Images of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos

A UNESCO World Heritage Site and Vietnam’s most photographed location, Halong Bay lives up to its stellar reputation. Famous for its clear, turquoise waters and limestone peaks, it’s also home to mystical caves, floating fishing villages, and tucked-away beaches. Enjoy a cruise through its emerald depths, with lunch served onboard.

Hoi An, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Vietnam, is famed for its remarkably well-preserved ancient town, lantern-lit streets, and rich cultural heritage. Once a major trading port, it blends Vietnamese, Chinese, and Japanese influences. On our walking tour, we’ll explore the shops, temples and workshops.

We’ll travel to Hoi An’s emerald outskirts to the sleepy village of Triem Tay, which is nestled on an island on the Thu Bon River. We’ll cross bamboo bridges, soak up the serene waterside views, stop by traditional homes and learn more about rural Vietnamese life.

Journey underground to the Cu Chi Tunnels, an incredible network of passageways which served as hideouts, supply routes, and hospitals for the Vietcong guerilla soldiers during the Vietnam War. It’s a sobering insight into the cramped conditions of war, but also a story of strength and resilience.

Formerly Saigon, energetic Ho Chi Minh City is Vietnam’s biggest metropolis – a captivating hub of colonial architecture, skyscrapers, bustling markets, and vibrant nightlife. We’ll visit iconic sites like Reunification Palace, Reunification Hall, the ornate Central Post Office, and the opera house. We’ll also tuck into a Vietnamese feast in an atmospheric local restaurant.

A province in the peaceful Mekong Delta region, Ben Tre is known for its sprawling fruit orchards, floating markets, and serene waterways. We’ll tour the area by boat and tuk tuk, making pitstops at a traditional handicraft market, a 19th-century Bhuddist temple and a local honey producer.

A day of soul-searching among cultural treasures begins in the ancient city of Angkor Thom, where we’ll visit the Bayon Temple – famous for its 54 towers carved with stone faces – and Ta Prohm Temple, a mysterious, jungle-wrapped beauty that had a starring role in Tomb Raider. It’s then on to Angkor Wat, the world’s largest religious monument – a ‘city of temples’ edged by green-cloaked peaks.

Tonlé Sap is Southeast Asia’s largest freshwater lake, and we’ll sail to one of its floating villages for a look at a very different way of life. Complete with floating schools and homes, the village is made up of Crayola-coloured buildings that are either buoyed or held up in the water by stilts.

A wonderful way to wrap up our tour, we’ll head for The Royal Garden in Siem Reap, a space of trees, flowers and sacred shrines, which neighbours the King’s Palace. Here, we’ll have the chance to make a lotus offering to the Preah Ang Chek Preah Ang Chorm Shrine – said to bring protection and good luck.