Vietnam and Cambodia Highlights

Includes return flights from the UK. Fully appreciate Vietnam and Cambodia’s highlights, including the iconic Angkor Wat. Be blessed by a Buddhist monk in Oudong, enjoy life on the Mekong and explore historic Ho Chi Minh City.

Itinerary

Day 1: Depart London

Make your way to London Heathrow for your flight to Cambodia.

Day 2: Arrive Siem Reap

Welcome to Siem Reap. Be met on arrival and transfer to your luxurious hotel in the heart of the city. Once you’ve settled in, enjoy the day at your leisure. Tonight, choose from a selection of local restaurants for your dining experience.

Day 3: Siem Reap

Begin your exploration of the World Heritage-listed Angkor Archaeological Park with a visit to Angkor Thom, the last and most enduring capital of the Khmer Empire. Built during the heyday of the Empire in the 12th century, this is an extraordinary complex of Hindu and Buddhist monuments. Head to the intriguing Bayon Temple, with its carved stone smiling faces of gods, goddesses, and other mythological beings. Visit the Terrace of Elephants, which used to be the base for the king's grand audience hall and the Terrace of the Leper King, which housed the royal crematory. Journey to Ta Prohm, known for the thick jungle of fig trees and vines that have enveloped the structure, giving it a lost world feel. Commonly referred to as the 'Tomb Raider Temple' due to it being used as a location in the film Lara Croft: Tomb Raider which starred Angelina Jolie, Ta Prohm is a captivating glimpse into the past and testament to a bygone era. En route to the hotel, enjoy your Signature Experiences.

Day 4: Siem Reap

Rise early this morning and travel back to Angkor Archaeological Park for a special Signature Experience. Afterwards, join a guided exploration of this well-preserved temple, then return to your hotel for breakfast. This afternoon, set out on your Freedom of Choice activity. Tonight, your Signature Experience awaits. Set amid a stunning garden, this promises to be an enchanting and memorable evening.

Day 5: Siem Reap, Kampong Cham, Embark Ship, Koh Pen, Angkor Ban

Bid farewell to Siem Reap and journey through remote Cambodian villages to Kampong Cham. Here, embark the Mekong Serenity, your home for the next seven nights. Following lunch on board, discover the island of Koh Pen with its stilted houses and local farming culture during your Signature Experience. You can see a varying range of crops growing depending on the season, including tobacco, betel nuts, watermelons, coconuts and many more tropical fruits. Tonight, as you sail towards Angkor Ban a welcome dinner awaits, showcasing the diverse flavours from the region.

Day 6: Angkor Ban, Koh Oknha Tey, Phom Penh

Take a walking discovery tour of Angkor Ban, one of the few villages in Cambodia that was not destroyed under the Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970s. Here, people still live in their traditional wooden abodes and keep ancient cultural traditions alive. Later, your ship glides along the lush banks of the Mekong to Koh Oknha Tey, renowned for its silk weaving traditions. Stroll among the stilt houses and gain an insight into the traditional silk weaving process. Watch as the village women create beautiful Khmer fabrics from their wooden looms. In the afternoon continue to sail along the Mekong and enjoy some time at leisure. Have a dip in the pool or relax on the Sun Deck.

Day 7: Phnom Penh

Today presents a wealth of included sightseeing choices. After lunch back on board, you may wish to explore Phnom Penh independently or simply relax.

Day 8: Phnom Penh, Oudong, Koh Chen, Phnom Penh

Disembark in Phnom Penh and discover Oudong, a place of pilgrimage for Cambodians. While here, enjoy a Signature Experience. On the way back to your ship, take a leisurely stroll through the village of Koh Chen and visit some home workshops that make copperware. The afternoon is yours to explore Phnom Penh as you wish.

Day 9: Phnom Penh, Border Crossing, Tan Chau

Enjoy the day cruising towards the Vietnamese border. While border formalities are carried out, enjoy the onboard activities, which could include a lively presentation from your local guides, a fruit-carving demonstration, or even a cooking workshop where you will learn the art of creating Vietnamese spring rolls. Alternatively, relax your body with a rejuvenating treatment from the Spa and Wellness Centre. Cross into Vietnam and cruise to the riverside town of Tan Chau, the first stop after the border.

Day 10: Tan Chau, Evergreen Island, Sa Dec

Transfer to a small boat for a journey along the tiny tributaries that snake around the riverside town of Tan Chau. Cruise past a floating fish farm, then step ashore for a rickshaw tour of Tan Chau. On board your rickshaw, you’ll glide past small shops, and meet locals who are always eager to say hello. Stop to pay a visit to a local silk and rattan weaving workshop. Later, step back in time during a visit to Evergreen Island, where you’ll experience authentic rural Mekong life. The remainder of today is left free for you to relax and take a moment to watch local life gently glide by as you cruise towards Sa Dec.

Day 11: Sa Dec, Cai Be, My Tho

Journey by small tender boat to Sa Dec, where French writer Marguerite Duras met her Vietnamese-Chinese lover, Huynh Thuy Le. Tour his former home and learn the story behind Duras’ best-selling novel, ‘The Lover’. Later, pay a visit to a traditional Cao Dai temple. Watch visitors and pilgrims come and go and appreciate the beauty of the building. Return to the ship and sit down to a delicious lunch while you cruise towards Cai Be. Board your tender boat and step ashore to visit the French Gothic cathedral and the colourful port area filled with crumbling colonial buildings and flowering gardens. Afterwards, you’ll visit a rice paper manufacturer and learn about how this Vietnamese staple is made. Tonight, enjoy your farewell dinner on board as you cruise towards your final stop My Tho.

Day 12: My Tho, Disembark Ship, Ho Chi Minh City

Disembark in My Tho and continue to Ho Chi Minh City, once the bustling French colonial city known as Saigon. A range of Freedom of Choice options await today before sitting down to dinner.

Day 13: Ho Chi Minh City

Leave the city behind and relish in your Signature Experiences today. Tonight, your dinner is another Signature Experience.

Day 14: Depart Ho Chi Minh City

Enjoy breakfast before you will be transferred to Tan Son Nhat International Airport for your onward flight back to the UK.

Day 15: Arrive London

Arrive back in London today.