Enjoy a VIP edition of one of our favourite itineraries, featuring Cambodia & Vietnam. Start amongst the magnificence of the temples of Angkor before joining Wendy Wu (our owner and founder) on a three-night river cruise down the Mekong, complete with shore excursions designed to give you an authentic glimpse of local life. Sail into Vietnam to discover its many treasures, including vibrant Saigon, charming Hoi An and historic Hanoi. End your trip with an overnight cruise through Halong Bay.
For this special VIP departure, we have added a number of VIP inclusions that are completely exclusive to these tours. Along with the three-night cruise together with our founder Wendy, you'll also enjoy a special mindfulness session on the Mekong, a cocktail at Bitexco Tower's 49th-floor sky bar, dinner with a Vietnamese family in Saigon, a special 'Farmer & Fisherman' experience in Cam Thanh and a 25-minute scenic seaplane flight over Halong Bay.
The only thing you may have to pay for are personal expenditure e.g. drinks, optional excursions or shows, insurance of any kind, customary tipping, early check in or late check out and other items not specified on the itinerary.
DAYS 1-2: Fly to Siem Reap
Fly overnight to Siem Reap. Depending on your time of arrival the rest of the day is yours to start soaking up the local culture.
Meals: Dinner
DAY 3: Temples of Angkor
Rising early, journey to the old city of Angkor Thom and pass through the magnificent South Gate flanked by 54 gods and demons. At Angkor Thom's centre is the enigmatic Bayon, a breath-taking temple of innumerable sculptural decorations. Also admire the Elephant Terrace and the Terrace of the Leper King. Continue to Ta Prohm before the rest of the day is dedicated to Angkor Wat, the most magnificent, and best preserved of all of Angkor's treasures.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
DAY 4: Chansar Village and Tonle Sap
Enjoy a morning at Chansar Village, visiting the home of a local Khmer family who specialise in making brooms. This afternoon, cruise on Tonle Sap Lake, visiting the floating village of Kampong Phluk and observing the way of life of these lake communities.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
DAY 5: Fly to Phnom Penh
Fly to Phnom Penh and explore by cyclo, with stops at the Royal Palace, Silver Pagoda and the National Museum. Visit Wat Phnom before ending the day with a glass of refreshing local beer at one of Phnom Penh's favourite craft breweries.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
DAY 6: Embark the Victoria Mekong
Reflect on Cambodia's tumultuous history with a visit to the Killing Fields, where many civilians became victims of the brutal Khmer Rouge. Return to Phnom Penh for lunch, before transferring to Phnom Penh pier. Here, say goodbye to your national escort and board the Victoria Mekong for your 3-night VIP cruise with Wendy, our founder.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
DAY 7: Crossing the border
Cross over into Vietnam, taking in the passing scenery. There will be onboard activities available such as cocktail making. On arrival at Vam Nao, take a sampan ashore to visit traditional cottage industries.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
DAY 8: Tan Loc
Continue downstream, visiting a floating market and local museum. After lunch, arrive at Tan Loc island. Here, choose to explore a historic house and gardens for tea and fruit, or a plum wine farm for a tasting. Sail on to Can Tho for a farewell dinner, accompanied by a traditional music performance.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
DAY 9: Cai Be and Saigon
Visit a local floating market before bidding farewell to the Victoria Mekong, boarding the ship's shuttle bus from Can Tho to Saigon. Stop en route in Cai Be for lunch at a scenic villa. In Saigon, you will be met by your Vietnamese National Escort. This evening, enjoy dinner in the dark at Noir, a restaurant supporting Saigon's visually impaired.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
DAY 10: Discover Saigon
Confront the reality of guerrilla warfare at the astonishing Cu Chi Tunnels, used by the Viet Cong during the war. Return to Saigon to explore the iconic sights, such as the Notre Dame Cathedral, Reunification Palace and Central Post Office.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
DAY 11: Journey to Hoi An
Fly to Danang, and continue by road to Hoi An. Enjoy a walking tour of this charming town – a wonderfully laidback and wilfully traditional place, whose streets are a delight to wander. Visit Quan Cong Temple, the elaborate Japanese Bridge and the bustling market. Stop en route to visit Reaching Out, a social enterprise craft workshop, and watch the artisans at work.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
DAY 12: Cam Thanh Coconut Village
Enjoy a 'farmer and fisherman' experience just outside Hoi An. Head to Cam Thanh Coconut Village in the coastal Bay Mau Forest, where you'll board an unusual Vietnamese basket boat – thung chai, similar to a coracle – and be paddled through this extraordinary coconut forest.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
DAY 13: Fly to Hanoi
After breakfast, fly to Hanoi to explore the Old Quarter by cyclo. Also stop by the Temple of Literature, and make sure to try a traditional egg coffee on the way!
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
DAY 14: Explore Hanoi
Discover the rest of Hanoi's sights today, with the Ho Chi Minh quarter and Mausoleum, Humble House on Stilts, One Pillar Pagoda and more. In the evening, attend The Quintessence of Tonkin, a beautiful open-air performance on a lake.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
DAY 15: Halong Bay
Travel east to Halong Bay, where you'll enjoy a true VIP experience: a Halong Bay seaplane flight offering a unique an unforgettable view of the bay. A UNESCO World Heritage Site and a vision of awe-inspiring beauty, it isn't hard to see why it is one of Vietnam's most popular destinations. Stay overnight on a traditionally designed boat on Halong Bay, cruising amongst the karst peaks on the tranquil green waters.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
DAY 16: Halong Bay
After a night anchored out on the waters, rise early to see the sun come up over the bay before cruising back to port. Return to Hanoi where, this evening, there will be a farewell dinner.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
DAYS 17-18: Fly Hanoi To Australia
Fly to Australia, arriving home the same or following day.
