Vietnam and Cambodia Tour 9 Days

An incredible underground tunnel network constructed by Vietnamese resistance fighters during the long struggle for independence. It was an underground city with living areas, kitchens, storage, weapons factories, field hospitals, and command centers. In places, it housed up to 10,000 people who virtually lived underground for years.

Formerly known as Independence Palace, built on the site of the former Norodom Palace, a landmark in the city.

Constructed when Vietnam was part of French Indochina in the early 20th century. It has a neoclassical architectural style. It was designed and constructed by the famous architect Gustave Eiffel in harmony with the surrounding area. 

 Magnificent building located in the heart of the city and was established by French colonists. This cathedral was constructed between 1863 and 1880

You board your comfortable river cruiser in Cai Be. After a refreshing welcome drink, we show you our onboard facilities and your cozy cabin. 

As lunch is served, the boat starts cruising. Sit back and watch the fantastic scenery and the daily life of the Mekong Delta people.

In the afternoon you can disembark for a guided leisurely stroll through a village and the surrounding fruit orchards or rice fields. Meet the friendly locals and taste the local produce and fruits.

Get back on board and enjoy a drink at the bar or relax on deck as the sun sets over the magnificent water landscape of the Mekong River. The cruise boat will anchor for the night. The day ends with a delicious on-board dinner. 

You wake up well-rested to the sound of the river and get ready for another exciting day of sightseeing in the Mekong Delta. At 6.30h the cruise vessel sets off for a sunrise cruise. Watch the locals go about their daily work drying exotic fruits and building ships on the wooden yards while enjoying an early breakfast.

After breakfast, we will board a sampan boat to Cai Rang floating market, the region’s busiest and most lively market. Marvel at the sheer abundance of exotic fruits, vegetables, and skilfully handcrafted regional products. We will pull up to the boats for talking and bargain with the merchants. 

After the excursion to the market, it is time to start the journey back to Saigon. From Can Tho, we travel by road back to Saigon. In My Tho, you say good by to the Mekong Delta with a lunch break offering typical Mekong Delta dishes at Mekong Rest Stop.

Afternoon, Phnom Penh city tour: Visit the Victory Monument, and the National Museum, also called Musee des Beaux-Arts. A French archaeologist and painter, Georges Groslier, designed it in Khmer style in 1917. The museum contains a collection of Khmer art – notably sculptures – from throughout the ages. 

Visit the Royal Palace, built by King Norodom in 1866 on the site of the old town

Located within the grounds of the Royal Palace, the Silver Pagoda is so named because of its floor, which is made up of 5000 silver tiles. The treasures found inside include a solid gold Buddha encrusted and weighing 90 kilograms and a small 17th-century emerald and baccarat crystal Buddha

End your afternoon with the visit of the Wat Phnom Temple, Phnom Penh’s namesake, from where you can enjoy views over the tree-lined avenues of the city during sunset.

In the afternoon, continue your temple tour. See the unique interior brick sculptures Prasat Kravan, the Srah Srang reservoir (known as “The Royal Baths” was once used for ritual bathing), Banteay Kdei (surrounded by 4 concentric walls), Eastern Mebon (guarded at its corner by stone figures of harnessed elephants, some of which are still in a reasonable state of preservation) and the mountain-temple of Pre Rup until sunset.

In the morning, visit the South Gate (with its huge statues depicting the churning of the ocean of milk), the ancient capital of Angkor Thom (12th century), Bayon Temple (unique for its 54 towers decorated with over 200 smiling faces of Avolokitesvara), the Royal Enclosure, Phimeanakas, the Elephants Terrace and the Terrace of the Leper King.

Afternoon, visit the most famous of all the temples on the plain of Angkor: Angkor Wat. The temple complex covers 81 hectares and is comparable to the Imperial Palace in Beijing. Its distinctive five towers are emblazoned on the Cambodian flag and the 12th century masterpiece is considered by art historians to be the prime example of classical Khmer art and architecture. Angkor Wat’s five towers symbolize Meru’s five peaks – the enclosed wall represents the mountains at the world’s edge and the surrounding moat, the ocean beyond. Sunset at Angkor Wat.

This early morning, transfer to the archaeological site for the sunrise from the Phnom Bakheng, one of two hills dominating the plain of Angkor, from where you will have a spectacular view of the Western Baray and Angkor Wat

After that, drive through the typical Khmer countryside to the Banteay Srei temple (10th century) regarded as the jewel in the crown of classical Khmer art. 

The most complete complexes at Angkor due to restoration using the method of “anastylosis”. No inscriptions have been found for this temple, but the style of most of the architecture is of the classic art of the middle period similar to Angkor Wat.  The proportions of Banteay Samre are splendid. A unique feature is an interior moat with laterite paving, which when filled with water must have given an ethereal atmosphere to the temple.

In the afternoon, you continue your temple visits to Preah Khan. Built by King Jayavarman VII, Preah Khan is, like Ta Prohm, a place of towered enclosures and shoulder-hugging corridors. Unlike Ta Prohm, however, the temple of Preah Khan is in a reasonable state of preservation and ongoing restoration efforts should maintain and even improve this situation. 

A fountain built in the middle of a pool (representing the paradisiacal Himalayan mountain lake), Ta Som

One of the area’s most beautiful temples.  Ta Prohm has been left relatively untouched since it was discovered and retains much of its mystery. Its appeal lies in that, unlike the other monuments of Angkor, it was abandoned and swallowed by the jungle, looking very much the way most of the Angkor temples appeared when European explorers first stumbled upon them.

Drive about 45 minutes to the countryside, stopping en route to visit a local village. Arrive at the quay and board a local boat for a 1.5-hour ride on the Tonle Sap Lake (Chong Kneas Floating Village), also known as the Great Lake of Cambodia. Find out how communities live and work on the lake, see the floating schools, markets, and police stations, among others and observe their daily lives.