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Vietnam and Cambodian Discovery Itinerary
Day 1 - UK - Hanoi (Vietnam)
Make your way to London Heathrow for your flight to Vietnam.
Day 2 - Hanoi
Upon arrival, be transferred to your hotel. Later this evening, enjoy a delicious welcome dinner.
Day 3 - Hanoi
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. How your evening evolves is also up to you – choose from a range of different but equally superb and delicious restaurants for dinner. 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.
Day 4 - Hanoi - Ha Long Bay
Embark on your luxurious three-day cruise on World Heritage-listed Ha Long Bay. Travel by coach to Ha Long Bay and board your ship, the luxurious Au Co. Feel the wind in your hair as you set sail among thousands of spectacular limestone islets this afternoon, gliding slowly over the azure waters. Enjoy lunch on board as you traverse through stunning scenery towards Ba Ham Lake, where you will have the chance to go for a dip or enjoy a spot of kayaking in the emerald green waters. Enjoy dinner back on board tonight.
Day 5 - Ha Long Bay
Awake early and as the sun rises, perhaps rejuvenate your body and soul with a Tai Chi class. During breakfast, cruise to Cat Ba Island, where you will take a guided bike tour to Viet Hai Village, nestled among the jungle-clad mountains of Cat Ba National Park. While here, you will also have the chance to visit an ancient Vietnamese house. After lunch in the village cruise to Ba Trai Dao beach and enjoy a swim or relax on the beach. Upon retiring to The Au Co for the evening, relax and enjoy a barbecue dinner.
Day 6 - Ha Long Bay - Siem Reap
This morning after breakfast, take to the waters around the Cua Van Floating Culture Centre by kayak or traditional rowing boat. Renowned for its natural beauty, this calm bay allows you to see traditional floating fishing villages and enjoy local life. Return onboard for a farewell Vietnamese tea ceremony and transfer to Hanoi airport for your included flight to Siem Reap.
Day 7 - Siem Reap
Today, head to World Heritage-listed Angkor Archaeological Park to visit the enduring capital of the Khmer Empire, Angkor Thom, and the 12th-century temple of Bayon. Later this afternoon, explore the intriguing temple of Ta Prohm, with its stunning ruins, then visit ‘Opportunities of Development thru Art’ (ODA), a Siem Reap organisation that provides education opportunities for disadvantaged local children. Tonight, take in an exciting Apsara performance before you enjoy dinner.
Day 8 - Siem Reap - Angkor
Rise early and travel back to the Angkor Archaeological Park to enjoy a sunrise at Angkor Wat. Your many activity options include a traditional Buddhist blessing, a tuk tuk ride to the Senteurs d’Angkor workshop, a quad bike adventure, a leisurely horse and cart ride, a bicycle tour across the countryside, a shopping trip or a relaxing spa treatment. Today, embark on a guided tour of the iconic Angkor Wat and admire the ancient structures in the soft morning light. Enjoy breakfast back at your hotel. Later on, set out on your chosen Freedom of Choice activity.
Day 9 - Kampong Cham - Koh Pen
Tonight, take the opportunity to savour a taste of Cambodia with a choice of local restaurants for dinner. 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, take a tuk tuk to explore the island of Koh Pen with its wooden stilt houses and local farming culture. Tonight, a Vietnamese welcome dinner awaits, showcasing the diverse flavours from the region.
Day 10 - Angkor Ban - Oknha Tey
Join 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. Later, your ship glides along the lush banks of the Mekong to Oknha Tey, a small island renowned for its skilful silk weaving traditions.
Day 11 - Phnom Penh - Oudong - Koh Chen
Partake in a traditional Buddhist blessing ceremony at a monastery in Oudong. Disembark in Phnom Penh and discover Oudong, an important place of pilgrimage in Cambodia where you’ll be treated to a special Signature Experience. Return to your ship via the village Koh Chen and perhaps visit some home workshops that manufacture copperware. The afternoon is yours to explore Phnom Penh. You might like to wander the streets and familiarise yourself with the buzzing city. Tonight, enjoy a special Khmer folk performance before dinner.
Day 12 - Phnom Penh
Perhaps take a sobering excursion to the Killing Fields, before visiting the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, located on the site of the Khmer Rouge’s notorious Security Prison 21. Alternatively, see Phnom Penh on a tuk tuk ride with a stop at the Central Market, visit a number of Cambodian microbreweries and enjoy the local craft beers or enjoy a visit to the National Museum. Options also include the Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda. Step ashore in Phnom Penh for today’s Freedom of Choice activities. The evening is yours to relax.
Day 13 - Phnom Penh
Relax on board as you cruise towards the Vietnamese border. You might like to attend a fruit-carving demonstration while border crossing formalities are carried out. Continue cruising towards Tan Chau.
Day 14 - Tan Chau
Step ashore in Tan Chau today for a rickshaw tour. On board your rickshaw, you’ll glide past shops, 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.
Day 15 - Sa Dec - Cai Be
Head to Sa Dec this morning, where French writer Marguerite Duras met her Vietnamese-Chinese lover, Huynh Thuy Le. Tour his former home and learn the story behind Marguerite Duras’ best-selling novel, The Lover. Afterwards, visit a traditional Cao Dai temple. Later, continue to Sa Dec and visit the French Gothic cathedral and port area. Then, at a rice paper manufacture, learn how this Vietnamese staple is made.
Day 16 - My Tho - Ho Chi Minh City
You may 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. On the second alternative, visit the impressive Cu Chi Tunnels, an incredible tunnel network constructed by Vietnamese resistance fighters during the war. These tunnels served as Viet Cong hiding spots, supply and communication routes, hospitals and weapon caches, and make for a fascinating visit. Disembark at My Tho and following your signature experience be transferred to Ho Chi Minh City.
Day 17 - Ho Chi Minh City
Experience dinner at Vietnam House, founded by Australia-born Vietnamese celebrity chef Luke Nguyen. Perhaps enjoy a walking tour of Ho Chi Minh City, visiting the Reunification Palace and the Central Post Office. Or jump on the back of a motorbike for an exciting city tour. Alternatively, you may also like to go on an exciting shopping tour. After a Freedom of Choice sightseeing experience this morning, enjoy a delicious Signature Experience dinner at Luke Nguyen’s restaurant, Vietnam House.
Day 18 - Ho Chi Minh City
Your journey comes to an end today with a transfer to the airport for your flight home to the UK.
Day 19 - UK
Arrive back in London today.
The sequence and duration of visits may vary due to tides, river conditions, and national holidays. Itinerary is subject to change. Cruise itinerary operates in forward and reverse however Hanoi will always be a pre-cruise extension. Key: B = Breakfast; L = Lunch; D = Dinner