Essence of Vietnam and Cambodia

Welcome to Vietnam! Upon arrival, your guide will be waiting to transfer you to your hotel.
Welcome dinner and spend overnight in Hanoi.

Today we take in the iconic sights of Hanoi on a guided sightseeing tour, including Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and historic Ba Dinh Square, Temple of Literature.
Then set off to Chau Long Market for a closer look at Hanoian culture in the flurry of a local market. After exploring the street stalls here, set off along Nguyen Truong To Street - famous for its desserts -- toward Hang Than Street, the epicentre of Hanoi’s thriving wedding cake stores. Learn a bit about Vietnam’s unique wedding culture while sampling some wedding cakes. Shake off your sugar rush on a stroll to nearby Hang Cot Street for a look at Hanoi’s mat weaving borough before stopping off along Hang Ga Street for a local coffee shop.
Finish the day with a Water Puppet show. This is a uniquely North Vietnamese art form depicting scenes from rural life and episodes of national history. 

09:00 : Pick up at your hotel in Hanoi old quarter,  Start 2,5-hour road journey via 5B highway on ultra-luxurious limousine or MPV Kia Sedona (for the guests use our transfer service)

11:45 : Arrive Tuan Chau marina, transferred by speedboat to Stellar of the Seas. Welcome aboard to our cruise. Refresh with our welcome drink. Meet the captain, crew on our cruise and join briefing and learn safety instruction.
- Set sail as lunch is served

12:30 – 17:00
- Join us for a typical lunch in the luxury dining room with indoor or outdoor dining area.
- Check-in your cabin. Time to refresh and unwind
- Continue cruising through Con Vit islet, Thumb islet and Gia Luan harbor where belonged to Cat Ba area.
- Discover lagoon natural area belong to Lan Ha bay. Drop anchor for Kayaking or swimming or just simply sunbathe on our cruise (private, wild and fresh air).
- Heading back toward the sleeping area

Early evening
Gather around the sundeck for watching the sunset, enjoy Sunset party with complimentary cocktails demonstration. It’s ideal time to make acquaintance with new friends, sharing your traveling experience or simply watching the sunset or just relax in the seasonal swimming pool, or enjoy your time in our golf course or do the exercise at fitness area.

18:00 : Join us for a short class of cooking demonstration. Our chef will guide you how to make famous traditional Vietnamese spring rolls. Here you will understand the culinary culture of the Vietnamese

19:00
- BBQ dinner is served with fresh food menu outside of swimming pool area.
- After dinner, reward yourself with a large selection of cocktails at panoramic bar with seasonal pool view, at wine and cigars cellar, or take one of our onboard activities: boardgames, movies, and squid fishing… or relaxing with massage services.
 

06:30 : Join us for a Tai Chi session on the sundeck for early riser. Tai chi helps focus the mind and condition the body, joining Tai Chi session or do the exercise at fitness area to full charge your energy for the new day.
07:00 – 7:45 :  Local light breakfast is served
08:00 : Mingling yourself in the stunning views of the Bay and it’s dramatic limestone islets as we sail through the calm emerald waters heading to Dark & Bright Cave (Hang Sang & Toi)
- Take your option either exploring the cave by yourself on kayak or comfortably on local boat rowed by the locals.
09:30 : Check-out the room
10:00 : Vietnamese cuisine is served.
12:00 :  Disembark from the cruise as our crew say farewell, back to Tuan Chau Marina by our speedboat
Car transfer back to your hotel in Hanoi
15h00 : Arrive at your hotel, check in, free time

Enjoy the morning in the middle of Halong Bay as the sun rises on Halong and breakfast is served (brunch on some boats) while the vessel cruises slowly through the magnificent rock formations and back towards the port. Mid-morning the boat will return to shore.
Disembark and transfer to Hanoi Airport for the mid-late afternoon onward flight to Ho Chi Minh City. Tonight, enjoy dinner at a local restaurant.

This morning take a step back in time and revisit the military history of the area. Visit the Cu Chi Tunnels, built by Vietnamese resistance fighters during the Vietnam War. Part of a larger network, the tunnels were used by Viet Cong guerrillas as hiding spots during combat. They also served as communication and supply routes, hospitals, weapons caches and living quarters for numerous guerrilla fighters.

Drive to My Tho Port and board your river ship for a relaxing journey aboard the luxurious RV Jayavarman for 7 nights.
Board your luxurious vessel, Jayavarman, and be welcomed by the crew. The captain will then raise the anchor, sound the horn and begin cruising leisurely towards Cai Be. Along the way you will witness scenes that have changed little over the years. Cruise past bustling villages perched on the riverbank where children play in the river and fisherman mend their nets. This evening enjoy a gourmet dinner on board the boat followed by a live music performance.

Explore Cai Be’s bustling floating market for some fantastic photo opportunities. Next, make a trip ashore to visit the French Gothic Cathedral and the colourful port area. Enjoy lunch as you cruise towards Vinh Long, the second largest city in the Mekong Delta. On arrival visit the bustling afternoon market and enjoy a visually stunning boat ride. Return to your boat for dinner and a performance of Mekong Folk dancing.

Sadec was the setting for Marguerite Duras’s novel, ‘The Lover’. Indeed during your guided tour of the settlement you can visit the House of Huynh Thuy Le, now known as ‘The Lovers’ Museum’. Pass by the school where Marguerite’s mother taught and view the home of Marguerite from across the river. In the afternoon you will arrive in Tan Chau, a remote small town on the main branch of the Mekong River.

Tan Chau is famous for its silk and during your visit you may like to make a stop at a traditional silk making factory. The town is also renowned for its rattan mat production. Return to the boat and enjoy lunch as you cruise towards the border. In the afternoon, enjoy a cooking demonstration given by the Executive Chef at the Saigon Lounge. Later in the day the vessel will enter the Kingdom of Cambodia and head towards its capital, Phnom Penh.

Once considered the most attractive of the cities that the French constructed in Indochina, the city is today recovering from its turbulent past. Today you will embark on a comprehensive sightseeing tour of Phnom Penh. End the day with dinner on your vessel accompanied by a special Khmer musical performance.

Early in the morning the vessel will cruise on towards the little known village of Chong Koh. After breakfast, take a leisurely morning stroll through this silk weaving village. Return to the boat and continue on to Prek K’dam, where an afternoon tour of Oudong will commence. Depart Oudong for the journey to Kompong Tralach, where you will visit Wat Kompong Tralach Pleu. Continue your tour with a fun ox-cart ride to the Tonle Sap River as you travel through enchanting countryside punctuated by small villages, emerald green rice paddies and friendly locals.

Today you will enjoy a quintessential river excursion through the region’s floating villages, where you will get a glimpse of the local lifestyles on the Tonle Sap River. Towards the end of the day you will emerge onto the vast expanse of the lake, which is Cambodia’s largest. Enjoy a stop in one of the region’s numerous floating villages; some of which are complete with schools, health clinics and even floating pig farms. Return to the vessel and prepare for farewell cocktails and your last dinner.

This morning you will arrive in Siem Reap, the gateway to the Temples of Angkor. 
After a rest, your local guide will take you to visit the Roluos Temple Complex, said to be the seat of Hariharalaya which was the first capital of the Khmer Empire north of the Tonle Sap.

Today explore the stunning Temples of Angkor; with plenty of free time to relax during the hottest parts of the day.

The day is at leisure until you are transferred to the airport for your onward flight.

Peak season surcharge on RV Jayavarman: US$120 per person per cruise for cruises including Christmas Evening (24 December) or New Year’s Evening (31 December)