2024 5★ Vietnam & Cambodia Discovery

Upon arrival, be transferred to your hotel, Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi for your two night stay. Later this evening, enjoy a Welcome Dinner. (D)

This morning, a tour of Hanoi will take you to the city’s most famous historical and cultural sites. Visit Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum, Ba Dinh Square and The Temple of Literature. You’ll also take in the sights of the Old Quarter during a cyclo ride. Spend the afternoon on your selected Freedom of Choice activity.

Freedom of Choice: Perhaps tour the 500-year-old village of Bat Trang. Or, relax and enjoy a foot massage back at your hotel. Embark on a walking tour to observe Hanoi’s French colonial architecture, and explore the interior of the Hanoi Opera House, take in a water puppet show, or a leisurely bicycle ride.

How your evening evolves is also up to you – choose from a range of different but equally superb and delicious restaurants for dinner. (B,D)

After your Signature Experience set off by coach to Ha Long Bay and set sail among thousands of limestone islets. embark on your three-day cruise on the World Heritage-listed Ha Long Bay.

Savour an assortment of Vietnamese dishes during lunch as the Au Co slowly glides towards the southeast of Ha Long Bay, passing Trong Mai Islet. Visit the Trinh Nu area and explore one of the finest sunlight-filled caves in Ha Long Bay before spending some time swimming or kayaking in its emerald waters.

Awake early and as the sun rises, perhaps rejuvenate your body and soul with a Tai Chi class. Later this morning, gain a first glimpse of Cat Ba Island before disembarking to discover Viet Hai Village. Following a village-style lunch, a secluded swim or chance to sunbathe is on the cards. Return to the ship and cruise towards the heart of Ha Long Bay. Sightsee around Cua Van Floating Village by kayak or traditional rowing boat. The area is considered one of the most beautiful destinations in the world by Travel + Leisure magazine. A barbeque dinner aboard the Au Co caps off an exciting day. (B,L,D)

Tonight, take the opportunity to savour a taste of Cambodia with a choice of local restaurants for dinner. Set off for an early visit to Sung Sot Cave, the largest cave of the bay with 10,000 square meters of space holding thousands of stalactites and stalagmites in fascinating shapes and sizes. Enjoy brunch on board as your ship makes its way back to port.

Disembark and transfer to Hanoi airport for your included flight to Siem Reap, Cambodia. Upon arrival, be transferred to your hotel. Choose where to dine in Siem Reap this evening.

Stay: Three Nights, Siem Reap, Sofitel Angkor Phokeethra Golf & Spa Resort (B,L,D)

Signature Experience: Be welcomed backstage at Phare Circus to meet some of the performers and then watch a mesmerising performance from your VIP seats. Combining captivating acrobatics, theatre and storytelling, this unforgettable spectacle showcases the country's rich culture and talent.

Signature Experience: Visit ODA, Opportunities of Development through Art, a OneTomorrow partner.

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 mythology 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. (B,L)

Signature Experience: At Angkor Archaeological Park, witness sunrise at the magnificent Angkor Wat. Observe the iconic temple complex shimmer in the reflective ponds in front of this ancient religious monument.

Signature Experience: Treat yourself to a private visit to Theam's Gallery and discover this talented Cambodian artist known for his unique sculptures, paintings, and intricate crafts. Indulge in a tantalising five-course Khmer dinner, while enjoying a traditional Apsara dance performance accompanied by live musicians. Rise early this morning and travel back to Angkor Archaeological Park for a Signature Experience. Afterwards, join a guided tour of the temple before breakfast back at your hotel. This afternoon, set out on your included Freedom of Choice activity. Tonight, your Signature Experience awaits. Set amid a stunning garden, this promises to be an enchanting and memorable evening. (B,D)

Signature Experience: Journey by local tuk tuk around a riverside village and gain an insight into village life. Travel along the shaded lanes, past stilted houses and see a varying range of crops growing.

Journey through remote Cambodian villages to Kampong Cham, where you’ll board the Mekong Serenity, your home for the next seven nights. Following lunch on board, discover the island of Koh Pen with its wooden stilt houses and local farming culture during your Signature Experience. Tonight as you sail towards Angkor Ban, a welcome dinner awaits, showcasing the diverse flavours from the region. (B,L,D)

Join 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. Later, your ship glides along the lush banks of the Mekong to 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. (B,L,D)

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

Signature Experience: In Oudong, be treated to a Buddhist Blessing by monks at a local monastery.

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. (B,L,D)

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. (B,L,D)

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 passing small shops and 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. (B,L,D)

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’. After, visit a traditional Cao Dai temple. Return to the ship and sit down to a delicious lunch while you cruise towards Cai Be. Board your tender boat where you'll visit the French Gothic cathedral and the colourful port area filled with crumbling colonial buildings and flowering gardens. Then 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. (B,L,D)

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.

Stay: Two Nights, Ho Chi Minh City, Park Hyatt Saigon (B,D)

Signature Experience: Journey by speedboat to the Cu Chi Tunnels, which were built by Vietnamese resistance fighters during the war.

Signature Experience: Meet a Master Distiller at Lady Trieu Gin Distillery and enjoy a private tasting.

Signature Experience: Savour dinner at the highly acclaimed restaurant Vietnam House, and enjoy a special cocktail designed specifically for APT.

Leave the city behind and relish in your Signature Experiences today. Tonight, your dinner is another Signature Experience. (B,L,D)