Vietnam and Cambodia Highlights 14 night Fly Cruise - from £4595

<p>Be met on arrival and transfer to your luxurious hotel in the heart of the city. Once you&rsquo;ve settled in, enjoy the day at your leisure. Tonight, savour dinner with your fellow travellers.</p>

<p>Begin your exploration of the World Heritage-listed Angkor Archaeological Park with a visit to Angkor Thom, the last and most enduring capital of the Khmer Empire. Built during the heyday of the Empire in the 12th century, this is an extraordinary complex of Hindu and Buddhist monuments. Head to the intriguing Bayon temple, with its carved stone smiling faces of gods, goddesses, and other mythological beings. Visit the Terrace of Elephants, which used to be the base for the king's grand audience hall and the Terrace of the Leper King, which housed the royal crematory.</p> <p>Journey to Ta Prohm, known for the thick jungle of fig trees and vines that have enveloped the structure, giving it a lost-world feel. Ta Prohm is commonly referred to as the 'Tomb Raider Temple' due to it being used as a location in the film &lsquo;Lara Croft: Tomb Raider&rsquo;, which starred Angelina Jolie. The temple offers a captivating glimpse into the past and is a testament to a bygone era. En route to the hotel, enjoy your Signature Experience. Later this evening, delight in another captivating Signature Experience.</p> <p><strong>Signature Experience &ndash; Local Charity Visit</strong></p> <p>Visit Opportunities of Development thru Art (ODA), a OneTomorrow partner. ODA provides free English education and an introduction to computer skills to children living in Siem Reap&rsquo;s remote villages, with the aim to improve future employment opportunities.</p> <p><strong>Signature Experience &ndash; VIP Circus Show</strong></p> <p>Witness a mesmerising performance from your VIP seats. Combining captivating acrobatics, theatre and storytelling, this unforgettable spectacle showcases the country's rich culture and talent.</p>

<p>Wake early this morning and travel back to Angkor Archaeological Park for a special Signature Experience. Afterwards, join a guided exploration of this well-preserved temple, then return to your hotel for breakfast. This afternoon, set out on your Freedom of Choice activity. Tonight, your Signature Experience awaits. Set amid a stunning garden, this promises to be an enchanting and memorable evening.</p> <p><strong>Signature Experience &ndash; Sunrise at Angkor Wat</strong></p> <p>Visit Angkor Archaeological Park to witness a spectacular sunrise at the magnificent Angkor Wat. Observe the iconic temple complex shimmer in the reflective ponds in front of this World Heritage-listed monument, while brilliant shades of orange and pink light up the sky.</p> <p><strong>Signature Experience &ndash; Gallery Visit with Khmer Dinner and Apsara Performance</strong></p> <p>Treat yourself to a private visit to Theam's Gallery and discover this talented Cambodian artist, known for his unique sculptures, paintings, and intricate crafts. Indulge in a tantalising five-course Khmer dinner while enjoying a traditional Apsara dance performance accompanied by live musicians.</p> <p><strong>Freedom of Choice &ndash; Village Bicycle Tour</strong></p> <p>Surrounded by rice paddies and ancient ponds, cycle along quiet back trails to experience local rural life at its most picturesque. Observe daily farming activities including rice planting and milling and making rice wine. Peek inside Buddhist temples and gain a deeper understanding of Khmer culture and traditional way of life.</p> <p><strong>Freedom of Choice &ndash; Quad Bike Adventure</strong></p> <p>Embark on an exhilarating quad biking experience in the Cambodian countryside outside Siem Reap. Venture along quiet off-road tracks and see rice fields, forgotten temples and local communities.</p> <p><strong>Freedom of Choice &ndash; APOPO HeroRATs Tour and Landmine Museum</strong></p> <p>Take a tour of APOPO, a non-profit organisation that trains African Giant Pouched rats to save lives by detecting landmines. Close by, the Landmine Museum will showcase the devastating impact of landmines, sharing personal stories of hope and resilience while highlighting ongoing de-mining efforts.</p> <p><strong>Freedom of Choice &ndash; Horse and Cart Ride</strong></p> <p>Climb aboard a hand-made horse cart and set off on an authentic journey into the heart of rural Cambodia. Travel off the beaten path, navigating a variety of terrain through the beautiful countryside.</p> <p><strong>Freedom of Choice &ndash; Khmer Cooking Class</strong></p> <p>Travel to a market and meet your Khmer chef. Then, continue to Lum Orng, Cambodia&rsquo;s first farm-to-table restaurant, which is famed for its New Mekong cuisine. Here, prepare a selection of dishes to taste.</p> <p><strong>Freedom of Choice &ndash; Local Boutiques and Markets</strong></p> <p>Explore Siem Reap&rsquo;s vibrant arts and crafts scene, starting at the Angkor Handicraft Association. This Fair-Trade Village is home to a wide variety of artisans who pr</p>

