Vietnam & Cambodia with Uniworld

Depart from home in the UK today and fly overnight to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Begin your day by arriving to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. If your cruise/tour package includes a group arrival transfer or private transfer, you will be greeted by a Uniworld representative and transferred to the Park Hyatt Saigon to settle in and enjoy time at leisure. Tonight, consider popping out to explore the lively Ben Thanh Night Market or perhaps one of the city’s famous evening cafés for a bite to eat as you acclimatise to your surroundings.

Enjoy a morning city tour of Ho Chi Minh City. Visit the Reunification Palace, renamed after the Vietnam War ended when a North Vietnamese army tank crashed through its gates, bringing down the South Vietnamese government. It was originally built by the South Vietnamese president and features a cinema, nightclub, and spacious bomb shelter. Nearby, spot remnants of the city’s French colonial days, such as the General Post Office, designed by Gustave Eiffel, and the Notre Dame Cathedral. Elsewhere, the Ho Chi Minh Municipal Theatre (also known as the Saigon Opera House) and the City Hall were both modelled after Parisian buildings. After sightseeing, visit a lacquer showroom to learn about this craft, practised in Vietnam for over 700 years, before enjoying lunch on your own.

Spend the morning on a fascinating excursion to the Cú Chi Tunnels, evidence of Vietnam’s long struggle to free itself from Western control. These tunnels were originally started by the Viet Minh on the outskirts of Saigon in 1945 but were vastly expanded by the Viet Cong in the 1960s. A network of booby-trapped tunnels led to underground living chambers. Here, wounds were treated and children were taught. If you’re feeling adventurous, climb down into a tunnel for an up-close look—but don’t expect to be able to stand upright!

After lunch, you will be transferred to the Mekong Jewel to embark your Uniworld cruise as you set sail on the beautiful Mekong River. This evening’s delectable dinner is Vietnamese-themed.

Today’s excursion is exclusive to Uniworld and gives you the chance to meet local villagers. Step aboard a sampan—a traditional vessel, although this one is more luxurious than others you’ll see. Join the locals by journeying by water to their daily work. Your first stop is Tien Loi, a peaceful island home to just seven families. Meet locals who make sedge woven hats and decorate bonsais. Next, visit a village fully of ‘baby trees’, as their primary business is tree drafting. They produce millions of small plants which are distributed to farms and gardens throughout the country. Finally, try your hand at rowing a boat down a pristine canal before heading back onboard for an authentic Vietnamese meal.

It’s back on the sampan today for local encounters in Sa Dec. Take to the narrow canals as the locals do, passing frolicking children and industrious fisherman on your way to colourful Cao Dai temple. Afterwards, visit Huynh Thuy Le House, made famous by bestselling French novelist Marguerite Duras, who spent her teen years in Sa Dec. Her novel, The Lover, is said to be based on her ill-fated love affair with Huynh Thuy Le.

Witness a performance of the ‘Unicorn Dance’ at the Kiến An Cung pagoda before sailing to Gieng Island to visit a village where hundreds of sampans are made daily. You’ll also meet a local family that makes incense sticks and non la, the famous conical hats.

Visit the island village of Hong Ngu to learn how the hardworking residents here take what the delta gives them and turns it into products they can sell to earn a living. Many of the villagers here weave traditional Khmer scarves, which are exported to Cambodia, and you’ll get the chance to see how they’re made. Next, stop at a temple devoted to Vietnam’s homegrown religion, Hòa Hảo. Before returning to the ship, meet a local family in their own home for an authentic look at life on the Mekong Delta.

This afternoon, cross the Vietnamese border into Cambodia. Tomorrow, you’ll awake in Phnom Pen, Cambodia’s capital city, to begin the next leg of your adventure.

Discover a thriving capital city via tuk tuk on wide boulevards hinting at the city’s French colonial past. Pass French-influenced buildings alongside pagodas on the way to the Royal Palace. Amidst spacious grounds, discover a group of classic Khmer structures, each with a specific function. The Throne Hall hosts royal coronations while the Moonlight Pavilion hosts receptions. The Temple of the Emerald Buddha—also known as the Silver Pagoda—is covered in silver tiles and features both an emerald and a gold Buddha statue, the latter studded in nearly 10,000 diamonds. Tour the National Museum, full of Cambodian archaeological and artistic treasures. Afterwards, hop back on your tuk tuk for a city tour ending at the pier. Enjoy an afternoon at leisure in town. 

Today’s excursion is likely the most profound of your journey. It’s hard to reconcile the serenity of the rice fields surrounding Choeung Ek with the horrific mass executions here during the Khmer Rouge reign, but the memorial stupa filled with the victims’ skulls tells the tale.

