Classic Vietnam, Cambodia & Laos

Today, you’ll set off on an overnight flight from the UK to Vietnam’s capital, Hanoi.

Early this morning, you’ll touch down in Hanoi and be welcomed by your friendly tour manager upon arrival. You’ll then be transferred to your refined hotel, set in the most ancient part of the city.

After an opportunity to unpack at the hotel, you’ll go on a short introductory tour. The colonial architecture, the warren of the Old Quarter, and Hoan Kiem Lake with its Ngoc San temple will all be seen.

In the evening, you can join your fellow travellers for a welcome cocktail before having dinner at your leisure.

Following breakfast, you’ll embark on a more detailed city tour of Hanoi under the guidance of your tour manager. The first stops will be the Ho Chi Minh Complex and the Imperial Citadel, the apex of regional political power for more than a millennium. Next, you’ll call at the Temple of Literature, which was the first university complex in Vietnam and is dedicated to the Chinese scholar, Confucius.

Ba Dinh Square, which is the largest square in Vietnam, located in front of the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, and where Ho Chi Minh declared Independence in 1945.

Lunch will be enjoyed at a local restaurant before you continue to some of the city’s major landmarks, including Hoa Lo Prison, the infamous “Hanoi Hilton” where captured American soldiers and airmen were incarcerated during the Vietnam War.

As night falls, you’ll sit down to watch a traditional water puppet show at an artisan’s house before enjoying the Hanoian specialty dinner – Cha Ca.

Once you’ve had breakfast, you’ll head off on a scenic journey through the paddy fields to Ha long Bay, a natural wonder and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Upon arrival, you’ll board a charming turn-of-the-century paddle steamer, Emeraude, and set sail, passing countless limestone pillars and cone-shaped islands, which have made this bay so famous.

En route, you’ll have lunch, and the boat will stop in Sung Sot Grotto, also called ‘Surprise Cave’, the largest and most striking limestone cave in the bay. Weather permitting, you’ll also visit beautiful Ti Top Island, hugged by a white sandy beach and encompassing a tree-laden hilltop. Here, you can choose to take a dip in the surrounding emerald waters, go on a gentle hike or see the pearl farm.

Back on board and later in the day, you’ll partake in a Vietnamese cooking class and demonstration, where you’ll learn how to make some local delicacies. A buffet dinner will then be served, and if possible, you can try your hand at squid fishing under the stars.

Watch the sun rise over Ha Long Bay with coffee and perhaps some tai chi brunch on the ship’s sundeck as it sails back to shore. Enjoy brunch onboard, overlooking glorious Ha Long Bay’s glorious natural landscapes, before returning to Hanoi. Back in the city, you’ll be free to spend the day as you please.

Enjoy a relaxed breakfast and a final few hours in Hanoi this morning ahead of a 75-minute flight to the former royal capital of Laos, Luang Prabang.

Upon arrival, you’ll meet your tour manager and transfer to your hotel. You can check in and then choose to have dinner at the hotel or in one of the nearby restaurants, known for traditional and French-influenced food.

Rise early to the sounds of the temple gong this morning and visit Luang Prabang's downtown area. Here, you’ll see the daily procession of around 300 young, cloaked monks walking through the streets and armed with bronze bowls to collect sticky rice or other food. This ritual is linked to a Buddhist tradition where monks beg for their daily food as a way to demonstrate humility.

If you’d like to partake in the offering of food, your tour manager will be more than happy to show you the respectful way to interact with the monks. You can take photos, but please use your discretion and refrain from using your flash.

The rest of the morning is free to stroll to Luang Prabang’s lively morning market, where you’ll see the locals haggling for fresh meat, fruit, and vegetables. Breakfast will be enjoyed back at the hotel, and you can also freshen up before your day out.

Your tour manager will then take you around some of the former royal capital’s cultural highlights. The first will be Wat Xieng Thong, one of the largest and most decorative temples, which rises above the river. You’ll then visit the former Royal Palace, a commanding structure in the centre of town that until 1946 was the heart of the Lang Xang Kingdom. It now serves as the National Museum, and its halls contain rare religious and cultural artifacts. Next, you can climb 328 steps to the top of Mount Phousi and take in panoramic views of the city.

Lunch will be at a nearby local restaurant. Later in the afternoon, you’ll head to the UXO Visitors Centre, with real-life bombs on show, survivor stories on the walls, and a moving documentary on display. Finally, you’ll call at the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre – a major source of information on the country’s many ethnic-minority groups.

In the evening, you’ll be transferred to a local restaurant for dinner.

