Thanks to the tropical climate, the long coast and the gigantic range of mountains, Vietnam is blessed with numerous varieties of culinary offerings and consequently maintains a reputation as one of the healthiest, tastiest cuisines in the world.

Vietnamese food relies on fresh fish, vegetables, rice and a myriad of verdant herbs and spices; lemongrass, ginger, basil and lime all play a key role. 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 hot bowl of pho (noodle soup).

Be sure to seek out the national beverages; Vietnamese coffee is served iced and sweet with condensed milk, a real sugar and caffeine hit, and beer hoi (local beer, brewed daily) is served on most street corners in the north out of large plastic jugs that are perfect for sharing.

Cambodian food is all about contrasts: sweet and bitter, salty and sour, raw 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.

Food is cheap in Vietnam and Cambodia and you can generally avoid the spicier food if you wish. Western food is readily available almost everywhere.

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

Travel inland to explore My Son Sanctuary, a forested valley where red-brick Cham towers rise amid birdsong and jungle vines. Walk among weathered sanctuaries adorned with Hindu iconography that once honored Shiva and other deities.

Learn about the seafaring Cham kingdom and the site’s partial wartime damage, balanced by ongoing conservation. This excursion is optional at additional cost and bookable on tour, offering a deeper lens on Central Vietnam’s pre-Viet cultural tapestry.

Explore Hoi An’s lantern-strung lanes on a guided walking tour of the Unesco-listed Ancient Town. Step inside timber-fronted merchant homes, cross the Japanese Covered Bridge, and browse the vibrant riverside market where baskets of herbs and silk bolts spill into the alleys.

Hear how this port thrived from the 15th to 19th centuries, blending Chinese guild halls, Japanese craftsmanship, and European facades. Admire curated antiques at heritage houses such as the Tan Ky merchant residence, and appreciate the town’s well-preserved layout that still follows historic trade routes.

Climb the Marble Mountains (Ngu Hanh Son) to discover pagodas tucked into limestone outcrops, incense-swirled grottoes, and stairways opening onto panoramas over My Khe Beach. Pause at shrines where sunlight shafts through caverns, illuminating centuries-old carvings.

Uncover layers of history as you view chambers once used as wartime hideouts and field hospitals, alongside long-standing Buddhist sanctuaries. At the base, see artisans in nearby villages shaping marble and stone—craft traditions that have supported Da Nang’s coastal communities for generations.

Visit the heart of Saigon on a curated city experience: visit the Reunification Palace with its preserved 1970s command rooms, explore the War Remnants Museum and its powerful photography, and step inside the Central Post Office, a French-era landmark with vaulted ironwork.

Gain insight into the city’s dramatic 20th-century chapters, from the fall of Saigon in 1975 to today’s dynamic streetscape. Architectural contrasts—colonial arcades, modern towers, and sacred temples—frame a nuanced portrait of Vietnam’s largest metropolis.

Journey outside the city to enter the Cu Chi Tunnels, a vast underground network carved through clay and laterite. With guidance, crawl through widened sections, examine camouflaged trapdoors, and see field kitchens that dispersed smoke through hidden vents.

Learn how guerrilla fighters used ingenious tactics and resilience to withstand bombardment and move unseen. Exhibits and reconstructed chambers reveal daily life below ground, offering a sobering window into the Vietnam War’s endurance and ingenuity.

Witness sunrise at Angkor Wat, as lotus ponds mirror gilded towers and the temple’s bas-reliefs emerge in soft light. Continue to explore Angkor Thom and the Bayon, where serene stone faces gaze over gates, terraces, and processional avenues.

Wander Ta Prohm’s tree-strangled sanctuaries, where silk-cotton roots embrace crumbling walls and birdsong fills shaded courtyards. Insights into the Khmer Empire’s 12th–13th-century artistry and engineering—moats, causeways, celestial carvings—bring Cambodia’s greatest archaeological complex to life.

Tour the Royal Palace, a complex of gilded roofs and colonnaded halls that anchor Cambodia’s monarchy on the banks of the Tonlé Sap. Enter the Silver Pagoda, famed for its floor of shimmering silver tiles and revered Buddha images.

Absorb Khmer architectural motifs—tiered spires, naga balustrades, and lacquered doors—set within manicured gardens. This elegant compound conveys the country’s artistic heritage, a counterpoint to its turbulent recent past and a symbol of national renewal.

Confront Cambodia’s darkest chapter as you visit Tuol Sleng (S-21), a former school turned Khmer Rouge prison. Exhibits of records and portraits humanise the vast scale of suffering, inviting careful, compassionate reflection.

Continue to walk the grounds of Choeung Ek, where a memorial stupa and marked sites bear witness to those lost between 1975 and 1979. This solemn experience fosters understanding of the era’s brutality and the enduring resilience of Cambodian communities.

Pause in rural Kampong Thom province to visit Santuk Silk Farm, meeting artisans whose Fairtrade enterprise sustains village livelihoods. Watch cocoons unwind into lustrous thread, and see traditional looms clatter as patterns take shape.

Learn each stage of sericulture—from mulberry cultivation and natural dyeing to weaving and finishing—rooted in Cambodian craft heritage. Your visit supports ethical production and community employment, connecting travel with tangible local impact.

Meet your Tour Leader and fellow travellers and share a Vietnamese welcome dinner at a handpicked local restaurant. Sample regional flavours—herb-bright salads, smoky grilled pork, fragrant rice dishes—paired with the city’s signature bustle just beyond the windows.

Hear practical tips for navigating Hanoi’s street life and food culture, from market etiquette to coffee traditions. This convivial start sets the tone for a journey rich in culinary discovery and cultural insight.

See a traditional water puppet show, an art form born in rice paddies and village ponds. Puppeteers perform from behind a screen, waist-deep in water, as lacquered figures skim the surface to the rhythms of a live folk orchestra.

Scenes from rural life and legends unfold with wit and charm, narrated by singers and drums. This cultural experience is optional at additional cost and can be booked with your Tour Leader subject to availability.

Unwind on a gentle sunset cruise on the Mekong, watching Phnom Penh’s skyline glow as boats trace silver paths where the Tonlé Sap meets the great river. Sip a cool drink and savor the breeze while the city’s lights flicker to life.

Glide past riverfront promenades and stilt-house communities, absorbing a tranquil perspective on the capital. This experience is optional at additional cost and can be arranged with your Tour Leader.

Cruise the emerald waters of Ha Long Bay aboard a traditional junk boat, gliding between limestone karsts draped in jungle and punctuated by hidden coves. Settle into your cabin, savour freshly prepared seafood, and watch fishing junks trace ripples across the bay as dusk softens the cliffs.

Learn how this otherworldly seascape became a Unesco World Heritage site, formed by millennia of wind and water. Rise early to catch sunrise on deck, when the pillars glow amber and the bay lies mirror-still—an exquisite moment for quiet reflection and photography.