Vietnam/Cambodia
The People of the Mekong: Vietnam, Cambodia and Angkor Wat
Program No. 18681RJ
See More Photos
The People of the Mekong: Vietnam, Cambodia and Angkor Wat
The People of the Mekong: Vietnam, Cambodia and Angkor Wat
1 of 10
Participant Reviews
Based on 56 Reviews
SHOWING
The trip was excellent; however, it was the personal stories shared by Dung Nquyen (and seeing the adults affected by agent orange) that allowed me to feel a connection to the tragic history of Vietnam and Cambodia. Having an individual who lived through the country's recent history made the trip special for me.
Suggested improvements.
Understanding that we had to get from point A to point B either via a bus or boat the trip would have been improved if we had the opportunity to stop and see/visit workers in rural areas during these transit periods. We drove through areas of rice fields but, we didn't have the opportunity to stop in appreciate them closely and quietly. While on the Chau Doc we did have the opportunity to travel down a narrow stretch of a river and take a short walk through a residential area, but I had a more personal experience on a paid excursion to Tan Chau as we were able to walk through a smaller village and get a more up close look at the Muslim community.
— Review left February 23, 2026
The People of the Mekong: Vietnam, Cambodia and Angkor Wat trip was eye opening, thought provoking and helped me understand what Vietnam and Cambodia endured over the years of conflicts. Though it occurred in my lifetime, I never really understood what took place. This trip opened my eyes to the impact of the conflicts as well as what the countries are doing today moving forward. It was insightful and excellently run. I highly recommend it.
— Review left February 9, 2026
This was a remarkable trip that gave me a deep appreciation for a part of the world I knew little about. The history, sights, culture, people, and food were all wonderful and I would highly recommend this trip to others seeking to understand a region with a complex, fascinating, and sometimes troubled history.
— Review left February 2, 2026
I have another email and will now open another Road Scholar account with that email:
janethskw@yahoo.com. I have not used this community process before and will do so now.
Disregard above..
The Road Scholar tour was remarkable for introducing me to the smells, tastes, sounds, stories, trees, foods, toilets, textures, streets, river tributaries, the rice deltas, the dawn at Angkor Wat, the lights on Ha Long Bay at night, the sorrow in the War Remembrance Museum in Phnom Penh, the brilliant colors at the markets, and the scenes from the windows of our travel busses and boats. Our tour guide was experienced and shared his own personal stories to give us insight to the different generations of people we met and saw. An enjoyable group, we were fortunate to have smooth connections to sites that were sometimes overwhelming in startling rock formations, intricate artistry in sculpture, and shock in the reality of wars and remains of wars. The museums we visited were alive with history and our connection to it.
Using the audio devices was easy, they worked well, allowing us to be in the shade in the hot and humid climate. Food and water were available and the longer stretches of travel by bus allowed for some respite from culture overload. I learned that prices at the hotels for laundry were extremely reasonable. Our guide assisted with dietary variances as he was probably an excellent cook himself and knew sauce and broth ingredients well. Rooms and beds were great.
I appreciate that the pace of the trip was brisk, but gave stimulating exposure to the culture as well as to sites. Because of the awesome nature of the architectural sites, feeling overwhelmed and wishing for more time could not be avoided. On another visit in a future time, soaking in the culture might be possible, and the visit this time leaves us wanting for more, as it should.
— Review left December 18, 2025
I couldn’t go back and evaluate the hotel accommodations which are excellent except the hot water issues at Poulo Wai hotel in Pnom Penh.
— Review left December 10, 2025
This is a great comprehensive program of two countries. It has two UNESCO. Sites. They are very interesting.
— Review left December 8, 2025
Road Scholar's program in Vietnam and Cambodia greatly exceeded my expectations.They are exquisitely
beautiful countries with rich and vivid cultures.
Our tour leader, Duong's, great love for his country and love of his profession were evident in his enthusiastic rendering of Vietnam's poignant history.. He has a hilarious sense of humor and which provided us with levity that counterbalanced our poignant education..