Please note: The UXO Office Centre is open from Monday to Friday only, and the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre is open from Tuesday to Sunday. If your itinerary has fallen into the closed date, we’ll move the visit to the next day.

Start the day with breakfast at the hotel followed by an excursion to Kuang Si Falls surrounded by jungle landscape. On the way, you’ll stop at Hmong and Khamu village and Ock Pop Tok Living Crafts Centre set on the Mekong River. Once you reach the falls, you can cool off by swimming in the designated areas (don’t forget your swimming costume!).

Later, you’ll head back to town, where you’ll get to witness a Baci ceremony. This centuries-old ritual involves tying strings around a person’s wrist to preserve good luck and celebrate important events and occasions, like marriages and births.

This evening, get a taste for Laos’ local cuisine with dinner at the Alamea Restaurant.

After a final breakfast in Laos’ former capital, head to the airport for a 90-minute flight to breath-taking Siem Reap, a colourful market town on the outskirts of the ancient Angkor Thom citadel.

After arriving in the city and checking into your next hotel, you’ll be free to settle in or explore the local area with the rest of the day at leisure.

An unforgettable day awaits as you’ll wake up early and travel to Angkor Wat, the world’s largest religious structure in the world. Upon arrival, you’ll get to experience a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity – watching the sunrise over this iconic UNESCO World Heritage Site. You’ll have a chance to walk around, observing the intricately carved sandstone walls, surrounding moat, and five towers.

The coach will then drop you at the hotel for breakfast and to freshen up before you head back out to explore the ‘lost city’ of Angkor Thom, the great citadel of the Khmer Empire, which ruled up to half of Southeast Asia for nearly six centuries.

Here, amid the verdant jungle, great ruins litter a vast area. Among the most astounding are the Bayon Temple, with its four giant heads and countless other faces carved into the rock, and the Indiana Jones-like, half-hidden Ta Prohm Temple.

At the end of the day, you’ll have dinner at a traditional Khmer restaurant while watching an Apsara dance performance. This style of classical dance, which dates back to the 7th century, was originally reserved for royalty, and only preformed during special ceremonies and festivals. You’ll learn how this traditional dance is a vital part of Khmer culture while feasting on authentic Cambodian cuisine.

Following breakfast, you’ll have the chance to immerse yourself in traditional Cambodian culture by travelling to the Kok Sangke community. This excursion will start with a visit to the home of a local family who’ll make you bamboo sticky rice and several other traditional Khmer desserts.

Next, you’ll watch a blacksmith family demonstrating their traditional skills and techniques, which have been passed down through three generations. You’ll observe them crafting iron into farming materials like knives, hoes and axes. From here, the tour will walk through the village, and you can interact with the local people, observing their farming activities and crafts.

A delicious Khmer lunch cooked by the local community will be served in the afternoon, and you’ll then continue to Wat Luang Proleung, an ancient pagoda, to see locals perform a traditional dance called Chhayam. There’ll be time to wander around the pagoda and receive a blessing from a monk, which is said to bring you good luck.

You’ll then head through the rural countryside scattered with picturesque villages to Kampong Khleang, a community built on high stilts across Tonle Sap Lake.

Home to approximately 10,000 people, the residence of Kampong Khleang’s main income comes from fishing. The tour will continue by cruise, sailing around Tonle Sap Lake and taking in the beautiful scenery on the banks. Depending on the time and season you visit Kampong Khleang, the landscape will be different, as the lake is tidal.

In the evening, you’ll return to the hotel to relax and have dinner.

After breakfast in Siem Reap, you’ll check out of the hotel and be transferred through the Cambodian countryside to Phnom Penh (a seven/ eight-hour journey). On the way, you’ll stop for lunch at a local restaurant in Kampong Thom.

After checking into your hotel, you’ll join your fellow travellers for dinner at a nearby restaurant in town.

Following breakfast, you’ll be introduced to what was once one of Southeast Asia’s most elegant, European outposts that now mixes faded colonial glories with Buddhist traditions and 21st-century modernity.

The first stop will be the private quarters of the Royal palace, the residence of the King of Cambodia. Your tour manager will point out the Silver Pagoda, believed to be the most sacred temple in the country, housing several priceless artefacts.

Next, you’ll walk up a small hill to see the legendary Wat Phnom temple, which boasts enchanting views over the surrounding areas. There’ll then be a break for lunch at a local restaurant before the tour continues to the Toul Sleng Museum, which chronicles the inhumanity of the Pol Pot dictatorship. Lastly, you can opt to see some of the exhibits in the National Museum, Cambodia's largest museum of cultural history.

Back at the hotel, you can relax before joining your fellow travellers for an included dinner at one of the on-site restaurants.

