A Southeast Asia Journey: Singapore, Vietnam and Cambodia

Southeast Asia is a region brimming with contrasts, history and unique beauty. When deciding which countries to explore, I crafted an itinerary combining land and water experiences as the key to uncovering each area’s distinctive soul.

Some countries like Japan, China and Thailand merit in-depth exploration on their own, as I had discovered on previous visits to the region.

Others meld better into a multi-country journey with overlapping history and geography. For this Southeast Asia trip, I booked the “Essence of Vietnam, Cambodia & Luxury Mekong” program with Scenic Luxury Cruises and Tours, complemented by my own addition of Singapore and additional days in Hanoi.

Singapore: Modern Marvel in the Heart of Southeast Asia

I began my journey with a land-based exploration of Singapore, an ideal starting point in Southeast Asia, thanks to its well-connected Changi Airport. Known for its clean streets, rich society and striking architecture, Singapore presents a juxtaposition of futuristic innovation and colonial history.

The city-state’s skyline is instantly recognizable, with the Marina Bay Sands Hotel standing as its crown jewel. This three-tower architectural wonder is topped by a spaceship-like structure that serves as the world’s most famous infinity pool. It was the breathtaking setting for the closing scene in Crazy Rich Asians.

Grab a front-row spot at the nearby Sands SkyPark Observation Deck® for a panoramic city view and the nightly light and water show. Nearby, the surreal SuperTrees at Gardens by the Bay sparkle to classical music during the Garden Rhapsody performance.

While modern marvels immediately catch your eye, Singapore’s colonial charms are just as captivating.

Stay Like a Celebrity in Singapore

I booked a suite at the iconic Raffles Singapore, a Neo-Renaissance-style hotel that has welcomed celebrities and literary figures since 1887. The newly renovated hotel was named after Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, the British founder of modern Singapore.

The white hotel and its renowned turbaned doormen—particularly “The General” with his curving mustache—make for memorable photo ops.

A tour led by the hotel’s historian unveils Raffles’ rich past, showcasing corridors filled with photographs of royal guests and VIPs.

Spacious suite accommodations in the main building and along Raffles’ grand courtyard feature lavish furnishings, cushy bedding and old-world opulence.

Current-day amenities like touch-controlled lighting and automatic shades ensure a tranquil retreat from outside life. A butler is available to cater to any request.

Raffles’ spa, rooftop pool and expansive gym offer respite from Singapore’s steamy weather. If you’re seeking shopping therapy instead, the Raffles Arcade doesn’t disappoint with high-end options and a nicely curated souvenir shop.

Delicious Dining at Raffles

Dining at the hotel is a high-end tour through Singapore’s ethnic influences. Afternoon Tea in the Grand Lobby – served beneath a gorgeous skylit atrium and accompanied by a classical harpist – remains true to the hotel’s colonial roots.

For dinner, Butcher’s Block offers wood-fired meats from an open kitchen, Tiffin Room showcases North Indian cuisine and yì by Jereme Leung presents provincial Chinese creations with dramatic flair. Be sure to try the messy, sweet-vinegary chilli crabs beloved in Singapore – you’ll appreciate the bib provided.

An opulent breakfast buffet is served indoors and on the outdoor patio, highlighted by Singaporean favorites like kaya toast and laksa.

Top off your culinary experience with a Singapore Sling at Raffles’ legendary Long Bar. The sweet, red cocktail was invented there in 1915, allowing women to discreetly imbibe what looked like a harmless fruit punch.

Toss your peanut shells onto the floor and ask to spin the original green “sling” machine – it’s a step back in time.

Book your stay at Raffles

Cultural Tours in Singapore

For a deeper dive into Singaporean culture, Raffles’ concierges can arrange tours of the city’s Malay, Chinese and Indian neighborhoods, as well as evening boat rides to view the city in its illuminated glory.

The night safari at the Mandai Wildlife Reserve is a chance to see nocturnal creatures in a “natural” habitat. Fuel up for the long ride there with an aperitif at Raffles’ Writers Bar and a visit to a hawker market to sample Hainanese chicken rice, a local staple.

To navigate Singapore’s vibrant food scene, Raffles provides a hawker-market walking tour app detailing must-try dishes with guidance for easy ordering. My personal favorites were the People’s Park Food Centre with its mainly Chinese stalls, and the Maxwell Food Centre’s Tian Tian, a Michelin-acknowledged favorite of Anthony Bourdain and Gordon Ramsay.