Our guide in Cambodia, Samol, was terrific. He was very knowledgeable about Siem Riep and his presentation lively . He also had a few tricks up his sleeve, which I am not going to divulge!
And the food!!!Say no more!!!
— Review left November 20, 2025
Most people book a trip after reviewing an itinerary, & this one hit every mark: learning tai chi aboard a Vietnamese junk in mystical Halong Bay, earning our certifications in the fun cooking class at celebrated Madame Tuyet’s Restaurant, seeing every step in silk production from lowly worms to watching women weave shimmering scarves at a rural silk farm & becoming modern archaeologists exploring Angkor Wat & other temple ruins.
Road Scholar takes all the worrisome stress out of traveling in style, from old world charm Victoria Chau Doc Hotel literally footsteps from Hau River (we walked to board boats to cruise the Mekong Delta, past floating houses & temples) to spacious Poulo Wai Apartment in Phnom Penh where our balcony overlooked a modern skyline lit by huge fireworks which gilded temple rooftops amid downtown skyscrapers.
And the food! Locally sourced fresh ingredients & the most fantastic menus of exotic dishes we would’ve hesitated to try on our own are now dishes we long for at home.
But where RS & our phenomenal tour guide Duong really shine are the “extras”. Duong’s touching stories of living through the Vietnam War, the losses he & others endured while struggling to survive really made that dark time much more meaningful than half-forgotten television coverage. He always kept a smile on his face & gladness in his heart as he worked so hard to make sure we made lasting memories: walking through rice paddies & rubber tree farms as he explained how each are grown & harvested, arranging for us to go to Catholic Mass in Vietnamese, & taking tranquil paddle boats through a bird sanctuary at dusk to climb a tower & witness the most glorious golden sunset! At sobering interrogation center S-21, we spoke with an actual survivor who relived his memories of living through Pol Pot’s regime, perhaps a once in a lifetime experience.
If you are ready to meet incredibly friendly, welcoming Asians & make your own lasting memories, then this is the trip for you!
— Review left November 20, 2025
This was a fabulous trip! Our guide was extraordinary and the program contained a wide range of experiences, including a terrific cooking class and contact with many locals. I highly recommend this program!
— Review left November 20, 2025
I highly recommend The People of the Mekong: Vietnam, Cambodia, and Anghor Wat. I experienced the scenic beauty of this area, the joy of learning with like-minded intelligent people, the sadness of the effects of the Vietnam War and Pol Pot's Kmer Rouge, and a broad range of experiences.
— Review left November 15, 2025
This was an incredible trip! I highly recommend!
— Review left November 13, 2025
A thoroughly fantastic trip. Exposure to the wonderful people of both Vietnam and Cambodia with samplings of foods and ways of life, learning about their history, culture, religion and way of life by lectures, tours, hands on events and a broad array of different activities. I am saturated from
This awesome experience and feel that my outlook on life has been expanded.
— Review left November 11, 2025
Recommendations of what to pack for whether should be part of the materials.
— Review left November 6, 2025
My trip to Vietnam and Cambodia was excellent! Would do it all over again. Beautiful Countries with amazing people. I'm so thankful I had Dung as a guide. He made my trip beyond wonderful.
— Review left March 12, 2025
I highly recommend this program. Excellent itinerary, group leader and other participants made this a remarkable educational experience. I especially liked understanding more about the Vietnam War and the impact on both the North and the South. It was a rich cultural experience!
— Review left March 3, 2025
We thoroughly enjoyed our trip. The other tour participants were interesting, the weather was perfect, the management of connections etc. was smooth, the accommodation of dietary restrictions/preferences was thoughtful and the lectures were interesting. The itinerary was good too.
I do have some recommendations.
1) Trip-specific instructions would be helpful rather than generic instructions that can be sent to different trip participants. For example, instructions for the specific entry/exit dates for visas should be given as well as the port names.
2) A list of trip participants would be helpful to learn peoples' names.
3) I suggest that the trip itinerary include at least a 2 hour visit to the National Museum in Siem Reap before going to any of the temples.
