• Visit Thanh Tien village – a village that has been crafting paper flowers for 400 years.
• Explore the symbol of Hue city, the Thien Mu pagoda and admire the garden-style homes at An Hien.
• Glance at, and be bewitched by the Mausoleum of Khai Dinh, the final emperor’s bedazzling eternal resting place.
• After a tour around the city, experience a village which specialises in incense-making, and a true icon of Vietnam – conical hats!

Highlight experience: The village of conical hats.

Take in the literal “breathe of fresh air” that is the riverside port town of Hoian:

• Stroll through the delightful trading port and see the remaining centuries-old buildings in Hoian
• Appreciate Hoian’s fascinating architectural features; narrow alleys, charming homes with wooden balconies, beautiful temples, and the famous covered Japanese Bridge
• Visit a lantern factory where you can make your own lantern
• Wait for night to fall, and hundreds of lanterns to illuminate this historic port, a phenomenal photo opportunity beckons!

Highlight experience: Making illuminating lanterns from scratch

Take advantage of free time to wander the Hoian ancient town or leisurely lounge on the An Bang beach.

Settle into a morning flight from Hoian to Saigon.

Arrive and be welcomed by our guide at the airport and be transferred to the center for a day of exploring Saigon. Saigon (currently Ho Chi Minh city) varies from the rest of Vietnam due to its modern cosmopolitan flair. Various cultures mesh together to create a patchwork city of foreign influences:

• The War Remnants Museum houses a history of locals’ perspectives of the American/Vietnam War
• The Old Presidential Palace is where victory was declared after years of fighting and is preserved as it was found-including vehicles in the garages
• The Notre Dame Cathedral and Old Saigon Post Office are both magnificent displays of French architecture from former colonial days

Highlight experience: Saigon’s great architecture

Venture away from Saigon, through rural scenes, to encounter mysterious religious practices and unusual sites of preserved history:

• Investigate the unique Cao Dai Temple, and be launched into this melting pot of Eastern and Western theologies
• Witness the famous Cu Chi Tunnels, and scramble through part of an unbelievably complex system of tunnels built by the Vietnamese resistance fighters

Highlight experience: Vietnamese war history through Cu Chi Tunnels

Board a grand, yet homely cruiseliner and embark on a leisurely cruise. Depart Saigon and head for the rich, fertile lands of the Mekong Delta region and its extraordinarily busy inhabitants:

• Catch your first sight of Cai Be, a quaint town famed for its French Catholic Church and the production of food products, especially rice
• Wind along narrow waterways on a local sampan and observe productive rice fields, fruit orchards, and historic buildings
• Visit a rice popcorn factory and an ancient colonial house in Vinh Long
• Travel by road to Can Tho, the largest town and trading center in the Mekong Delta

Highlight experience: Rural food products observation

Awaken on the water, invigorated for another day in the Mekong Delta full of vibrant opportunities:

• Continue your Mekong Delta trip by wandering Can Tho’s bright market
• Journey to the colorful Cai Rang floating market and Ba Cong fruit orchard to taste their fresh products
• Visit the 100-year-old Binh Thuy historic House to appreciate the historic workmanship and architecture
• Admire the lush vegetation and active life of the local people along the riverbanks

Highlight experience: Floating markets of the Mekong Delta

Embark on your journey towards Phnom Penh, and once there, view some of the city’s most fascinating sites.

• Enter a world of visual wonder, starting with the National Museum of Fine Arts’ sculpture collection, before heading to the resplendent Royal Palace, admiring its striking Khmer architecture
• Survey the serene Silver Pagoda and its magnificent Emerald Buddha
• Meander through the Central Market, famous for its Art Deco architecture

Highlight experience: Admire Khmer’s grandeur architecture

Be swept in the sensations of Phnom Penh’s many markets and clamouring streets.

• Explore Wat Phnom, the oldest of the city, and see the statue of Madam Penh
• Take in the sombre atmosphere of the camp Choeng Ek Killing Field, outside Phnom Penh, the final resting place of many Cambodian people, murdered by the brutal Khmer Rouge regime
• Be educated about the nation’s past at the Museum of Genocidal Crime, which was the S-21 prison – the scene of the worst examples of brutality and torture under the infamous Pol Pot
• Transfer to the airport for your flight to Siem Reap

Highlight experience: Cambodia’s war history

Arriving in Angkor Wat, you’ll rove among the ruins of the world’s most famous Hindu temple complexes, built for gods, and fit for kings.

• Gaze upon the fascinating Buddhist monastery of Ta Phrom, where the jungle threatens to reclaim all stone structures, in time
• Visit the three-tiered Baphuon (a temple in honour of another Hindu deity, Shiva) with its spectacular layered structure
• Pass through the Terrace of the Elephants, once a viewing platform for kings
• See the Terrace of the Leper King with its beautiful carvings of gods, nagas (semi-divine serpents), and dancers
• Visit the Royal Enclosure and its small temple, Phimeanakas. These ruins are particularly significant as they date from the 10th century

Highlight experience: Discover Angkor Wat

Today is a mini-expedition into some of the lesser restored and relatively unexplored temples around Siem Reap. Prepare for a real ramble into some atmospheric ruins!

• Stumble upon Kor Ker, the brief capital of the Khmer empire.
• Explore the beautiful temple of Beng Mealea, built in the 12th century
• Visit the temple Kbal Spean, known as ‘The River of a Thousand Lingas’
• Witness sunset on the mountain-temple of Pre Rup, formerly used for funerals, dedicated to the Hindu deity Shiva.

Highlight experience: Explore the ruins and temples of the Khmere empire

Free time until heading to the airport for your departure flight.