Welcome to Vietnam! On arrival, you will be met at the airport for your private transfer to your chosen Hanoi hotel.

You have the rest of the day at leisure, to relax after your flight or explore the local area. A stroll around Hoan Kiem Lake provides a nice introduction to the city; you’ll likely pass Tai Chi sessions and family get-togethers. Cross the wooden footbridge to visit Ngoc Son Temple on an island in the middle of the lake.

If you’ve arrived on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday, head to the Night Market in the Old Quarter in the evening. It’s perhaps a little early for souvenir shopping, but you won’t be able to resist the street food!

Your chosen Hanoi hotel

Breakfast

Today you’ll be met at your hotel for a 4 hour Hanoi city tour, taking you through tree-lined streets past grand French colonial buildings, to the city’s recently restored Opera House and the nearly-1000 year old Temple of Literature, then onto the Museum of Ethnology for an insight into the culture and traditions of the 54 ethnic groups that call Vietnam home.

Next, on the front of a cyclo, you’ll weave your way though the labyrinth of streets that make up the Old Quarter, many of which are named after the materials you could traditional buy there, such as Tin Street, Sugar Street and Paper Street.

Your chosen Hanoi hotel

Breakfast

After breakfast, you will be met at your hotel for the roughly 2.5 hour drive to Halong Bay, a mystical seascape where thousands of limestone karsts rise from emerald green waters.

Settle in to your cabin before relaxing on deck as your overnight Halong Bay cruise sets sail. After a buffet lunch, as you pass the intriguingly named Fighting-Cock and Human Head islets, you’ll stop at Trinh Nu Cave to admire its stalactites and stalagmites, then swim, snorkel or kayak from a private beach.

Dinner is served on board, often accompanied by an unforgettable Halong Bay sunset.

On board your Halong Bay cruise

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Resist the temptation for a lie in this morning so not too miss the sunrise over Halong Bay. The tranquillity is absorbing, as is watching the morning mist slowly disappear from the tops of the karsts.

There will be time to swim or kayak before brunch and your return to Halong City where you’ll disembark and travel to Hanoi airport for your flight to Da Nang. On arrival, you will be greeted at the airport for your transfer to your chosen Hoi An hotel, for a three night stay.

Your chosen Hoi An hotel

Brunch

To wander through Old Town Hoi An is to take a step back in time. Over 800 of the traditional buildings are recognised by UNESCO for their historic importance.

On a guided Hoi An walking tour, you’ll see these, as well as cross the famous Japanese Covered Bridge and visit the wonderfully elaborate Assembly Hall of the Fujian Chinese Congregation.

For a cultural break, you could spend the next day on Cua Dai or An Bang Beach, both fringed by palm trees, bars and restaurants.

Your chosen Hoi An hotel

Breakfast

It’s a short flight from Hoi An to Ho Chin Minh City, where you’ll be greeted at the airport for your transfer to your chosen Ho Chi Minh City hotel.

The pace of change here matches that in other South East Asian megacities, and is no more evident than from the Saigon Skydeck on the 49th floor of the Bitexco Financial Tower.

You’ll get to enjoy this view on your Ho Chi Minh city tour, after you’ve visited the Opera House and Notre Dame Cathedral, the underground war bunker at the Reunification Palace, the iconic Saigon Central Post Office, and the moving War Remnants Museum.

If you would like to add an extra day in Ho Chi Minh City to visit the Cu Chi Tunnels just let your Travel Consultant know.

Your chosen Ho Chi Minh City hotel

Breakfast

Leave the bustle of Ho Chi Minh City behind this morning, as you transfer to My Tho to board your Mekong River cruise.

After settling in to your choice of cabin, meet your fellow passengers over a buffet lunch, and then later, canapés and prosecco as twilights falls and the Mekong Delta is bathed in a golden haze.

During dinner, the ship will reach Tan Phong Island, near Cai Be, where it anchors for the night. Head to the onboard cinema or just relax on your private balcony to the gentle sounds of the river.

Your chosen cabin

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Wake early to embrace the stunning dawn scenery, and perhaps join the daily Tai Chi class, before a buffet breakfast.

The morning’s excursion is to a workshop in the delta town of Cai Be that produces rice paper, cookies and wine, and then to the island of Tan Phong for a motorised buggy tour and a visit to a local family with a garden full of tropical fruits.

Continuing upstream, the ship anchors by the large island of Binh Thanh, for a stroll through a village where traditional mats are woven from dried water hyacinths grown in the delta.

Before dinner, there’ll be a presentation in the lounge about life on the Mekong Delta. The night is spent in Tan Chau.

Your chosen cabin

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After Tai Chi and breakfast, disembark the ship for a ‘xe lio’ (rickshaw) tour of the Tan Chau, a vibrant town famous for its high quality silk. Your personal driver will take you through bustling side streets, past workshops and street vendors, to the local market and then onto a Cao Dai temple where you’ll meet one of the priests to learn about the religion practised by around 5 million Vietnamese.

