Touring poignant Vietnam & Cambodia

I wasn’t sure what to expect from my trip to Vietnam and Cambodia - I had been to Singapore and Hong Kong in Asia and knew that these places would be different, but didn’t realise just how different they would be. This trip was a great opportunity to see how a Titan Travel holiday works from start to finish, they scooped 13 awards at the British Travel Awards 2024 and so I knew I was in expert hands. VIP door to door transfers are always included, so I was picked up from home and taken to the airport, and back again at the end of the trip – this is really fantastic - no worrying about getting to the airport on time, and no driving home after a long flight on the way back. A brilliant service and a great start to a holiday!

My flight was with Vietnam Airlines, the seats were comfortable, and they offer Premium Economy and Business Class if you wish. The entertainment system was standard a selection of films, TV shows and music, including some Vietnamese options where you could select English subtitles. The food was surprisingly good - they give you a sheet with pictures to choose from, and I even got a snack on the1 hour flight from Siem Reap to Hanoi.

As this was a touring trip I stayed in 6 different hotels:

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) -Grand Saigon Hotel

Can Tho – Victoria can Tho

Chau Doc – Victoria Chau Doc

Phnom Penh -Palace Gate Hotel

Siem Reap – Borei Angkor

Hanoi – Le Jardin & Spa

All the hotels that we stayed in were 4 star, each had its own pool, spa, restaurant and outdoor spaces - several had roof top bars. All staff in the hotels that we met spoke good English and were very helpful. The hotels in Can Tho and Siem Reap were resort-style hotels, so they were good places to rest and relax during a busy tour. All rooms were of a good standard with mainly city views except in Can Tho and Chau Doc where we had views of the Mekong River. All hotels had lifts and walk in showers, so suitable for the less mobile, but you do need to be pretty mobile for this type of touring holiday, where your days are filled with visiting many locations in two countries.

Starting in Ho Chi Minh City we took a walking tour, visiting key sites from the Vietnam War such as the hotels the US Journalists stayed at and the building where the last evacuation helicopter took off from before Saigon fell. The Cu Chi Tunnels were an insight into how the Vietnamese lived underground and the tactics they used against the Americans, such as wearing sandals that made it look like they were walking in the opposite direction to the one that they were! We saw Reunification Palace where Saigon fell to the Viet Cong on 30th April 1975, which features in the iconic picture of the tank forcing its way through the gates. The War Museum has many artefacts including an outside display of US helicopters, airplanes and tanks that were either left behind or captured. Inside were many photographs taken by various journalists documenting the war, including details of how the Agent Orange and Napalm affected life in Vietnam, and still does today for some people.

We visited My Tho where we saw a traditional fish farm, houseboats and many local cottage industries including a honey farm and basket weaver on the way to our next stop, Can Tho. This is a holiday area for the Vietnamese in the Mekong Delta, with a lovely promenade that we walked along in the evening, with many bars, shops and restaurants. We took an early morning boat trip to the floating market at Cai Rang and later visited the Mekong Delta Museum and a Khmer Pagoda. The Pagoda was really interesting as this was actually the Pagoda that our local guide Lacki lived in as a child, so hearing about his experiences and first-hand knowledge was great.

After a three hour drive through the countryside, our next destination was Chau Doc and we took a boat trip to Chau Giang District where we saw silk weaving , fish farming and a very basic and traditional way of living on floating houses, before boarding the 5 hour boat trip to Phnom Penh. We had two stops - one at the Vietnam border to be stamped out of Vietnam, and the second at the Cambodia border to sort our visas and be stamped into the country.

On arrival at Phnom Penh we were met by our local guide for lunch and enjoyed some free time. Our first visit here was to the Royal Palace, a stunning area with many buildings and Pagodas, including the Silver Pagoda, named after its silver floor. There were also some Stupas where the royal family are laid to rest.  

