Grand Tour of Indochina: 24 days Hanoi to Bangkok

Xin Chao and welcome to Hanoi. On arrival, you’ll be transferred to downtown Hanoi and your hotel for your included one-night stay. Relax at the hotel, explore the city, or wander Hanoi’s romantic West Lake. This evening, meet your tour director for your welcome briefing.

This morning after breakfast, leave Hanoi and travel to Halong Bay where you will board your elegant Au Co cruise ship. Cruise through the bays and islets enjoying the stunning scenery of this magnificent region. Enjoy the tours offered on board, learn more about the main livelihood of the locals in the area or simply choose to relax. Towards the end of the day, the ship anchors for the night in the Trinh Nu area among the karst formations where dinner will be served on board.

Included Excursion
A two-night Halong Bay cruise on the elegant Au Co cruise ship

Today, continue sailing further into the region’s more untouched areas towards Lan Ha Bay. From a smaller boat, enjoy swimming on quiet beaches and kayaking in Ho Ba Ham Lake. Then visit Cua Van fishing village by rowing boat. After a full day’s exploration, you’ll return to your cruise ship and after dinner, try your hand at squid fishing.

Enjoy the sunrise and breakfast. Then cruise through breathtaking rock formations and visit Sung Sot Cave, before arriving back at port for your transfer to Hanoi.

On arrival back in Hanoi, you will explore the Temple of Literature, Vietnam’s first university established to educate Vietnam’s royalty, mandarins and members of the elite. The university functioned for an incredible 700 years, and its charming gardens and well-preserved architecture offer a fascinating glimpse into the nation’s storied past. Later you’ll visit the historic Old Quarter, also known as the ‘36 Streets’. This atmospheric and bustling area of ancient narrow streets and alleys is home to literally thousands of small businesses as well as revered temples and traditional ‘tube houses.’ The Old Quarter is a fascinating place to explore, with plenty of photo opportunities at every turn. You can also visit the local-style Hang Be Market. Then enjoy a stroll around the legendary Hoan Kiem Lake, located nearby in the heart of Hanoi. Here, you can walk across the iconic Red Bridge to ancient Ngoc Son Temple located on Jade Islet within the lake.

This evening enjoy a traditional water puppet show, a unique North Vietnamese art form depicting scenes from rural life and episodes of historical significance. As part of EmeraldPLUS, you'll enjoy dinner at KOTO (Know One Teach One), a unique restaurant set up to train and educate disadvantaged children.

EmeraldPLUS
Dinner at KOTO Restaurant

Included Excursion
Visit Hanoi’s Old Quarter

Included Excursion
A traditional water puppet show

Begin your morning city tour and learn about ‘Uncle Ho’, Ho Chi Minh, regarded as the father of modern Vietnam. Admire the exterior of his imposing mausoleum, before continuing to the Ho Chi Minh Quarter to glimpse his humble stilt house and the small but iconic One Pillar Pagoda.

Depart Hanoi and transfer to the airport for your included flight to Da Nang (Hoi An). Upon arrival in Hoi An, transfer to your resort for your included three-night stay. Tonight you can join a DiscoverMORE excursion.

DiscoverMORE
Hoi An Memories Show (extra expense)

Included Excursion
Hanoi City Tour

Today, start with our EmeraldPLUS visit to the Reaching Out Project. Reaching Out is an NGO (non-governmental organisation) established in 2000, which provides opportunities for people with disabilities to learn skills and gain meaningful employment. Visit the workshop and get a glimpse of how this NGO helps them to integrate fully with their communities and lead independent and fulfilling lives. After, enjoy a walking tour of Hoi An and see the old merchant’s houses, the Japanese Covered Bridge and the Assembly Hall of the Chinese Congregation. Tonight, after a dinner menu sampling the local style street food, the evening is yours free to wander the historical lantern lit streets and their many shops or bars.

