12-Nights Images of Indochina & Angkor Wat - Luxury Small Group Journeys — CALL

Abercrombie & Kent

OFFER ID 1493688

Images of Indochina & Angkor Wat
Immerse yourself in the historical, cultural and culinary treasures of four countries — Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand — on a single, comprehensive journey through Southeast Asia that includes watching the sun rise over Angkor Wat.

12 nights | Call for pricing

Itinerary

Abercrombie & Kent: Images of Indochina & Angkor Wat

Day 1 Hanoi, Vietnam

Arrive in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, and transfer to your colonial-style hotel.

Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi

Meals:

Day 2 Hanoi

Hanoi is the country’s cultural heart, bearing traces of centuries of changing dynasties. Visit Ho Chi Minh’s house, a simple structure that served as home to the revolutionary guerrilla leader. After lunch, visit the infamous “Hanoi Hilton” prison, where American prisoners of war were once confined, and hear from a war veteran about his first-hand experiences. Ride Like a Local by cyclo through the city’s Old Quarter. This evening, gather with your fellow guests for a welcome dinner.

Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 3 Ha Long Bay

Travel to Hai Phong, where you board ‘Orchid’ for a cruise of picturesque Ha Long Bay. Relax on deck as ‘Orchid’ snakes her way past countless islets, their striking karsts (limestone formations) rising dramatically from the emerald waters. Disembark on Cat Ba Island and discover Trung Trang Cave’s intricate features, formed over millennia. Back on board ‘Orchid,’ view the sunset framed against the Gulf of Tonkin shoreline, followed by dinner aboard.

'orchid'

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 4 Ha Long Bay & Ho Chi Minh City

Greet the day on deck with sunrise tai chi overlooking the bay. Set out for an early morning kayak excursion among the towering limestone pinnacles. Return for brunch on board as ‘Orchid’ sails home to port in Hai Phong. Back on terra firma, proceed to Hang Kenh temple and take in a local water puppet show. Later, fly to Ho Chi Minh City, the former Saigon, where you settle in at your hotel.

The Reverie Saigon

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 5 Ho Chi Minh City

Recently experiencing a resurgence of art and culture, Ho Chi Minh City is a lively, evocative hub of activity. Rise early for a carefully curated, A&K-exclusive experience that starts with a cyclo ride through the streets as the city slowly comes to life. Stroll through Tao Dan Park, a neighborhood gathering place, and then enjoy specialty Vietnamese coffee at a local shop. Continue along Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street to visit a little-known, hard-to-find weapons bunker. Round out your morning exploration of local life by sampling some of the city’s most sensational pho at one of its best-kept-secret restaurants. Return to your hotel to enjoy the rest of the morning at leisure. At lunch, participate in a Chef ’s Table experience where you try your hand at making banh xeo, a savory Vietnamese pancake. This afternoon, view examples of the city’s colonial legacy, including Reunification Palace and the Central Post Office, and then explore a Cao Dai temple to get in touch with southern Vietnam’s spiritual side. Tonight, gather for dinner at a local culinary hot spot.

The Reverie Saigon

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 6 Ho Chi Minh City

Today, venture outside of the city to explore the Cu Chi Tunnels and speak with a former Vietcong soldier, learning how this vast subterranean network was used to conceal and support a stealthy underground fighting force. This afternoon, enjoy one of these Design Your Day activities.

Visit the War Remnants Museum to view photographs from Bunyo Ishikawa, a Vietnam War photojournalist, followed by a walking tour of a historic neighborhood.

Explore the City’s Bustling Culinary Scene, sampling traditional dishes prepared by local street-food vendors.

Cycle the Countryside around the Cu Chi Tunnels, passing through local villages to observe daily life.

Return to your hotel, where the rest of your afternoon and evening are at leisure.

The Reverie Saigon

Meals: Breakfast

Day 7 Siem Reap, Cambodia

Fly to Siem Reap, the town nearest to Angkor Thom and Angkor Wat. Begin your exploration at Ta Prohm, where the roots of great trees seem to have spilled over the roof of this iconic stone temple. Enjoy an evening at leisure.

