One of our most popular multi-country programs, the 12 Days / 11 Nights Essential Cambodia and Vietnam Tour, is currently featuring discounts of more than 20% on first class hotel stays. This promotion now makes a great way for travelers to learn about these two neighboring countries at an incredible price!

A day is first spent in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, before flying to Siem Reap to spend the next two days exploring the Angkor temples and Tonle Sap Lake. On the fourth day, a short flight takes guests across borders into Vietnam. A couple of days will be spent discovering the colonial architecture and bustling markets of Ho Chi Minh City, and includes a cruise in the fertile Mekong Delta. Next heading to the central provinces, guests will visit the heritage port town of Hoi An, the Cham museums of Danang and the imperial history and architecture of Hue. The program’s final leg heads to Hanoi where guests can enjoy cultural excursions to lakefront pagodas and the Old Quarter in the Vietnamese capital before ending with a cruise on Halong Bay. For more program details, click here.

Exotissimo Vietnam Lends a Helping Hand to Local Communities

In keeping with our responsible travel ethos, Exotissimo gives back to local charities and the disadvantaged in Vietnam in a number of ways:

Aid assistance in typhoon-struck province- A week after the devastating Typhoon Mirinae hit South-central Vietnam, the Exotissimo team arrived in Phu Yen Province to render aid to four affected villages. Altogether three tons of rice, instant noodles, cookers, blankets, personal hygiene kits were given out, totaling more than 2.000 USD in aid given.

Sponsor for a kids’ day out- Over 40 impoverished children from Mekong Delta villages in Ben Tre Province were sponsored by Exo Vietnam on a fun day out at the Water Park and the Botanical Gardens in Ho Chi Minh City. For most of the children this was their first time to the city and they were overjoyed at the opportunity. In addition, one child was given a year of scholarship sponsored by Exo Vietnam.

Sponsor for KOTO Charity Bike Ride- Proudly sponsored by Exotissimo Vietnam, the annual KOTO Charity Bike Ride was successfully held in Hanoi on 21 November 2009. Over 150 riders turned up for this event. KOTO is a not-for-profit restaurant and vocational training program for the disadvantaged youth in Vietnam.

Click here to view other causes your clients can support while on holiday in Vietnam. For more information, please contact Le Hong Lan, Project Manager for CSR and Special Projects, at honglan@exotissimo.com.

Exotissimo Cambodia Teams Up with Local Charity

Exotissimo continues to play a part in the development of sustainable tourism in Cambodia by teaming up with American aid organization Development Alternatives, Inc. (DAI) in their inaugural Hidden Treasures Cambodia contest. This initiative seeks to identify and promote lesser known attractions in order to increase awareness amongst potential visitors and encourage tourist spending outside established areas. The winning destinations were offered consultation with Exotissimo Cambodia and media promotion. This year’s winners are:

o Peam Krassop – Mangrove forest in Koh Kong Province
o Chi Phat Ecotourism village in the Cardamom Mountains
o Chambok Community Based Waterfall – an ecotourism site in the Cardamom Mountains
o Ta Tai Waterfall – an ecotourism site in the Cardamom Mountains
o Phare Ponleu Selpak – an arts school and circus center in Battambang
o Banteay Chhmar – a cultural tourism site
o Kampong Luong Floating Village – an ecotourism site in Pursat Province

Click here to view other causes your clients can support while on holiday in Cambodia.

Introducing travelers to the history and rich culture of Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, our 12-day Colorful Capitals multi-country tour gives a taste of the region from an insider’s point of view.

The program starts in Bangkok where guests will visit revered sights such as the Grand Palace, Wat Po and Jim Thompson Museum with rides on tuk-tuks and taxi boats. Flying to Luang Prabang on the third day, the program tours the ancient city’s iconic temples, Mekong River and evening market with opportunities to learn about Lao culture through alms giving, a textile workshop and cooking course. The program continues to Vientiane where guests will visit famed temples as well as participate in a traditional baci ceremony. Crossing borders into Cambodia, they will spend another two days sightseeing in Phnom Penh before heading to Siem Reap to discover its Angkor monuments. The program ends with a flight back to Bangkok.

To view program details of Colorful Capitals, click here.

New Luxury Option for Hue Dinner Cruises
La Residence Hotel and Spa in Hue is now offering dinner cruises along the Perfume River. Seating up to 25 passengers, the 2-hour cruise offers a Vietnamese set dinner and live traditional Vietnamese music and can be privatized for groups. Available every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, these cruises provide a stylish way to sightsee Hue’s iconic river. Click here to view details of La Residence or contact vietnam@exotissimo.com to book the dinner cruise.

New Deluxe Cruise Option for Tonle Sap and Mekong River
The Jayavarman is the latest boat addition on the popular route between Siem Reap, Phnom Penh and Saigon. It is a 60-m deluxe riverboat with 27 cabins and suites as well as 800m² of public space across its 4 decks. Operated by Heritage Line Cruise Company, the Jayavarman has various river itineraries ranging from one to seven nights. The company does not operate the Phnom Penh – Siem Reap route during the low water season from April to June.

