Hanoi celebrates its 1,000th birthday in 2010! We arrive here today and transfer to our hotel.

An entire millennium of history is ours to explore. After breakfast, we visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum where the revered leader lies in rest. Continue to the One Pillar Pagoda, Temple of Literature, and  Museum of Ethnology.  After lunch, stroll the shores of the serene Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son Temple. Then enjoy a one-hour rickshaw tour among the Old Quarter’s antique and clothing shops.

This morning we set sail on a traditional Vietnamese junk among Ha Long Bay’s countless limestone islands that have captured travelers’ imaginations for centuries. After lunch onboard, you might don your swimsuit to bathe in crystalline waters. Or ply the waters in a kayak, explore an island by foot, or simply relax and soak up the sun. Later, we’re welcomed into a Cua Van fishing village to learn about local life here. After a savory dinner onboard, join an elective sea kayak tour to explore the bay by moonlight.        

Greet the sun with an on-deck Tai Chi class. Then we visit a nearby grotto carved into one of the monolithic islands. This afternoon we return to Hanoi and have free time to explore some of its 600 temples and pagodas.          

After breakfast, we fly to Hue, on the banks of the Huong River. After lunch, we embark a small boat and follow the gentle Perfume River to the seven-story riverside Thien Mu Pagoda, the largest in the city and Hue’s official symbol. Later, we drive to the mausoleum of Emperor Minh Mang, one of the country’s most scholarly leaders.  En route, we visit a local merchant, who shows us how conical hats and incense sticks are made. Our evening is free to explore Hue.           

After breakfast, we marvel at Hue’s massive Imperial Citadel, which once housed a vast Forbidden City of emperors and concubines. We continue to the tombs of Emperors Tu Duc and Khai Dinh. Then, we transfer to Hoi An over the scenic Hai Van Pass (“Pass of the Ocean Clouds”). After our arrival, we have the rest of the day at leisure.

24 May, 2010
Tour of Hoi An

After breakfast, we enjoy a walking tour of Hoi An, a powerful port in the spice trade centuries ago. This former backwater village boasts an incredibly preserved ancient town. We’ll browse some of its treasures and also see the Japanese Bridge, Phuc Kien Pagoda, Phung Hung Old Merchant House and the Quang Dong Assembly Hall. The rest of your day is free. Tailors in Hoi An will custom-make suits for you at a fraction of the price back home.  

We fly to Saigon after breakfast, and bustling French-Colonial city today known as Ho Chi Minh City. Our day here will be peppered with new images and perspectives about “The American War,” as the Vietnamese know it. We visit the History Museum, Reunification Palace, and the War Crimes Museum. We’ll also marvel at two of the city’s architectural gems, Notre Dame Cathedral and the lovely French colonial post office.

After breakfast we continue to explore Saigon with visits to Cho Lon, Vietnam’s largest Chinatown, a thriving district of colorful pagodas and markets. This afternoon, relax, shop or explore on your own.        

This morning is the end of our tour. You are free to make your return flight for any time today or join us on our extension to Cambodia.

Transfer to the airport for flight to Siem Reap. Upon arrival in Siem Reap, transfer to hotel. In the afternoon, explore Khmer temples from the early Angkor period. Visit the Roluos group of temples dating from the 9th and 10 century, including Preah Ko, Bakong, and Lolei temples. Return to hotel in early evening.

After breakfast proceed to the graceful 11th century Temple of Shiva - Banteay Srei – and the Banteay Samre temple. On the way back, view the Bantey Kdei with its rarely seen sculpted female deities, the Lake of Srah Srang and the impressive Ta Prohm Temple, which remains in the clutches of the enveloping jungle. Visit the Ta Keo, Chau Say Tevada, and Thommanon temples before returning to hotel.