Have breakfast, check out of the hotel and board the coach for a scenic drive to Vietnam’s lively capital, Ho Chi Minh City. Upon arrival on the outskirts of the city, you’ll visit the Củ Chi tunnel complex, a well-known historical vestige of the Vietnamese revolution.

This underground labyrinth now serves as a permanent memorial of the conflict and makes up a network of dug outs featuring meeting, living and fighting quarters. You’ll learn first-hand about how the Viet Cong survived the Vietnam War using this complex and get a chance to look down into the tunnels themselves.

You’ll then continue to the heart of Ho Chi Minh City to check into your next hotel. After settling in, you’ll have the rest of the evening at leisure.

Please note: It takes five to six hours to drive to the hotel in Phnom Penh offering you ample time to immersive yourself in the changing landscapes between Cambodia and Vietnam.

Take breakfast at the hotel this morning ahead of a guided, introductory tour of Ho Chi Minh City’s historic landmarks. Your tour manager will take you through the streets, bringing to life its French colonial past as you experience its modern energy.

Major landmarks covered will include the grand General Post Office, the striking Reunification Hall, the Xa Loi Pagoda with its bronze Buddha and, if there’s time, the War Remnants Museum.

This evening, you can explore the markets and nightlife on your own.

Have breakfast and then prepare to leave the city for a day in the Vietnamese outdoors. Your coach will travel through the Mekong Delta, where the most fertile agricultural lands in Vietnam can be found to the town of My Tho.

Here, you’ll board a boat and glide along the Mekong River to the nearby fishing villages and islands. The boat will then cruise through a small canal, Vàm Xếp, where you can observe the daily life of the inhabits on the banks before having lunch at a local restaurant.

You’ll continue on to a bee farm and a handicraft workshop, with the opportunity to enjoy some honey tea and watch how the local people craft products from coconut wood. A tuk-tuk will then take you along the country roads to some fruit orchards, and you can taste some tropical fruits while listening to traditional music.

Next up, you’ll travel in a small sampan, flat-bottomed, wooden boat back to Coconut Village for a coconut candy workshop and tasting. Finally, you’ll visit Phoenix Island to learn how rice paper is made, board a boat to the mainland and return to Ho Chi Minh City.

Back at the hotel, you can relax and find somewhere for dinner at your leisure.

After breakfast, make your way to the airport for a flight to the imperial city of Hué. This laid-back former Vietnamese capital is a place of pagodas, tombs of the emperors and ancient temples, with the restored Imperial City of the Nguyen Dynasty at its heart.

There’ll be time to check into your polished hotel, just a five-minute walk from Perfume River, on which the city stands. Accompanied by your tour manager, you’ll then venture to the river for a cruise and a tour of the Imperial City’s moated, turreted palace.

As night falls, the evening is free to explore the town and its historic buildings and find somewhere for dinner.

Today, you’ll have breakfast, check out of the hotel and head out on a scenic journey south to vibrant Hoi An, passing coastal lagoons, the beautiful Lang Co beach, and the Marble Mountains, a collection of five marble and limestone hills, as you go. 

You’ll also come across Da Nang with its French colonial port and the dramatic Hai Van Pass before stopping at the expansive, restored tomb of Emperor Tu Duc. Upon arrival in the city, check into you hotel and enjoy the rest of the evening at leisure.

Today, you'll explore the traditional flavours of Vietnam with culinary journey across a series of charming riverside towns. Start your day's excursion at a quaint café, where you'll be served a refreshing iced coffee before continuing a bustling local market. Here, you can interact with vendors and peruse the fresh ingredients which you'll use later in an expert-led cooking class. A short drive will then take you to the wharf for a picturesque boat ride to Tra Que Village, offering glimpses of life by the riverside.

Upon arrival, enjoy a welcome drink amongst the serene beauty of the gardens and witness local farmers engage in age-old agricultural practices. You'll then have the chance to try your hand at farming and fishing, or unwind with a relaxing massage before starting your cooking class. Guided by experienced local chefs, you'll learn to prepare a number of authentic Vietnamese dishes, understanding the unique flavours and techniques that define the cuisine. The experience culminates in a lunch where you'll enjoy the fruits of your labour.

In the afternoon, you’ll return to Hoi An for a guided tour of the city, taking in the Japanese Covered Bridge, the Chinese Assembly Halls and the historic Ong Hoi An pagoda. Next, continue to the bustling markets, awash with colour and stop for a snack before heading back to the hotel for the evening.

This morning, take a leisurely breakfast and spend a few final hours in Hoi An before heading to the airport for your overnight journey back to the UK.

Touch down in the UK at the end of a truly memorable escape across Southeast Asia.