Overnight international flight to Hanoi.

Upon arrival in Hanoi and airport reception, transfer to the hotel in a private vehicle. Depending on arrival time, spend the remainder of the day at leisure.

Morning tour of the Ho Chi Minh Complex with a private guide. Visit Ba Dinh Square, where silent sentries guard the marble and granite mausoleum where Ho Chi Minh lies in state. See the simple cottage where Uncle Ho lived and worked and visit the nearby Ho Chi Minh Museum - an extraordinary tribute to the life of the "father of the country." Carry on to the Governor's Residence, a fine example of Hanoi's French architecture, followed by a stop at the One Pillar Pagoda to hear the legend of its construction.


Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant followed by a private afternoon tour of the Hanoi City highlights. Marvel at the tree lined streets on the way to the Opera House and pass by Hoan Kiem Lake en route to one of the city's fascinating museums of choice: the Museum of History of Vietnamese Military, Vietnam History Museum, or Vietnam Fine Arts Museum. Continue to the Temple of Literature, built in 1070 and dedicated to Confucius, for a quick escape from the busy streets. Afterwards, enjoy a private guided walking tour of the Ancient Quarter, also known as the 36 Streets District, where there will be a nice mix of ancient homes, temples and small shops.


Note: The Ho Chi Minh Museum is closed for maintenance on Mondays and Fridays from September to November annually.
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Transfer to the ancient and well-preserved village of Duong Lam and get immersed in the calm and tranquil atmosphere of country life. Then explore Mong Phu Village before visiting the Phung Hung and Ngo Quyen Temples. Enjoy lunch at a local house before driving to visit the Thay Pagoda, which was built in the 11th century during the reign of King Ly Nhan Tong. Then return by car to Hanoi.

Depart Hanoi in the morning for an approximately 3.5 hour direct drive to Halong Bay. Upon arrival, get on a boat to begin the cruise. While the junk is passing many islets, rocks, caves, floating villages and beaches on Halong Bay, a lunch of fresh seafood will be served on board. Then visit the Thien Cung and Dau Go Caves, the most beautiful among the thousands in the bay. Return to land for a late afternoon hotel check-in and enjoy the evening at leisure.

Note: If staying overnight on a boat is preferred, please contact a travel consultant. This option comes highly recommended.
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Depart Halong to return to Hanoi and enjoy lunch at a local restaurant en route. Upon arrival, transfer to the airport for a flight to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). Reception at airport and transfer to the hotel.

In the morning, transfer from the Saigon hotel to the pier to get ready to board the Jayavarman cruise ship. Gather before noontime at the welcome lounge. Lean back with a drink as the staff welcomes guests and collects the details for the boarding. Bid farewell to the hustle and bustle of Saigon and travel 70 kilometers south overland to My Tho to embark this luxury floating home for the coming journey along the Might Mekong. Upon boarding the crew warmly welcomes travelers and guest check in to the prepared staterooms. The ship set sail and the fascinating journey of exploring the Mekong can begin. Lunch buffet is served in the restaurant while the vessel steadily glides upstream to reach the overnight spot. Get familiar with all the ship facilities. Now it is time to become one with one of the largest streams in Asia. The afternoon allows one pastime at one's private balcony or join the tea time at the open air bar as the twilight bathes the land of Mekong Delta into a golden haze. Savor the dinner as the ship reaches Cai Be. Cai Be is a charming small town, famous for its Catholic French church and manufacturing of traditional crafts and food products. The floating market of Cai Be is getting smaller every year, since trading on the water is shifting more and more into modern central markets. Drop anchor mid-stream and overnight near Cai Be. ...read less

Everyday, the ship offers an invigorating Tai Chi class on the sun deck. Set in the day like many local people do around Asia just as the sun begins its gentle glow. A sumptuous buffet breakfast is the perfect start in the first exploration day in the Mekong Delta. The morning tour takes travelers to Cai Be. Cai Be still hosts a small floating market for boat to boat trading of local goods such as fruits and agricultural products. The guide explains the particularities of this long lasting dealing culture. Each boat has a special marker to let buyers know what goods they are selling. Cai Be is a rustic town criss-crossed by and many water canals. Go on-shore to visit a workshop where one can learn about and observe how rice paste, rice paper, rice cookies or rice wine is manufactured. Cai Be and its surrounding areas are covered by palm trees and hence the region is also famous for the production of coconut candies. With the local boat we continue to cruise through the lush and green canal network and can observe farmers working in the fields. Back on board lunch is served and guests have some time for themselves afterwards to either enjoy a true Vietnamese coffee at the bar or simply watch the life on the riverbanks floating by. In the afternoon, reach the area of Sa Dec. Embark a traditional sampan and tour towards Binh Thanh Island. This island is one of the larger ones in the vast stream of the Mekong. Some communities have settled here and make their living by growing water hyazinths. Visit exclusively one of those untouched areas. By wandering through the village, get a deep understanding of the native life. But moreover, follow the whole process of ratt making. One can even try the weaving which is still done manually. Meet also an old local people who shares their story on this island and they are happy for any chit-chat. Back on board one may like to pamper themselves with a spa treatment or take a dip in our pool on the sun deck. The expert guides offer a presentation on the "Life on the Mekong Delta" as the ship continues sailing to Tan Chau - the boarder town to Cambodia. Moor mid-stream near Tan Chau. Dinner is served and afterwards one can join the evening cinema session (offered every night) featuring selected classic movies. ...read less