For an even deeper foodie experience, I highly recommend Singapore Foodsters’ “Livin’ Da Local Experiences” tour. This tour combines multicultural eats with neighborhood visits at stops.

Stops include Chinatown’s Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and its Maitreya Buddha (future Buddha), the Tekka Place market in Little India and Kampong Glam’s Sultan Mosque in the heart of the Malay community. Organizer Gerry Tan knows all the cool places.

Vietnam: Land of History and Beauty

From Singapore, my journey continued to Vietnam, where I spent several days on my own before joining the Scenic group. Beginning in the capital city of Hanoi, I was treated to an eye-opening introduction to this diverse country rich in history, resilience and cultural depth.

I started my visit at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi, the city’s first luxury hotel. Developed by French entrepreneurs Gustave-Émile Dumoutier and André Ducamp and opened in 1901, this French Colonial gem survived the turbulent years of the Vietnam War, known here as the American War.

The hotel’s bunker even served as a safe haven for guests like Joan Baez during air raids — ask the concierge to arrange a hardhat tour.

Chaos and Contrasts in Hanoi

Today, The Grand Métropole Hotel (its original name) is a beautifully restored masterpiece with a rich history you can explore on the hotel’s “Path of History.” Walking through halls adorned with photographs of famous guests and relics from the colonial and war eras is a powerful reminder of Vietnam’s complex past.

Hanoi is a city of contrasts, old and new, with very much its own rhythm. The city’s bustling streets are an experience in and of themselves, with chaotic “I dare you to cross the road” traffic, crowded sidewalks, and aromas of street food wafting from small outdoor grills.

Exploring on foot became a game for me, admiring the cultural idiosyncrasies while avoiding packs of motorcycles and weaving rickshaws.

Strolling through the Old Quarter, I dove into the chaos with a quick bánh cuón (rice roll) at an open-air stall and a strong (and sweet) Vietnamese coffee at Sofitel’s acclaimed La Terrasse.

Energized by the caffeine and the street energy, I braved the crazy traffic and headed to nearby Binh Minh’s Jazz Club for some evening entertainment.

A Food Tour in Hanoi is a Must

Even more adventurous, a nighttime Vespa tour zipped among cars, rickshaws and motorcycles to the French Quarter for a street food experience of egg coffee (really delicious), spring rolls, and bún chả.

I savored the grilled pork and rice soup famously enjoyed by Anthony Bourdain and President Barack Obama while sitting on small plastic stools at the shophouse restaurant Bún chá Hu’o’ng Liên. Playing the tourist part, I snapped a photo of the couple’s actual table, now preserved behind plastic on the upper floor.

Scenic introduced the city with a variety of “calmer” excursions as well. A visit to the infamous Hỏa Lò Prison, where American POWs were incarcerated, provided a sobering, self-guided walk through what was sarcastically known as the “Hanoi Hilton.”

An electric car tour through the Old Quarter circled the city’s central Hoàn Kiêm Lake and neo-European-style Opera House, another testament to the city’s early French history.

In the area known as “36 Streets,” the car navigated the warren of narrow streets where vendors specialize in gold, silver and more. The experience finished with a behind-the-scenes water puppetry experience, a Scenic exclusive.

Cities, Bays and Markets

As I journeyed south, the Scenic tour transitioned from land to the waters of Halong Bay. A two-day cruise aboard the cozy Au Co vessel sailed slowly through this UNESCO-recognized region, passing dramatic limestone karsts, hidden caves and the floating village of Cua Van. Morning Tai Chi on the upper deck was an especially serene start to the day.

Back on land, visits to Danang, Hue and Hoi An gave me insight into the country’s smaller towns. I met farm workers and fishermen by day and tried my skill at net casting (I failed) and learning Vietnamese (I learned a few key words).

I was more successful in the evening, scoring souvenirs at night markets dazzling with brightly colored lanterns and tailor-made clothing at bargain prices and enjoying the irresistible flavors of Vietnam’s signature bánh mì sandwich.

Historic Ho Chi Minh City

The historical and cultural immersion continued in Ho Chi Minh City, the name for Saigon since 1976. Here,  I explored the Reunification Palace (also called Independence Palace) and War Remnants Museum, gaining a deeper understanding of the Vietnam War’s impact.

The museum’s upper floor is a somber pictorial reminder of the horrors of Agent Orange and the fearlessness of US media in the midst of battle. Outside, tanks, planes and other leftovers from the war are equally disturbing.

