Vietnam & Cambodia Impressions of Vietnam and Angkor Wat - Itinerary
|
|  Click on the image to enlarge the map |
Day 1: Hanoi - Arrivals On your arrival at Hanoi International Airport, you will be met by our chauffeur for your private transfer to the modern upscale Hotel de l'Opera located in Hanoi's Old Quarter, just around the corner from the Hanoi's Opera House. After checking into the hotel, your day will be free to rest after the long flight, get familiar with your new surroundings, or take advantage of the hotel's outdoor pool, health club, and spa. In the evening, we'll meet over a welcome dinner of French-Vietnamese fusion cuisine, where we'll get to meet the other ladies in the group and share in the excitement of our upcoming adventure. Day 2: Hanoi Today, we'll spend the day getting to know the thousand-year-old city of Hanoi. This political and cultural capital of Vietnam is filled with French colonial architecture, tree-lined boulevards, and landmarks as old as the city itself. We'll explore the complex of cultural and historic sites of Ba Dinh Square, visit Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the One Pillar Pagoda, the Confucian Temple of Literature, and the Hanoi "Hilton". We'll take a break from touring the city to watch a water puppet show, a colorful Vietnamese entertainment tradition dating back to the 11th century. In the afternoon, we'll take a cyclo tour around the Lake of the Restored Sword and through the narrow streets of the photogenic Old Quarter for a visit to Hanoi's Women's Museum, before enjoying a traditional Vietnamese dinner. Day 3: Hanoi - Ha Long Bay This morning, we'll leave the city and travel to one of Vietnam's most famous natural wonders: Ha Long Bay, a breathtaking waterway dotted with over 3,000 limestone islands. On arrival in Ha Long, we'll board a luxury replica of a traditional junk that navigated Ha Long Bay's shallow waters in past centuries, and we'll sail on the clear waters of the Bac Bo Gulf through the fairytale landscape of dramatic cliffs, secret grottoes, and lush vegetation. From our luxury vessel, we'll enjoy the eternally green scenery of the Red River Delta checkered with endless rice paddies, water buffalo plowing the fields, and villagers riding to the market with produce piled high on their bicycles. In the afternoon, we'll visit a pearl farm, where we'll learn about the complex process of oyster farming and pearl cultivation. Afterwards, we'll take a trip to Titov Island where we will have the option to take a short hike to the top of the island to witness the stunning view of the bay or take a refreshing swim in the emerald-green water. Finally, we will return to the Paradise Elegance to enjoy the sunset on board before a gourmet dinner is served. Day 4: Ha Long Bay As the sun rises over Ha Long Bay, we'll join the Tai Chi class on the upper sun deck, and after breakfast, we'll take the Paradise Explorer, our private day boat to further explore Ha Long Bay. As we cruise through the natural beauty of the bay, we will pass iconic sites such as Ho Dong Tien cave, Trong cave, Trinh Nu cave, Hang Dau islet, and the Hang Than islet. Our private boat will stop at Tien Ong cave, where we'll admire the surreal stalactites and stalagmites, before enjoying lunch among the pristine, tranquil scenery at the Lagoon Deu cave. After lunch, we'll take traditional bamboo rafts through a remote floating village, to see the locals going about their daily lives, before returning to our luxury junk in the afternoon to relax and enjoy the optional spa, massage, and beauty services offered onboard. As we continue sailing through the exquisite Ha Long Bay, there will be a traditional Vietnamese cooking class offered on board before another delightful dinner. Day 5: Ha Long Bay - Hanoi - Hue This morning, we'll wake up early to witness the spectacle of the first daylight filtering through the mist and lighting up the towering rock formations of Ha Long Bay - what a dreamy memory to take from Vietnam! We'll enjoy a relaxed breakfast on the boat, before our final cave visit to Sung Sot - the largest and most beautiful cave in the bay. Afterwards, we'll leave Ha Long Bay and transfer back to Hanoi to take a short flight to the city of Hue, once the imperial capital of the Nguyen Dynasty. We'll check into our lush, boutique resort in a tranquil area of Thua Thien Hue, surrounded by soothing gardens, several pools, and tropical vegetation, yet also close to Hue's historical landmarks. The afternoon will be free to spend at leisure or enjoy the extensive Vedana spa treatments offered by the hotel. In the evening, we'll enjoy a festive dinner of renowned Vietnamese cuisine. Day 6: Hue Today, we'll spend the day discovering the imperial city of Hue, Vietnam's most traditional city, whose monuments evoke its past grandeur as home to Vietnam's emperors and mandarins. We'll start the day with a tour of the ancient Imperial Citadel and the Forbidden Purple City, guarded by its own stone soldiers, then take a colorful dragon boat across the Perfume River to visit the serene Thien Mu Pagoda and the majestic, studded with precious stones Royal Tombs, Hue's best-preserved Buddhist monuments. After all this history, we'll end the day with a formal dinner at a beautifully preserved private home of a descendant of Vietnam's royal family, one of the highlights of our time in Vietnam. Day 7: Hue - Hoi An After a leisurely morning in our exquisite hotel, we'll set out to travel towards Hoi An, stopping en route at the iconic Lang Co Beach to admire the dreamy shores of the South China Sea. In the afternoon, we'll arrive at our resort hotel in Hoi An, an atmospheric 17th-century trading port on the banks of the Thu Bon River. Lost in time half a millennium ago, the town reflects many ancient traditions as well as the diverse architectural styles influenced by Dutch, Chinese, Portuguese, and Japanese traders who helped build it. After checking in, we'll explore the town's exotic markets, the 400-year-old Japanese Covered Bridge, and narrow streets lined with low-tiled roof houses from the 17th century. There will be some time free to visit the numerous tailor shops