DAY 1

• HO CHI MINH CITY

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• The Adventure Begins
• Welcome to Vietnam! Please note: Your travel documents contain a Visa-on-Arrival letter (unless otherwise arranged). Please ensure to pack this in your carry-on luggage. Your Visa-on-Arrival letter must be presented to Customs upon entry into the country.
• Upon your arrival at the airport, you will be welcomed by a hostess holding a sign with your name on it who will help you through the fast tracked process to get your visa stamped. Once you obtain a stamp for your visa and have collected your luggage, your hostess will happily take you to your waiting guide and vehicle.
• To ensure a seamless experience, your guide will be waiting for you outside of Customs holding a sign with your name on it. Your guide will assist you in meeting up with your private driver and accompany you to your accommodation to help with check-in.
• You will be privately transferred between your accommodations and Ho Chi Minh Airport by a professional driver and an English-speaking guide.

DAY 2

• HO CHI MINH CITY

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• Explore a City of Contrasts
• The history of Ho Chi Minh City has many layers, telling a tale of decades of external influence from the Chinese and the French. With your private driver and English-speaking guide, start your visit today by exploring Dong Khoi Area in the center of the city where French colonial presence can be felt at the Notre Dame Cathedral, a Catholic Basilica commissioned entirely of imported French building materials. Then it's on to a visit to the Saigon Central Post Office, a stunning architectural marvel with rich Gothic, Renaissance, and French influences. From here, continue to the Jade Emperor Pagoda, also known as Phuoc Hai and regarded as one of the most interesting pagodas in the country. Built by the Cantonese community at the early 20th century, worshipers still use this historic landmark to this day. The pagoda, with its elaborately carved figurines and decorated panels of carved gilt woodwork, is dedicated to Buddhist and Taoist deities. If you only visit one pagoda in the city, it should be this one. Finally, head over to Cholon, the city’s Chinatown. Cholon is widely regarded as the largest Chinatown in the world by area.
• This afternoon, enjoy time at leisure to explore at your own pace, or relax at your hotel.

DAY 3

• HO CHI MINH CITY

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• See the Signature Sights in Style
• Head into the countryside near Ho Chi Minh City today to spend half a day exploring an incredible feat of perseverance and wartime engineering, the famed Cu Chi Tunnels. With your private driver and English-speaking guide, gain important insight into the prolonged struggle against invading armies, and appreciation for the resilience and spirit of the Vietnamese people. The residents of Cu Chi took the war underground into a highly developed network of tunnels that at its height stretched as far as Cambodia and included meeting rooms, kitchens and triage areas. Imperceptible from the ground, opposing armies could roll their tanks over the bunkers without causing damage to the tunnels below. Living conditions were harsh – in addition to fighting the war, residents battled food and oxygen scarcity, venomous insects, and cramped living quarters.

DAY 4

• LOWER MEKONG RIVER CRUISE TO HO CHI MINH CITY TO MY THO

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• All Aboard!
• Port charges are included in your multi-day cruise itinerary.
• You will be privately transferred between your accommodations and Ho Chi Minh Pier by a professional driver and an English-speaking guide.
• Bid farewell to the hustle and bustle of Ho Chi Minh City as your shared transfer departs the city, driving nearly 45 miles south to My Tho, where you'll embark your boutique ship.
• Welcome aboard!
  Take some time to get settled in to your stateroom and to explore the length of the ship. You will be served refreshing drinks and a light lunch as the ship steadily glides along the Mekong River. Bathe in the fading sunset on the balcony, followed by a briefing at the lounge. Later, a welcome dinner awaits you.
  
  You'll drop anchor midstream near Cai Be, where you'll overnight.
  
  Please note: activities and stops during the cruise are a suggested itinerary only, and are subject to change by the cruise line based on climactic and water conditions, such as high water and low water seasonality. Maintain an open mind and an adventurous spirit, and enjoy your voyage!

DAY 5

• CAI BE TO LOWER MEKONG RIVER CRUISE

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• Cultural Immersion
• Every morning, your day starts with an invigorating Tai Chi lesson on the sundeck, just as the sun begins its gentle glow.
  
  Your activities today start with a guided group visit to Cai Be's boisterous and colorful floating market on a traditional sampan (a flat bottomed traditional Vietnamese wooden boat). During the ride, discover breathtaking landscapes along the river and quaff the rustic life on the Mekong Delta. The cruise will halt intermittently to allow you to observe how rice paste, rice paper, rice cookies, rice pop, rice wine and coconut candies are made. Enjoy local life along the canals on the way back to the ship for lunch.
  
  
• In the afternoon, you cruise to Sa Dec. Upon arrival, embark a traditional sampan to tour Binh Thanh Island to visit an untouchable village. Here, every villager is involved in the process of making rattan mat, and this gives you the opportunity to interact with the old local people. Afterward, board the ship for a tranquil evening cruise towards Tan Chau, where you'll moor midstream overnight.