Meals: Breakfast
Tour dates: 10 Oct 2023- 26 Oct 2023
Call our Brisbane based travel team on 1300 414 198 to secure place now!
Please note prices are subject to availability at time of booking or until sold out and may change without notice. The prices above include flights departing Brisbane, airline fuel surcharges and taxes which are subject to change.
15 nights in 4/4+ star accommodation
FITNESS TO TRAVEL: To travel on any of our tours requires unaided mobility and the ability to stroll around the sights. This tour is rated as a physical level 1 tour. A reasonable level of fitness is required but it’s more about spending time on your feet rather than covering large distances. You’ll be getting on and off coaches and boats, walking around the sights and climbing some steps. There will be sightseeing on foot for both short and extended periods of timeOf course, our National Escort and local guides will always endeavour to provide the highest level of service and assistance; however, they cannot be expected to cater for customers who are unfit to complete the itinerary
VISAS: Entry visas are required by all visitors to Cambodia and Vietnam and Wendy Wu Tours Visa Department can assist you with the process of obtaining a visa.Please be advised that your passport must have at least six months validity left on it when you arrive back into Australia. Please note the visa procedures and requirements may change at any time. These changes are often made by the relevant embassy or consulate, Wendy Wu Tours acts as a third party and has no influence on the process of a visa.Wendy Wu Tours does not accept responsibility for lost or undelivered items.All information with regards to visas will be updated regularly on our website as we find visas process’ are changing on regular basis
VACCINATIONS AND YOUR HEALTH: We recommend that you contact either your GP or Travelvax (1300 360 164) for advice on vaccinations and travel health. Travelvax has a comprehensive website that you may also find useful www.travelvax.com.au
CLIMBING STEPS:Sightseeing at nearly all of the palaces, fortresses and some temples involves climbing quite a number of steps. These palaces were built to provide defence against potential invaders so nearly all of them stand on top of a hill, while the interiors have layers of narrow hallways and steps to slow down the advance of enemies once they were inside. The steps tend to be quite large, not level and sometimes without handrails. Hindu and Buddhist temples or pagodas also tend to be built at an elevation, as this is the most auspicious position according to ancient beliefs. This means you sometimes need to walk from the bus park to the entrance, and/or need to climb some steps inside.People with knee or hip injuries, who have poor balance or are otherwise unable to complete these activities independently should consider the suitability of this itinerary carefully.
PERSONAL EX PENSES AND OPTIONAL TOURING : Personal Expense You will need to take some extra money to cover drinks, laundry and souvenirs, plus any additional sightseeing that may be offered to you. Based on the advice of previous customers an approximate amount of $300AUD per person, per week should be sufficient; however, for those that can’t resist a bargain or may wish to participate in all of the optional excursions, consider allocating a higher amount. Optional Tours May be offered in each city you visit dur ing your tour. These are not included in the standard itinerary and will only be available if time permits and if seats are available. In your Final Documentation an Optional Excursion Sheet will be included outlining the activities available in each city and local cost associated. Please ensure you have additional funds available if you feel you may wish to participate in any extra activities. Each option will be arranged locally by your National Escort/Local Guide, participation and tipping for optional excursions is completely at your discretion.
LUGGAGE: All travellers are limited to two items of luggage each; a suitcase with a maximum weight of 20kg and one piece of hand luggage with a maximum weight of five kilograms. It is essential that your luggage is lockable.
TIPPING POLICY : Local tipping is customary in Asia. However, this can often lead to awkwardness in knowing when it is appropriate to tip and how much, as well as ensuring you have a suitable amount of change available at the time. For your convenience, with years of experiences in providing the best customer service, Wendy Wu Tours operates a kitty system on our Group Tours so your National Escort will look after this aspect of your trip for you. It als o ensures that the amounts paid are reasonable for you but still fair for the local people. The amount is stated on each Group Tour page will be advised again on your final documentation. Tipping is in US Dollars and will be collected by your National Esco rt on arrival and distributed throughout the tour on your behalf. Any additional tipping on any of our tours is welcomed at your discretion. Further guidance for tipping contributions will be outlined in your final documentation. We generally find that most customers appreciate the convenience of our tipping policy, but we do recognise that it may not suit everyone. However, as this is a group tour we ask that everyone follows the same protocol to be fair to other group members and to ensure smooth operation of your tour.
INSURANCE:We strongly recommend that you take out a policy as soon as you pay your deposit. The tour operators cannot in any way be made liable for any additional cost incurred by the customer on any tour due to the customer not having adequate travel insurance.
We can refer you to a special offer from InsureandGo Travel Insurance. For Starts at 60 members, InsureandGo is offering a 15% discount on their policies. You can call them on 1300 401 177 and mention the promo code Startsat60 or visit our website at https://startsat60.com/memberdeals?deal=656169 for more information.
We also encourage all customers to take a copy of their travel insurance documents (especially relevant international contact numbers) with them while on tour. We advise that you check the inclusions and procedures for lodging claims prior to your departure. These documents should be stored separately from the original.
Travel at 60 and supplier booking conditions apply.
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