<p>Travel through remote Cambodian villages to Kampong Cham, where you'll board the Mekong Serenity, your home for the next seven nights. Following lunch on board, discover the island of Koh Pen with its wooden stilt houses and local farming culture during your Signature Experience. Tonight, a welcome dinner awaits, showcasing the diverse flavours from the region.</p> <p><strong>Signature Experience &ndash; Tuk Tuk Tour of Koh Pen</strong></p> <p>Journey by local tuk tuk around a riverside village and gain an insight into village life. Travel along the shaded lanes past stilted houses and see a varying range of crops growing.</p>

<p>Join a walking discovery of Angkor Ban, one of the few villages in Cambodia not destroyed under the Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970s. Later, your ship glides between the lush banks of the Mekong to Oknha Tey, which is renowned for its silk weaving traditions. Stroll among the stilt houses and gain an insight into the traditional silk weaving process. Watch as the village women create beautiful Khmer fabrics from their wooden looms.</p>

<p>Today presents a wealth of included sightseeing choices. After lunch back on board, you may wish to explore Phnom Penh independently or simply relax.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Freedom of Choice &ndash; Killing Fields and Genocide Museum</strong></p> <p>Learn about a confronting part of Cambodian history during a sobering visit to the Killing Fields and Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum.</p> <p><strong>Freedom of Choice &ndash; Cyclo Ride</strong></p> <p>Explore Phnom Penh by what was the most popular form of transportation throughout Southeast Asia in the 1960s, the cyclo. Weave past some of the city&rsquo;s most iconic sites.</p> <p><strong>Freedom of Choice &ndash; Visit the National Museum</strong></p> <p>Accompanied by your private museum guide, discover the most important pieces within the National Museum of Cambodia. The collection includes the world&rsquo;s finest display of Khmer sculptures, art and relics.</p> <p><strong>Freedom of Choice &ndash; Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda</strong></p> <p>Discover Cambodia&rsquo;s Royal Palace, the official residence of the King. Completed in 1870, the palace is an extraordinary example of Khmer architecture with elements of French influence. The palace also houses the Silver Pagoda.</p> <p>Phnom Penh, Cambodia&rsquo;s busy capital, sits at the junction of the Mekong and Tonl&eacute; Sap rivers. It was a hub for both the Khmer Empire and French colonialists. On its walkable riverfront, lined with parks, restaurants and bars, are the ornate Royal Palace, Silver Pagoda and the National Museum, displaying artifacts from around the country. At the city&rsquo;s heart is the massive, art deco Central Market.</p>

<p>Disembark in Phnom Penh and discover Oudong, a place of pilgrimage for Cambodians. While here, enjoy a Signature Experience. On the way back to your ship, take a leisurely stroll through the village of Koh Chen and visit some home workshops that make copperware. The afternoon is yours to explore Phnom Penh as you wish.<strong>&nbsp;</strong>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Signature Experience &ndash; Buddhist Blessing Ceremony</strong>&nbsp;</p> <p>Take part in a traditional Buddhist blessing ceremony for good luck, health and safe journey, with resident monks at a monastery in Oudong.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Spend the day cruising towards the Vietnamese border. While border formalities are carried out, enjoy the onboard activities, which could include a lively presentation from your local guides, a fruit-carving demonstration, or even a cooking workshop where you will learn the art of creating Vietnamese spring rolls. Alternatively, relax your body with a rejuvenating treatment from the Spa and Wellness Centre. Cross into Vietnam and cruise to the riverside town of Tan Chau, the first stop after the border.</p>