DAY 6

• MEKONG RIVER TO LOWER MEKONG RIVER CRUISE

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• Live Like a Local
• Start your day with a short excursion in Tan Chau, a pleasant town near the Cambodian border with sizeable Chinese, Kinh and Khmer community. Firstly, the journey takes you to the “evergreen” islands where you will be thrilled to learn about the life of the locals. The inhabitants of these islands live on houses poised on high stilts – a centuries-old tradition in this part of the Mekong Delta. You'll stop to visit a fish farm located in the Tan Chau canal – this farm consists of floating houses, and here, villagers make their living by cultivating fish. You continue by boat to Tan Chau pier, disembark here and stroll around this colorful local market, browsing lots of regional products. Return to the cruise ship after your market visit.
  
  Overnight you'll anchor midstream near Phnom Penh.

DAY 7

• PHNOM PENH

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• The Journey Continues…
• After breakfast this morning, you'll disembark from the ship and bid farewell to the crew.
• Meet your driver for a pier transfer with a private vehicle and English speaking guide.

DAY 8

• PHNOM PENH

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• Sights and Insights
• Today, flutter away in Cambodian history with temples, palaces, and antiquities. Visit the city's oldest and tallest religious structure, the Wat Phnom. Your guide will show where the 14-century stupa and small pagoda stands, as you admire the temples historical architecture. Then continue the Royal Palace, built in 1866 under King Norodom for a glimpse of Khmer architecture. You will also visit the Silver Pagoda - named after its floors, which it's designed with 5000 silver tiles. 60% of the pagoda's contact was destroyed under Pol Pot's regime, but what remains is utterly spectacular. After the palace, wonder in the National Museum and seek its huge collection of fine Khmer sculptures and artifacts, recovered from ancient Angkor Empire. Lunch will be at Friends Restaurant, which will give you the opportunity to gain first-hand experience of the hospitality business.
• After lunch, you will be transferred by tuk-tuk to visit the Tuol Sleng Prison, housed in a high school, to capture the devastating horrors that occurred during Cambodia's Marxist movement. This excursion may prove distressing for some but is an important piece of Cambodia's recent past. After that, head to Choeng Ek, site of former orchards where more than 17,000 civilians were killed and buried in mass graves by victims of the Khmer Rouge between 1975 - 1979. Known as the "Killing Fields," this location sits around 17 kilometers outside of Phnom Penh. This private tour includes transportation an English speaking guide, entrance fees, food, cool water, and towels.

DAY 9

• PHNOM PENH TO SIEM REAP

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• On the Road Again
• Transfer from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap with a private vehicle and English speaking guide. The transfer is approximately 6 hours.

DAY 10

• SIEM REAP

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• It’s All Ancient History
• Today your private guide and driver, will show you a full day of historical adventures, as you're being whisked away to see the breathtaking architecture and natural setting of one of the most important archaeological sites in South-East Asia. The different sites of Angkor cover around 250 square miles, including the forested areas. It features ruins dating back to a period between the 9th and 15th century, all sculpted in the distinctive Khmer style. As you approach the park, you will first see the South Gate of Angkor Thom. A walk along a half a mile trail past the walls that lead to a hidden temple is optional, but your guide will definitely ensure that you see the amazing temple areas of Bayon and Baphoun, as well as the Terrace of Elephants and Leper King. Take a break and have lunch inside the park before you head over to the grey-stoned jungle temple of Ta Phrom. Here you enter a mysterious world, as tree stumps seem to grow out of the temple and roots crawl up its walls. For many people this is the highlight of Angkor. The most famous part of the park is, of course, Angkor Wat, known to visitors around the world. Finish the tour with a peaceful sunset, as shades of violets, oranges, and pinks spread across the sky. This private tour includes transportation, an English-speaking guide, lunch, water, and towels.

DAY 11

• SIEM REAP

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• Cultural Immersion
• After breakfast at your hotel, you will be picked up by your private guide and driver to visit the Roluos Group of temples, the remains of the first major capital of the Angkorian-era Empire. Included are Lolei, Preah Ko and Bakong. The sandstone carvings in the niches of the temples are as noteworthy as the Sanskrit inscriptions on the doorposts. The Bakong temple was built and dedicated to Shiva by Indravarman I. This is the largest and most interesting of the Roluos Group of temples and still has an active Buddhist monastery. After visiting the temples, you will receive a monk's blessing for good luck and good health before returning back to Siem Reap.
• More than the gateway to Angkor Wat, Siem Reap – Cambodia’s northwestern capital – is joy all on its own. During your free time, consider a trip to the Cambodian Cultural Village to catch a traditional Apsara dance performance (among many others), tour through the city’s many craft shops – the most famous being the Old Market known as Psah Chas – or head to the countryside to walk among verdant rice-paddies and perhaps visit the nearby bird sanctuary at Tonle Sap Lake. By night, be sure to head to Pub Street, a lively string of diners and bars that comes alive with light and music each evening.

DAY 12

• SIEM REAP
• Until Next Time…
• You will be privately transferred between the airport and your hotel by a professional driver and an English-speaking guide.

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