Indochine I

AM: Program depending on your time of arrival in Ho Chi Minh City. Program as follow if your flight lands beetween 6am and 11am:

Built by the French in 1859, at the beginning of the colonial era, Ho Chi Minh City has retained some of its French atmosphere which characterises it. We will tour the city: Reunification palace, Notre Dame cathedral and Central Post office. Lunch in a local restaurant between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m..

PM: We’ll visit Cholon, the Chinese-influenced section of the city, including its hectic market. After comfortably settling into your cabins, we’ll introduce our crew at a welcome cocktail, have dinner and spend the night on board.

AM: We’ll leave by coach for the Cu Chi tunnels, an immense network of underground tunnels that were used by Viet Cong soldiers as hiding spots during combat, as well as serving as communication and supply routes, hospitals, food and weapon caches.

PM: Lunch will be served on board. Visit the Museum of Vietnamese History. We’ll then set out to cross the very narrow Cho Gao Canal. Night on board.

AM: We continue our cruise to My Tho along the magnificent Chao Gao Canal. Visit of a bee farm and enjoy some honey tea and exotic fruit.

PM: After lunch, we’ll discover a brick and pottery factory as well as a traditional factory producing puffed riced, rice-paper wrappers used to make nems, and rice alcohol. Night on board.

AM: Visit of Sa Dec and discovery of the local market and visit the former house of Huynh Thuy Le, the man who Marguerite Duras based her book The Lover on.

PM: We’ll return on board our ship and have lunch. Sailing towards Cambodia. Night on board.

AM: Breakfast on board. Located on the border between Cambodia and Vietnam, the prosperous city of Chau Doc has developed around fish and fish farming. We’ll pay a visit to the Ba Chua Xu Temple and the Tay An Pagoda.

PM: Lunch on board. Arrival in the evening in Phnom Penh. Dinner on board. We'll remain in port overnight.

AM: We’ll enjoy a tour of the fabulous Royal Palace, one of the most impressive examples of Cambodian architecture, and its Silver Pagoda. Onward to visit the National Museum.

PM: After lunch in town, you can pay a visit to the Tuol Svay Prey School, a former detention, torture, and execution center run by the Khmer Rouge during the civil war. Afterwards, enjoy some free time at the market. As we get back on board, we will enjoy an Apsara dance show. Dinner and overnight on board, in the port of Phnom Penh. Free evening.

AM: Visit of Koh Chen, a small village where craftspeople specialize in silver and copper work.

PM: After lunch, we will visit the beautiful Vihara at the Wat Kampong Tralach Leu pagoda. To access the pagoda we need to cross the village of Kampong Tralach in ox carts, moving along a small road that runs perpendicular to the river in the middle of magnificent rice fields. Our ship will remain anchored overnight.

AM: Visit of Kampong Chhnang, one of the largest fishing ports on the Tonle Sap. Here they also have many fish farms. The region is best known for its fine traditional pottery which is a major source of revenue for the entire country. Tasting of some local products.

PM: Lunch, then continue our cruise to lake Tonle Sap, the largest freshwater lake in southeast Asia which forms the heart of the hydraulic system of the Mekong. Cocktail and gala dinner tonight. Our ship will remain anchored overnight.

Note on crossing Tonle Sap Lake: During the high-water season, usually from August to the end of November, the crossing will be done on your ship. In the low-water season, from December to February, the crossing will be done on high-speed boats (approximately 4 hours). In the very low-water season, from approximately February to April, the transfer from Siem Reap to Koh Chen to join your ship will be done in an air-conditioned coach (approximately 5 hours).

AM: We spend the morning cruising. Disembarkation, and lunch.

PM: Visit of the famous temple of Angkor Wat, a masterpiece of Khmer architecture. This is the most famous and most imposing of all the monuments in Angkor. Enjoy a stroll through the Angkor Night Market. Dinner and overnight in hotel (Accommodations will be at either a 4-star or 5-star hotel according to the cruise you choose).

AM: Visit of the temple at Ta Prohm. Today nature has taken over the site and the result is stunning: trees spring out from the temple buildings and thick roots now cover the temple.

PM: This afternoon we explore Angkor Thom, have a wander in the heart of the ancient Royal palace where the sanctuary of Phimeanakas is located, then we visit the terrace of the Elephants and the terrace of the Leper King. Lunch. Visit of the temple at Banteay Srei, which means "the citadel of women”. Dinner. Then, enjoy a show with Phare, the Cambodian circus. Overnight in the hotel.

AM: Visit of the "Senteurs d'Angkor” (or perfume workshop), where they make candles, soaps and prepare spices. Afterwards, we visit the workshops of the "Artisans d'Angkor”, where young Cambodians are trained in the art of traditional wood carving and stonework based on long-standing Khmer craftwork traditions.

PM: Lunch in the hotel. We’ll bid you farewell at approximately 2:00 p.m.

Your program will begin according to your time of arrival in Siem Reap. If your flight arrives between 6:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m., your program will be: Accommodations will be at either a 4-star or 5-star hotel according to the cruise you choose. Lunch will be served at the hotel between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., and you’ll be able to check into your room at 2 p.m.