At the Caravelle Hotel, history came to life again with a photo and news gallery dedicated to correspondents who stayed at the hotel during the war.

For a visceral wartime experience, I visited actual minefields and crawled through the Củ Chi tunnels used by the Viet Cong to protect themselves during combat.

Dodging Saigon’s equally chaotic traffic, a vintage jeep tour further linked the tragic consequences of the American War with current city vitality as it passed historical landmarks.

Cruising the Mekong River

After leaving Saigon, my Scenic tour arrived at the mouth of the Mekong River to board the Scenic Spirit boutique river ship. The multi-day “Essence of Vietnam, Cambodia & Luxury Mekong” program I had chosen included a seven-day cruise from Vietnam into Cambodia, with a wide array of cultural experiences against a backdrop of villages and changing countryside.

Scenic Spirit, with a maximum of 68 guests, offers personalized service, well-appointed suites with individual butlers and restorative spa treatments (the stretch-and-pull Khmer massage was a game changer).

My Southeast Asia culinary journey continued on board with an exclusive Captain’s Table wine-pairing dinner, creative cocktails, afternoon canapés and a fusion of international, Vietnamese and Cambodian specialties.

As the ship wound its way through Vietnam into Cambodia, the shoreline transformed, revealing less developed landscapes. Crossing the border, you notice the pace of life slowing as you approach small towns and cities.

Scenic Excursions

Scenic’s excursions allow you to experience varied cultures. Excursions ranged from visits to floating villages and local markets in each country to an enriching and heart-warming afternoon teaching English to eager students at a community school.

Stops at numerous Buddhist temples and pagodas, plus mornings at an orphanage and a monastery with novice monks and elder nuns, added to the cultural immersion.

For inquisitive foodies like me, open-air markets offered unexpected and tempting culinary fare, including snake wine and protein-rich crickets, silkworms and tarantulas. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself reaching for second helpings when Scenic’s chefs prepare the insects during an unusual “local” lunch.

I learned a powerful Vietnamese phrase to express my happy reaction –  “Ôi trời ơi.” It means, oh my goodness!

Cambodia: Nation of Resilience and Spirituality

Cambodia is years behind Vietnam in its post-war recovery. Along with excursions to small riverside villages where I viewed a fishery, tried jackfruit and watched the making of beautiful silk items by skilled artisans. Scenic Spirit ties up in Phnom Penh, the country’s somewhat raucous capital.

Before exploring Cambodia’s complicated history, I paused for a drink at Raffles Hotel Le Royal’s renowned elephant-strewn Elephant Bar, a tranquil oasis among temples and traffic.

A tour of Phnom Penh’s Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda, with the imposing, jewel-encrusted Emerald Buddha and Maitreya Buddha statues, revealed the country’s regal past. Meanwhile, a visit to the infamous Killing Fields provided a sobering reminder of the horrors of the Khmer Rouge regime.

Be prepared for gruesome relics of this country’s civil destruction: a church filled with skulls and bones, markers along the killing field sites, dingy cells and walls filled with photographs of prisoners and small children.

From Temples to Nightlife

In Siem Reap, the final stop on my land-and-water itinerary, I checked into the elegant Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor Siem Reap. The hotel is a haven of luxury located near the city’s riverside night markets and the iconic Angkor Wat temple complex.

After a daytime tour meandering through temples familiar from Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, the next day’s sunrise visit to Angkor Wat was equally magical as the sun cast a golden glow over the ancient stone towers.

Later, a coffee and an artisanal cocktail at Raffles’ Elephant Bar helped me recover from climbing Angkor Wat’s steep stairs in the blistering heat and prepared me for a tuk-tuk ride to boisterous Pub Street where restaurants and bars vibe late into the night.

My cultural journey through Southeast Asia culminated with a Scenic gala dinner at the Prasat Kravan in Angkor. We were welcomed by greeters in local garb and immersed in a stunning blend of art and antiquity. A highlight was an of-the-moment light show and traditional apsara dance against the backdrop of the 10th-century temple.

The five-pointed brick towers, illuminated in shifting colors, created a mystical atmosphere. It was the perfect venue to show off my new Vietnamese silk pants and Cambodian silk krama, and it offered yet another view of resilience, adaptation and vitality in this extraordinary part of the world.

Inspire your next adventure with our articles below:

Want to discover more hidden gems and helpful travel tips? Join our free newsletter for the latest travel secrets and travel articles.

We are reader-supported and may earn a commission on purchases made through links in this article.