Vietnam and Cambodia Discovery

Includes flights from the UK. Explore Vietnam and Cambodia in depth, beginning in fascinating Hanoi. Discover Ha Long Bay on a three-day cruise and see bustling Ho Chi Minh City. Then spend seven nights on the Mekong River aboard the new luxury Mekong Serenity. See Phnom Penh and charming riverside villages enroute to Siem Reap and the majesty of Angkor Wat.

Itinerary

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Day 1: Depart London

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

Day 2: Arrive Hanoi

Touch down in Hanoi and receive Fast Track Service on arrival in Hanoi. Be whisked through immigration and customs and transfer to your luxury hotel located in the heart of the city. Later this evening, you’ll get to know your fellow travellers during a welcome dinner at Spice Garden, the hotel’s highly awarded Vietnamese restaurant.

Day 3: Hanoi

A guided tour of Hanoi takes you to the city’s most famous historical and cultural sites. Highlights include Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum, Ba Dinh Square, One Pillar Pagoda and the Temple of Literature, a beautiful example of Vietnamese architecture and the first university in Vietnam. You’ll also enjoy a cyclo ride through the Old Quarter. Explore the maze-like streets of this charming area where each street conveys the name of the type of business that once operated there, such as Bamboo Street, Sugar Street and Silver Street. Then, explore more of this vibrant city on your selected Freedom of Choice experience. Tonight, choose your dining experience.

Day 4: Hanoi, Tuan Chau, Embark Ship, Ha Long Bay

After your Signature Experience set off by coach to Ha Long Bay and set sail among thousands of limestone islets. 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.

Day 5: Ha Long Bay

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.

Day 6: Ha Long Bay, Tuan Chau, Disembark Ship, Hanoi, Siem Reap

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.

Day 7: 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 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.

Day 8: Siem Reap

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.

Day 9: Siem Reap, Kampong Cham, Embark Ship, Koh Pen, Angkor Ban

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.

Day 10: Angkor Ban, Oknha Tey, Phnom Penh

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.

Day 11: 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 12: 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 13: 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 14: 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 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.

Day 15: 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’. 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.

Day 16: 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 17: Ho Chi Minh City

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

Day 18: Depart Ho Chi Minh City

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

Day 19: Arrive London

Arrive back in London today.