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TOUR PROGRAMME

Day 1:
On arrival at Noi Bai Airport in Hanoi, you’ll be met and driven to your hotel. Take some time to relax after your journey, and then begin your journey of discovery together with a performance of traditional Water Puppetry, an art form unique to northern Vietnam which offers an endearing, light-hearted introduction to its rural culture. In the evening, enjoy a delicious ‘Welcome’ dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant in an atmospheric restored French colonial building. You’ll spend the night in Hanoi.
Day 2:
Today, explore Vietnam’s capital city. Stroll the relaxing park-like grounds of the Temple of Literature, the first university in Vietnam, dating back to the 11th century, and see Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum, the simple stilt house where he lived and worked, and the museum dedicated to his memory. After lunch, visit the serene Tran Quoc Pagoda, Hanoi’s oldest, on the banks of West Lake.  Finally, explore the bustling Old Quarter, a maze of shopping streets and restaurants which, while noisy and hectic, are the historical and cultural heart of the city.
Day 3:
This morning transfer to Moon Garden Homestay in Ky Son Village. On arrival, explore the grounds of Moon Garden and the village, then join a cooking class to learn more about Vietnamese cuisine and have lunch. After lunch and a spa treatment, take a bicycle ride to discover the paths of Thang Thac Village and follow a local guide to explore Duong Lam ancient village and Mia Pagoda. Returning to Moon Garden, you will be treated to a traditional foot bath and can participate in a Vietnamese prayer ceremony. You will be transferred back to Hanoi in the late afternoon. Moon Garden Homestay (50km from Hanoi) was originally a summer home for the family of a Hanoi-based architect. Today, Moon Garden offers visitors a peaceful escape featuring fully restored old buildings, complete with thoughtful design, furniture and antiquities. Moon Garden has a lovely central courtyard with outside seating, a 100 year old church, a small pond and a bonsai garden overlooking a lake and the surrounding rice fields. At Moon Garden, activities are designed to promote interaction with the locals for a real taste of the rural life and culture of Vietnam.
Day 4:
After breakfast, you’ll be driven to Ha Long Bay, a spectacular UNESCO World Heritage Site and the world’s largest marine limestone ‘karst’ landscape. There you’ll board a wooden junk for your cruise. At Cua Van Fishing Village, you can kayak together through the floating village or ride sampans rowed by the villagers. Returning to the boat, relax and take in the scenery, then join a fascinating cooking demonstration of Vietnamese traditional dishes. After dinner, take in sunset on the bay, and later you can try your luck squid fishing with the crew. The boat will anchor in a quiet location for your overnight stay.Cua Van Floating Fishing Village is the largest of 4 floating fishing villages on the bay. Please note that kayaking is optional - available upon request at an extra charge. For your two-day Halong excursion, you'll board Indochina Sails, a wooden junk modelled after the old Vietnamese court vessels. The boat has 15 cabins, accommodating a maximum 30 people, so you will likely be joining other travellers for the cruise. All cabins are air-conditioned, have windows overlooking the bay, hardwood interior and furnishings, and are fully supplied with amenities and toiletries. Meals, often based on fresh seafood, will be provided on board.
Day 5:
Awake to the fresh air of the bay, and take a swim or enjoy an early Tai Chi session on the large sundeck (beginners welcome!) After a light breakfast of pastries and tea or coffee, you’ll leave the boat for a walking tour on Titov Beach Island. If weather permits, you can swim or climb the hill (not a mountain) for a panoramic view over the bay. Return to the junk and enjoy brunch while cruising back to the main dock, and around noon you’ll depart for the drive directly to Hanoi airport to board your flight to Ho Chi Minh City. On arrival, a private car will transfer you to your city centre hotel. After checking in, you’ll be free for a preliminary wander around District 1. Your overnight will be in Ho Chi Minh City.
Day 6:
After breakfast, your guide will take you to visit the famous Cu Chi tunnels, a Byzantine maze of underground passages, chambers, rooms and booby traps used by both the Vietminh and the Viet Cong to suddenly materialise as if from nowhere, launch a lightning ambush, and vanish equally rapidly. After lunch, you’ll return to Ho Chi Minh City for a guided city tour. You’ll visit Reunification Hall – an early colonial masterpiece constructed to accommodate the Governor –general of Indochina, the Post Office and the Notre Dame Cathedral. Browse the huge Ben Thanh Market, one of the liveliest areas of Ho Chi Minh City, packed with every conceivable commodity. You’ll spend the night in Ho Chi Minh City.
Day 7:
Leaving behind Ho Chi Minh City’s urban sprawl, you’ll travel to Ninh Kieu Pier in the Mekong Delta. Here embark on Le Cochinchine cruise, enjoy a delectable lunch and get acquainted with the crew while the vessel plies the waterways to Cai Be via Tra On. After lunch, disembark for a pleasant walk on the footpaths in Lach Village to explore tropical fruit orchards, meet the locals working there and sample various tropical fruits. Continue your cruise on the Mekong to Cai Be, enjoying sunset on the river. Your dinner and overnight stay will be onboard.
Day 8:
Awake to the sounds of the floating market and rise early to enjoy sunrise on the river. After breakfast, transfer to a small motor boat to explore the lively Cai Be floating market. Then visit a local handicraft village where you can view historical structures and sample local tropical fruits. Get back on the boat for the ride to Mekong Lodge – an eco-resort beside the Tien River with some 10,000 m2 you can explore and see local people pursuing their daily activities. Around 10 AM begin your drive back to Ho Chi Minh City. Lunch will be served at a local restaurant along the way.
Day 9:
You will be free until time for transfer to the airport to catch your flight to Siem Reap, Cambodia. Arriving at Siem Reap airport, you’ll be met and driven to your hotel. The day’s activities will be devoted to the Angkor Temple complex. Explore Angkor Wat itself, the largest, and for most people, the most impressive temple in the complex. As dusk nears, a walk to the summit of Phnom Bakheng Hill will afford a panorama of the whole complex lit by the rays of the setting sun, weather permitting of course. Your overnight accommodation will be in Siem Reap.
Day 10:
Begin the day visiting Angkor Thom, starting with the Bayon, a bizarre structure with architecture reflecting the transition from Hinduism (the foundations) to Buddhism (the superstructure). Next visit the Elephant and Leper King Terraces, followed by the Baphuon Temple, which recently underwent an extensive restoration programme. After lunch, see Ta Prohm, strangled by massive tree roots and typical of the condition of the whole complex when it was discovered in 1860 by French naturalist Henri Mouhot. Your guide will then show you Prasat Kravan (also known as the Cardamom Sanctuary) and Srah Srang Lake and landing terrace. Srah Srang is less touristy and is a popular sunrise destination. Your overnight accommodation will be in Siem Reap.
Day 11:
Today visit some of the outer sites including Preah Khan, a huge monastic complex including Neak Pean, an island temple and sanctuary, and East Mebon, a temple-mountain. After lunch return to your hotel and spend the night in Siem Reap.
Day 12:
After breakfast, you’ll be driven to Siem Reap River and Wat Athovea. There, embark on a boat tour of Tonle Sap Lake, a natural reservoir that acts as a release valve for Mekong River floodwaters, and visit a floating fishing village. Return to downtown Siem Reap for lunch. In the afternoon, you will be free until your driver arrives at your hotel to take you to Siem Reap airport for your departing flight.