This day will be at leisure in Bangkok. You can marvel at the gleaming temples, catch a tuk tuk along the bustling Chinatown or take a longtail boat through floating markets. Food is another Bangkok highlight, from local dishes served at humble street stalls to haute cuisine at romantic rooftop restaurants.

OVERNIGHT IN BANGKOK

The Grand Palace was established at the same time as Bangkok in 1782, by the first king of the ruling Chakri dynasty. Each subsequent monarch has added their own contribution to the complex, so that it represents the full range of royal architecture of the Rattanakosin (Bangkok) period. Some of the buildings represent traditional Thai themes, whilst others have distinct European features. Within the palace grounds one can find the temple commonly called Wat Phra Kaew, which houses the small but holy figure of the Emerald Buddha (actually fashioned from a type of jadeite). The figure was discovered in a Chiang Rai temple in 1436 and has traveled since to Lampang, Chiang Mai, Luang Prabang and Vientiane. The tour concludes with a visit to a jewelry retailer.

OVERNIGHT IN BANGKOK

Kanchanaburi Province, one of the largest and hottest of all Thai provinces, lying to the west of Bangkok and adjacent to Myanmar separated mostly by a mountainous border broken by the Three Pagodas Pass. Kanchanaburi sits on the banks of the Kwae Yai and Kwae Noi rivers, surrounded by limestone outcrops and fields of sugar cane. One less pleasant aspect of its history was the prisoner of war camp during the Second World War, when this area was the site of a railway line intended to stretch throughout British Burma to India.

Visit the Jeath war museum, which is housed in the same sort of huts the POW's used and is filled with exhibits telling their story. Visit the War Cemetery as well as the Bridge on the River Kwai, restored after the war and still carries the railway today.Take a ride along a pleasant section of the unpleasantly named Death Railway.

OVERNIGHT IN BANGKOK

You will be received with a warm welcome at Siem Reap International airport and transferred to the hotel. The evening is free for you to relax at the hotel. In case you wish to explore the city, you can choose to visit Pub Street which is famous for its quality yet economical restaurants and bars. Enjoy Khmer dinner on the day of arrival.

OVERNIGHT IN SIEM REAP

After a sumptuous breakfast at the hotel, you’ll enjoy a full-day tour of the Angkor complex. You must not miss the antique capital of Angkor Thom. With sites like the South Gate with its huge statues depicting the churning of the ocean of milk; the Bayon Temple, unique for its 54 towers decorated with over 200 smiling faces of Avolokitesvara; the Phimeanakas; the Royal Enclosure; the Elephants Terrace and the Terrace of the Leper King;

Angkor Thom has so much to offer. The most famous of all the temples on the plain of Angkor is Angkor Wats. The temple complex covers 81 hectares and is comparable in size 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.

Other sites that deserve a mention are: Prasat Kravan, also known as ‘The Royal Baths’, the site was once used for ritual bathing; Banteay Kdei, surrounded by 4 concentric walls; Neak Pean, a fountain built in the middle of a pool; Preah Khan temple, built by the King Jayavarman VII.

OVERNIGHT IN SIEM REAP

After eating breakfast at the hotel, your day will be at leisure or you may head out to enjoy an optional boat ride on the Tonle Sap Lake. This beautiful fresh-water lake is the largest in South-east Asia and flows into Tonle Sap River, joining the Mekong in Phnom Penh. Built on the lake, is a wondrous ‘floating village’ with floating schools, floating police station, et al. The ‘village’ moves from place to place following water levels and current.

OVERNIGHT IN SIEM REAP

After breakfast get ready for a coach journey from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh. On arrival, you will meet one of our representative and transferred to your hotel in Phnom Penh.

Continue your journey in the Pearl of the Orient, Phnom Penh, visiting by yourself the dazzling white and gold complex of the Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda. Feel free to visit the Genocide Museum or venture to the former Tuol Svay Prey High School, which the Khmer Rouge set up as prison in May 1976, to detain those accused of opposing the Pol Pot regime. Be prepared to be shaken by this moving reminder of the genocide that occurred during Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge regime.