PM: This afternoon, we’ll visit the Senteurs d'Angkor: a diverse collection of silk and carvings, as well as a superb range of traditional beauty products and spices, all made locally. We’ll also visit Artisans Angkor, which states its goal as "the ambitious belief that it is possible to revive ancient Cambodian arts & crafts while improving the lives of thousands of people living in rural areas." Enjoy a stroll through the Angkor Night Market. We’ll have dinner and spend the night at the hotel.

AM: We’ll explore Angkor Thom, the monumental temple of Bayon—famous for its towers and 172 faces of Avalokitesvara, and Ta Prohm.

PM: After lunch in town, we’ll leave for a visit of Banteay Srei. This evening, we’ll have dinner in a restaurant in town before ending the day with Phare, the Cambodian circus, and spending the night at the hotel.

AM: We'll visit the Angkor Wat temple: the epitome of Khmer architectural art. It is the largest religious monument in the world and an architectural masterpiece. Lunch will be served at the hotel.

PM: In the early afternoon, you’ll be transferred from the hotel to the ship. After comfortably settling into your cabins, we’ll introduce our crew at a welcome cocktail and have dinner on board.

AM: Enjoy breakfast as we cruise across the lake.

PM: After lunch, we’ll visit Kampong Chhnang, one of the largest fishing ports on Tonle Sap Lake. Fish farming is abundant here. The region is also known for its traditional pottery combining ancient knowledge with modern techniques—Chhnang itself means "pot." We'll enjoy a tasting of regional products before returning on board and beginning to cruise to Kampong Tralach. We’ll have dinner and spend the night on board.

Note on crossing Tonle Sap Lake: During the high-water season, usually from August to the end of November, the crossing will be done on your ship. In the low-water season, from December to February, the crossing will be done on high-speed boats (approximately 4 hours). In the very low-water season, from approximately February to April, the transfer from Siem Reap to Koh Chen to join your ship will be done in an air-conditioned coach (approximately 5 hours).

AM: We will set out to visit the beautiful Vihara at the Wat Kampong Tralach Leu pagoda. To access the pagoda we need to cross the village of Kampong Tralach in ox carts, moving along a small road that runs perpendicular to the river in the middle of magnificent rice fields.

PM: After lunch, we'll arrive in Koh Chen. You can explore this small village where craftspeople specialize in silver and copper work. After returning on board, we'll spend the afternoon cruising towards Phnom Penh, arriving in the early evening. Enjoy a brief tour of the area by "tuk-tuk," the easiest way to get around the city. We’ll return to the ship and enjoy a performance of classical Khmer dancing and music and have dinner.

AM: We’ll enjoy a tour of the fabulous Royal Palace, one of the most impressive examples of Cambodian architecture, and its Silver Pagoda. Onward to visit the National Museum.

PM: After lunch in town, you can pay a visit to the Tuol Svay Prey School, a former detention, torture, and execution center run by the Khmer Rouge during the civil war. Afterwards, enjoy some free time at the market. We'll return on board for dinner in the evening and start sailing towards Vietnam.

AM: Located on the border between Cambodia and Vietnam, the prosperous city of Chau Doc has developed around fish and fish farming. We’ll pay a visit to the Ba Chua Xu Temple and the Tay An Pagoda.

PM: Once we are back on board, we’ll begin to cruise toward Sa Dec. We’ll have dinner and spend the night on board.

AM: Once we arrive in Sa Dec, discover the local market and visit the former house of Huynh Thuy Le, the man who Marguerite Duras based her book The Lover on.

PM: We’ll have lunch on board and cruise to Vinh Long. We’ll set out in smaller boats and travel through canals and orchards before arriving in Cai Be. We’ll discover a brick and pottery factory as well as a traditional factory producing puffed riced, rice-paper wrappers used to make nems, and rice alcohol. We’ll return on board our ship and begin to cruise. We’ll have dinner and spend the night on board.

AM: We'll visit a bee farm and enjoy some honey tea and exotic fruit. We'll then take a ride in small sampans along the canal lined with mangrove palms.

PM: Lunch will be served on board. We’ll then set out to cross the very narrow Chao Gao Canal, heading for Ho Chi Minh City. We’ll have dinner and remain in port overnight.

AM: Ho Chi Minh City was heavily influenced by French colonialism in the 19th century. We’ll enjoy a tour of the city to see the Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral, and the Saigon Central Post Office, and visit the Museum of Vietnamese History.

PM: Lunch will be served on board. In the afternoon, we’ll leave by coach for the Cu Chi tunnels, an immense network of underground tunnels that were used by Viet Cong soldiers as hiding spots during combat, as well as serving as communication and supply routes, hospitals, food and weapon caches. After our excursion, we'll return onboard our ship. Tonight we’ll have our farewell cocktail and dinner. We'll remain in port overnight.

AM: Enjoy breakfast on board before disembarking. We’ll spend the morning visiting Cholon, the Chinese-influenced section of the city, including its hectic market.

PM: After lunch in town, we’ll bid you farewell at approximately 2:00 p.m. Please do not book your flight before 5:00 p.m.