Vietnam/Cambodia
Angkor Wat & the Mekong River: The Wonders of Cambodia & Vietnam
Program No. 19033RJ
On a riverboat voyage along the legendary Mekong River, meet the people and discover the places that make Vietnam and Cambodia two of the most fascinating countries in Southeast Asia.
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15 days
14 nights
33 meals
12B 11L 10D
1
In Transit to Program
In Flight
2
En Route
In Flight
3
Ho Chi Minh City, Welcome Dinner
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
4
Orientation, University Lecture, City Discovery
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
5
Free Time, Board Riverboat for Mekong Cruise
Mekong River - Vietnam
6
My Tho, Cai Be, Vinh Long
Sa Dec
7
Sa Dec, Sam Mountain, Chau Doc
Chau Doc
10
Royal Palace, National Museum, Kampong Tralach, Cart Ride
Kampong Chhnang
11
Kampong Chhnang, Floating Village, Tonle Sap Lake
Tonle Sap Lake
15
Program Concludes
In Flight
At a Glance
Watch in wonder as the natural beauty, historic temples and unique cultures of Southeast Asia come alive before your very eyes. Cast off on a riverboat journey along the mystic Mekong River as you discover gems in storied Vietnam and striking Cambodia. Sample scrumptious pho and other regional specialties, explore floating villages and spiritual landmarks, and spend three full days in Siem Reap, home to the remarkable Angkor Wat temple complex, all while examining how ever-changing modern culture is melding with centuries-old traditions and values along the way.
Activity Level
Keep the Pace
Keep the Pace: For people who can walk as much as two miles a day, perhaps to explore historic neighborhoods or a nature trail. Involves walking on uneven sidewalks and stairs without railings. Climbing ramps and stairs to board and get off boat. Hot and humid conditions.
Small Group
Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 13 to 24 participants.
Best of all, you’ll…
- Go ashore in traditional villages along the beautiful Mekong River to discover their cultural heritage and learn their way of life.
- Explore the magnificent temples of Angkor Wat with an expert.
- Learn about the cultures in both city and village life.
General Notes
Please note that some dates of this program operate in reverse, beginning in Siem Reap, Cambodia and ending in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
Suggested Reading List
(28 books)
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
Angkor Wat & the Mekong River: The Wonders of Cambodia & Vietnam
Program Number: 19033
Golden Bones, An Extraordinary Journey from Hell in Cambodia to a New Life in America
Full of determination and hope, this is a gripping memoir about author's family and idyllic childhood in Pochentong, and also, terrors of the Khmer Rouge and escape to freedom in America.
First They Killed My Father
A heart-wrenching historical autobiography that recounts the brutality of war with vivid detail. A story of political oppression in Cambodia, it is all the more striking and intense as it is told from the perspective of a child, one who is thrust into situations that she doesn't understand, as she is only five years old when the terror begins.
Vietnam, Rising Dragon
The veteran BBC newsman covers the tangled politics, rapidly changing economy, culture, history and people of Vietnam with great insight in this timely portrait of a nation in transition.
Vietnam, A Traveler's Literary Companion
From rain forest and rural countryside to the cities, these 17 stories from Vietnam's finest writers explore its landscapes, myths and changing traditions.
Temples of Cambodia, The Heart of Angkor
Jessup (Art and Architecture of Cambodia) provides the accompanying essays to this oversized portfolio of dazzling color images by Barry Brukoff, who has been photographing the monuments of Cambodia since 1963.
A History of Cambodia
An excellent, scholarly history from early civilization through the rise of Angkor, French colonial period, Vietnamization of Cambodia, Khmer Rouge and Coup de Force of 1997.
Art & Architecture of Cambodia
In the World of Art series. Illustrated overview of Angkor Wat, Banteay Srei and lesser-known recent discoveries in the surrounding jungle.
Arts of Southeast Asia
A handsome guide to the art, architecture, textiles and crafts of Southeast Asia.
Angkor and the Khmer Civilization
The author presents a concise but complete picture of Khmer cultural history from the Stone Age until the establishment of the French Protectorate in 1863, and is lavishly illustrated with maps, plans, drawings, and photographs.