OVERNIGHT IN PHNOM PENH

After breakfast at the hotel, we depart to Ho Chi Minh City by morning bus (Giant Ibis). Upon arrival at Ho Chi Minh City, you are transferred to the hotel. If there’s time, you must stroll around the downtown part of the bustling Ho Chi Minh City to explore the different local ways of life. Ho Chi Minh City, still called Saigon by many locals, is a centre of commerce, finance, culture and tourism in Vietnam. As opposed to its northern counterpart, this metropolis is filled with automobiles, numerous shopping areas and sidewalk cafes.

OVERNIGHT IN HO CHI MINH CITY

The plan is to devote half of today to exploring captivating Ho Chi Minh City. We pass by the now-demolished wartime American Embassy on our way to the Reunification Palace. This famous edifice was a former residence of the President of Southern Vietnam until end of April 1975. We also visit some striking French colonial structures including the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Old Saigon Post Office. Post this, we head to the Jade Emperor Pagoda and the War Remnant Museum. We conclude our sightseeing session with a walk around the retail Ben Thanh Market where anything and everything is for sale!

In the afternoon, we travel about 30 km North-West of Ho Chi Minh City to Cu Chi town. Cu Chi tunnels were used as the base from which the Vietnamese mounted their operations of the Tet Offensive in 1968. The incredible underground network in Cu Chi stretched over 200 kilometres and became legendary during the American war. The extensive tunnels have been specially constructed with living areas, weapon factories, filed hospitals, command centres, plus accommodation. We visit an exposition hall and a widened section of the tunnels to get a feel of the underground life. There are also possibilities to fire off rounds from an AK47 or MK16 at the nearby rifle range.

OVERNIGHT IN HO CHI MINH CITY

Step back in time as you fly from the buzzing, modern city of Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi. Upon arrival at Noibai Hanoi Airport, you’ll be met by our tour guide & transferred to your hotel in Hanoi. Afternoon / Evening at leisure to explore the evening sights on your own.

OVERNIGHT IN HANOI

An Early morning Start today to get you to the Halong Pier,  you will be picked up from your hotel with a packed breakfast. We arrive at Halong tourist wharf. Halong Bay has been recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site since 1994. The islands in Halong Bay are mainly limestone and schist islands. Karst, the result of repeated rising and lowering of the continent, underwent full erosion and weathering to create the unique Halong Bay in the world.

We travel to Flamingo Cruise where you are welcomed by a fresh drink, cruise briefing & safety instructions before setting you free on the deck to explore this Natural wonder. After Sightseeing you will be served with a Vietnamese sea-food lunch & Wine, while cruising towards Surprising Cave. In the evening you will disembark the Cruise for your road trip back to Hanoi. 

Evening is at leisure to stroll past the Hoan Kiem Lake or enjoy drink and dinner at one of the specialized Singles Pub.        

OVERNIGHT IN HANOI

After breakfast at the hotel, you will enjoy a walking tour of the Ho Chi Minh complex, the Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum - the final resting place of Vietnamese great father; President Ho Chi Minh’s stilt house - where Ho lived on and off from 1958 to 1969. The next place is One Pillar Pagoda, a group of structures consisting of a pagoda and a tower built in the middle of a square pond. From there, leave for the Temple of Literature, the first college of Vietnam. While heading back to Hoan Kiem Lake, have a brief stopover at Ngoc Son Temple. Thereafter, you can take a Cyclo tour around the Old Quarter Streets.

OVERNIGHT IN HANOI

Have a leisurely breakfast at the hotel. The day is at leisure to walk around the lake. You can choose to visit the Church, the famous red bridge. In the evening, you will enjoy the Water Puppet Show near the lake (Tickets will be provided).

OVERNIGHT IN HANOI

After breakfast at the hotel, you can devote the entire day to shopping and buying souvenirs for friends. As the hotel is located in central Hanoi, all the shopping areas are not too far. Then, according to your flight schedule, you shall be driven to the airport.

FLIGHT BACK TO UK