Indochina Heritage Road, one of our most popular multi-country programs, underwent an improvement recently. Visiting the main attractions in Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia, the revamped 14-day program features an extra day of touring and flies direct from Vientiane to Hanoi to replace the overland transfer to Hue. Clients can expect more Exo touches, such as a specialist guided tour by a war veteran at Cu Chi Tunnels. Click here to view the itinerary.

Exotissimo Cambodia now offers our own safari tents, providing a unique yet comfortable camping experience with a touch of adventure. Depending on clients’ preferences, the tents can be set up a deserted island, by the Mekong River, on a mountain top or within the grounds of an ancient temple. Meals are prepared by a private chef and served in comfortable dining set-ups. Contact cambodia@exotissimo.com for more information.

Bangkok Airways (PG) flight services between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap will be suspended with effect from 25 October 2009 and the last flights will be operated on 24 October 2009. The Cambodian government has not renewed the airline’s permit following the founding of the new national carrier Cambodia Angkor Air (K6).

Exotissimo Cambodia is rescheduling all flight bookings to Cambodia Angkor Air, which offers 4-5 daily flights between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap on an ATR72-500 propeller aircraft, the same type of aircraft operated by Bangkok Airways on this route. The safety standards and services provided by Cambodia Angkor Air are of a similar standard to those of Bangkok Airways. For more information, contact cambodia@exotissimo.com.

Specially designed for running and travel enthusiasts, our 3-day Angkor Wat Half Marathon package combines a charity run with sightseeing to the Angkor temples. Taking place on 6 December, the Angkor Wat Half Marathon is an international charity event that raises funds for landmine victims in the country. This package also features a relaxing post-run massage and opportunities to sample Khmer cuisine and explore the ancient monuments on the non-marathon days. View the program details here.

In Siem Reap, Hotel de la Paix is now officially certified as a Virtuoso hotel. For bookings made through Exotissimo, clients are entitled to special benefits including a complimentary room upgrade (depending on availability) and 7-course Khmer meal for two at Meric Restaurant, a personalized welcome card from the General Manager, early check-in or late check-out (subjected to availability) and a 20% discount on Spa-IndoChine treatments (excluding blind massage). Contact cambodia@exotissimo.com for more details.

VIETNAM

In Vietnam, we are glad to announce that the ground situation in Hoi An and Danang has improved significantly since yesterday and we even experienced some sunny weather in Hoi An!

Hoi An

- Hoi An: Bach Dang and Nguyen Thai Hoc streets are still flooded. However all other sightseeing sites are open, including Japanese bridge, Fujien Pagoda, Phung Hung and Quan Thang old houses, Ceramic and Sa Huynh Museums.

- Restaurants Cargo Club, Mango Room, Morning Glory and Brother’s Café will not open until tomorrow (Friday).

- Hotels Pacific, Ancient House and Lotus are now accessible again.

- The pool at Riverside Resort will take a week to be cleaned.

- Boat trips are still not possible on Thu Bon.

- My Son is NOT accessible yet.

Hue

- Hue City: water has receded and all sightseeing sites are open.

- Boat trips on the Perfume River are NOT possible yet.

Roads

- Road to Hoi An from Cua Beach: OK

- National Road No. 1 between Hue and Danang is open again

Train

- From Danang/Hue to the north: OK by today (Thursday); To the south by Friday, 2 Oct 09.

Hotels Partly Opened

- Victoria Hotel: the SUP and DLX rooms remain operational although the garden, pool and the beach need a complete clean-up. All cancellation fees will be waived until 5 October and normal operations will resume on 6 October 09.

Hotels Still Closed
- Golden Sand Resort: closed until 7 Oct 09 inclusive

- Life Resort Hoi An: closed until 14 Oct 09 inclusive.

LAOS

The Lao Government has urged the population to remain vigilant against Ketsana’s potential threat in Bolikamxay, Khamouane and Vientiane, the 3 provinces bordering Vietnam. The Mekong River is not threatening to flood yet and no heavy rains have fallen in Laos. There are no disruption to flights or tours in major tourist destinations such as Luang Prabang, Vientiane, Pakse and Champassak.

CAMBODIA

Currently the situation in Siem Reap and northern Cambodia is stable, but there has been severe flooding in a number of areas including the Siem Reap city center. The Siem Reap river has overflowed its banks and the water level is still rising. The airport remains open, but we had to cancel all boat trips to the lake as all access roads are closed. Transportation around various parts of the town has been affected by the flooding. All our clients are completely safe and no hotels have been affected. We are staying in constant contact with all our clients and will keep everyone updated as the situation progresses. The road between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap is partly flooded around Kampong Thom but remains accessible. The situation in Phnom Penh is good despite seeing heavy rains every day.

THAILAND

The situation in Thailand is fine with only the northeastern part of the country on high alert. Heavy rains and some flooding have been experienced in provinces such as Ubon Ratchathani but Ketsana is expected to weaken as it moves further inland. There is no flight disruption and all roads and airports remain open and accessible.