2024 5★ Vietnam & Cambodia Highlights

Upon arrival, transfer to Hotel Sofitel Angkor for your three night stay.

Tonight is yours to spend at your leisure.

Meet your tour director and fellow travellers at a welcome briefing before heading to Angkor Archaeological Park. Here, discover the last capital of the Khmer Empire, Angkor Thom, and the 12th-century temple of Bayon. This afternoon, explore the temple of Ta Prohm, a World Heritage-listed site famous for its intertwined trees. Later, visit ‘Opportunities of Development thru Art’ (ODA), a Siem Reap organisation that provides education opportunities for disadvantaged children. Tonight, enjoy a welcome dinner and traditional Apsara dance performance, once reserved for the royal family’s entertainment. (B,D)

Rise early this morning and travel back to Angkor Archaeological Park to enjoy a special sunrise experience at Angkor Wat. As the sun rises over this World Heritage-listed monument, stand before the silhouette of the temple’s tips, while brilliant shades of orange and pink light up the sky.

Freedom of Choice

Perhaps set out a tuk tuk ride to the Senteurs d’Angkor workshop, where you can shop for local handmade crafts. If you’re looking for something a little more adventurous, you might like to join a quadbike excursion through the Cambodian countryside. Alternatively, unwind with a soothing spa treatment.

Tonight, select from a number of authentic local restaurants for dinner. (B,D)

Transfer to Kampong Cham to embark your luxury river ship, Mekong Serenity for your 7 night all-inclusive river cruise.

Following lunch on board, jump in a tuk tuk and explore the island of Koh Pen. Travelling through shaded lanes, keep an eye out for wooden stilted houses tucked among palm and sandalwood trees. You can see a varying range of crops growing depending on the season, including tobacco, betel nuts, watermelons or coconuts and many more tropical fruits.

Tonight, a Vietnamese welcome dinner awaits, showcasing the diverse flavours from the region. (B,L,D)

Take a walking discovery 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 Oknha Tey, renowned for its silk weaving traditions. Here, gain an insight into the traditional process that has been preserved for centuries.

Afterwards, return to your river ship, where you’ll relax and unwind before delicious onboard dining tonight. (B,L,D)

Disembark in Phnom Penh and discover Oudong, a place of pilgrimage for Cambodians. While here, enjoy a Signature Experience.

Signature Experience

In Oudong, be treated to a Buddhist Blessing Ceremony at a monastery.

On the way back to your ship, take a leisurely stroll through the village of Koh Chen and perhaps visit some home workshops that make copperware. The afternoon is yours to explore Phnom Penh as you wish.

Tonight before dinner, be treated to a special Khmer folk performance. (B,L,D)

Freedom of Choice

Experience some of Cambodia’s sobering history with a moving excursion to the infamous Killing Fields. Afterwards, visit the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, located on the site of the Khmer Rouge’s notorious Security Prison 21 (S-21). Otherwise, discover Phnom Penh on a tuk tuk ride past the railway station and the city’s namesake, Wat Phnom. You will also stop to haggle for a bargain at the Central Market. History buffs can embark on a visit to the National Museum, while the active can hop on a leisurely bike ride through the quiet back roads.

After lunch, perhaps explore the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda, partake in some retail therapy on a shopping expedition, or take a little high tea indulgence accompanied by panoramic views over Phnom Penh. (B,L,D)

Depart Phnom Penh as you cruise along the Mekong. After entering Vietnam, head towards Tan Chau. (B,L,D)

Step ashore in Tan Chau today for a rickshaw tour. On board your rickshaw, you’ll glide past shops, rice wine rooms and friendly 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 an evergreen island aboard a small boat, where you’ll experience authentic rural Mekong life.

The remainder of today is left free for you to relax back on board your river ship. (B,L,D)

Cruise towards the quaint town of Sa Dec. It was here where French writer Marguerite Duras met her Vietnamese-Chinese lover, Huynh Thuy Le. On arrival, tour Huynh Thuy Le’s old house and learn the story behind Marguerite 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.

This afternoon, continue to Cai Be 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. (B,L,D)

Disembark in My Tho and continue to Ho Chi Minh City, once the bustling French colonial city previously known as Saigon.

Your first day here offers you the chance to choose from two Signature Experiences, during which you’ll learn about Vietnam’s recent past. Enjoy a two night hotel stay at Park Hyatt Saigon.

Signature Experience

Perhaps journey to Ba Ria and learn about the Battle of Long Tan. Afterwards, attend a memorial service at Long Tan Cross – a memorial erected by the 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, which is set in a rubber plantation and marks the site of the Battle of Long Tan.

Alternatively, visit the Cu Chi Tunnels, constructed by Vietnamese resistance fighters during the war. These tunnels served as Viet Cong hiding spots, supply and communication routes, as well as hospitals and weapon caches. (B,L,D)

A range of Freedom of Choice options await today. This evening, we have arranged a special Signature Experience for you. (B,D)

Freedom of Choice

Perhaps jump on the back of a motorbike and tour the vibrant streets of Saigon, or rise early for some city discovery and morning tai chi in the park. Other options include a walking tour of the capital, retail therapy at a bustling Vietnamese market, a tour of artist workshops or an authentic Vietnamese cooking class.

Signature Experience

Experience dinner at Vietnam House, founded by Australia-born Vietnamese celebrity chef Luke Nguyen.

After breakfast, transfer to the airport. (B)