4) I think it would be helpful if RS told the guides that they should not talk ALL the time on the bus; some periods of quiet are restful and appreciated by the tour participants!
5) I recommend that RS include in the instructions information about "GRAB" which is the local version of Uber/Lyft.
Thank you!
— Review left January 31, 2025
We were more than pleased with our recent Road Scholar trip to Vietnam and Cambodia. The guides were excellent and the educational aspects were interesting and very informative. I would highly recommend Road Scholar tours for those who are culturally curious and adventurous.
— Review left January 30, 2025
Amazing trip to Vietnam and Cambodia! The tour guide was exceptional with knowledge of the people, history and culture as well as the entire tour was well organized and very informative.
— Review left December 27, 2024
Above and beyond the rich historical and cultural immersion in the area of South East Asia, I was enriched by the remarkable resilience of warm and gentle people so affected by decades and even centuries of wars. It was an eye opener and a lesson in the what is best in human spirit.
— Review left March 4, 2024
Wonderful Geography, Wonderful Culture, Wonderful People, wonderful Tour! Highly recommended :)
— Review left February 20, 2024
The trip was wonderful. Our group leader, Long, was the glue keeping us laughing, helping us through minor issues and holding us together and on time. I can't say enough about how kind, lovingly helpful and attentive he was to our needs.
The itinerary kept us busy learning and experiencing, not just the sites, but the people and their lives. Long served as a knowledgable and enthusiastic guide through Vietnam. We had two supplemental fantastic lectures from University Professors while there. When we got to Cambodia, we were joined by a marvelous additional guide from that country and were treated to a fascinating lecture from a local
journalist.
The experiences were unforgettable; shopping for food and making our lunch in Hanoi, dodging motor scooters as we crossed busy streets, moving through vast caves and sailing through restful waters in beautiful Halong Bay, crawling through narrow tunnels in the CuChi jungle, musing over the sad tragedy of the killing fields, patiently awaiting a spiritual sunrise at dawn before the moat at Ankor Wat and scaling the steep steps into its central tower with a group of Buddhist Monks.
Throughout, the accommodations were spacious and comfortable. The food was plentiful, authentic and delicious. All transfer and travel arrangements rolled out seamlessly. We had Road Scholar arrange our travel, and, if I have one negative, it was that our flight home contained a 9.5 hour layover in Singapore we were prepared for and a 2 hour layover between NY and Singapore we hadn't been told about, making the trip home stretch to nearly 45 hours .
This was our first Road Scholar Trip. If it was any indication of their overall quality and care, it certainly won't be our last.
Barry and Colette
— Review left February 12, 2024
This was our first experience with Road Scholar and we are already planning our next adventure. Our group leader, Long, made shepherding 21 people through a trip that included bus rides, cruises, and flights between cities, look easy. The lecturers were so interesting and the sites well chosen. Our hotels were of uniformly good quality and the food excellent. Best of all, we enjoyed our time with our fellow travelers. What a wonderful group of people!
— Review left February 7, 2024
Go to Vietnam and Cambodia and try to get Kong as your guide!
— Review left February 4, 2024
Where would we be without Road Scholar: A Beautiful Thing
— Review left January 24, 2024
This trip was amazing! It provided a great understanding of both countries' experiences through the years in several ways: 1) our insightful and inspiring tour leader, Pham Thuy Duong, who shared personal experiences and had great organizational skills; 2) structured opportunities to talk with locals (students, academics, artisans) who added color to the overall experience; 3) striking a good balance between structured activities (from museums and historical sites to natural wonders) and blocks of free time to explore; and 4) the diversity of what we saw, from 1000 year old ruins to cities with five million motor scooters, from a rural silk farm to gorgeous Halong Bay. The food and hotels were excellent (and they accommodated a pescatarian diet with no problem). We would recommend this trip and our trip leader to anyone wanting to learn more about this complex region.
— Review left January 3, 2024
I found this tour exceptional - I learned so much about the region, the history, art, culture and food. Every detail was well-planned and the timing was very good. I found the pace and the activity levels just right. It made me want to go back to the region and explore further. I met many new friends and am already keeping in touch with them. Highly recommend.
