Vietnam and the Temples of Angkor

There is not enough to do in Vietnam for the number of days given. Less days. Halong Bay does not need to be overnight. It could be omitted altogether. Cambodia was spot on. Travel director was great, except he made a joke about domestic violence which shocked me.

This was a two part trip with the majority (10 days) spent in Vietnam and three days spent in Cambodia. The Cambodia itinerary/trip changed my life. The tour director provided many personal experiences that we would never have had otherwise. We visited a Buddhist monastery, met with a Buddhist monk who answered questions on what his life is like and then received a blessing. We visited amazing temples that date back to the year 1200 with a knowledgeable scholar in the field. We visited farming villages and experienced how the locals live and saw a traditional Cambodian dance. The hotel was beautiful, clean and comfortable; the food was delicious. Vietnam was slightly different. Many of the included activities (water puppet show, visit to the HoChiMinh Mausoleum, enamel art, silk making) were not available. The itinerary was actually significantly different from the Trafalgar itinerary the group expected. Fortunately it was a small group (22) because the TD seemed to have difficulty keeping track of the group. We left someone in the hotel on the first day and lost someone at the Bana Hill (Golden Hands Bridge). The Vietnam War Museum and the cooking class at Red Bridge were outstanding. I do not recommend the optional activities. They are definitely overpriced.

The Itinerary was well paced. I did find that the Vietnam tour had a few elements of being very political and anti American. When we were at the Cu Chi tunnels we had to watch a 20 minute pro Viet Cong anti American movie filmed in 1967 and at the farewell dinner we had to watch a 9 minute anti-american movie re the ending of the war then we sat down for our farewell dinner( I had no appetite after the movie) I felt this was not necessary and we had no choice in the matter. I have been on two other Trafalgar tours, one in eastern Europe, and yes we have gone to areas of where war took place and it was part of the tour but in Vietnam it was very much in the foreground and as important as this history is I would have preferred it to be handled differently.

This was an amazing trip, full of surprises. Lantern making, speed boat rides, cooking classes, all memorable experiences. Our TD in Vietnam, was excellent and I'm sure we will always remember him.

It was very tiring but very interesting The guide in Vietnam “”was excellent and very caring especially with the less mobile members You should definitely mention that this trip involves a lot of walking often over uneven surfaces