More than 17,000 men, women, and children were slaughtered and buried in mass graves at the Killing Fields. Before that, they were tortured in a former high school nearby, where you’ll now find the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. 6,000 photographs remain, taken by a young photographer tasked with documenting the prisoners. As you view these portraits, you’ll see fear, grief, and defiance. Out of the thousands depicted, only seven survived.

Those killed at Choeung Ek were only a fraction of the almost two million Cambodians killed between 1975 and early 1979.

After yesterday’s sombre exploration of Cambodia’s dark past, today is a celebration of its bright future. Visit a local school to meet young children who love practising their English. Deepen your understanding of Cambodia by visiting villagers in their homes.

Stop at Wat Hanchey, a beautifully situated temple complex on a hilltop with incredible Mekong River views, giving you a sense of the vastness of the river on which you’ve been sailing. Before your departure, you’ll receive a traditional water blessing from the local monks, one of the most touching moments of your journey.

Cap off this special day and celebrate your final evening onboard with a decadent Cambodian-themed dinner, featuring delectable dishes that would once have been served to Cambodian royalty.

After breakfast onboard, disembark and transfer to Siem Reap, the gateway to the legendary Angkor archaeological site. Stay three nights at the Sofitel Angkor Phokeethra Golf & Spa Resort, minutes from the famed Angkor Wat temple complex. Take a relaxing tour of the streets of Siem Reap aboard a remork (motorcycle rickshaw). See the 12 statues of Angkorian army chiefs in the Royal Palace Park and take in the colourful vibe of Pub Street before visiting a local monastery where locals and visitors alike pray for good fortune and health.

Next, visit the workshops at Artisans Angkor, where traditional Khmer crafts are being revived. You can purchase handmade sculptures, lacquer work, silk paintings, and more at the shop, all crafted by locals in the traditional way.

Stay: Sofitel Angkor Phokeethra Golf & Spa Resort

Tick something big off your bucket list today as you explore the ancient temples of Angkor Wat, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Angkor Wat was meticulously built 900 years ago, with every aspect holding a religious meaning. The largest religious monument in the world, Angkor Wat is Cambodia’s single most recognisable landmark, simply breathtaking in size and scope. Along with UNESCO, several other conservation organisations have been enlisted to help secure Angkor Wat’s protection, so immeasurable is its importance. And yet, it is only one piece of the enormous complex, which was at the heart of the ancient Khmer Empire. You’ll learn of this expansive history on today’s visit.

Stay: Sofitel Angkor Phokeethra Golf & Spa Resort

Discover the spectacular remnants of Angkor Thom, the 12th-century royal city. Cross the moat and pass between stone figures to the astonishing ruins of the wooden King’s Palace, including the enormous stone heads in the iconic temple of Bayon. Enjoy lunch on your own before heading to Ta Prohm. While other Angkor temples have been meticulously restored, Ta Prohm remains untouched. The results are enchanting: massive trees growing out of stone walls, roots stretching across courtyards. Discover your inner adventurer at this manmade wonder reclaimed by the jungle.

This evening, experience a traditional Khmer Apsara dance show at your hotel. You will have spied several Apsara figures during your Angkor temple explorations, testifying to its long history. Afterwards, enjoy a delicious Cambodian dinner nearby.

Stay: Sofitel Angkor Phokeethra Golf & Spa Resort

Enjoy breakfat at your hotel and time at leisure in Siem Reap before you are transferred to the airport for your flight to Hanoi. Afterwards, you will be transferred to your luxury accommodations, the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi Hotel. Enjoy the rest of your day at leisure relaxing at the hotel, or you may choose to take part in an optional add-on excursion. Your local tour guide and driver will pick you up at the hotel to set out on a quad bike tour. After a safety briefing, you’ll ride the road less travelled to village and a nearby rice paddy field. Spot water buffalos and cows and stop along the way for beautiful photo opportunities. 

It’s the last day of your grand adventure, and you’ll spend it exploring Hanoi, a city some call Asia’s most beautiful. Visit a complex honouring Ho Chi Minh, modern Vietnam’s founder. You’ll also visit the Temple of Literature, originally built in 1070 AD. Six years later, on the same grounds, Vietnam’s first university was founded. Your visit today includes a walk around the beautiful gardens and pavilions. Learn another aspect of Vietnam’s history by visiting Hoa Lo—known as the ‘Hanoi Hilton’ by the American pilots who were held there as prisoners of war during the Vietnam War.

After breakfast at your hotel, check out and transfer to the airport for your flight back to the UK. There is also an option to extend your trip by continuing on to Ha Long Bay, so please speak to one of our travel specialists if you are interested in exploring more of beautiful Vietnam.