EmeraldPLUS
Reaching Out Project

Included Excursion
A walking tour of Hoi An

Enjoy a day of leisure to explore Hoi An and its surroundings. Perhaps take the time to explore the Old Town and visit one of the many tailors Hoi An is known for, or take a cyclo (bicycle style rickshaw) to An Bang Beach. Alternatively venture out on one of our DiscoverMORE excursions. The choice is yours.

DiscoverMORE
My Son Historic Kingdom Tour (extra expense)

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Hoi An Rural Life (extra expense)

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Thu Bon River Sunset Cruise (extra expense)

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Red Bridge Cooking Class (extra expense)

Leave Hoi An for Hue, the former imperial capital of Vietnam. You will drive through Danang before crossing the Hai Vân Pass, known as the Ocean Clouds Pass before dropping down to the wonderfully photogenic fishing village of Lang Co. In Hue, you will visit the Imperial Citadel where the Nguyen Dynasty ruled between 1802 and 1945. Enjoy a relaxing cyclo (bicycle-style rickshaw) ride from Dai Noi ‘Old City’ to Tinh Tam Lake where the Emperors where the emperors used to go to relax. Then later, join a boat trip to visit Thien Mu Pagoda before checking into your hotel for the night. This evening, for your EmeraldPLUS experience, savour a traditional Vietnamese royal dinner menu.

Included Excursion
Cyclo ride from Dai Noi ‘Old City’ to Tinh Tam Lake

Included Excursion
A visit to the Imperial Citadel

Included Excursion
A boat tour on the Perfume River to Thien Mu Pagoda

EmeraldPLUS
A traditional Vietnamese royal dinner at a local restaurant

Today, transfer to Hue airport for your flight to Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon. After checking into your hotel, you will be free to explore the city.

Drive away from Ho Chi Minh City to Cu Chi Tunnels, watching the city skyline fade into the distance as the road winds through rice paddies, villages and scenes typical to southern Vietnam. Spend a couple of hours walking around Cu Chi’s rugged grounds with a local guide. Upon your return to Ho Chi Minh City, enjoy a Pho (noodle soup) lunch with the remainder of the afternoon and evening yours to enjoy at leisure or venture out on one of our DiscoverMORE excursions.

Included Excursion
Cu Chi Tunnels

DiscoverMORE
An evening Saigon Street Food walking tour (extra expense)

DiscoverMORE
Saigon After Dark by Vintage Jeep (extra expense)

After checkout, enjoy a guided city tour, visiting the Notre Dame Cathedral, Opera House and Town Hall. Then, visit the Reunification Palace before transferring to the port where you will board your Emerald Cruises Star-Ship, Emerald Harmony. You’ll be welcomed on board by your captain and crew before setting sail down the Saigon River to Cho Gao canal where you will anchor for the night. This evening, enjoy your first dinner on board with your fellow travellers. Your Cruise Director will conduct a port talk to review the activities and itinerary for the days ahead.

Included Excursion
An orientation tour of Ho Chi Minh City

This morning, you’ll cruise through the bustling Cho Gao canal, one of the major arterial canals of Vietnam connecting Tien Giang Province in the Mekong Delta with Ho Chi Minh City. You’ll be fascinated watching the heavy commercial traffic navigate this important waterway, where upwards of 1,800 vessels transit each day.

Once on the Mekong River, this afternoon you’ll visit the Tan My Floating community followed by a ride through local plantations to visit a mushroom farm, a fruit farm with sampling and a honey farm with local sweets. Later, you’ll sail onwards to Sa Ðéc, a Mekong Delta hidden gem.

Included Excursion
Visit the Thoi Binh hamlet and its farming and fishing communities, untouched by tourism

After a short sampan ride to Sa Ðéc, enjoy a walking tour with a visit to the home of Mr. Huynh Thuy Le, who inspired Marguerite Duras’ celebrated novel, L’Amant, and the town’s bustling central market.

Return to Emerald Harmony by sampan, then sail on to My An Hung Island. Recognised as a cultural and historical destination, this small rural village specialises in cultivating red-hot chilli and peppers. As part of your EmeraldPLUS experience, listen to local folk singing during your visit.

