Best of Vietnam & Cambodia

Start your holiday in style with included UK airport lounge access before your overnight flight to Hanoi.

Arriving in Vietnam’s energetic capital, you’ll be met by an included transfer to your hotel, a hidden gem in in Hanoi’s old quarter and just a short hop from the iconic Hoan Kiem Lake. It’s the perfect base from which to get out and explore, which you’ll do on day three with a morning tour the city, taking in such highlights as the Temple of Literature and the infamous ‘Hanoi Hilton’ – the former prison used to incarcerate American soldiers during the Vietnam War. Then, after an included lunch at a local restaurant, you’ll jump on one of the ubiquitous cyclos for a dash through the market-filled labyrinth of the Old Quarter. Meals included on day three only.

Stay: Grand Mercure Hanoi (Superior) or Moevenpick Hanoi (Deluxe)

Escape the city and retreat into northern Vietnam's lush interior, passing through miles of rice paddies dotted with locals in conical hats working in the fields. After three and a half hours you'll reach the edge of the South China Sea, ready to board a luxury junk cruise in true Vietnamese style. From the iconic limestone rises of Halong Bay you'll head for the quiet, lesser known Lan Ha Bay, stopping to explore remote villages and ancient lighthouses, visit local schools and take bike rides through the countryside. Back onboard, enjoy full-board dining, warm hospitality, and aboard the luxury cruise option, even a unique cinema set-up in the dining room as the sun goes down.

Stay: Indochine Lan Ha (Superior) or Heritage Line Ginger (Deluxe)

This morning, awake early to join in a Tai Chi session on the sun deck as the first rays of the sun touch the water. Coffee, tea and breakfast pastries await you before  Ginger anchors up. This morning's excursion to secluded Frog Lake offers the chance for kayaking or swimming among the tree-topped islands. Back on board, enjoy a a hearty breakfast in the dining room and soak up the sun on the loungers as the ship returns to Hanoi. Spend the rest of the day at leisure in the city – your hotel is in the heart of the Old Quarter, not far from Hoan Kiem Lake.

Stay: Grand Mercure Hanoi (Superior) or Moevenpick Hanoi (Deluxe)

Return to Hanoi for your flight south to Danang on Vietnam’s tropical central coast. From here, a delightfully scenic transfer will bring you to Hanoi for a two-night stay. It’s ample time to get a taste for the town’s mercantile past, best seen in its still-operational silk-lantern workshops, one of which you’ll visit on an included tour followed by lunch in a local restaurant. Then, with a full day spare, you’ll be able to choose from a range of optional excursions, perhaps heading out into the countryside on an antique Vespa, or getting to grips with the local food on a market visit and cookery class.

Stay: Royal Hoi An (Superior) or Anantara Hoi An (Deluxe)

Transfer back to Danang for the flight south to Ho Chi Minh City where you’ll be met for an included private transfer to your hotel. In the afternoon, a guided city tour will introduce you to the sights and sounds of Vietnam’s largest city, contrasting the ornate beauty of the Taoist Jade Emperor Pagoda with such history-rich landmarks as the Reunification Palace, whose downfall signalled the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. It’s a conflict further remembered at the poignant War Remnants Museum. The next day, you’ll leave the city behind to take in the fruit farms and floating markets of the Mekong Delta. Combining picturesque walks with cycle rides and speed-boat dashes, your full-day tour is the ideal introduction to a region known as Vietnam’s ‘rice bowl’.

Stay: Mai House Saigon (Superior) or Hotel Des Arts Saigon (Deluxe)

Say a fond farewell to Vietnam as a flight and a pair of included transfers bring you to Phnom Penh. The next day, after enjoying the Junior-Suite indulgences of your boutique spa hotel, you’ll embark on a guided city tour. As well as taking in its gilded beauty – the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda are particularly impressive – you’ll also examine the capital’s darker side at the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek. While these can be challenging places to visit, they provide an important insight into insanities of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge.

After your flight to Siem Reap, and included transfers, of course, you’ll embark on a day-and-a-half discovery of one of the world’s man-made treasures – Angkor Wat. With your expert local guide, you’ll enjoy visits at sunset and sunrise to marvel at intricate bas-relief carvings and look out over majestic views of the jungle-fringed ruins. Then, in the daytime, there’s the chance to explore further as you head to the outlying temples, enjoying in-depth explorations of Bayon, Preah Khan and Ta Promh – the temple whose twisting tree-root frame was made famous by Lara Croft’s Tomb Raider film.

Stay: Shinta Mani Angkor (Superior & Deluxe)

Head out of the city today as a guided transfer brings you out to the great lake of Tonlé Sap. Hop on a boat to explore its floating villages – communities that come complete with schools, restaurants and even a hospital – before calling into the United Nations-funded Gecko Environment Centre. Here, you’ll learn more about the lake’s unique biodiversity and the threats it faces, before heading on through the mangroves to watch local fishermen ply their trade in a dazzling fleet of multi-coloured boats. Return to Siem Reap this afternoon to enjoy some final free time for shopping or to simply relax by the hotel pool.

Stay: Shinta Mani Angkor (Superior & Deluxe)

Transfer to the airport for your overnight flight home, arriving in the UK on day 17.