Southeast Asian Odyssey

Seventeen nights through Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand, from Hanoi's Old Quarter and a night on Ha Long Bay to sunset at Angkor Wat and the temples of Bangkok.

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Angkor Wat Cambodia

This is a long, unhurried journey through three countries, and I like the way it balances guided days with time of your own. Flights from the UK and Ireland, internal flights, hotels with breakfast and the key visits are all arranged, so you can simply settle into each city in turn.

You begin with three nights in Hanoi. A guided day takes in the Temple of Literature, founded in 1070, a walk through the Old Quarter with its artisans' streets, a pause at a local market for coffee or tea, the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and House on Stilts, the One Pillar Pagoda and Hoa Lo Prison. The next day is free, with an optional excursion to the karst mountains, rice fields and waterways of Ninh Binh. Then it is out through the delta farmlands to board a traditional junk for a night on the water. Depending on conditions, the operator sails either Ha Long Bay or Lan Ha Bay, past limestone islets, caves and fishing villages, with lunch, dinner, an early Tai Chi session on deck and brunch the following morning.

A flight south brings you to Ho Chi Minh City for four nights. The guided day moves from the scents of a wet market to the War Remnants Museum, along the old Rue Catinat past the Opera House, Notre Dame Cathedral and the Central Post Office, into Chinatown and the incense of Thien Hau Temple, and finally to Ben Thanh Market. Two free days follow, with optional trips to the Cu Chi Tunnels or the orchards and canals of the Mekong Delta.

You cross into Cambodia by road, roughly five hours to Phnom Penh, with an optional flight if you would rather. Here a sobering morning at the Tuol Sleng Prison Museum and the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek gives real context to the country's recent history, and an optional afternoon visits the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda before a sunset boat on the Mekong. A further road journey of about six hours, or an optional flight, takes you to Siem Reap for four nights. The full day at Angkor is the heart of the trip: the serene stone faces of the Bayon, Baphuon, the Terraces of the Elephants and the Leper King, the roots of Ta Prohm, and Angkor Wat itself as the sun goes down. Free days allow for a home-hosted lunch in the countryside or a blessing ceremony and a boat across Tonle Sap Lake.

The journey closes with three nights in Bangkok, a more independent stage set at your own pace. A guided day covers Wat Phra Kaew and the Emerald Buddha, the Grand Palace, Wat Pho's Reclining Buddha and Wat Arun, finishing with a teakwood boat to Thonburi. Your final full day is free, perhaps for Ayutthaya or the railway and floating markets, before the flight home.

UK passport holders do not need a Vietnam visa, though a Cambodian visa is required and Thailand asks for a Digital Arrival Card in advance. I am happy to talk through hotel categories, flight upgrades or adding a few extra nights at either end.

Highlights

• A night aboard a traditional junk on Ha Long Bay or Lan Ha Bay
• Guided walk through Hanoi's Old Quarter and the Temple of Literature
• Markets, colonial landmarks and Chinatown in Ho Chi Minh City
• Bayon, Ta Prohm and sunset at Angkor Wat
• A thoughtful morning at Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek in Phnom Penh
• Bangkok's Grand Palace, Wat Pho and a teakwood boat to Thonburi
• Free days with optional trips to Ninh Binh, the Mekong Delta and Tonle Sap
• International and internal flights included from UK and Irish airports