Communion, A Culinary Journey Through Vietnam
Fay recounts in savory detail a five-week journey with two friends from Hanoi to Saigon in search of the traditions, rituals and pleasures of food from local markets and street foods to haute cuisine.
Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia Map
A convenient, double-sided map of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam at a scale of 1:1,500,000, with city maps of Hanoi, Vientiane, Ho Chi Minh City, Luang Prabang, and Phnom Penh. Includes the eastern portion of Thailand and Bangkok.
Lonely Planet Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos & the Greater Mekong
This compact practical guide covers the entire Mekong from the heights of Yunnan to Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.
The Road of Lost Innocence
Sold into servitude by her grandfather, Mam recounts the experiences of her early life, her awakening as an activist -- and work to rescue thousands of women and children in Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam and Laos.
A Traveller's History of Southeast Asia
A compact history of the region, including the Khmer and the various ancient kingdoms that produced Borobudur, Angkor and other architectural marvels.
Cambodia's Curse, The Modern History of a Troubled Land
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Joel Brinkley returns to Cambodia a generation after the fall of the Khmer Rouge regime to report on the country's continuing struggle to recover from its past.
Eyewitness Guide Vietnam and Angkor Wat
Featuring innovative site diagrams, local maps and hundreds of color photographs, this handy companion introduces the culture, history and attractions of Vietnam.
Angkor: An Introduction to the Temples
Rooney’s Angkor: An Introduction to the Temples has grown in girth over the years, but remains one of the most important and easy to understand guidebooks to the temples of Angkor. For those looking to gain some insight on the temples before they go, use the maps and legends to help them explore the
temples’ features while in the park, or read after returning home to increase their understanding, this is the book to buy.
To Cambodia With Love
In this insightful guide of works of 50 writers on the history, culture and attractions of Cambodia, including Khmer specialist Dawn Rooney (Odyssey Guide Angkor) and memoirist Loung Ung (First They Killed My Father).
Birds of Southeast Asia
This authoritative, masterfully illustrated guide, featuring 140 color plates covering 1,270 species throughout the region, also includes Malaysia, Burma, Borneo and Indonesia.
The Quiet American
A classic, this is the most famous Western work of fiction on Vietnam. Greene writes of a love triangle between a war correspondent, his Vietnamese consort and an optimistic young American during the last days of French rule.
A Cambodian Prison Portrait
There are many myths about the Khmer Rouge's bloodthirstiness and brutality, but there was at least one place where they all were real: Security Prison 21, the secret police's killing machine. Of the 14,000 or so prisoners who were brought there for questioning, only a handful survived. One of them was the artist Vann Nath (1946-2011). In this thin little book, he describes his horrifying year behind the barbed wired walls of S-21. This book ranks among the most important and strongest witness-stories of world literature.
The Mekong, Turbulent Past, Uncertain Future
A cultural history of the great river from prehistory to European exploration, colonial tensions and modern challenges. It's an engaging introduction to the history of Southeast Asia.
Fire in the Lake
A classic historical, political and cultural portrait of the Vietnam War, seen through the eyes of the Vietnamese. Winner of both the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award, FitzGerald, a staff writer at the New Yorker and a reporter in Vietnam, presents a vivid image of a revolution and a clear-sighted case for why the U.S offensive was doomed from the start.
A Dragon Apparent, Travels in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam
A classic account of travels and adventure during the last years of French Indochina, strong on atmosphere and including wonderfully detailed descriptions of local cultures and archaeological treasures. First published in 1951.
The River's Tale, A Year on the Mekong
A personal, probing chronicle of a 3,000 mile journey on the river from its source in China through Tibet, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia to the Mekong Delta in Vietnam.
The Gods Drink Whiskey
Asma writes with verve and wit in this eye-opening account of his yearlong stint teaching at the Buddhist Institute in Phnom Penh. His account is both an overview of Theravada Buddhism and a down-to-earth portrait of contemporary Cambodia.
Vietnam Journeys
Photographer and traveler Charles Fields portrays the cultures and landscapes of Vietnam from the World Heritage Site of Hue and the Phung Hiep floating market to its forests and coastline in stunning color photographs.
The Eaves of Heaven, A Life in Three Wars
Pham recounts the story of his father's life during the French occupation, Japanese invasion and the American War, weaving such momentous events with anecdotes from his childhood and details of family, friends, food and daily life.
