Double tropical This is a doubly relaxing trip, combining a Mekong River cruise with the tropical island of Phu Quoc. The Mekong Delta is one of the most breathtaking in the south of Vietnam - a traveller must-see. During this module, you'll take a lazy Mekong River cruise through the emerald delta before ending your journey with a few days on idyllic Phu Quoc Island, swinging in a hammock on the beach.

Halong Luxury Cruise

Cambodia Northeast Loop - 08 Days

Summary
Learn firsthand about the ancient history of the Angkor Empire and the Angkorian kings. Take a trip to Kratie to see the endangered Irrawadi Dolphin. Then venture to Ratanakiri , and visit the hill tribe people at Banlung, see waterfalls, and explore Vansai and Ta Veng. In Phnom Penh visit the Tuol Sleng Museum and explore the dark history of the Khmer Rouge Regime, also see the Royal Palace with the Silver Pagoda, and much more.....

National Museum

National Museum of Phnom Penh is instantly recognizable, with its warm red terracotta and its gracefully curved roof topped by dozens of guardian nagas. Located just north of the Royal Palace, off the street of Artists (178 Street), it was designed in 1917 by famed French architct George Groslier and the Ecole des Arts Cambodgiens, who made the most of traditional Khmer style. It was inaugurated by king Sisowath in 1920.

Wat Phnom

 










Wat Phnom is located a short distance from the Royal Palace, the heartof the capital Wat Phnom is poular with Cambodians and tourists alike. It is the center of Phnom Penh that gives the city its name. At 27 meters above sea level, it is the hghest point in the area, and , as a town gradually grew up around it , the settlement became known as Phnom Phen, the hill of Penh. It is zero point of the city.

Legend has it that a wealthy widow named Yeay Penh was walking by the Mekong River one day when she spied a KoKi tree log floating near the bank.

She found some locals to help her pull it to shore, and inside she found four statues of the Buddha. In AD 1372, she built a hill, or Phnom, and placed a shrine on top to house the precious artifacts.
In AD 1434, King Ponhea Yat came and constructed a city and gave the name Phnom Penh.

Today, the original shrine has been rebuilt many times- in AD1434, 1806, 1894, and 1926-- and each incarnation has seemed more beautiful than the one before.
On the hill there is a large stupa that holds the cremains of King Ponhea Yat and his royal family. Inside the stup, there is a Buddhastatue from the Angkorean era, from the 9th to 13th ecenturies.

At the base of the hill, on the southern side, a huge clock, illuminated at night, has become one of traffic roundabout, a cluster of European restaurants line the beginning of French Street, purveying fine wine with French and Italian cuisines.

The Splendid Royal Palace Complex in Cambodia Offered Our Editor A Magnificent Tour

The first Royal Palace to be built at the present location was designed by architect Neak Okhna Tepnimith Mak and constructed by the French Protectorate in 1866. That same year, King Norodom moved the Royal court to the new Royal Palace in Phnom Penh and the city became the official capital of Cambodia. Over the next decade several buildings and houses were added, many of which have since been demolished and replaced, The Royal court was installed permanently at the new Royal Palace in 1871 and the walls surrounding the grounds were raised in 1873. Many of the buildings of the Royal Palace, particularly of this period, were constructed using traditional Khmer architectural and artistic style but also incorporating significant European features and design as well. One of the most unique surviving structures from this period is the Napoleon Pavilion which was a gift from France in 1876. The magnificent Throne Hall is where the king's confidants, generals and royal officials once carried out their duties. It is still in use today as a place for religious and royal ceremonies as well as a meeting place for guests of the King. The cross-shaped building is crowned with three spires. The central, 59 meter spire is topped with the white, four-faced head of Brahma. As with all buildings and structure at the Palace, the Throne Hall faces east and has beautiful ceiling frescoes.The Silver Pagoda is a compound located on palace complex. Its main building houses many national treasures such as gold and jeweled Buddha statues. Most notable is a small 17th century baccarat crystal Buddha (the "Emerald Buddha" of Cambodia) and a near-life-size, Maitreya Buddha encrusted with 9,584 diamonds dressed in royal regalia commissioned by King Sisowath. The Silver Pagoda is inlaid with more than 5,000 real silver tiles.

Most buildings were completed before World War I, with involvement by French administrators and Thai designers and architects. French influence can be seen in the formal gardens which enhance the palace, and there are some European-style buildings on the grounds.The "Moonlight Pavilion"is an open-air pavilion that serves as stage for Khmer classical dance in the past and present. It is one of the most notable buildings of the palace as it easily seen from the outside as it was built alongside a section of the palace walls. The Chan Chhaya Pavilion has a balcony that was used as a platform for viewing parades. The Chanchhaya Pavilion serves as a venue for the Royal Dancers, as a tribune for the King to address the crowds and as a place to hold state and Royal banquets. Most recently, the Pavilion was used for a banquet and a tribune for the new King at the 2004 coronation of King Norodom Sihamoni. The Royal Palace complex is adorned with various well maintained gardens with tropical flowers, rare plants, and sculptures of various materials and themes in every direction on a walking tour. In addition the complex holds examples of several arts and crafts of Cambodia, including most unique Ramayana masks, shadow puppets, and several collections of priceless Buddhist and historical objects. Inside the Palace grounds, street sounds are silenced by the high walls and the various Royal buildings sit like ornate islands rising from the tranquil, manicured tropical gardens. Except for the area of the actual Royal residence, the Khemarin Palace, most of the Palace grounds and Silver Pagoda are open to the public.

The Royal Palace

The complex is divided by walls into three main compounds, on the north side is the Silver Pagoda, to the south side is the Khemarin Palace and the central compound contains the Throne Hall. The buildings of the palace were built gradually overtime, and some were dismantled and rebuilt as late as the 1960s. But some old buildings dates back to the 14th century.

King Sisowath (1904–1927) made several major contributions to the current Royal Palace, adding the Phochani Hall in 1907 (inaugurated in 1912), and from 1913-1919 demolishing several old buildings, and replacing and expanding the old Chanchhaya Pavilion and the Throne Hall with the current structures. These buildings employ traditional Khmer artistic style and Angkorian inspired design, particularly in the Throne Hall, though some European elements remain. The next major construction came in the 1930s under King Monivong with the addition of the Royal Chapel, Vihear Suor (1930), and the demolition and replacement of the old Royal residence with the Khemarin Palace (1931), which serves as the Royal residence to this day. The only other significant additions since have been the 1956 addition of the Villa Kantha Bopha to accommodate foreign guests and the 1953 construction of the Damnak Chan originally installed to house the High Council of the Throne.