zWaterways of Indochina

Check in to your deluxe room at the city-center InterContinental Asiana Hotel.

Visit this vast network built by guerilla fighters and marvel at its secret trapdoors leading to vast underground rooms and passages. The more adventurous can even descend to the deeper second and third levels. Back in the city, explore the historic temples of Chinatown, bustling Binh Tay Market and the remarkable Cao Dai Temple. Dine tonight at Maxim’s Nam An. Meals B,D

Your city tour includes Reunification Palace and Colonial-era landmarks like the Old Post Office and Notre Dame Cathedral. Enjoy a cyclo ride through the colorful city streets before flying to Danang. Drive past China Beach and the Marble Mountains to the beachfront Victoria Resort in Hoi An. Meals B

Float down the Thu Bon River to Red Bridge for a hands-on cooking class. Dine alfresco and return to Hoi An for a guided walking tour of the town’s historic merchant homes, temples and art galleries. Browse through a colorful market and visit a local school. The rest of the afternoon is free to explore in town at your own pace, or you can return to your resort and relax on the beach. Meals B,L

Transfer to Danang for your flight to Hanoi where you’ll be met and escorted to the 5-star Sofitel Metropole Hotel. Visit the 12th-century Temple of Literature and board a cyclo to explore leisurely through the historic French Quarter. Meals B

Visit the impressive Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and beautiful Botanical Garden. Then journey into the pastoral countryside to visit the ancient village of Duong Lam, well-preserved amidst emerald-green rice paddies. Explore with your guide along its winding lanes, enter into one of these traditional homes and sit down to a relaxing lunch in this tranquil setting. Meals B,L

A morning drive brings you to Ha Long Bay, filled with thousands of limestone islands, forested peaks, hidden coves and emerald waters that stretch forth as far as you can see. Step aboard the Bhaya Classic, styled after the grand junk once reserved exclusively for the emperor. Enjoy lunch, dinner and an unforgettable voyage deep into these dreamy landscapes. As weather and sea conditions permit, you might swim, snorkel or kayak in the afternoon. Meals B,L,D

Disembark after a leisurely breakfast and return to Hanoi for your flight to Siem Reap, where you’ll be escorted to the luxurious Sofitel Royal Resort. This afternoon, visit Angkor Thom with its Elephant Terrace and the stunning Bayon Temple, an archaeological wonder of symmetry and grandeur. Then enjoy the wondrous spectacle of an unforgettable sunset over the jungle ruins of Angkor. Meals B

Unhurried exploration with your knowledgeable Trip Leader continues at Angkor Wat, the largest temple in the world. Also visit magnificent Ta Prohm, still enveloped by dense jungle vegetation. Meals B

Your morning tour takes in the less-visited but impressive 10th-century temple of Banteay Srei, the Citadel of Women. Then cruise Tonle Sap Lake, the largest fresh water lake in Southeast Asia, to visit colorful floating villages and fish farms. Meals B

Board the luxurious MS AmaLotus, moored at Tonle Sap Lake. Settle in to your spacious outside stateroom and then enjoy lunch and an elegant dinner onboard, as your ship charts a course toward Kampong Chhnang. Meals B,L,D

After breakfast, a motor boat excursion takes you into the lakeside wetlands that form the mouth of the Tonle Sap river. Enjoy a stunning variety of birdlife, and see numerous great fish traps, some over a half-mile long. After your excursion, return to your vessel and cast off towards Kampong Tralach. An afternoon tour includes an oxcart ride from the river bank through the countryside to the beautiful Wat Kapong Tralach Pleu. Tour the pagodas, and then board a motor coach to Oudong, the former capital of Cambodia, where you will tour the Buddhist monastery. After the visit, you motor coach will take you to your vessel, which will cruise towards the village of Chong Koh. Meals B,L,D

Enjoy a pleasant morning walk through the quiet silk weaving village of Chong Koh. Sit down to a leisurely lunch onboard as your vessel cruises toward the capital. This afternoon’s guided walking tour is a fascinating introduction to Phnom Penh. Return to ship for dinner followed by a special Khmer folk performance. Your vessel is moored overnight here in Phnom Penh. Meals B,L,D

Your morning excursion includes the Royal Palace and the magnificent Silver Pagoda, so named for the 5,000 solid-silver tiles that grace the temple floor. See an outstanding collection of Khmer crafts at the National Museum and return to ship for lunch. In the afternoon, visit the Genocide Museum, a sobering tribute to Cambodia’s turbulent history under the Khmer Rouge. Docked overnight on the waterfront, you can step off ship this evening to experience Phnom Penh’s vibrant restaurant scene and nightlife at your own pace. Meals B,L,D

Remarkable scenes of river life drift slowly by as your ship continues its downstream voyage through Cambodia into Vietnam. Meals B,L,D

After breakfast, transfer to small boats, which will navigate through narrow channels to visit an evergreen island. You will also visit a catfish farm and a rattan mat and slipper-making workshop . Back ashore, a traditional “xe-loi” (trishaw) awaits to transport you around Tan Chau. In the afternoon, your vessel cruises downstream to Sa Dec, where it will moor overnight. Meals B,L,D

In the morning, board a local boat for Sa Dec passing floating markets as you boat maneuvers through the river’s channels. Once ashore, you will tour Sa Dec, noteworthy as the town where the French writer Marguerite Dumas spent many years in her youth. Visit a local market, Fujian Temple and the house of Mr. Huynh Thuy Le, Dura’s Chinese paramour, which is now a small museum. Afterwards board a motor coach for the 1-hour ride to Xeo Quyt, used as a base during the French and U.S. wars and now an important ecological site, with its jungle overgrowth. After lunch on board, a local boat will take you to Cai Be’s spectacular floating market; then you will go ashore to see candy and rice paper workshops. This evening, enjoy a gourmet Farewell Dinner on board. Meals B,L,D

Disembark in the river port of My Tho and travel back to Saigon. Check in to the InterContinental Asiana Hotel and enjoy a free afternoon to relax or explore at your own pace. Meals B

Our tour program finishes this morning after breakfast. Meals B