Eleven Days Across Vietnam and Cambodia-Where History Bleeds and Hope Rises
My recent travel through six cities of Vietnam and Cambodia was a mix of tranquil nature, painful history, rich culture, tasty food and my first International Marathon. From the lively streets of Hanoi to the peaceful sunrise at Angkor Wat and aptly ending with the Skulls of Phnom Penh, the itinerary was full of activity and unforgettable moments with a group of runners and non-runners. Our team gelled well with the ever cool Varun, twins-like Sreekumar and Sekhar, Mukundanunny , Boban, Sutham and Suma contributing to fun, sports and management aspects. It was good to enjoy the presence of Lizon and Paul first few days.
There was a bit of drama and uncertainty prior to start as Typhoon Kalmaeigi destroyed part of central Philipines and made land fall south of Danang on the eve of our departure, killing more than 300 people ! Luckily we were spared as we first arrived in Hanoi, northern Vietnam.
Day 1: Arrival in Hanoi / 08 Nov 2025
Hanoi, Vietnam's capital, was named Thăng Long (Ascending Dragon) in 1010 after King Lý Thái Tổ reportedly saw a golden dragon rise from the fog after moving his capital to the city. This was considered a good omen, and the name reflects the hope for the new capital to be as powerful as the dragon. Incidentally the country hopes to rebuild and regain its lost position in world economy and politics due to series of wars by hard work and determination. Nightmares of war have been replaced by dreams of a new ascend and new unified nation. The dragon is a powerful symbol of power, nobility, and prosperity in Vietnamese culture.
Landing at Noi Bai Airport brought instant excitement. After transferring to the hotel and settling in, the first task was picking up the race bib from Quan Ngua Stadium in the evening. The pleasant, cloudy weather, the marathon vibes at bib collection venue and the growing energy among runners set the tone for the trip.
The night in Hanoi felt calm and refreshing. Slept early to wake up at midnight as the run would flag off at 2am next day !
Day 2: Hanoi Marathon and Ninh Binh tour/ 09 Nov2025
A very early start. A couple of taxi pickups took us to Quan Ngua Stadium. As we lined up at start point the rains poured heavily and we ran part of the race in rain. The route was fantastic winding through pagodas, war memorials and two major lakes, West lake and Truc Beach. During Vietnam war, US Navy pilot was shot by Viet Cong fighters and parachuted in to Truc Beach lake, south west of the large West Lake. Collected the medal, had Kung Pho noodle for breakfast and returned to hotel with fellow runners.
Had a quick shower and hopped in to bus to Ninh Binh. This 1.5 hr ride gave us time to relax and recover after a tough 5+ hr marathon. Hoa Lư the capital of Vietnam from 968 to 1009 was in Ninh Binh. We visited its relic site and a temple prior to a mesmerizing boat ride in Trang An river. Visited few temples during the ride as well.
Enjoyed street food near our hotel. The joy of cooking our own food on the stove along with scores on the street was quite an unique experience ! 
Day 3: Halong Bay Adventure /10 Nov 2025
After breakfast, we started for Halong Bay at 7.30 in the morning by bus and visited a pearl museum on the way. Boarded the luxury cruise at 11.30. The views from the deck were incredible.
The ride included a delicious lunch on the cruise, relaxing views of limestone peaks, Kayaking under the caves, Walk through the caves, visit to pearl museum and beach experience too. 
The roof top sunset session with music was awesome surrounded by beautiful night view of lake and hills. By the time we reached back to Hanoi at 8 in the night, it felt like a day well spent in nature.
The roof top sunset session with music was awesome surrounded by beautiful night view of lake and hills. By the time we reached back to Hanoi at 8 in the night, it felt like a day well spent in nature.
Myth of creation: Ha Long Bay was created by the "Descending Dragon"
- In ancient times, when Vietnam was invaded by naval forces. To protect the people, the Jade Emperor sent a Mother Dragon and her children to fight the invaders. As the dragons descended, they spat out jewels and jade that transformed into a wall of karst limestone islets, causing the enemy ships to crash and shatter.: The area where the Mother Dragon landed became known as Ha Long Bay, which translates to "Descending Dragon"
Day 4: Hanoi City Tour and Transfer to Da Nang /11 Nov 2025
After breakfast we began a city tour covering some iconic sites
• Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum
• One Pillar Pagoda
• Hoan Kiem Lake
• Old Quarter
• Train Street
• St. Joseph's Cathedral
• Shopping street.