— Review left December 26, 2023
WE were kept very busy, but had leisure time as well. I learned a great deal about the history and culture of the two countries we visited.
— Review left November 1, 2023
This was a wonderful trip - even better than I thought it could be. I learned so much about both countries, their history and present day living. Long was an excellent tour guide. He was always so thoughtful of everyone and particularly thoughtful to the ones that became ill during the trip. Of all my Road Scholar trips he’s been the best guide. All of the hotel accommodations were great, and the food was excellent! The highlights of the trip for me was the trip through the Hanoi market and cooking class, and then the tour of the Cu Chi tunnels. I enjoyed Cambodia but the killing fields, and torture camp left a pall over the country for me. Pol Pot was continually mentioned until we reached Siem Reap.
— Review left March 21, 2023
Great trip. A lot of walking and stairs, but the really strenuous, taxing things are optional. To use a 60s term, quite a mind expanding trip.
— Review left March 2, 2023
A fascinating and instructive program. Wonderful guide, small group, fast pace but as a result covered a lot in available time. Educational and instructive, learn a lot about history, politics, current conditions, and relationships between countries in the region.
— Review left December 21, 2022
I would never have understood the complex history of Vietnam and Cambodia as well as I do now without this 2 week exploration of these countries. And being there and meeting the people of today allows me to answer questions I’ve had about this area since the 1960s when it was in our news daily.
— Review left December 20, 2022
This was a wonderful trip. It was well organized and so educational. The accommodations and restaurants were exceptional and all of the field trips were really insightful. By nature of the countries, it was definitely more educational than "touristy", Both Vietnam and Cambodia have had very tragic pasts and some of the sights, such as the Killing Fields were quite somber but necessary in order to understand the history of these countries. The leaders did an excellent job of presenting their histories objectively but with great passion. I would highly recommend this trip for anyone with interest in this part of the world.the
— Review left November 22, 2022
you may share my evaluation
— Review left March 25, 2020
I would like to be able to save my User ID and Password so I don't have to go through that process every time I pull up the site. If that is already able to be done, I've missed it.
— Review left March 5, 2020
This was a great trip. Duong, our trip leader, was wonderful! The Vietnamese and Cambodian people were wonderful and welcoming of Americans. Some visits on the agenda are heartrending and emotional, but the resilience of the Vietnamese and Cambodian people is uplifting. Highly recommended!
NOTE: This trip occurred during the Corona virus outbreak, but I felt very comfortable during the trip and came away believing that travel in both countries is not unduly risky.
— Review left March 1, 2020
This was an excellent learning adventure for me of a totally different culture. Every day was another adventure in seeing and learning...even the sounds on the streets were different and exciting....the food was excellent.
— Review left February 27, 2020
This program is topnotch, regarding educational information conveyed, group leadership, sites visited, diversity of cultural experiences, accommodations and meals.
— Review left February 13, 2020
Road Scholar, you hit it out of the park again!! This was my third RS sponsored trip, and you will have me as a participant for life.
— Review left January 27, 2020
I submitted a review earlier, but I forgot to include a few points.
1. The visit to a silk farm in Cambodia was very disappointing. The owner seemed far more interested in our making donations than in teaching us about silk production. The silk she made was very low quality but very high-priced compared to the silk we found in other venues.
2. We did not get to the fishing village in Halong Bay - also very disappointing. The boat was hardly a traditional Vietnamese Junk as the agenda stated; however, it was a lovely boat ride and the crew was truly exceptional.
3. My son, who accompanied me on this trip, had to pay an extra $40 to Cambodian officials at the border to gain entry. Although he had four empty pages, one was for endorsements, and the official said he needed to pay an extra "visa fee." This in spite of the fact that the Cambodian visa only takes up one page.
4. Independently, some of the group attended a performance by the Bamboo Players. It was excellent and would be a better choice than the water puppet show. Both shows feature traditional music, which was a highlight of the trip for me.
