Discover Vietnam and Cambodia on an amazing tour

Take a fascinating tour by land and river to discover the treasures of Vietnam and Cambodia, says Sue Rogers.
From the vibrant cities of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh to remote villages along the Mekong and the archaeological splendour of Angkor Wat, APT’s 17-day Vietnam & Cambodia Discovery tour takes you on a fascinating journey of history and culture.

Combining a luxurious land tour, a night on a romantic junk in Ha Long Bay and a top-class, seven-night river cruise, you will discover a vibrant, exotic culture, beautiful scenery and remarkable historical relics – including many places that are accessible only by water.

Award-winning APT has a wealth of experience in both guided touring and river cruising, so you can rely on the company to deliver an enlightening, all-inclusive adventure that combines the very best of both.

Arriving in Hanoi, the sights and sounds of Vietnam immediately unfold in all their colourful magni?cence during your two-night stay at the So?tel Legend Metropole Hanoi. Your Freedom of Choice options are carefully plannedto immerse you in local culture and here these include, atno extra cost, a visit to a traditional Vietnamese homein Le Mat village, a foot massage or a walking tourof the 500-year-old village of Bat Trang.

A guided tour of Hanoi includes the must-see sights of Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum,Ba Dinh Square and One Pillar Pagoda, built in the 11th century by Emperor Ly Thai Tong. Later, you’ll take a rickshaw ride through the charming Old Quarter and enjoy premier seating at a traditional puppet show. Also included is a choice of quality dining – another APT hallmark – so that you can sample the delicious fusion cuisine of the Ly Club or Nineteen 11, located in the Hanoi Opera House.

Travelling to World Heritage-listed Ha Long Bay, you’ll board a luxurious wooden junk for a two-day cruise. In contrast to the sounds of the city, you’ll weave between the tranquil limestone islets which dot the emerald waters. You’ll spend time on Titop Island with its lovely beach, then continue to the Bat Cave area and visit its largest ?oating ?shing village.

A short ?ight takes you next to Ho Chi Minh City where the Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers will be your base for the next two days. This is a high-octane city in which ancient pagodas, busy markets, temples and ramshackle shops sit beside sleek skyscrapers, designer malls and gourmet restaurants. It is a feast for all the senses.

Outside the city, you’ll visit the Long Phuoc Tunnels, part of the incredible underground network used by Viet Cong guerrillas during theVietnam War as a hiding spot, communication and supply route, hospital, food and weapons cache.

Back in Ho Chi Minh, a special degustation dinner with matching wines will be served, inspired by top Vietnamese chef and APT ambassador Luke Nugyen. The following day offers a great choice of included activities. Perhaps you’ll enjoy a tour of the city on foot or by motorbike, or a visit to an artist’s home to learn about traditional lacquer art? It’s entirely up to you.

Joining RV AmaLotus — one of the most luxurious ships on the Mekong — you can look forward to a fascinating seven-night river cruise. During the Vietnamese section, you’ll witness many sides of the intriguing Mekong Delta, including remote communities and ?oating villages.

From the deck of your luxurious river ship, you’ll see peaceful scenes slipping by: lush paddy ?elds, gleaming pagodas, ?shermen casting their nets from delicate sampans and houses built on stilts haphazardly leaning against each other.

An excursion takes you toCái Bè, a mysterious river-land town. You’ll visit the ?oating markets by boat followed by a shore trip to admire the colonial buildings, the French Gothic cathedral and delightful ?ower gardens.

You’ll also explore Sa Dec, the city where the French writer Marguerite Duras met her Vietnamese lover, Huynh Thuy Le. You’ll inspect his former residence as well as the beautiful Fujian Temple and Thien Hau Pagoda, the oldest Chinese pagoda in Vietnam built in 1760.

Further upriver, as AmaLotus crosses into Cambodia, tiny tributaries will give you a real taste of rural Mekong life, untouched by tourism, with a visit to ?oating ?sh farm anda trip around the town of Tan Chau by rickshaw.

Reaching the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, you’ll enjoy guided tours of the spectacular Royal Palace,the Silver Pagoda and to the Killing Fields and Genocide Museum, site of the Khmer Rouge’s notorious security prison, providing a poignant insight into the most tragic chapter in the country’s history.

The silk-weaving village of Chong Kah comes next, before reaching Prek K’dam, where you’ll set off by coach on an afternoon tour of Oudong, the Unesco World Heritage-listed mountaintop town which, from 1618 until 1866, was home to a succession of kings and is now famous for its elaborate Buddhist monastery.

Continuing to Kampong Tralach and the Wat Kampong pagoda, with its array of Buddha statues, there is still so much to see. An ox-cart ride through lush rice ?elds past bemused locals to rejoinRV AmaLotus on the Tonle River is just one highlight.

The following day, after a boat excursion into the wetlands near Kampong Chhnang, your river ship heads towards the lake of Tonle Sap where you can absorb the tranquillity and scenic beauty of the region’s ?oating villages.

Reaching Siem Reap, your base for the next two nights is the So?tel Angkor. There is a generous amount of time to explore the incredible Angkor Archaeological Park.

Your tour includes Angkor Thom, the last capital of the Khmer Empire, with its imposing Terrace of the Elephants and Terrace of the Leper King. You’ll also see Ta Prohm, the temple famous for its intertwined trees, and be introduced to the human story of the area, too, with a visit to a grass-roots orphanage.

APT’s Freedom of Choice touring really comes into its own here, with options including a visit to the Wat Preah Phrom Rath Templefor a Buddhist blessing, atuk-tuk ride to Les Artisans d’Angkor workshop, a tethered balloon ride to view the temples from above, an elephant ride to Bayon, a quad-bike adventure or some relaxing spa treatments.

At the end of your journey, you will have experienced so many highlights of this most intriguing part of South East Asia – all the while enjoying the luxurious comfort, high standards of service and safety of an APT tour.

• APT’s 17-day Vietnam & Cambodia Discovery river cruise and tour costs from £4,295per person, twin share. Departures from June 2013 to April 2014. The fully inclusive price includes return ?ights from London, all guided excursions, seven-night luxury river cruise, complimentary drinks on board, top-class hotels, 38 meals, all tipping, taxes, port charges and overseas transfers. Find out more

See a world of wonders on a slow float through China

APT’s luxurious 14-day Best of China tour takes you from Beijing to Shanghai. Along the way, you’ll visit the Great Wall of China, enjoy a four-night cruise along the Yangtze River through the Three Gorges, meet giant pandas and see the incredible Terracotta Army in Xian.

As its name implies, this really does show you the verybest of this intriguing, ancient land.

During your three-night stay at The Peninsula Beijing hotel, highlights of your tour include Tian’anmen Square, the Forbidden City — the largest surviving palace complex on Earth — and the beautiful Unesco World Heritage-listed Summer Palace.

Sourced: telegraph