<p>Transfer to a small boat for a journey along the tiny tributaries that snake around the riverside town of Tan Chau. Cruise past a floating fish farm, then step ashore for a rickshaw tour of Tan Chau. On board your rickshaw, you&rsquo;ll glide past small shops and meet locals who are always eager to say hello. Stop to pay a visit to a local rattan weaving workshop. Later, step back in time during a visit to Evergreen Island, where you&rsquo;ll experience authentic rural Mekong life. The remainder of today is left free for you to relax and take a moment to watch local life gently glide by as you cruise towards Sa Dec.</p>

<p>Journey by small tender boat past floating fish farms to Sa Dec, where French writer Marguerite Duras met her Vietnamese-Chinese lover, Huynh Thuy Le. Tour his former home and learn the story behind Duras' best-selling novel, &lsquo;The Lover&rsquo;. Afterwards, visit a traditional Cao Dai temple. Return to the ship and sit down to a delicious lunch while you cruise towards Cai Be. Board your tender boat, where you'll visit French gothic Cai Be Church and the port area. Then, visit a rice paper manufacturer to learn how this Vietnamese staple is made.</p>

<p>Disembark in My Tho and continue to Ho Chi Minh City, once the bustling French colonial city known as Saigon. A range of Freedom of Choice options await today before sitting down to dinner.</p> <p><strong>Freedom of Choice &ndash; City Walking Tour</strong></p> <p>Discover the city&rsquo;s iconic landmarks and French colonial architecture on an informative guided walk. Stroll by the Saigon Opera House, Central Post Office and Notre Dame Cathedral.</p> <p><strong>Freedom of Choice &ndash; Motorbike Ride</strong></p> <p>Jump on the back of a motorbike like a local for a thrilling sightseeing adventure. Weave through the streets past the Central Post Office and Independence Palace. Visit Chinatown and Thien Hau pagoda.</p> <p><strong>Freedom of Choice &ndash; Cooking Class</strong></p> <p>Meet your chef, visit the market and discover Vietnamese ingredients. Continue to a villa and relax in the outdoor garden before you create your dishes. Learn the intricacies of making b&aacute;nh m&igrave; x&iacute;u mại.</p> <p><strong>Freedom of Choice &ndash; Ho Chi Minh City Shopping Adventure</strong></p> <p>Seek out the city&rsquo;s boutiques and discover high-quality handmade goods on a visit to Mekong Quilts. Saigon Kitsch sells quirky souvenirs, while L&rsquo;Usine is a trend-setting lifestyle store.</p> <p><strong>Freedom of Choice &ndash; History of Saigon</strong></p> <p>Delve deeper into Ho Chi Minh City&rsquo;s turbulent history. Start at the Reunification Palace, visit the War Remnants Museum and see the Burning Monk Memorial.</p>