In the afternoon, slip into ‘cruise mode’ as the ship sails north, crossing the border into Cambodia, en route to Phnom Penh. Relax on the sun deck or your private balcony, or participate in a cooking class and create a popular Vietnamese or Cambodian dish.

Your chosen cabin

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Welcome to Phnom Penh, a city once known as the ‘Paris of the East’. Your full-day sightseeing tour begins after breakfast, with a meandering cyclo ride to the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda, home to the small but revered ‘Emerald Buddha’, and a life-sized solid gold Buddha.

Stopping at the infamous S-21 prison provides an opportunity to learn about a darker chapter in Cambodia’s history; the brutal rule of the Khmer Rouge in the late 1970’s, during which 25% of the population were killed.

After lunch, you’ll continue to one of the country’s most famous history museums, “Sosoro,” before a leisurely stroll through the city’s French Quarter, and to Wat Phnom, on the only ‘hill’ in town.

An open-air barbecue and gala dinner, accompanied by a classic Apsara dance performance, caps off this eventful day!

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Before the sun peeks over the horizon, your Mekong cruise sets sail, entering the Tonle River, en route to Koh Chen, a village known for its local artisans who breathe life into silver, copper and brass, crafting intricate art pieces and jewellery, some of which once adorned Phnom Penh’s Royal Palace.

Sailing upstream, lunch is followed by a ‘fashion show’ of traditional Khmer outfits worn on special occasions.

Arriving at Kampong Laeang, you’ll disembark for a tuk-tuk tour of Kampong Chhnang, on which you’ll discover the art of pottery making and visit a charming pre-Angkorian temple. Depending on the season, you can also enjoy  a panoramic view of the vast floodplains and lush rice fields from a vantage point near town.

Back onboard, the ship continues downstream to Kampong Tralach, where you’ll anchor for the night.

You chosen cabin

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

A unique experience awaits this morning; a ride in an ox-pulled cart through the countryside of Kampong Tralach, along the riverside and down winding back roads, flanked by picturesque rice paddies. Arriving at a small village, you will have the opportunity to learn about the local NGO school and library project. Alternatively, you can visit a nearby 300 year old temple and Buddha shrine.

At the confluence of the Tonle and Mekong Rivers lies Prek Bangkong, the former residence of the Royal Family before they moved to the Royal Palace. You’re visiting however, to see the village’s famed silk weavers at work, before a short tour of the former house of H.E. Sam-El, an architect who worked for the Royal Family.

The rest of the day is spent sailing up the Mekong River. Cocktails will be served poolside, before dinner.

Your chosen cabin

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Ease yourself into the day with the morning Tai Chi session, before disembarking to visit the delightful village of Angkor Ban. Many of the houses here are on stilts, and have traditional bamboo floors. At the monastery you’ll have the chance to meet monks and villagers during their morning class – a real insight into local life.

Continuing up river, you’ll reach town of Kampong Cham, an important trade and transportation hub. The city centre is a mix of French, Chinese and Khmer-style buildings. A quite incredible bamboo bridge connects it to Kaoh Pan Island, where life remains more rural.

You’ll visit Cheung Kok, a hamlet on the outskirts where you can buy various handmade crafts.

Afterward, your Mekong River cruise makes its final journey, mooring near Stueng Trang, with a farewell drink along the way.

Your chosen cabin

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Gaze out across the Mekong River as you enjoy your final breakfast on board. A roughly 4 hour transfer will take you to your chosen hotel in Siem Reap, Cambodia’s second largest city and the gateway to one of South East Asia’s greatest ancient wonders; the incredible Temples of Angkor.

You have the rest of the day at leisure, to relax by the pool or explore the local area, perhaps visiting the impressive Wat Damnak temple, or picking up a few more souvenirs at the Old Market.

Your chosen Siem Reap hotel

Breakfast

Ensure to have a hearty breakfast this morning, as you have a busy day ahead! You’ll be collected at your hotel around 08:00 for the short drive to Angkor Thom, where you’ll start your tour of the wonderous Temples of Angkor.

Angkor Thom translates into English as the ‘Great City’. Built in the late 12th Century, it was centre of Jayavarman VII’s empire. You’ll see the Elephant Terrace, the pyramid temple Bayon and 54 stone figures from Hindu mythology that line the causeway to the South Gate.

Next you’ll visit the temples of Ta Phrom, now interwound by the roots of tropical trees, before enjoying a whole afternoon exploring the famed Angkor Wat. On the temples, towers and terraces of the Khmer empire’s most important religious site are carved over 1,700 apsaras and devatas (celestial dancers and guardians). You’ll have no doubt seen photos, but to witness the sunset at Angkor Wat tonight will be a moment you’ll never forget.

Your chosen Siem Reap hotel

Breakfast

Your Vietnam and Cambodia cruise holiday comes to a close today, as you are met at your hotel for your private transfer to the airport for your flight home, on which you can start planning your next South East Asian adventure…

Breakfast