Southern Vietnam and Cambodia

Day 1: Arrival in Ho Chi Minh (D)

Arrival at Tan Son Nhat airport in Ho Chi Minh. Upon arrival, our driver welcomes and transfer you to hotel. Rest of the day is your leisure in Ho Chi Minh. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh.

Day 2: Ho Chi Minh – City tour & explore Cu Chi Tunnel (B,L)

Morning, we explore the Re-Unification Palace, which was the home and workplace of the president of South Vietnam during the Vietnam War, and played a pivotal role in the war's end. Visit the Notre Dame Cathedral, a stunning example of French colonial architecture, and learn about its unique history. Continue your tour at the War Remnants Museum, which provides a thought-provoking look into the harsh realities of the Vietnam War. From relics and artifacts to photographs and personal accounts, this museum offers a glimpse into the past that will leave a lasting impression.

Afternoon, we leave the city and drive 60km to Cu Chi, where you can delve into the intricate system of tunnels and explore the Cu Chi Tunnel, an impressive feat of engineering that played a significant role in the Vietnam War. Before entering the tunnel, a short introductory video showing how the tunnels were constructed on your arrival in Cu Chi. Spend the next hour exploring the tunnels. Afterwards, enjoy tea, cassava (guerrilla’s food during the war).

Once the tour is complete, we will make our way back to the city.

Stay overnight in Ho Chi Minh.

Day 3: Ho Chi Minh – Mekong delta (B,L)

Around 8.00am, leave Ho Chi Minh city and head to Can Tho, enjoy the scenic journey along the National Highway bordered by green rice fields. On arrival at My Tho, visit Vinh Trang pagoda, take a leisurely boat ride along the river, view stilt houses, fruit plantations and fishing villages along the river bank.

Proceed to Tortoise islet, have lunch in the orchard garden. Then a boat ride to An Khanh, a less touristy attraction in Ben Tre, enjoy cruising on a hand-rowed sampan under the shade of the water coconut trees along natural canals. Then enjoy seasonal fruit & honey tea to the sound of “Southern Vietnamese folk music”, performed by the locals.

Visit a family business which epitomizes the idyllic rural lifestyle, taste delicious coconut candy & observe the pastoral life as you roam through fruit plantations and villages. Transfer to Can Tho city.

Stay overnight at hotel in Can Tho.

Day 4: Mekong delta – An exotic world of its own (B,L)

Take a leisurely boat trip to explore the picturesque tributaries of the Lower Mekong river (Bassac River), then proceed to Cai Rang floating markets (Alt: Visit Phong Dien floating market) which are the liveliest in the whole religion. Have you ever tasted Vietnamese vermicelli soup? Well, now go and see how it is made. Then wander around the village and meet the friendly local people and experience how to pass a “Monkey bridge” which is built by only one stem of bamboo. Visit the orchard garden. Stop for lunch. Proceed to Chau Doc, continue the tour to visit Tra Su, getting to the wild birds Sanctuary, cruising smoothly with small boats to discover the arrays of splendid canals deep into the forest, watching storks, cranes and other tropical birds. Back to the Town, hotel check in. Stay overnight at hotel in Chau Doc.

Day 5: Mekong delta – Phnom Penh, Cambodia (B,L)

After breakfast, take a rowing boat trip through the floating village and visit the fish farm to see how the Mekong Delta people raise fish from their floating houses. Visit the Cham minority in their traditional weaving village. Transfer to a speed boat for the final part of the journey to Phnom Penh. Arrive at Sisowath tourist dock in Phnom Penh around 02.00pm. Our car is waiting to pick you up and transfer you to a local restaurant in Phnom Penh for your lunch. After lunch, reach your hotel and check-in. Rest of the day is your leisure time in Phnom Penh. Stay overnight in Phnom Penh.

Day 6: Phnom Penh – Siem Reap (B,L,D)

Morning, visit to the Royal Palace, built by King Norodom in 1866 on the site of the old town. Visit the Silver Pagoda, located within the grounds of the Royal Palace, the Silver Pagoda is so named because of its floor, which is made up of 5000 silver tiles. You then continue your visit at The notorious Choeung Ek Killing Field and Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum afterward.

• Choeung Ek Killing Fields, 15km southwest of Phnom Penh, is the site of brutal executions of more than 17,000 individuals, most of whom first suffered through interrogations, torture and deprivation in Toul Sleng Prison during Pol Pot regime (From 1975–1979).
• Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S21 prison). This prison was a high school, and used as a prison by Pol Pot’s security forces and became the largest center for detention and torture during the rule of the Khmer Rouge.

You can visit Wat Phnom, the most famous buddhist temple in Phnom Penh, instead of Choeung Ek Killing Field and Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, if you feel they are not suitable to you. Wat Phnom was built in 1373, and stands 27 metres above the ground. It is the tallest religious structure in the city. The pagoda was given the name of Wat Preah Chedey Borapaut.

Afternoon, get a transfer to Siem Reap. The transfer takes approximately 6 hours. Stay overnight in Siem Reap.

