DAY 1 - HO CHI MINH CITY
Program depending on your time of arrival in Ho Chi Minh City. Program as follows if your flight lands beetween 6 a.m. and 11 a.m.: We will tour the city: Reunification palace, Notre Dame cathedral and Central Post office. Lunch in town. We’ll visit Cholon, the Chinese-influenced section of the city, including its hectic market and Ba Thien Hau Pagoda dedicated to the sea goddess Mazu. After comfortably settling into your cabins, we’ll introduce our crew at a welcome cocktail, have dinner and spend the night on board downtown.
© Christina Guan
DAY 2 - HO CHI MINH CITY
We’ll 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. Visit the Museum of Vietnamese History. We’ll then set out to cross the very narrow Chao Gao Canal. Night on board.
DAY 3 - CHAO GAO - MY THO - VINH LONG - CAI BE - SA DEC
We continue our cruise to My Tho along the magnificent Chao Gao Canal. Visit of a bee farm and enjoy some honey tea and exotic fruit. Lunch. We’ll 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.
DAY 4 - SA DEC - CHAU DOC
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. We’ll return on board our ship and have lunch. Sailing towards Cambodia. Night on board.
Christina Guan
DAY 5 - CHAU DOC - PHNOM PENH
Breakfast on board. Located on the border between Cambodia and Vietnam, the prosperous city of Chau Doc has developed around fish and fish farming. We’ll 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. We'll remain in port overnight.
© aarstudio
DAY 6 - PHNOM PENH
We’ll 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 we get back on board, we will enjoy an Apsara dance show. Dinner and overnight on board, in the port of Phnom Penh. Free evening.
© Christina Guan
DAY 7 - KOH CHEN - KAMPONG TRALACH - KAMPONG CHHNANG
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 we 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. Our ship will remain anchored overnight.
© Christina Guan
DAY 8 - KAMPONG CHHNANG - TONLE SAP LAKE
Visit of Kampong Chhnang, one of the largest fishing ports on Tonle Sap Lake. 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. We'll then continue our cruise on Tonle Sap Lake, the largest freshwater lake in southeast Asia which forms the heart of the hydraulic system of the Mekong. Cocktail and gala dinner tonight. Our ship will remain anchored overnight.
© Grégory Gérault
DAY 9 - SIEM REAP
Depending on the water levels, we'll spend the morning cruising and cross Tonle Sap Lake. We'll arrive in Phnom Krom, in the port of Siem Reap (30min away from downtown). Or, transfer by coach between Phnom Krom and Siem Reap. We’ll bid you farewell at approximately 11:30 a.m. (either at the port of Siem Reap if crossing by boat, or downtown if by coach).
Please do not book your flight before 3:00 p.m.
tinerary
Day 1 HO CHI MINH CITY (EMBARKATION) - Your Suite Ship® is Ready for Boarding
Transfer to the port on the Saigon River for embarkation. Get acquainted with the ship and relax before your welcome reception this evening. AFTERNOON/EVENING CRUISE TO VINH LONG - Dinner
Day 2 VINH LONG–CU LAO GIENG - Sweets, Sampans, and Sun Hats
DISCOVERY Board a sampan this morning to Visit a local workshop in Vinh Long where you will see how rice paper, rice wine, and traditional candies are made. DISCOVERY This afternoon, enjoy scenes of daily life on Cu Lao Gieng Island via sampan and local motor cart. Your Guided Excursion starts at a local workshop, where a skilled family hand-crafts sampan boats. Then, visit the home of a local family that makes Vietnamese conical hats, or “Non la,” from materials available to them such as palm leaves and bamboo. These iconic hats are primarily used as protection from the sun and rain but you may also see them used as a basket to carry home goods from the market. Lastly, stop at one of Vietnam’s oldest Catholic churches.
AFTERNOON/EVENING CRUISE TO CHAU DOC - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 3 CHAU DOC–LONG KHANH A–BORDER CROSSING, CAMBODIA
Colorful markets, Charming Locals, and Cotton Weavers
DISCOVERY In Chau Doc take a Guided Walk through the local market and absorb the atmosphere as locals are busy buying and selling fish, meat, and produce. Then embark on a River Excursion down the backwaters of the Mekong. Along the way, see traditional floating homes, speedboat merchants, religious sites, a market selling dried goods, and more. DISCOVERY After lunch, a sampan brings you to the village of Long Khanh A for a Cotton-Weaving Demonstration of a well-preserved artisan’s tradition. Return to the ship to set sail for the Cambodian border.
EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO PHNOM PENH - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 4 PHNOM PENH - The Royal Treatment
CLASSIC Take a City Tour by private cyclo to visit the Royal Palace with the spectacular Silver Pagoda, and the National Museum featuring an outstanding display of Khmer artifacts. The remainder of the day is yours to enjoy the city at your leisure. Consider a Guided Optional Tour of a local brewery with free-flowing local beer! Just before dinner, children from a local orphanage will perform a show featuring local song and dance.
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5 PHNOM PENH - A Dark History or Market Dynamics
CLASSIC This morning, a Guided Visit of the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and one of the Killing Fields offers a glimpse into the atrocities inflicted on the Cambodian people by the Khmer Rouge regime, OR: DISCOVERY Visit the lively Central Market by tuk-tuk to see its unique Art Deco design. After lunch, depart Phnom Penh and enjoy some time at leisure on the ship.
AFTERNOON/EVENING CRUISE TO WAT HANCHEY - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 6 WAT HANCHEY–ANGKOR BAN - Water Blessings and Back To School Adventures
DISCOVERY Visit Wat Hanchey, a hilltop temple dating back to the 8th century. Climb or be driven to the top where you will enjoy stunning views of the surrounding area and partake in a traditional water blessing given by local monks. DISCOVERY After lunch, enjoy a Walking Tour through the rural village of Angkor Ban. Here, you will visit a traditional Khmer house and interact with children at a local school.
EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO KONPONG LOUANG - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 7 KONPONG LOUANG–KAMPONG TRALACH - Calm in the Cambodian Countryside
DISCOVERY Start your Guided Sightseeing at the silversmith village in Konpong Louang. Here, see talented craftsmen use age-old techniques to turn pure silver into works of art. In Kampong Tralach board an ox cart for a ride through the beautiful Cambodian countryside. Along the way, stop to meet a local farmer and learn about his daily life. This afternoon, enjoy scenic cruising on the Tonle River.
EVENING CRUISE TO PHNOM PENH - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 8 PHNOM PENH (DISEMBARKATION) - Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning. Breakfast