It was a thrilling sight to see a daily train moving past, nearly brushing the onlookers on either side
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Hanoi is a mix of history, culture, and local life that blends wonderfully. After the tour, our group split. While Lizon and Paul stayed back, the rest of us transferred to the airport to fly to Da Nang.
We landed in Da Nang at 22:30 and checked into the hotel for a peaceful night.
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Day 5: Ba Na Hills and Golden Bridge /12 Nov 2025
The morning was bright and sunny. went for a run on nearby beach with Varun. It was nice to see Vietnamese people engaged in work out and games so early morning. Taught mini surya namaskar to a senior curious local veteran and gave up after he kept going.
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The day began with a hearty breakfast. The highlight was the full day Ba Na Hills tour. The cable car ride up the mountain and the famous Golden Bridge held by giant stone hands were simply spectacular.
The cabaret was a bonus and beer festival icing on the cake ! We returned to the hotel by evening, tired but happy with the experience.
Day 6: Ho Chi Minh City Date: 13 Nov 2025
After breakfast and checkout, we flew to Ho Chi Minh City. We started Hochi Minh city tour after lunch at Indian restaurant.. We visited Independence Palace, The beautiful Saigon Central Post Office and shopped at Ben Thanh Market. After exploring the bustling city, we checked into the hotel by late evening.
Day 7: Mekong Delta Day Trip / 14 Nov 2025
This was a full day exploration of the Mekong Delta. A peaceful boat ride, coconut candy workshops, Snake Wine tasting, village visits, and the slow rhythm of local life made it one of the most relaxing days of the trip.
We returned to Ho Chi Minh City by 5 in the evening and enjoyed the night at leisure.
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Day 8: Cambodia-Siem Reap / 15 Nov 2025
After breakfast and some final shopping, the group divided again.
• Varun family flew to Phu Quoc and others to Siem Reap. Landing in Cambodia instantly felt like stepping into a different world with ancient energy all around.
Day 9: Sunrise and day-long walk at Angkor Wat /16 Nov 2025
At 5.15 in the morning, we collected pre-arranged packed break fast box and left for the iconic Angkor Wat sunrise experience. Built in 1152 CE by Suryavarman, Angkor Wat was destroyed by the Chams, but later rebuilt by Jayavarman VII, it became a Buddhist center. Spread over 400 acres, Angkor Wat is the largest religious complex in the world. The asuras and devas churning " palazhi" to get nector was depicted by many statutes at the entrance and inside.
Watching the sun appear behind the ancient temple towers was breathtaking.
After breakfast, we continued to explore Angkor Wat and surrounding temples until evening. It was a full day of history, architecture, and wonder.
The fine cut carvings of various stories of Hindu mythology are still intact on the walls of Ankhor Wat.
Day 10: Bus to Phnom Penh, City tour in Tuk-Tuk and Cruise on Mekong river / 17 Nov 2025
After breakfast, we checked out and took cab to the bus station. It was a 5.5 hr long luxury bus with just one stop midway. After reaching Phnom Penh, we took two Tuk-Tuks for going to hotel and subsequent city tour. We had booked a cruise trip on Mekong river with free food and drinks. The pick driver couldnt rech the hotel by 7 pm and so we hired a TukTuk which got stuck in traffic same as the pick up. As if to use our running skills, we sprinted to the cruise boat and managed to get in to the same just in time ! The night view was awesome and the unlimited food and drinks exceeded our expectation.
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| TUK TUK and Cyclo ( left in green ) |
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| Phnom Penh river side |
Day 11:Killing Fields and Departure / 18 Nov 2025
We hired a car and visited the Killing fields an hour and a half drive from city.
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The Killing Fields are sites in Cambodia where collectively more than 1.3 million people were killed and buried by the Communist Party of Kampuchea during Khmer Rouge rule from 1975 to 1979, immediately after the end of the Cambodian Civil War (1970–75). The mass killings were part of the broad, state-sponsored Cambodian genocide. The Cambodian journalist Dith Pran coined the term "killing fields" after his escape from the regime. In 1979, Vietnam invaded Democratic Kampuchea and toppled the Khmer Rouge regime, ending the genocide.