<p>Leave the city behind and relish in your Signature Experiences today. Tonight, your dinner is another Signature Experience.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Signature Experience &ndash; Cu Chi Tunnels Visit</strong>&nbsp;</p> <p>Enjoy the thrill of a journey by speedboat along the Saigon River to the Cu Chi tunnels, built by Vietnamese resistance fighters during the war.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Signature Experience &ndash; Private Gin Tasting</strong>&nbsp;</p> <p>Meet a Master Distiller at Lady Trieu Gin Distillery and enjoy a guided tour and private tasting of the multi-award-winning gin. Follow up your tour with a light lunch, accompanied by a refreshing Lady Trieu gin and tonic.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Signature Experience &ndash; Dinner at Vietnam House</strong>&nbsp;</p> <p>Savour dinner at the highly acclaimed restaurant Vietnam House, and enjoy a special cocktail designed specifically for APT guests.</p> <p>Romantically referred to by the French as the Pearl of the Orient, Ho Chi Minh City today is a super-charged city of sensory overload. Motorbikes zoom day and night along the wide boulevards, through the narrow back alleys and past vendors pushing handcarts hawking goods of all descriptions. Still called Saigon by most residents, this is Vietnam's largest city and the engine driving the country's current economic resurgence, but despite its frenetic pace, it's a friendlier place than Hanoi and locals will tell you the food-simple, tasty, and incorporating many fresh herbs-is infinitely better than in the capital.This is a city full of surprises. The madness of the city's traffic-witness the oddball things that are transported on the back of motorcycles-is countered by tranquil pagodas, peaceful parks, quirky coffee shops, and whole neighborhoods hidden down tiny alleyways, although some of these quiet spots can be difficult to track down. Life in Ho Chi Minh City is lived in public: on the back of motorcycles, on the sidewalks, and in the parks. Even when its residents are at home, they're still on display. With many living rooms opening onto the street, grandmothers napping, babies being rocked, and food being prepared, are all in full view of passersby.Icons of the past endure in the midst of the city&rsquo;s headlong rush into capitalism. The Hotel Continental, immortalized in Graham Greene's The Quiet American, continues to stand on the corner of old Indochina's most famous thoroughfare, the rue Catinat, known to American G.I.s during the Vietnam War as Tu Do (Freedom) Street and renamed Dong Khoi (Uprising) Street by the Communists. The city still has its ornate opera house and its old French city hall, the H&ocirc;tel de Ville. The broad colonial boulevards leading to the Saigon River and the gracious stucco villas are other remnants of the French colonial presence. Grisly reminders of the more recent past can be seen at the city's war-related museums. Residents, however, prefer to look forward rather than back and are often perplexed by tourists' fascination with a war that ended 40 years ago.The Chinese influence on the country is still very much in evidence in the Cholon district, the city's Chinatown, but the modern office towers and international hotels that mark the skyline symbolize Vietnam's fixation on the future.</p>

<p>Enjoy breakfast before you are transferred to Tan Son Nhat International Airport for your onward flight.</p> <p>Romantically referred to by the French as the Pearl of the Orient, Ho Chi Minh City today is a super-charged city of sensory overload. Motorbikes zoom day and night along the wide boulevards, through the narrow back alleys and past vendors pushing handcarts hawking goods of all descriptions. Still called Saigon by most residents, this is Vietnam's largest city and the engine driving the country's current economic resurgence, but despite its frenetic pace, it's a friendlier place than Hanoi and locals will tell you the food-simple, tasty, and incorporating many fresh herbs-is infinitely better than in the capital.This is a city full of surprises. The madness of the city's traffic-witness the oddball things that are transported on the back of motorcycles-is countered by tranquil pagodas, peaceful parks, quirky coffee shops, and whole neighborhoods hidden down tiny alleyways, although some of these quiet spots can be difficult to track down. Life in Ho Chi Minh City is lived in public: on the back of motorcycles, on the sidewalks, and in the parks. Even when its residents are at home, they're still on display. With many living rooms opening onto the street, grandmothers napping, babies being rocked, and food being prepared, are all in full view of passersby.Icons of the past endure in the midst of the city&rsquo;s headlong rush into capitalism. The Hotel Continental, immortalized in Graham Greene's The Quiet American, continues to stand on the corner of old Indochina's most famous thoroughfare, the rue Catinat, known to American G.I.s during the Vietnam War as Tu Do (Freedom) Street and renamed Dong Khoi (Uprising) Street by the Communists. The city still has its ornate opera house and its old French city hall, the H&ocirc;tel de Ville. The broad colonial boulevards leading to the Saigon River and the gracious stucco villas are other remnants of the French colonial presence. Grisly reminders of the more recent past can be seen at the city's war-related museums. Residents, however, prefer to look forward rather than back and are often perplexed by tourists' fascination with a war that ended 40 years ago.The Chinese influence on the country is still very much in evidence in the Cholon district, the city's Chinatown, but the modern office towers and international hotels that mark the skyline symbolize Vietnam's fixation on the future.</p>