Vietnam and Cambodia (September 6-22, 2025)

We decided to book a Mekong River Cruise from Siem Reap Cambodia to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Because it was a long way to travel, we added a week of travel/sightseeing before the cruise started.

Here is our itinerary:

• Days 1-2: Fly from Phoenix to San Francisco, then connect in Tokyo, before flying to Hanoi.
• Day 3: Recover from jet lag and sightsee in Hanoi.
• Day 4: Book a day trip to Ninh Binh
• Days 5-7: Take a 2n/3d Halong Bay/Lan Ha Bay Cruise
• Day 8: Spend morning in Hanoi before flying to Siem Reap, Cambodia in the afternoon.
• Day 9: Visit Angkor Wat

• Day 10: Begin 7-night AmaWaterways Riches of the Mekong Cruise - Depart from Kampong Cham (about a 5 hour drive from Siem Reap).
• Day 11: Morning-visit Angkor Ban, and Afternoon- visit Oknha Tey Village (Silk Island) and local school
• Day 12: Phnom Penh - Morning- vist Royal Palace and Central Market  Afternoon- Visit S21 Detention Center and Killing Fields 
• Day 13: Phnom Penh - Visit Oudong Buddist Monastery
• Day 14: Relax on the river cruise and cross into Vietnam
• Day 15: Morning- Visit Tra Su Forest and Sanctuary
• Day 16: Morning- Visit Sa Dec local market and Lover'sHouse. Afternoon- visit Cai Be candy and rice paper workshop 
• Day 17: End of river cruise. Get transported to Ho Chi Minh City and spend day sightseeing
• Day 18: Fly from Ho Chi Minh City to Tokyo, then connect in San Francisco before flying home to Phoenix.

Day 8: Hanoi / Travel to Siem Reap

Day 8:

Last night Steve realized he forgot his seat cushion on the van from HaLong Bay to Hanoi. Luckily, the driver found it and delivered it to our hotel early this morning.

We then headed across the road (the place with the red and white umbrella) for one last massage before leaving (foot for me, and body/back for Steve).

The flight to Siem Reap was uneventful and we were glad to arrive to the hotel (The Community – Siem Reap ) in Siem Reap.

The suite room was gorgeous 

And since we needed to be out the door by 5 am in the morning for our sunrise tour, we ate dinner at the hotel restaurant.

Green papaya salad

Dragon fruit cocktail 

The entry/restaurant area

Day 9: Siem Reap / Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat Jeep Tour

Today was an early start with the jeep tour (Tours by Jeeps Cambodia) picking us up at 5 am. It was still dark and lightly raining outside.

Our first stop was Angkor Wat. We lined up outside to try to see it in the sunrise. Unfortunately the clouds and rain didn't lend to a visible sunrise.

At 6 am, we were allowed inside. We spent the next 2 hours with the guide exploring the the temples, carvings, and different areas, while it sprinkled on and off.

We then got back in the jeep and went to a small family restaurant for breakfast. It was simple (omelet, toast and fruit) and it was delicious.

After breakfast, we headed to the "tomb raider" temple of  Ta Prohm temple. 

This temple is overgrown by jungle trees and vines, with many parts of the temple crumbling to the ground.

The area was covered in moss and had big trees with strangler figs.

After that, Steve was allowed to drive down country roads

to the entrance Angkor Thom, 

Here, the stone sculptures depicted demons and deities and included the Terrace of Elephants.

 After roaming around Angkor Thom, we took a short break to enjoy fresh coconuts and fruit. At this point, I wasn't feeling well (probably a combo of lack of sleep, being damp, and heat/humidity exhaustion)

Steve was allowed to drive to the next temple, Bayon. 

I started to go in,

but wasn't feeling well, so found a nice stone to sit on in the shade while Steve and the guide visited the temple. 

We then went to lunch at a small family restaurant. I had the beef lok lak and Steve had fish amok. Half way through we switched meals (I liked his better).

We drove past a few more temples then returned to the hotel.

After showering and relaxing for a bit, we arranged for massages from our hotel. It was a bit weird, since they did them in your room. I had a 90 minute foot massage (not as good as in Hanoi) and Steve had a 90 minute hot oil massage (he thought it was the best one yet).

After the massage, Steve took a tuk tuk tour of the town.

We then decided to have dinner at our hotel. We split a spring roll appetizer and shared a shrimp Khmer curry. The curry was delicious!!

We then headed to bed and get ready to join the river cruise tomorrow.

Day 10: Begin Mekong River Cruise

 Day 10: 

We took a tuk tuk across the road to the Sofitel to check in for our cruise. During the 5-hour bus ride, we saw more of Cambodia today as we traveled from Siem Reap to Kampong Cham to start our Mekong River cruise with Amawaterways. 

busy markets

lotus ponds

farms

villages

To top it off, we stopped at a 7-11 that had an assortment of "roadside attraction" animals!!! 

We had lunch on the boat, then checked into our cabin. We got an upgrade (same cabin layout but better location) to 112 instead of 103.

We got settled in, went to a meeting to learn about excursions, then had dinner. Food isn't bad but hasn't impressed me so far.

 

Day 11: Angkor Ban / Oknha Tey

 Day 11: 

This morning we woke up early to loud chanting from the Buddhist temple on the river bank at Angkor Ban.

because of this we saw a beautiful sunrise 

and even a rainbow.

During breakfast the ship docked in the village, so we could have a 1.5 hour walk/tour.

We saw the temple (outside only)

some monks

grasshopper farming (for food)

Stilted houses

Banana trees

I also bought a traditional khmer scarf ($3)

After lunch, we moved further south to visit Oknha Tey Village (Silk Island) 

We saw silkworms 

and their lifecycle 

then watched the caccoons get added to hot water to spin the silk

and then saw how fabric is made on a hand loom.

After that, we visited a local elementary school (no pictures to respect the childrens' privacy) and helped the students practice speaking English.

On the walk back to the ship, we passed lots of family shrines - and were told these can range from $8K USD to nearly $100K. The ones pictured cost $40-60K!!

Once we were back on the ship, some rowers passed us.

Then we showered, had dinner, and ended the evening with massages.