Vietnam & Angkor Wat

Board your flight to Hô Chi Minh City today.

Welcome to Vietnam! Transfer to your hotel to settle in.

Meet your Tour Director and fellow travelers at a welcome lunch. Then, take in the sights of the largest city in Vietnam on a guided tour this afternoon.

• Witness Vietnam’s progression from French colony to unified, independent nation as you enter the Reunification Palace
• See the General Post Office, City Hall, and Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica
• Visit Ben Thành Market and stroll along Lê Công Kiêu, a street known for its treasure trove of antiques

Enjoy a free day in Hô Chi Minh City or add an excursion.

Spend the morning learning more about the history and impact of the Vietnam War.

• Take a self-guided tour of the War Remnants Museum to get the local perspective on the Vietnam War
• Visit the vast underground network of tunnels at Cù Chi, which were built as a defense against the French and expanded during the Vietnam War
• Learn how the North Vietnamese waged guerrilla warfare against the South
• See secret trapdoors, underground kitchens, living areas, and meeting rooms

Please note: Your guide will advise you of the length and level of difficulty of each tunnel before entering. Those preferring to remain above ground will have ample opportunity to view excavated areas. Good walking shoes and sun protection are recommended, as are clothes that can get slightly dirty.

This afternoon, board a flight to Dà Nang and transfer to your hotel in Hôi An. Sit down for an included dinner this evening.

Explore Hôi An on a guided tour to shop its local markets and sample its cuisine.

• Select ingredients from a local market, which you’ll use during a cooking class
• Cruise the Thu Bôn River, a highlight of central Vietnam, with a local guide
• Arrive at a cooking school and try your hand at making authentic Vietnamese cuisine in a cooking class, before sitting down to eat the food you made for lunch
• Discover Hôi An’s landmarks, including the Japanese covered bridge and Old Town
• Pass by the quaint Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai pedestrian shopping street
• Walk along the cobblestone streets to see the Quan Thang Ancient House and a silk lantern shop

Travel through the Hài Vân Pass, stopping in Cam Thanh village.

• Visit a farm to learn how Vietnamese farmers grow rice
• Interact with a rice farmer and watch water buffalo plough the fields while enjoying a tea tasting

Then, continue on to Huê and take a guided tour of this former capital.

• Explore the Thiên Mu Pagoda, Vietnam’s tallest religious building
• Visit the walled fortress and palace known as the Imperial City

Spend a free morning in Huê or add an excursion. 

Sit down for an included dinner before boarding your flight to Hanoi. 

Please note: Depending on flight times, the dinner may take place in Hanoi.

A guided tour introduces you to the local highlights.

• Pass Ba Dinh Square, where Hô Chi Minh read the Proclamation of Independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam
• Wander through the Temple of Literature, a walled complex dedicated to Confucius
• Visit the Hoa Lo Prison, also known as the Hanoi Hilton, where John McCain was held as a POW during the Vietnam War
• Tour the prison museum to learn about the POW experience
• Board a bicycle rickshaw and ride through the Old Quarter
• Pass Dong Xuan Market, the Hanoi Opera House, and Hoàn Kiém Lake

Enjoy a free evening in Hanoi or add an excursion.

Transfer to Ha Long Bay and embark on a luxurious overnight cruise. You’ll pass by 3,000 limestone towers, cliffs, and arches, as well as local fishing villages.

• Enjoy an included lunch aboard the ship
• Pass Fighting Cock Islet, Thien Cung Cave, and Dau Go Cave
• Board a small boat and visit Sung Sot Cave with a local guide to admire panoramic views across Ha Long Bay
• Learn how pearls are grown using traditional Vietnamese methods and new Japanese technology during a visit to Tung Sau Pearl Farm
• Opt to kayak along Ha Long Bay
• Watch a cooking demonstration aboard the ship before sitting down for an included dinner

Opt to watch the sunrise during a Tai Chi lesson on the ship this morning. Then, hop into a small boat to visit Ti Top Island. You can go swimming or hike to the top for another stunning view of Ha Long Bay.

Disembark your cruise ship later this morning and transfer to Hanoi for your flight to Siem Reap, Cambodia. Sit down for an included dinner this evening.

Today, you’ll experience some of Southeast Asia’s most iconic sites.

• Begin the day by watching the sun rise over the sprawling Angkor Wat, one of the largest religious monuments in the world
• Enjoy an included lunch
• Step inside Angkor Thom, the ruined capital of the Khmer Empire
• View the Terrace of the Elephants and Terrace of the Leper King
• Visit Ta Prohm at sunset to see the temple that has largely reclaimed by the jungle, now well-known as the setting of the “Tomb Raider” movie

Please note: The sunrise tour of Angkor Wat may take place on the morning of day 13.

Continue your exploration of Siem Reap with your Tour Director as your guide.

• Take a cruise on Tonlé Sap Lake to visit the floating village of Kompong Khleang
• Enter the Cambodian Landmine Museum, an organization dedicated to the removal of landmines and unexploded ordnance, or UXO, from Cambodia.
• Watch a short film about Aki Ra, a former Khmer Rouge child soldier who founded the museum
• Take a guided audio tour of the museum to learn about the organization's de-mining projects and community development initiatives
• Learn how the revenue from your visit supports relief projects for those harmed by landmines and UXO

Sit down for an included dinner this evening.

Board your flight to Bangkok, Thailand this morning. Upon arrival, join your Tour Director for a sightseeing tour of the city.

• Explore the sprawling Grand Palace complex, built in 1782 for the king of Siam
• Pass by the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaew)
• Step inside the Temple of the Reclining Buddha (Wat Pho) to see the famous 150-foot long statue of Buddha
• Visit the nearby flower market before talking a walking tour of the Chinatown neighborhood

Later, celebrate your adventures with your group at a farewell dinner.

Transfer to the airport to board your early morning flight home or continue your tour in Bangkok.