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| The tree used by Khmer rouge to smash heads of children to save bullets ! |
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PS: By the way, Techo refers to the Khmer commanders who found against Siamese ( Thai ) invaders. I found a statue of them on Mekong river side. Interestingly there was no statue or recognition for the brave fighters of Vietnam who toppled Pol Pot and put in end to his Genocide.
There is an ongoing fight between Thailand and Cambodia over disputed territories…especially the ownership of Siva temple called Preah Vihear check this link for more info …. https://youtu.be/1Hp-W2bpPrw?si=JmykTnJ2JKEgcAWj
Cambodia was previously a part of Thailand, but the French seized it from Thailand (then Siam) in a war. The French and Thais signed a treaty saying that the boundary was supposed to run along a geographical feature - the watershed of a mountain range. But the French when mapping the border deviated from that geographical position in a few places - generally ancient Khmer Empire Hindu temple sites. Thailand did not discover this until the 1930s, and has repeatedly gone to international courts to claim that it should be Thai based on the treaty. Courts ruled in favour of Cambodia but Thailand keep their claim alive with the border fights as happening now. Cambodia is using war to divert attention from their internal issues.
Let’s hope Lord Siva & other Hindu gods won’t appear before ICJ claiming IPR over the use and misuse of their name and temples !!! :-) Interestingly, while Indian culture has profoundly shaped the history of Cambodia and Thailand, the modern state of India did not occupy them politically.
Final Thoughts
Eleven days across Vietnam and Cambodia gave us a beautiful mix of city life, nature, history, and culture. The cruise at Halong Bay, the charm of Hanoi, the modern vibe of Ho Chi Minh City, the stunning Ba Na Hills, and the ancient magic of Angkor Wat made this trip unforgettable. No one had any health issues we all enjoyed the trip well.
Perhaps because I read Bao Ninh's true story 𝐒𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐨𝐟 𝐖𝐚𝐫 during my trip to Vietnam, it seemed as if the bitter, indelible memories of the Vietnam War were still firmly rooted in the people despite their attempts to forget and forgive. This is a story written by Kien, the last remaining soldier in his battalion, in memory of his love, his relatives and friends he lost due to the war.
US Meddling in Vietnam
The involvement of the United States in the Vietnam War began in the 1950s and escalated in 1965 until its withdrawal in 1973. The U.S. military presence in Vietnam peaked in April 1969, with 543,000 military personnel stationed in the country. By the end of the U.S. involvement, more than 3.1 million Americans had been stationed in Vietnam and 58,279 had been killed. The Americans used all kind of destructive war tools like Napalm bombs, Agent Orange ( chemical defoliant), Popeye (a military cloud-seeding project carried out by the U.S. Air Force ). etc. The image of naked girl caught in Napalm attack became very famous.
In the US, anti-war demonstrations were stepped up and by 1967, an increasing number of Americans considered military involvement in Vietnam was a mistake. Opposition to the war arose during a time of unprecedented student activism, which included the free speech movement and the civil rights movement. Protest of American participation in the Vietnam War was a movement in which many popular musicians participated, a stark contrast to the pro-war compositions of artists during World War II.
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| Vietnam-Jimmy Cliff |
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| Give peace a chance-Lennon |
My trip to Vietnam and Cambodia was inspired by Vinod Krishnan who lived there for a research work on ethnic community called Chams who practiced Hinduism and Buddhism, and over time, many converted to Islam. They came from Indianized Champa Kingdom of 2d-17th CE.
Another influencer for my trip to Killing Fields was the movie They First Killed My Father directed by half-Cambodian Angelina Jolie. The story of the survival of five-year-old Loung Ung, who was forced into brutal child labor by Khmer Rouge soldiers during the capture of Phnom Penh, has many similarities to Bao Ninh's story of Kien. It took another communist power (Vietnam attack in 1979 with Russian help) to defeat Pol Pot, a Chinese puppet who had taken the madness of extreme communism to his head and exterminated his own people.
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