EmeraldPLUS
Listen to some local folk singing in My An Hung

Included Excursion
A visit to the home of Mr. Huynh Thuy Le and the bustling Sa Dec Markets

Included Excursion
A visit to My An Hung village

Known as ‘Mango Island,’ Cu Lao Gieng is a small, scenic island untouched by tourism, located along the upper Mekong River. Travel by local motorcycle rickshaw through the island’s villages to visit families who work in a variety of local industries including Mango farming, different types of boat building and a factory making incense sticks for temples.

The afternoon is yours to enjoy at leisure on board. As part of our EmeraldPLUS experience, you’ll delight in a traditional Lion Dance performance on board.

EmeraldPLUS
A Lion Dance performance on board

Included Excursion
See the local industries in Gieng Island

Embark on a sampan ride to Evergreen Island for a walk through a local village, giving you a glimpse into the lives of the local farming community. Reboard your sampan and return to Tan Chau and as part of our EmeraldPLUS experience, visit the local Cao Dai Temple. Cao Dai is a syncretic, monotheistic religion established in Tây Ninh, southern Vietnam, in 1926. At the temple, learn more about this fascinating and complex religion. Afterwards, ride in a Xe Loi (local form of cyclo) back to your sampan before returning to Emerald Harmony. Back on board your Star-Ship, you’ll sail to the border between Vietnam and Cambodia.

EmeraldPLUS
A visit to a local Cao Dai Temple and Xe Loi ride, unique to the Mekong Delta

Included Excursion
A visit to Evergreen Island

This morning, you’ll awake in Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh. Known as the ‘Pearl of Asia,’ the city was almost entirely evacuated by the Khmer Rouge in 1975. Today, you’ll learn about the Khmer Rouge and the darkest days of Cambodia’s history. A short drive will take you to the Killing Fields at Choeung Ek, where you’ll have the opportunity to stroll through the fields, visit the memorial and understand more about this country’s sombre chapter.

Afterwards, visit Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (also known as ‘S-21’), a former school converted to the Khmer Rouge’s main prison and torture HQ. Spend the afternoon as you please, either exploring our DiscoverMORE excursions, visiting the Central Market located in the heart of Phnom Penh, or simply relaxing on board Emerald Harmony.

This evening, as part of your EmeraldPLUS experience, enjoy a remork (local Tuk-Tuk) tour through Phnom Penh to admire the city lights.

EmeraldPLUS
Phnom Penh by night on a remork (Tuk-Tuk) tour

Included Excursion
Killing Fields at Choeung Ek and Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum

DiscoverMORE
A silk farm tour at Koh Oknha Tei (extra expense)

DiscoverMORE
Craft Beer Adventure by remork (extra expense)

DiscoverMORE
Samai Distillery (extra expense)

Located north of Phnom Penh, Oudong was the former royal capital of Cambodia until it relocated to Phnom Penh in 1866. Start your day with a visit to the Oudong Monastery and Temples. Important remnants here include the burial sites of Khmer kings as well as religious artefacts dating back more than a century. In Oudong Monastery’s main temple, receive a traditional Buddhist blessing from the resident monks, as part of your EmeraldPLUS experience. In the afternoon, you’ll visit the majestic Royal Palace, with its French-inspired gardens and Silver Pagoda. Back on board, as part of your EmeraldPLUS experience, enjoy a cultural performance by the Cambodian Student and Children’s Organisation. Afterwards set sail, gliding past the illuminated Phnom Penh at night, to Rokar Koang, a small town located further up along the up the Mekong River.

EmeraldPLUS
A traditional Buddhist Monk blessing

EmeraldPLUS
Cultural Performance by the Cambodian Student and Children’s Organisation

Included Excursion
A visit to the Royal Palace

Disembark Emerald Harmony in the morning and continue by road to Siem Reap for your included three-night stay. Your deluxe boutique property of world-class design takes great care in honouring the environment and paying homage to the traditional and local aesthetics. This evening as part of your EmeraldPLUS programme, attend Phare, The Cambodian Circus, where a combination of acrobatics, music and dance tell a uniquely Cambodian story. Take advantage of our DiscoverMORE dinner at the circus to further support Phare’s work.