Then onto another history lesson this time it was about the Khmer Rouge that ruled Cambodia from 1975 -1979. We headed to the Killing Fields just outside of Phnom Penh, where thousands of people were killed under the regime’s social engineering policies. The area is very moving, including a building with thousands of skulls that have been found in the area, laid out in age groups. The grounds are very serene and I felt I couldn’t actually take any photos as this was a graveyard. Then we headed to the Toul Sleng Museum, which was a high school that was turned into a prison during the Khmer Rouge rule. We ended the day on a lighter note by visiting the Central Market, and came across some very interesting snacks – deep fried spiders, silkworms and cockroaches!

On the 5 hour journey to Siem Reap we had two stops. The first was Skuon, the home of fried insects! As we got off the bus children came running over to us with big hairy spiders, wanting us to hold them and asking for money! During the time of the Khmer Rouge when food was scarce they found that these insects were a passable source of protein. The second stop was at the Hotel Glorious for lunch, luckily not involving any insects! The roads are far from being motorways, but they were tarmacked.

On the evening of arrival in Siem Reap we had a surprise visit to Phare Cambodian Circus after dinner. This is a financial self-sufficiency enterprise, offering free teaching and training in visual arts, theatre, music, dance and circus. This was an entertaining evening and highly recommended.

We had an early start to view Angkor Wat at sunrise, and this was the most wonderful opportunity to visit one of the Icons of the World. The building of these temples all those years ago, over a vast area and the detailed engraving and symmetry blows your mind - some of the steps to the inner temples were like climbing a sheer wall. There are areas that are being protected and renovated - the South Gate of Angkor Thom was over a bridge and here you could see several of the stone giant heads have been restored and repaired. Some areas are being sponsored by various nations around the world to help recreate and protect the temples and carvings. One area was laid out like a massive jigsaw puzzle with all different bits of stonework and carving to be put back together. Later a visit to the Royal Garden concluded our time in Siem Reap.

We arrived into Hanoi about 8/9 days after Typhoon Yagi had gone through - although the city had been hit all you could see is where trees had been up-turned, however our local guide did advise that the outlying towns and villages had sustained more damage. The day in Hanoi started with a visit to Ho Chi Minh himself, laid out in the Mausoleum where he has lain in state since 1975.  The Vietnamese idolise the him and we saw war veterans laying a wreath outside the building he lies in. Thankfully we were there early as sometimes the queues can be 2-3 hours long. Once inside the complex (after airport style security) you are directed into queues, and must keep your hands by your side - you have about 3 minutes walking past the body. Out the other side you have the original Presidents Palace, (which Ho Chi Minh didn’t like) which is now used as a diplomatic meeting place. As Ho Chi Minh didn’t like the property, he had his own traditional home built behind it, including a bunker for during the war.

In Hanoi we also visited the One Pillar Pagoda and had a visit to a lacquerware shop, where they demonstrated this traditional craft that involves a twenty-stage process – either hand painted with watercolours or using different coloured eggshells. We then dashed across the city to see Train Street, the narrow road where the locals have to clear away the shops’ goods, tables and chairs from the rail tracks to allow the train through! This is a real tourist attraction and a really busy area - something I had seen on TV, but it is even madder in real life! After lunch we saw Tran Quoc Pagoda, went on a rickshaw ride around the old quarter and visited the Water Puppet Show. So many different experiences in one day!

My tips for travel to Vietnam and Cambodia are to always cover your shoulders and knees for visiting pagodas, temples and palaces - both nationalities are very conservatively dressed and appreciate if tourists do the same. I’d recommend carrying US$ especially in Cambodia, and some Vietnamese Duong. Do pack insect repellant, a handheld fan and GOOD comfortable shoes!

This was an amazing trip, learning about two countries that have suffered under war and destruction during my lifetime - seeing the Vietnam War sites and the Killing Fields will leave a lasting impression on me, but we also saw how they are recovering and how tourism is helping this process. Angkor Wat and Train Street were also real highlights on this wonderful, eye-opening trip. A tour is a fantastic way to get the most from a destination, with expert guides, packed itineraries and insights you may not get as an independent traveller.

If you would like to discuss a trip with Titan Travel or to Vietnam and Cambodia, please contact your local branch. Gayle can be found at Worldspan Travel, Ferndown.

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