Tour vibrant Vietnam!
Add Laos and Cambodia for more vivid memories
UNFORGETTABLE experiences are everywhere in Vietnam. Some are sublime — waking on a traditional junk to watch the sun rise over karst limestone stacks in otherworldly Halong Bay, before being rowed among them in a sampan.
Others are culinary — seeing tasty elephant fish spring rolls being made at your table on Unicorn Island in the Mekong Delta, by a young woman clad in a turquoise traditional costume.
Many are inspirational. And some are funny or even ridiculous — wading through a sea of moving mopeds in Hanoi (they part like a school of fish to let you cross the road), or watching a scooter laden with squealing piglets wobble down a country road.
All around there’s so much colour, life and contrast — whether you are exploring a floating village, browsing a splashy fish stall at a riverside street market, or bending low to crawl through a small section of the Cu Chi Tunnels, in the footsteps of wartime Viet Cong.
No wonder Vietnam now tops so many bucket lists, giving visitors fabulous memories to carry home, along with their conical hats.
What’s more, it acts as a gateway to Cambodia’s Angkor Wat and Luang Prabang, in Laos, as well as Thailand, for those looking to complete a southeast Asia double or triple-header.
An escorted tour is an ideal way to travel around, and Mercury Holidays offers some of the best value trips, providing excellent guides who share so much about themselves, showing you their country like a local friend, while making sure everything runs smoothly.
TRAVEL the length of this stunning land from Saigon to Hanoi, seeing scenic villages, traditional floating markets, the colonial hilltop town of Dalat, Hoi An’s beautiful beaches and Japanese merchants’ homes, and the old imperial city of Hue on a 15-day Splendours of Vietnam itinerary (from £1,699).
MANY of these Vietnamese highlights, including timeless Halong Bay, can be combined with other Unescoprotected treasures on the Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia tour (16 days from £1,949).
The iconic spires of Angkor Wat are the heart and soul of Cambodia and seeing them for the first time is a spine-tingling moment.
This 12th-century icon is matched by few other places on earth.
Nearby Siem Reap is one of southeast Asia’s most beloved towns, with a rich supply of excellent hotels, restaurants and markets, and options to visit further extraordinary temples.
This tour also flies west to Laos and sleepy, ultra-romantic Luang Prabang, the jewel of Indochina.
Here, faded French colonial villas (some now boutique hotels) sit along- side 32 gilded Buddhist temples, while saffronrobed monks wander the streets and exquisite Gallic cuisine is served up by some of south-east Asia’s finest chefs.
ANOTHER incredible option is a Vietnam and Cambodia Odyssey (20 days from £2,149), which takes guests from Hanoi and Halong Bay, right down the coast of Vietnam, by train.
This incredible tour also includes a meditative three-night cruise from Saigon along the Mekong Delta.
See boats with ‘ eyes’ on the bows glide past, families hauling in fishing nets to flimsy craft, houses raised on stilts, paddy fields, floating villages and gilded temples, with stops to explore and meet local people.
On this tour, guests can experience Angkor Wat as the sun rises. Linger as the moon and first inklings of dawn reveal the wonder of this 12th-century temple, the creation of a god-king.