Newmarket Thailand, Cambodia & Vietnam

• Bangkok’s Buddhas, palaces and monuments
• A visit to the floating market at Cai Rang
• Cruising across the ‘Great Lake’ of Tonle Sap
• A visit to Ho Chi Minh City (formerly known as Saigon)
• A scenic journey to the Cambodian border and French colonial Battambang
• Two full days at Siem Reap, including a visit to the temple complex of Angkor Wat
• A tour around the evocative Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh
• A journey along the mighty Mekong River by fast passenger boat
• A chance to see the infamous Cu Chi tunnel complex, a former Viet Cong hideaway

• 12 nights’ bed and breakfast accommodation at a series of four-star hotels in Bangkok (3 nights), Battambang (1), Siem Reap (3), Phnom Penh (1), Chaudoc (1), Cantho (1) and Ho Chi Minh City (2)
• Lunch on Days Six and 9-13, and dinner on Days 5-11 and 13
• Return flights from the UK to Bangkok (via Doha, Dubai or Singapore) returning from Ho Chi Minh City
• Comfortable, air-conditioned coach and boat travel and transfers
• All included tours detailed in the itinerary
• The services of a friendly, experienced Tour Manager

Day One: Fly to Thailand

Begin your holiday with an overnight flight to Bangkok via Singapore, Doha or Dubai.

Day Two: Optional Thai dinner and dance excursion

Arrive in Bangkok, meet your Tour Manager and transfer to your hotel. Spend your afternoon relaxing and enjoying the hotel’s facilities, or head out to begin exploring the city. This evening, why not round off your day by joining your fellow travellers for a traditional Thai dinner? Watch a performance of typical Thai dancing as you enjoy your meal, and celebrate the first of your three nights in the city.

Day Three: Included Floating Markets and Bangkok city tour

Immerse yourself in Thai culture, today, on your included excursion to the floating markets at Damnoen Saduak. Watch as the locals buy fresh produce from the traders on the boats, then head back into Bangkok for a guided tour. See Rattanakosin Island, the royal island on the bank of the River Kwai, and visit the Grand Palace and the adjoining Wat Phra Kaew temple, as well as the Wat Pho temple – home to the gigantic figure of the Reclining Buddha. You’ll also see the ornate five-and-a-half-ton Golden Buddha at Chinatown’s Wat Traimit temple.

Day Four: Optional River Kwai excursion

Relax in Bangkok, or perhaps join today’s optional River Kwai and the Death Railway excursion. Travel by train, through a fascinating landscape of rice fields and sugar-cane plantations and into the Thai jungle, to Nam Tok Sai Yok Noi. Enjoy lunch, and visit Kanchanaburi’s beautifully-tended war cemeteries as well as the various museums connected with this area’s tragic WWII history, the construction of the Death Railway and the infamous Bridge over the River Kwai.

Day Five: From Thailand to Cambodia

You’ll have an early start to make the most of the day, this morning, as you travel through the unspoilt rural landscape to the border where you’ll cross into Cambodia at Aranyaprathet-Poipet. Formalities completed, you’ll begin the second part of your adventure with the short journey to the elegant French colonial city of Battambang.

Day Six: Ksach Poy to Siem Reap

Today you travel to the village of Ksach Poy, situated on the banks of the Sangker River, which is home to some delightful traditional wooden Khmer stilt-houses. Moving on, you’ll head to the colourful market town of Siem Reap, home to the archaeological Angkor National Museum, and gateway to the incredible temple complex of Angkor Thom.This evening, you’ll get your first taste of traditional Cambodian culture at an included dinner and dance show.

Day Seven: Included Bayon Temple, Angkor Thom and Angkor Wat excursion

Discover the four vast stone heads and countless carved faces of the Bayon, which stands in the heart of the ‘lost city’ of Angkor Thom, today.Angkor Thom was the greatest citadel of the Khmer Empire that ruled half of South East Asia for nearly 600 years, and its ruined boulevards and gateways cover a vast area to the north of Siem Reap. And yet it is not the highlight of this landscape littered with great ruins. That title goes to Angkor Wat. The world’s largest religious building, with its five great towers and 1000-metre-long carved bas-relief, is dazzling and unforgettable. Expect to return to your hotel awed and amazed by everything you’ve seen.

Day Eight: Cruise across Tonle Sap

Journey across Tonle Sap, South East Asia’s Great Lake, and see the villages built entirely on stilts that are home to the floating communities whose livelihoods depend on the lake’s waters. An afternoon visit to the Angkor National Museum, to see its collection of sculptures, stonework and oher priceless artefacts, rounds of a fascinating day.

Day Nine: From Siem Reap to Phnom Penh

Travel to the evocative Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, set on the banks of the Mekong River, where you’ll take an introductory afternoon’s guided tour that includes The Royal Palace, and its Silver Pagoda of priceless Buddhist artefacts.This evening, you’ll have dinner at Phnom Penh’s famous, riverside Foreign Correspondents’ Club.

Day 10: Included Tuol Sleng Museum visit and Mekong boat trip to Vietnam

Today begins with a thought-provoking morning visit to the Tuol Sleng Museum, which chronicles the Pol Pot years and the reign of the Khmer Rouge. Afterwards, you’ll have the opportunity to take a good look around the National Museum of Cambodia, the country’s largest cultural, historical and archaeological museum.

You’ll then board the fast boat along the Mekong River to feel the wind on your face on a thrilling boat ride into Vietnam, arriving at your overnight hotel in the border town of Chau Doc.

Day 11: Included Nui Sam visit and travel to Can Tho

Your day begins with a visit to the holy mountain of Nui Sam. Studded with pagodas and temples, the mountain offers visitors stunning views over the Mekong Delta (which you’ll be heading towards today). You’ll stay overnight in the university town of Can Tho, with its colourful floating markets, busy working harbour and sacred Khmer pagoda: Muniwangsyaram.

Day 12: From Can Tho to Ho Chi Minh City

Brilliantly coloured orchards, lush forests and traditional rice fields criss-crossed by a network of small tributaries: this is the unmistakable landscape of the Mekong Delta. Today, you’ll enjoy a boat ride to the floating markets of Cai Rang and Cai Be, and visit the delta town of Vinh Long.

By evening, you’ll arrive in Ho Chi Minh City for a two-night stay.

Day 13: Included Cu Chi Tunnels excursion

The remarkable Cu Chi tunnel complex provides a poignant reminder of the country’s recent history. This 200 km underground labyrinth was used by the Viet Cong as a base, and now serves as a national memorial for those who lost their lives in the conflict.

Back in Ho Chi Minh City a guided tour will reveal its fascinating mix of French colonial history and modern Vietnamese life. You’ll see the grand General Post Office, the Reunification Hall on the site of the former President’s Palace, the Xa Loi Pagoda with its bronze Buddha, and (time permitting) the War Remnants Museum.

Your day ends with a celebratory farewell dinner: the perfect opportunity to look back on your holiday and relive the many highlights with your travelling companions (and new-found friends).

Day 14: Included Ho Chi Minh City Tour

Spend your final morning and afternoon exploring Ho Chi Minh City, before you transfer to the airport for your overnight flight back to the UK via Singapore.

Day 15: Arrive back in the UK

You’ll touch down in the UK, today, after an unforgettable tour of South East Asia.

Please note, prices listed are guide prices only and are based on 2 people sharing and don’t include any additional supplements. Holiday prices are fluid and dynamic and may be changed at a moment’s notice, prior to booking, at which point they are confirmed. Please call the team free on 0800 707 6229 for more departure dates available and a quote.