5. I also very much enjoyed the traditional Cambodian dancing.
— Review left January 25, 2020
You will not get bored on the Road Scholar tours. The tour guides are very knowledgeable. From the time you arrive till you depart everything is taken care of. The accommodations are excellent and you will get a great variety of the local cuisine.
— Review left December 9, 2019
Our trip was exceptionally well organized and enjoyable and informative. Our leader, Long N, was a wonderful leader and true asset to our trip.
— Review left November 27, 2019
We were a little hesitant to go on an organized tour as we have usually traveled on our own, but we had a great experience on our first Road Scholar trip. The company pays attention to details and it shows in the organization. The educational experiences are a delightful addition to the usual tour. We highly recommend Road Scholar for your travel plans.
— Review left November 26, 2019
Just completed the "People of the Mekong" tour of Vietnam and Cambodia, and highly recommend it !!
— Review left November 23, 2019
This is an absolutely wonderful program. It includes educational, historical, cultural, and experiential opportunities throughout the journey. Ha Long Bay an Angkor Wat were initial areas of interest, but the other experiences were just as enriching as well. I returned with a greater understanding of this region of the world and am looking forward to my next travel opportunity.
— Review left November 22, 2019
The most difficult part of this adventure is traveling to the destination. However, it is all worth it for this incredible experience. Our Vietnamese guide, Quyen, stayed with the group throughout the entire trip which provided continuity for our group. The history, current events, experiences, food etc., exceeded expectations. Quyen took such good care of everyone making our comfort level very high in a unique culture.
Both Vietnam and Cambodia left an unforgettable impression and created a desire to learn more and keep up with current events related to both countries. Do not hesitate to take this trip. The travel is doable. Many went a day early which was very helpful after long travel times.
— Review left June 1, 2019
This trip exceeded all my expectations. An outstanding adventure!
— Review left March 29, 2019
Best trip ever! Quyen was the best tour leader ever! If you want to immerse yourself in the history, culture and people of Vietnam and Cambodia, you will love the trip. As an American I wanted to know more about the "American" War and the atrocities committed by Pol Pot. And the 1 1/2 days on a beautiful boat in Halong Bay will never be forgotten.
— Review left March 17, 2019
This truly was a trip of a lifetime. I highly recommend it to all US citizens
— Review left March 13, 2019
Just returned from a great trip to Vietnam and Cambodia, including Hanoi, Halong Bay, Saigon, Phnom Penh and Angkor Wat. Very well organized, ran smoothly, most informative and exciting. I will recommend it to anyone.
— Review left March 12, 2019
This was a fantastic and life-changing trip with a superb guide. The pace was fast in terms of having a lot of varied activities scheduled into the days. The participants were well-traveled, interesting and welcoming. As a suggestion, there should be an add-on to this trip such as Thailand and/or Hong Kong for diversity and contrast to Vietnam and Cambodia.
— Review left March 12, 2019
Vietnam and Cambodia are beautiful countries with much to share. The people are so wonderful and inviting and there is so much to learn, see and do. It's a trip for those who have no knowledge of the region or those who do. This was an amazing adventure!
— Review left March 9, 2019
The Road Scholar trip to Vietnam and Cambodia was a wonderful blend of education, entertainment, cultural appreciation, natural beauty and congeniality. It makes me want to see more of SE Asia!
— Review left February 27, 2019
This was my first Road Scholar trip and will be a hard act to follow. I am already researching the catalog for my next trip! Our tour leader, Quyen, was fantastic and Vietnam and Cambodia were fascinating countries to visit and learn more about. Highly recommended if you are an adventurous traveler interested in learning.
— Review left February 26, 2019
This trip was very well organized and enlightening. We saw a lot and learned a lot. For us the value exceeded the cost.
— Review left February 6, 2019
Road Scholar gave us an excellent and informative experience with the People of the Mekong from Halong Bay to Angkor Wat. Exceptionally planned and organized, we learned an immense amount of history and cultural development in Viet Nam and Cambodia. A very good value.
— Review left February 4, 2019
People of the Mekong is outstanding. Great itinerary, great execution. A must for Americans seeking a better understanding of Southeast Asia.
— Review left January 14, 2019