APT Vietnam and Cambodia Highlights River Cruise

The highlights of Cambodia and Vietnam are yours to enjoy on this gorgeous APT luxury river cruise. Discover the local way of life throughout Vietnam & Cambodia on this incredible journey with APT. Cruise along the Mekong River in luxury and marvel at the dazzling cities and sleepy villages that line its banks.

Signature Experiences Designed Exclusively for APT guests

SIGNATURE EXPERIENCE
These once-in-a-lifetime moments allow you to experience an unforgettable world of exclusive moments, incredible cultures and charming surprises

FREEDOM OF CHOICE™
Give your holiday a personal touch with a choice of included sightseeing or dining options

Vietnam & Cambodia Highlights Itinerary

Please note that this itinerary is also available in reverse (Siem Reap to Ho Chi Minh City)

Day 1: UK to Vietnam

Make your way to London Heathrow for your flight to Vietnam.

Day 2: Arrive in Ho Chi Minh City

Upon arrival in Ho Chi Minh City, you will be met and transferred to your hotel where you will have time to relax and unwind. Later this evening, enjoy a delicious Welcome Dinner.

Hotel Stay: 2 nights at Park Hyatt Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City
Meals included: Dinner

Day 3: Ho Chi Minh City, Cu Chi Tunnels or Long Tan

Today is yours to shape how you desire. Choose from two Signature Experiences, and enjoy another unforgettable Signature Experience in the evening.

Signature Experience: Perhaps visit the Cu Chi Tunnels, an incredible tunnel network constructed by Vietnamese resistance fighters during the war. These tunnels served as Viet Cong hiding spots, supply and communication routes, hospitals and weapon caches, and make for a fascinating visit. Alternatively, journey to Ba Ria and learn about the Battle of Long Tan. Afterwards, attend a memorial service at the Long Tan Cross, a memorial erected by the 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, which is set in a rubber plantation and marks the site of the Battle of Long Tan.

Signature Experience: This evening, enjoy your second Signature Experience. Experience dinner at Vietnam House, founded by Australia-born Vietnamese celebrity chef Luke Nguyen.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 4: Ho Chi Minh City to My Tho

Today you can choose to enjoy a leisurely walking discovery of Ho Chi Minh City, visiting the Reunification Palace and the Central Post Office. Or you might like to jump on the back of a motorbike for an exciting city ride. Alternatively, you may like to go on a shopping spree.

Spend your final morning in Ho Chi Minh City enjoying your selected sightseeing activity. Afterwards, transfer to My Tho to embark your ship, the Mekong Serenity.

River Cruise: 7 nights aboard Mekong Serenity
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 5: Cai Be & Sa Dec

In Cai Be this morning, visit the French Gothic cathedral and port area. Then, at a rice paper manufacture, learn how this Vietnamese staple is made. Continue to the quaint town of Sa Dec where French writer Marguerite Duras met her Vietnamese-Chinese lover, Huynh Thuy Le. Tour his former home and learn the story behind Marguerite Duras’ best-selling novel, The Lover. Afterwards, visit a traditional Cao Dai temple.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 6: Tan Chau, Evergreen Island & crossing the border into Cambodia

Step ashore in Tan Chau today for a rickshaw tour. On board your rickshaw, you’ll glide past shops, rice wine rooms and friendly locals who are always eager to say hello. Stop to pay a visit to a local silk and rattan weaving workshop. Later, step back in time during a visit to an evergreen island aboard a small boat, where you’ll experience authentic rural Mekong life. The remainder of today is left free for you to relax back on board your river ship.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 7: Phnom Penh

Disembark in Phnom Penh after breakfast and enjoy today’s chosen activity.

Freedom of Choice: Perhaps take a sobering excursion to the Killing Fields, before visiting the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, located on the site of the Khmer Rouge’s notorious Security Prison 21. Alternatively, see Phnom Penh on a tuk tuk ride with a stop at the Central Market, visit a number of Cambodian microbreweries and enjoy the local craft beers or enjoy a visit to the National Museum. Options also include the Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda.

The evening is yours to relax.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 8: Oudong, Koh Chen & Oknha Tey

Disembark in Phnom Penh and discover Oudong, an important place of pilgrimage in Cambodia where you’ll be treated to a special Signature Experience.

Signature Experience: Partake in a traditional Buddhist blessing ceremony at a monastery in Oudong.

Return to your ship via the village Koh Chen, where you will perhaps visit some home workshops that manufacture copperware. Later, your ship glides along the lush banks of the Mekong to Oknha Tey, a small island renowned for its skilful silk weaving traditions. Enjoy dinner onboard tonight.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 9: Angkor Ban

Join a walking discovery of Angkor Ban, one of the few villages in Cambodia that was not destroyed under the Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970s. Experience rustic agricultural life as you wander past the wooden stilted houses in this quiet, rural place.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 10: Kampong Cham, Koh Pen

Those who wish to climb Wat Hanchey this morning will be rewarded with stunning hilltop panoramas and some of the best views of the Mekong River. Following lunch on board, take a tuk tuk to explore the island of Koh Pen with its wooden stilt houses and local farming culture. This evening, a Farewell Dinner awaits onboard.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 11: Kampong Cham and off to Siem Reap

Disembark at Kampong Cham and transfer to Siem Reap. Afterwards, head to World Heritage-listed Angkor Archaeological Park to visit the enduring capital of the Khmer Empire, Angkor Thom, and the 12th-century temple of Bayon.

Freedom of Choice: Tonight, choose where to dine.

Hotel Stay: 3 nights at Hotel Sofitel Angkor, Siem Reap
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 12: Siem Reap – Angkor Wat

Rise early this morning and travel back to Angkor Archaeological Park for a Signature Experience.

Signature Experience: Enjoy a sunrise experience at Angkor Wat.

After experiencing the majesty of World Heritage-listed Angkor Wat, enjoy a guided exploration of what is regarded as Angkor’s best-preserved temple, said to be the world’s largest single religious monument. Relax back at your hotel after breakfast. Then this afternoon, explore the temple of Ta Prohm, a World Heritage-listed site which is famous for its intertwined trees. Later, visit ‘Opportunities of Development thru Art’ (ODA), a Siem Reap organisation that provides education opportunities for disadvantaged children. The evening is at your leisure.

Meals included: Breakfast

Day 13: Siem Reap

Embark on your selected sightseeing activity.

Freedom of Choice: Perhaps set out a tuk tuk ride to the Senteurs d’Angkor workshop, where you can shop for local handmade crafts. If you’re looking for something a little more adventurous, you might like to join a quadbike excursion through the Cambodian countryside. Alternatively, unwind with a soothing spa treatment.

Tonight, enjoy a traditional Apsara dance performance before enjoying a Farewell Dinner.

Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 14: Depart Siem Reap

Transfer to the airport this morning for your return flight to the UK.

Meals included: Breakfast

Day 15: Arrive in the UK

Time to head home and dazzle friends and family with the incredible tales of adventure you have to share.

Your Holiday Includes:

• Return scheduled flights from the UK and home-to-airport transfers by private car*
• Unique cultural experiences in up to 12 towns, villages and cities
• Luxury dining – a total of 32 meals and a wide range of onboard beverages
• Seven nights aboard the luxury river ship, Mekong Serenity
• Services of an APT Cruise Director and expert local guides
• Enjoy a special sunrise experience at Angkor Wat
• Dine at celebrity chef Luke Nguyen’s Vietnam House in Ho Chi Minh City, and sit down to authentic cuisine with a dash of modern Australian flair
• Experience a traditional Buddhist blessing ceremony at a monastery in Oudong