Cruise on the Mekong from Hanoi to the Temples of Angkor

Participation in today's activities will depend on your arival time in Hanoi.  If you arrive between 6am and 10am, your program will be:
Spend the day on a guided tour of the capital, visiting the outside of the historic Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum on Ba Dinh Square, Ho Chi Minh's humble stilt house behind the mausoleum, and the unique One Pillar Pagoda Buddhist temple. Visit the Temple of Literature, built in 1070 and dedicated to Confucius. After lunch in town (between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.), take a pedi-cab ride. Have a tour of the local "Embassy Row" with its French colonial-style architecture. This evening, watch a traditional water puppetry show and have dinner in the city. You’ll check into a 5-star hotel.

Leave early in the morning for Halong Bay (approx. 3.5 hours travel time). You’ll be welcomed on board, enjoy a cocktail and have lunch. You'll begin your cruise to discover the thousands of various limestone islands dotting the emerald-colored bay. You’ll enjoy dinner on board this evening. Your ship will remain anchored overnight.

Rise early in the morning and participate in a Tai Chi class on deck. Continue your cruise through the bay, discovering more of its extraordinary scenery and visiting one of the largest caves. This morning, brunch is served on board. Disembark at 11:00 and return to Hanoi. Before arriving, stop off at the Dinh Bang communal hall, one of the largest and finest communal houses in Vietnam. Once you arrive in Hanoi, check into the Movenpick Hotel (or similar accommodations). Finish up your day with a traditional water puppetry show, have dinner in the city, and spend the night at the hotel.

You'll fly to Ho Chi Minh City. You will tour the city: Reunification palace, Notre Dame cathedral and Central Post office. Lunch in a local restaurant. Visit Cholon, the Chinese-influenced section of the city, including its hectic market. After comfortably settling into your cabins, you’ll be introduced by your crew at a welcome cocktail and have dinner. Remain in port overnight.

Leave by coach for the Cu Chi tunnels, an immense network of underground tunnels that were used by Viet Cong soldiers as hiding spots during combat, as well as serving as communication and supply routes, hospitals, food and weapon caches. Lunch will be served on board then visit to the Museum of Vietnamese History. Then return on board and head for Chao Gao Canal. Enjoy dinner and an evening on board. Have dinner on board this evening.

Continue your cruise to My Tho along the magnificent Chao Gao Canal. Visit of a bee farm and enjoy some honey tea and exotic fruit. Lunch. Discover a brick and pottery factory as well as a traditional factory producing puffed riced, rice-paper wrappers used to make nems, and rice alcohol. Night on board.

Visit of Sa Dec and discovery of the local market and visit the former house of Huynh Thuy Le, the man who Marguerite Duras based her book The Lover on. Return on board your ship and have lunch. Sailing towards Cambodia. Night on board.

Breakfast on board. Located on the border between Cambodia and Vietnam, the prosperous city of Chau Doc has developed around fish and fish farming. Pay a visit to the Ba Chua Xu Temple and the Tay An Pagoda. Lunch on board. Arrival in the evening in Phnom Penh. Dinner on board. Remain in port overnight.

Enjoy a tour of the fabulous Royal Palace, one of the most impressive examples of Cambodian architecture, and its Silver Pagoda. Onward to visit the National Museum. After lunch in town, you can pay a visit to the Tuol Svay Prey School, a former detention, torture, and execution center run by the Khmer Rouge during the civil war. Afterwards, enjoy some free time at the market. As you get back on board, you will enjoy an Apsara dance show. Dinner and overnight on board, in the port of Phnom Penh. Free evening.

Visit of Koh Chen, a small village where craftspeople specialize in silver and copper work. Lunch.Visit of the beautiful Vihara at the Wat Kampong Tralach Leu pagoda. To access the pagoda you need to cross the village of Kampong Tralach in ox carts, moving along a small road that runs perpendicular to the river in the middle of magnificent rice fields. Your ship will remain anchored overnight.

Visit of Kampong Chhnang, one of the largest fishing ports on the Tonle Sap. Here they also have many fish farms. The region is best known for its fine traditional pottery which is a major source of revenue for the entire country. Tasting of some local products. Lunch. then continue our cruise to lake Tonle Sap, the largest freshwater lake in southeast Asia which forms the heart of the hydraulic system of the Mekong. Cocktail and gala dinner tonight. Your ship will remain anchored overnight.

Spend the morning cruising. Disembarkation, and lunch. Visit of the famous temple of Angkor Wat, masterpiece of Khmer architecture. This is the most famous and most imposing of all the monuments in Angkor. Enjoy a stroll through the Angkor Night Market. Dinner and overnight in hotel (Accommodations will be at either a 4-star or 5-star hotel according to the cruise you choose).

Visit of the temple at Ta Prohm. Today nature has taken over the site and the result is stunning: trees spring out from the temple buildings and thick roots now cover the temple. This afternoon explore Angkor Thom, have a wander in the heart of the ancient Royal palace where the sanctuary of Phimeanakas is located, then you visit the terrace of the Elephants and the terrace of the Leper King. Lunch. Visit of the temple at Banteay Srei, which means "the citadel of women”. Dinner. Then, enjoy a show with Phare, the Cambodian circus. Overnight in the hotel.

Visit of the "Senteurs d'Angkor” (or perfume workshop), where they make candles, soaps and prepare spices. Afterwards, we visit the workshops of the "Artisans d'Angkor”, where young Cambodians are trained in the art of traditional wood carving and stonework based on long-standing Khmer craftwork traditions. Lunch in the hotel.  Please do not book your flight before 5p.m.