Day 7: Siem Reap – Explore Angkor Thom & Angkor Wat (B,L)

The first part of the day will be spent exploring some of the most iconic temple complexes in Angkor, Cambodia. The morning begins with a visit to Angkor Thom, the ancient capital of the Khmer Empire. Here, you can explore some of the most significant structures, including the Bayon Temple, the Baphuon, the Phimeanakas, the Royal Enclosure, the Elephants Terrace and the Terrace of the Leper King.

Afterward, you will continue your visit to Ta Prohm, a temple complex that is famous for its unique architecture and the way that trees and vegetation have grown around and through its structures. This temple complex provides a stunning visual experience and is one of the most popular destinations for visitors to Angkor.

Lunch will be served at a local restaurant, where you can enjoy some of the local cuisine.

In the afternoon, you will visit Angkor Wat, the most famous of all the temples in Angkor. This massive temple complex is one of the largest religious monuments in the world and is famous for its intricate architecture and stunning beauty. Here, you can explore the central temple, the outer walls, and the surrounding moat.

In the evening, you will enjoy a buffet dinner and watch a Khmer Traditional Dance Show at a local restaurant. This is an excellent opportunity to experience some of the local culture and enjoy some traditional entertainment while dining on local cuisine.

Overnight at hotel in Siem Reap.

ADD-ON: Siem Reap / Beng Mealea

At 8.00am, we drive out of the city to go to Koh Ker. Abandoned to the forests of the north, Koh Ker, capital of the Angkorian empire from AD 928 to AD 944, is 127km northeast of Siem Reap. It takes about 1.5 hour to reach Koh Ker.

Koh Ker is a 10th-century temple complex in the north Cambodian jungle. A former capital of the Khmer Empire, the site is now remote and heavily forested. The main structure, Koh Ker Temple, is a stepped 7-tiered pyramid. The large rectangular tank, Rahal Baray, supplied water to the complex. The Prasat Krahom, meaning "red temple," is known for its sandstone carvings, while Prasat Pram is covered in strangler figs.

9.30am, We start at Prasat Krahom where impressive stone carvings grace lintels, doorposts and slender window columns. The principal monument is Mayan-looking Prasat Thom, a 55m-wide, 40m-high sandstone-faced pyramid whose seven tiers offer spectacular views across the forest.

10.30am, we drive back to Siem Reap. On the way back, we stop at two famous temples: Prasat Neang Khmaw & Prasat Pram. We proceed our way back and stop at a local restaurant near Beng Mealea temple. Enjoy your lunch.

1.30pm, we visit Beng Mealea temple. Enjoy a short walk through the dense jungle and discover the wonders of an overgrown temple, Beng Mealea, which lay undiscovered for centuries.

A spectacular sight to behold, Beng Mealea, located about 55km northeast of Siem Reap, is one of the most mysterious temples at Angkor, as nature has well and truly run riot. Exploring this titanic of temples, built to the same floor plan as Angkor Wat, is the ultimate Indiana Jones experience. Built in the 12th century under Suryavarman II, Beng Mealea is enclosed by a massive moat measuring 1.2km by 900m.

3.30pm, we leave Beng Mealea and drive to the last one that we visit today, Banteay Srey.

4.30pm, Arrival at the temple. You now have chance to see the “gem” of the Angkor area. The so-called “Citadel of the Women” displays some of the finest examples of classical Khmer art.

Considered by many to be the jewel in the crown of Angkorian art, Banteay Srei is cut from stone of a pinkish hue and includes some of the finest stone carving anywhere on Earth. Begun in AD 967, it is one of the smallest sites at Angkor, but what it lacks in size it makes up for in stature. The art gallery of Angkor, Banteay Srei, a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva, is wonderfully well preserved and many of its carvings are three-dimensional.

Overnight in Siem Reap. (B,L)

Day 8: Siem Reap – Tonle Sap Lake – Departure flight (B)

Morning, enjoy breakfast at hotel. Visit Angkor National Museum at 7.30am. Angkor National Museum is an archaeological museum dedicated to the collection, preservation and presentation of Angkorian artifacts, also to provides information and education about art and culture of Khmer civilization, with collections mainly dated from Khmer Empire's Angkor period circa 9th to 14th-century. Most of the artifacts are discovered in and around the Angkor archaeological sites nearby. The museum is located in Vithei Charles de Gaulle No. 968, Siem Reap, Cambodia, on the way between downtown Siem Reap to northern road leading to Angkor ancient city. After that, take a boat trip for sight-seeing on Tonle Sap Lake, the Great Lake of Cambodia. It is one of the largest lakes in Asia. Here, enjoy a brief cruise past floating villages complete with schools, restaurants, and hospitals. Leave the lake and head to downtown to visit Artisan's D'angkor, the caving art school. Continue your visit to Wat Thmei. Wat Thmei near Charles de Gaulle Boulevard in Siem Reap, Cambodia where you will find a small memorial stupa which contains the skulls and bones of victims killed during the regime of the Khmer Rouge during 1975 – 1979. Transfer to Siem Reap airport for your departure flight.