DAY 1 - UK/Siem Reap
Meet your travelling companions at the airport before your flight to Cambodia.
DAY 2 - Siem Reap
Arrive in Siem Reap this morning and transfer to your hotel for a two night stay. This afternoon we begin our exploration of Cambodia in Angkor Thom, visiting the Bayon Temple and the Terraces of the Leper King and Elephants. We will watch the sun setting over stunning Angkor Wat before continuing to the popular Viroths’s restaurant for dinner.
DAY 3 - Siem Reap
This morning we visit Angkor Wat and the temple of Suryavarman II. Lunch today will be at the Sala Bai restaurant, a free hospitality school that trains 100 young disadvantaged Cambodians each year. After lunch, we head to the Ta Prohm temple. Dinner this evening will be at the Angkor Village Theatre, where you will also enjoy a cultural dance show.
DAY 4 - Phnom Penh
After breakfast today we enjoy a half day cookery class that starts with a trip to a Siem Reap market. After lunch at the Sugar Palm restaurant, fly to Phnom Penh, where we stay overnight. Dinner this evening is at the non-profit Friends restaurant, which serves modern western and Khmer fusion cuisine.
DAY 5 - Phnom Penh/Ho Chi Minh City
We enjoy a tour of Cambodia’s capital this morning, including sights such as the Royal Palace, National Museum and Russian Market. Transfer to the airport for your flight to Saigon, where you will stay for the next two nights. Enjoy a tour of Saigon, now officially known as Ho Chi Minh City. You will see sights such as the Neo-classical Notre Dame Cathedral, Reunification Hall and Ben Thanh market, where you can sample a bowl of Pho, the famous noodle soup. Dinner tonight will be at Maxim’s Nam An restaurant.
DAY 6 - Mekong Delta
Enjoy an excursion deep into the Mekong Delta today, enjoying lunch in a local restaurant before returning to Ho Chi Minh City mid-afternoon. Dinner tonight will be at a Saigon institution – the Vietnam House Restaurant.
DAY 7 - Hoi An
After breakfast, fly to Danang for lunch in a seafood restaurant before taking the short journey to Hoi An for a two night stay. Included afternoon walking tour of the old town. Dinner tonight is at the highly regarded Brothers Café.
DAY 8 - Hoi An
This morning there’s the opportunity to watch fishing boats unloading their catch on the riverfront and stroll through the fish market before breakfast. Then head to the village of Tra Que and board a boat for a cruise along the Thu Bon River to Red Bridge. Here we enjoy a two-hour cookery class, sampling the results for lunch. After lunch, you can enjoy a cycle ride through the countryside to Cam Than village. Return to the hotel mid-afternoon with the rest of the day at leisure.
DAY 9 - Hanoi
Transfer to Danang this morning for your flight to Hanoi, where you stay for the next three nights. We spend the afternoon on a tour of Hanoi then enjoy a guided walk of the ancient quarter. Step aboard a cyclo (rickshaw-type taxi) this evening, which takes you to a water puppet show before heading to the Seasons of Hanoi restaurant for dinner.
DAY 10 - Halong Bay
This morning we travel out to the Gulf of Tongking for a cruise around beautiful Halong Bay, with a sumptuous seafood lunch on board, returning to Hanoi in the afternoon
DAY 11 - Hanoi
This morning there is the opportunity to visit Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum. We then include a cookery class at the Wild Rice restaurant, where you will enjoy the culinary delights you produce for lunch. The afternoon is free.
DAY 12 - Hanoi
Transfer to the airport for your return flight to the UK.
DAY 13 - UK