and indulge in the best shopping in Vietnam, and in the evening, we'll enjoy a sunset cruise on the Thu Bon River followed by a scenic dinner. Day 8: Hoi An In the morning, we'll get on bicycles and ride through a picture-perfect rural Vietnamese scenery to Tra Que village, where we'll meet farmers who have been growing organic vegetables for generations, using only seaweed from the local lake to fertilize the soil. We'll tour the farm, learn about locally grown fruit and vegetables, and can even join in with some farm work. Afterwards, we'll enjoy a foot massage, attend an organic cooking class then ride our bikes back to our resort hotel. The afternoon will be free to enjoy the town's ambiance, great shopping, or one of the town's many bustling markets. Day 9: Hoi An - Saigon This morning, we'll set out to experience Hoi An's colorful market, with its amazing sights, sounds and aromas, where we'll buy fresh produce for our cooking class. During this hands-on culinary experience, led by a Vietnamese celebrity chef, we'll learn the secrets of Vietnamese cuisine, then prepare several signature dishes to be enjoyed for lunch. In the afternoon, we'll transfer to the Da Nang airport for our flight to Saigon, to check into the most famous hotel in Vietnam, and our home for the next three nights. The elegant, historical Majestic Hotel occupies one of the finest locations in Saigon, showcasing the most stunning views of the Saigon River. Day 10: Saigon - Motorcycle Foodie Tour Today, we'll set out to explore greater Saigon by visiting some of its most historical monuments, the former Presidential Palace, the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Central Post Office, and the Opera House. We will then take a leisurely stroll down Rue Catinat of Graham Greene's The Quiet American to reveal more colonial architectural classics, then through the bustling Ben Thanh Market. We will top off our appreciation for the city with a night-time motorcycle foodie tour through several Saigon neighborhoods, sampling classic Vietnamese culinary specialties during an exhilarating experience that is likely to become another highlight of visiting Vietnam. Day 11: Saigon - Mekong Delta After breakfast, we'll escape the city to explore the iconic Mekong Delta. We'll enjoy the scenic journey through the exotic landscapes of Southern Vietnam of low-lying rice paddies and a comprehensive network of the delta's canals and channels bordered by dense mangroves and palm forests. Then, we'll board a private boat to explore the river life close up. We'll watch the bustle around the Cai Be floating market, with hundreds of colorful boats filled with fruit and vegetables. We’ll cruise along the maze of the Mekong River's tributaries and narrow channels, walk through tiny villages and fruit orchards before stopping for lunch at a colonial-era restaurant featuring Mekong Delta specialties. After lunch, we’ll have some time to relax on a hammock, stroll through the orchards or even try rowing a small sampan boat along the river. After returning to Saigon, we'll toast our Vietnamese adventures during a festive dinner. Day 12: Siem Reap After an early breakfast, we'll transfer to the Saigon airport for our flight to Siem Reap in Cambodia. On arrival, we will be met by our guide and transfer to our luxury hotel in the center of Siem Reap. After some time to rest, we will meet in the early afternoon, and start our discovery of the ancient Khmer Empire through its temples and palaces. We'll first visit the Prasat Kravan and Ta Prohm Temples. Unlike other monuments of Angkor, Ta Prohm was abandoned and swallowed by the jungle, so it looks very much how most of the Angkor temples appeared when European explorers first stumbled upon them, and it retains much of its mystery. We'll also visit Takeo, Chau Say Tevoda, and Thommanon temples, before relaxing over a traditional Cambodian dinner in the evening. Day 13: Angkor Wat, Apsara Dancers Today, we'll start before dawn, so that we can witness the spectacle of sunrise at Angkor Wat. After breakfast, we'll continue with an in-depth exploration of the most famous of all the temples on the Plain of Angkor. This 12th century masterpiece of Angkor Wat, with its distinctive five towers, is considered the prime example of classical Khmer art and architecture. In the afternoon, we'll explore other treasures of Angkor, the Preah Khan temple, built by the King Jayavarman VII, with its Neak Pean fountain built in the middle of a pool and representing the paradisiacal Himalayan mountain lake, and the temple of Ta Som, where we'll watch the sunset at the magical Rup. In the evening, we'll celebrate the Khmer culture with dinner featuring traditional Khmer cuisine, followed by a performance of Apsara dancers. Day 14: Banteay Srei Temple, Tonle Sap This morning, we'll set out to visit the floating village of Choueng Kneas, where we'll take a boat ride to experience the way of life of Cambodian people and see their schools, restaurants, and markets floating on the great Tonle Sap Lake. After lunch, we'll visit the temples of Banteay Srei (the city of women), considered the most intricate and unique site in Angkor Wat. Next, we'll visit the Hindu Temple of Banteay Samré, one of the most complete complexes found at Angkor. Afterwards, we'll revisit the main complex of Ankor Wat, starting from the South Gate, with its huge statues depicting the churning of the ocean of milk, we'll visit the ancient royal capital of Angkor Thom. with its highly photogenic and archeologically significant Bayon Temple, the Royal Enclosure, the Phimeanakas Temple, the Terrace of the Leper King and the Elephant Terrace. In the evening, we'll celebrate our Angkor Wat discoveries and new friendships with a festive farewell dinner. Day 15: Siem Reap - Departures Depending on your flight departure time, you may have some time today for individual exploration of the city of Siem Reap, famous for its Khmer inspired architecture and colorful markets, before your private transfer to the airport according to your flight's departure time.
VIETNAM: The Lunar New Year | Ancient Vietnam | Ha Long Bay | The Rice of Life | Books & Movies |