All breakfasts, seven lunches and seven dinners are included.

Food is cheap in Vietnam and Cambodia, and you can generally avoid the spicier food if you wish. The cuisines share many similarities. However, Vietnamese food relies on fresh fish, vegetables, rice and a myriad of verdant herbs and spices. The Chinese and French influence is felt throughout the country where you are just as likely to be offered a banh mi (stuffed baguette) as you are a steaming bowl of pho (noodle soup).

Cambodian food is all about contrasts – sweet and bitter, salty and sour, fresh and cooked. It shares many dishes with its neighbours, and you’ll find noodle soup similar to Vietnamese pho, the refreshing salads and sour soups of Thailand, Indian-inspired curries, and noodles and stir fries handed down from years of Chinese migration.

Vegetarian food is widely available; however, the offering will be fairly similar in most places. Please advise at time of booking if you have any dietary requirements.

Head to the delta on day 10 to cruise the Tien River around the Four Sacred Islets—Dragon, Unicorn, Tortoise and Phoenix. Visit a family home to sample seasonal fruits accompanied by traditional music, sip honey tea in an orchard, and watch a coconut candy workshop in action. Ride a tuk tuk beneath coconut palms between village lanes.

Climb into a rowboat to drift along palm-fringed canals, glimpsing floating fish cages and daily life in Quoi Son, Phu An Hoa and An Khanh. The delta’s fertile landscapes and waterborne culture come alive before returning to the city for dinner at a much-loved Vietnamese restaurant.

Fly to Cambodia on day 11 and settle into your riverside resort before an evening at Lum Orng, the country’s pioneering farm-to-table restaurant. Savor authentic Khmer cuisine crafted from garden produce while your new Cambodian leader outlines the days ahead.

Subject to flight timing, you may catch sunset over the Angkor complex, watching towers and moats glow gold as the heat eases—if not tonight, your leader will aim to include this serene moment on day 12. It’s a graceful prelude to tomorrow’s deep dive into Angkor’s heart.

On day 13, venture to Banteay Srei, the “Citadel of Women,” famed for delicate pink-sandstone carvings, then continue to Ta Prohm, where silk-cotton roots embrace crumbling walls in a lyrical dialogue between jungle and stone. Your guide reveals the artistry and symbolism that make these sites enduringly compelling.

Return to Siem Reap to relax before a festive evening featuring a farewell dinner and a traditional dance performance. The graceful gestures of classical Khmer dance, inspired by ancient epics, provide a fitting close to your journey through Angkor’s heritage and living culture.

On day 4, opt to attend a water puppetry performance, an art form born in the rice paddies of the Red River Delta in the 11th century. Lacquered wooden puppets skim and splash across a waist-deep pool as musicians accompany the stories with drums, gongs and traditional zithers.

Your Tour Leader can arrange tickets locally at additional cost. The show’s witty vignettes—harvests, festivals, dragons and fairy tales—offer a charming window into rural life and Vietnamese folklore, making for a lively evening after your return from Ha Long Bay.

Spend an optional afternoon on day 6 visiting My Son Sanctuary, a secluded valley of red-brick towers built by the Champa kings between the 4th and 13th centuries. Walk among vine-draped sanctuaries and weathered lintels to see how Cham art blended Indian and local influences.

Bombing scarred parts of the site, but several temples and graceful sculptures endure, offering a poignant glimpse into a lost kingdom. This excursion is bookable with your leader on tour for an additional cost, and suits travellers keen on archaeology and evocative landscapes.

On the afternoon of day 7, choose a gentle ride to cycle quiet lanes and rice paddies, passing village markets and schoolyards. Cross small bridges beneath coconut fronds and watch farmers tending plots as water buffalo cool in ponds.

Your route ends at Cua Dai Beach, where you can kick off your sandals and soak in the sea breeze before returning to town. This guided activity is available at additional cost and bookable on tour with your leader; it’s an easy, scenic option for those who want time on two wheels and the coast.

Begin day 12 with sunrise at Angkor Wat, where lotus ponds mirror the temple’s soaring silhouette. After breakfast, return to explore the masterwork’s bas-reliefs and galleries, then continue to Angkor Thom, entering through its monumental gates to meet the enigmatic faces of Bayon.

At midday, share a home-cooked lunch in Srah Srang village at a historic wooden house, warmly hosted by a local family. This intimate meal deepens your connection to Khmer culture before an unhurried afternoon to reflect on the glories of the Khmer Empire back at the resort.

Spend the morning of day 7 at Hoi An’s bustling market, where you’ll shop for ingredients with a Vietnamese chef and learn how to pick the freshest herbs and vegetables. Continue to the Green Mango Cooking School to master classic techniques—balancing sweet, sour, salty and bitter—before sitting down to enjoy the dishes you’ve prepared.