Welcome to the fish sanctuary of Vietnam. Begin the day with a hearty breakfast at the dining hall or in the quiet sanctuary of the balcony. Brace oneself for an excursion around Tan Chau, a pleasant, slow-paced town near the Cambodian border with a sizeable Chinese, Kinh and Khmer community. Once arrived on-shore, hop on "xelois" to explore Tan Chau. A xelaoi is a local vehicle which is still used as taxi in this region. Slowly move around the streets to see all the workshops, houses and domiciles. Get to feel the laid back vibes of this place. Stop at the colorful local market near one of the ancient temples. This is the best time to interact with the vendors of this friendly town to make a bargain experience. Board the local boats and cruise along floating houses to finally reach a floating fish farm. This region is the source of fish production to be sold all over the world and one can see closely how fish farmings works. Back on board "home" sail towards the Vietnamese-Cambodian border. Get ready for a fascinating and leisurely cruise through the deep Cambodia countryside towards Phnom Penh. The whole afternoon is at one's own arrangements. This is the cruise part when even the last passenger will turn into cruise mode and hopefully experience the therapeutic influence this mighty river radiates. It is time for massages, time for sun bed relaxations, time for private balcony kick-backs - forsooth the time to merge with the river. A culinary class if offered during the afternoon to sharpen one's knowledge and skills on the local cuisine. Some may like to do a flying visit at the bridge - the captain always has a story to share about "his" river. "The Highway Blues" beckons as floating into a state of mild bliss and before totally drifting away join the afternoon high tea for some treats. Dinner is served before arriving in the capital of Cambodia around 8 o'clock. The boat docks at the pier of Phnom Penh. Travelers are free to go for the first exploration by themselves. Stroll along the river promenade and watch the locals chit-chating, selling odds and ends or have a drink in one of the numerous bars. ...read less

Welcome to Phnom Penh - the once called Paris of the East. Despite its rapid development, it has retained a lot of its rustic charm and elegance. It is an amazing town to bespeak centuries of incredible history and culture which can still be felt at many street corners. After breakfast, bid farewell to the passenger of the Pearl of the Orient Cruise.

Private transfer to the Phnom Penh airport for a flight to Siem Reap. Reception at airport and transfer to the hotel. Depending on arrival time, spend the remainder of the day at leisure. ...read less

Enjoy a half day tour of the Angkor Thom with a private guide. Then visit the sprawling Elephant Terrace, the Terrace of the Leper King and the enchanting Bayon. This 12th century masterpiece lies at the very center of Angkor Thom City and is an archaeological wonder of symmetry and grandeur. The exterior gallery walls have extensive bas-reliefs, but the main features are the towers each with 3 or 4 gently smiling faces, over 200 in total. Afterwards, continue to Pre Rup Temple. Built in 961, the boldness of the architectural design is superb and gives the temple fine balance, scale and proportion. The temple is close in style to the East Mabon, although it was built several years later.


Continue with a half day visit to Angkor Wat with a private guide. It is unlike all the other Khmer temples in that it faces west, and is inspired by 12th Century Hinduism. Its symmetrical towers are stylized on the modern Cambodian flag. Intricate bas-reliefs surround Angkor Wat on four sides, each telling a story, but the most celebrated of these is the Churning of the Sea Milk, located on the east wing. The guide will explain the fascinating mystical tale behind it.
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This morning, visit Banteay Srei, "The Women's Citadel", a tiny, enchanting temple, which is one of the jewels in this remarkable city. Built of red sandstone in the 10th century and dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva, this is the most Indian of all the temples in Angkor and in the words of H.W. Ponder, "a fairy palace in the heart of an immense and mysterious forest." Continue to Banteay Samre, another Hindu temple.

This afternoon, enjoy lunch and transfer by Tuk Tuk to Preah Khan. This extensive monastic complex, which covers over 130 acres, was built by the Khmer King Jayavarman VII as a monastery and teaching complex. Continue to Ta Prohm, a temple that has been left largely in its natural state since its re-discovery by the French. Surrounded by jungle, it remains a labyrinth of stone hallways that have become overgrown with roots and limbs of massive banyan trees, which envelope the stone like tentacles.
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Commonly known as the Valley of a Thousand Lingas, Kbal Spean is set deep in the jungle, northeast of Angkor. Hike through the jungle to reach the River of a Thousand Lingas. Historically, the ancient civilization of Angkor used this waterway for irrigation purposes. Numerous bas-reliefs remain, as do the thousand lingas that were embedded in the river to bless the water before it ran downhill to the royal city. This Hindu Pilgrimage site predates the Angkor Temples by some 200 years, thus making it the most ancient site in the region.

Continue to the famous Tonle Sap, the largest fresh water lake in Southeast Asia, for a memorable cruise to a nearby floating village. For most of the year the lake is fairly small, approximately only one meter deep with an area of 2,700 square km. However, during the monsoon season, the water is pushed up from the Mekong River into the lake, resulting in an increased area of 16,000 square km and a depth of up to nine meters, ultimately flooding nearby fields and forests. The floodplain provides a perfect breeding ground for fish. The livelihood of most of the local community depends largely on fishing and Tonle Sap accounts for 75 percent of Cambodia's annual inland fish catch. Return to the hotel later in the day.

Note: Depending on the time of year, the Tonle Sap boat ride might be unavailable. In that event choose from the Institute for Khmer Traditional Textiles Tour, Siem Reap School Tour, or Cooking Class and Visit to Local Home. Please contact a travel consultant for more information.
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Meet at the hotel with a Yampu representative and transfer to the airport for a flight home or an optional Yampu Tours add-on.