EmeraldPLUS
Phare Cambodian Circus performance.

DiscoverMORE
Evening – Local Fare at Phare Circus (extra expense)

Today, start with a visit to Angkor Thom, not a single temple such as the historic sites it neighbours, but rather one of the most remarkable royal cities of the Angkor Period and an architectural wonder. As the last capital of the Khmer Empire, it was a fortified city, home to priests, officials of the palace, military and buildings for administering the kingdom. Afterwards, visit the sacred Temple of Ta Prohm. In an incredible standoff between human creation and nature, the jungle's root systems have reclaimed this spiritual location now enshrouded in wild vegetation. The backdrop to many Hollywood scenes, the incredible Ta Prohm is both a cinematic and contemplative location. This evening is free to visit ‘Pub Street’ or try a DiscoverMORE option.

Included Excursion
Visit to Angkor Thom

Included Excursion
Visit to Ta Prohm Temple

DiscoverMORE
Evening – Gondola Boat ride at Banyon with drinks (extra expense)

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Evening - Cambodian Street Food Discovery Tour (extra expense)

Witness a mesmerising sunrise over Angkor Wat. Afterwards, walk through this magnificent UNESCO World Heritage-listed site, renowned for its intricate carvings. This afternoon, enjoy time at leisure to explore the town, or join a DiscoverMORE excursion. Later, as part of your EmeraldPLUS experience, enjoy an immersive evening and farewell dinner, accompanied by an Apsara dance performance.

Included Excursion
Sunrise visit to Angkor Wat

EmeraldPLUS
Cultural night dinner show with Apsara dance performance

DiscoverMORE
Siem Reap Countryside by Vespa (extra expense)

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Banteay Srei Temple and APOPO (extra expense)

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Tonlé Sap and Lotus Workshop (extra expense, operating Aug-Feb only)

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Khmer Cooking Class (extra expense)

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Senteurs d’Angkor Workshop (extra expense)

After a morning at leisure in Siem Reap, join your included flight to Luang Prabang and enjoy a three-night stay at your hotel, walking distance to the famous night markets.

Discover key landmarks within the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Old Town, including the exquisite, 16th century temple, Wat Xieng Thong and former Royal Palace, now converted into the National Museum. Later, enjoy a boat cruise along the Mekong River, stopping at a local village which specialises in traditional rice wine before continuing to the Pak Ou Caves, a sacred grotto crammed with thousands of multi-sized golden Buddhas. After returning to Luang Prabang, let the locals show you how to play Pétanque, also known as Petong in Laos. Tonight, enjoy your free time, perhaps shopping for souvenirs and sampling local cuisine at the vibrant night market.

Rise early to witness the incredible sight of Buddhist monks move silently through the atmospheric streets as they collect alms. Later, travel to Kuang Si waterfalls, a set of picturesque, tiered falls and swimming holes set amongst the lush, dense jungle. This afternoon, join an Emerald DiscoverMORE excursion, before enjoying your Farewell Dinner with your fellow guests this evening.

DiscoverMORE
Ock Pop Tok Living Craft Centre – natural dyeing class (extra expense)

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Ban Chan (Laos Pottery House) – Pottery lesson (extra expense)

This morning after breakfast, bid farewell to Laos and transfer to the airport for your included flight to Thailand and its vibrant capital, Bangkok, where your extraordinary Indochina journey ends.

Please book your flight to depart out of Bangkok after 07:00 PM.

Rivers and waterways are subject to variations in water levels. While every effort is made to adhere to the planned itinerary, changes in river conditions, ad hoc local government regulations or local festivities may require journey modifications. These will be made based on the advice of local authorities or for safety reasons. Hotels are indicative and are subject to change.