The session illuminates the role of rice, fish sauce and abundant greens in central Vietnamese cuisine. Expect lively aromas, friendly instruction and a deeper appreciation of Hoi An’s garden-to-table traditions. The afternoon is free to explore or relax by the river.

Fly to the south on day 8 and sit down at a beloved local institution to sample southern-style pho and crisp spring rolls. In the afternoon, a guided tour reveals the city’s contrasts: the red-brick Notre Dame Cathedral, 1960s-modernist Reunification Palace, and the powerful War Remnants Museum.

From French boulevards to humming alleys, your guide charts the story of Saigon to Ho Chi Minh City, including reunification in 1975. The museum’s photography offers a sobering lens on conflict—your guide will brief you on sensitive content—before you return to the lively streets near Ben Thanh Market.

On day 9, journey north of the city to explore the Cu Chi tunnels, a remarkable underground network used during the Vietnam War. Walk through forested ground to discover camouflaged entrances, then descend into widened sections to experience the tight dimensions and ingenious ventilation of this subterranean system.

Above ground, displays outline life in the tunnels and the resourcefulness of local forces. Whether you choose to go inside or pause for photos and reflection at the surface, the visit brings the region’s recent history into sharp focus. Return to Ho Chi Minh City for a free afternoon.

Travel to the Gulf of Tonkin on day 3 and cruise Ha Long Bay aboard a comfortable Premium boat. Glide past limestone towers and sheltered coves, then kayak between limestone karsts and, weather permitting, pause for a refreshing swim. A seafood lunch is served on board, with time to watch fishing junks and the light play on the water.

Toward evening, gather for sunset drinks on deck as the bay’s peaks turn amber and the water stills. Settle into your twin-share cabin for a peaceful night, lulled by the gentle lap of the waves in this UNESCO-listed seascape.

On day 4, continue your morning cruise among the bay’s karst outcrops before returning to port. Cross to Hon Gai township to meet the Ha Long Women’s Association, a community initiative dedicated to cleaning waste from the bay and creatively reusing what they collect. Learn how discarded materials are turned into practical crafts.

Hear about local stewardship of this fragile marine environment and, if time allows, try an upcycling activity yourself. The visit offers a meaningful counterpoint to the bay’s beauty, revealing daily efforts to protect it. Return to Hanoi for a free evening to explore the city’s dining scene.

Fly south on day 5 to Da Nang and climb the Marble Mountains, a cluster of five limestone-and-marble hills dotted with pagodas and atmospheric caves once used as a wartime field hospital. From the summit, pause for photos and reflection over My Khe Beach and the coastal plain before continuing to Hoi An.

As dusk sets in, settle beside the Thu Bon River for a group dinner. Lanterns glow on the water, wooden riverfront houses creak softly, and the trading-port heritage of Hoi An reveals itself in the riverside bustle and spice-scented air.

On day 6, explore Hoi An’s UNESCO-protected old town on a guided walking tour. Wander past wooden merchant houses, Chinese assembly halls and the famed Japanese Covered Bridge, then drift into the riverside market where traders pile herbs, silk and lacquerware high. Lunch is at a local eatery serving central Vietnamese specialties.

Hear how Hoi An thrived as a 16th-century port linking Japan, China and Europe, its prosperity still visible in tiled roofs and carved facades. The remainder of the day is yours to enjoy a free afternoon—tailors, teahouses and riverfront cafés tempt at every turn.

On day 2, join a guided city tour through Hanoi’s layered history. Step into the Temple of Literature, founded in 1070 and home to Vietnam’s first university, before visiting the evocative Hoa Lo Prison. Continue into the Old Quarter, where 36 guild streets bustle with traders, scooters and steaming bowls of pho. Lunch is at a local restaurant.

Hear how Hanoi grew from imperial seat to modern capital, then enjoy a free afternoon strolling around Hoan Kiem Lake, the red-painted Huc Bridge and Ngoc Son Temple. The city’s blend of Confucian learning, colonial facades and contemporary energy comes vividly into focus.

Arrive in the Vietnamese capital and meet your Tour Leader and fellow travellers in the early evening on day 1. Then sit down to a welcome dinner at KOTO, a pioneering social enterprise that trains disadvantaged youth for careers in hospitality. Settle into the rhythm of Hanoi as you share plates of fragrant northern-style dishes and raise a glass to the journey ahead.

Your leader introduces the days to come while explaining how dining here supports a community-focused program. The warm, bustling atmosphere offers a first taste of Hanoi’s café-lined boulevards and timeless street life, setting the scene for tomorrow’s exploration.