La Résidence D’angkor, A Belmond Hotel, Siem Reap

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 8 Siem Reap

Rise early this morning to experience the incomparable serenity and inspiration of watching the sun rise over mystical Angkor Wat before exploring the vast temple complex with your expert local guide. Return to your hotel for breakfast and time to relax. This afternoon, visit Angkor Thom, the last capital of the Khmer kingdom, and Bayon Temple, its 172 large-scale faces — bearing beguiling smiles — representing gods, goddesses, and other beings from classical poems and mythology. This evening, take a tranquil gondola cruise on the Angkor Thom moat while sipping a cool drink on a Scenic Sundowner.

La Résidence D’angkor, A Belmond Hotel, Siem Reap

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 9 Siem Reap

Today, explore a less-visited temple: Banteay Srei, known as the “Citadel of Women.” Learn about the essential work of the Cambodia Clean Water Project, an Abercrombie & Kent Philanthropy project that builds pumping wells in rural communities throughout the country. After lunch at a local restaurant, bid farewell to Cambodia as you fly to Luang Prabang.

La Résidence Phou Vao, A Belmond Hotel, Luang Prabang

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 10 Luang Prabang, Laos

Step back in time for a day as you explore charming Luang Prabang and its tranquil streets. Begin with a visit to the National Museum, once a royal palace. Then, follow quiet back lanes to the beautiful Heuan Chan Heritage House. After a refreshing tea in the gardens, proceed to the enchanting Wat Xieng Thong, a Buddhist Temple noted for its “Tree of Life” wall mosaic, and then visit Wat Khili. Later, join your fellow guests for a relaxing sunset cruise along the tranquil and iconic Mekong River before dinner.

La Résidence Phou Vao, A Belmond Hotel, Luang Prabang

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 11 Luang Prabang

Rise very early to give alms to Buddhist monks, putting you in touch with the local culture and community. Return to your hotel with some time to relax and pack. After lunch, join locals in their home for a baci ceremony — a good-luck ritual for a safe journey that is part of the local culture — before flying to Bangkok.

The Peninsula Bangkok

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 12 Bangkok, Thailand

Visit the sprawling Grand Palace, a complex that is the historic Siamese court and home to Thailand’s most important shrine, the green-jade Emerald Buddha. Continue by tuk-tuk to the 150-foot-long reclining Buddha at Wat Pho. Your afternoon is at leisure. Tonight, gather for a farewell dinner of Thai specialties.

The Peninsula Bangkok

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 13 Bangkok

After breakfast, transfer to the airport to depart for home.

Meals: Breakfast

Featured Destinations

Bangkok

Luang Prabang

Siem Reap

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is often referred to as Vietnam’s jewel and the Pearl of the Orient. Located in south Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City is the country’s largest city, with more than six million people and over one million motorbikes. Under the current regime the city is once more being rebuilt. Whole blocks are disappearing, being replaced by concrete, steel and glass structures. Central Saigon, which is still the official name for the city center, shows evidence of the French colonial city, with wide, tree-lined boulevards, sidewalk cafés and elegant French architecture. The city is divided into two sections: Saigon, the municipal and historical district, and Cholon (Chinatown), where the entrepreneurial talent and private funds are concentrated. Cholon appears to be the most populated and in general the most vigorous part of Ho Chi Minh City. It is well worth a visit for its bustle and activity and its pagodas, which are reputed to be the finest in the whole city.

Excursions

Cu Chi Tunnels & Sai Gon Highlights Tour – 10 hours - Saigon

Highlights of Ho Chi Minh City Tour – 10 hours - Saigon

Mekong Delta Tour – 10 hours - Saigon

Saigon Port

Full Day Saigon City Tour (8 hours)

On arrival to Saigon (Nha Rong Port), drive 20mins to the city centre for a tour of some of Saigon’s historic landmarks reflecting its French and Chinese influences. Visit the Notre Dame Cathedral, a red brick edifice with twin spires constructed from materials imported from France (entrance is only permitted when no services are being performed). Then head across the square to the Central Post Office, completed in 1891. Appreciate the restored exteriors of the Saigon Opera House and the elegant City Hall (the former Hotel de Ville), two of Saigon’s most stunning colonial monuments. If time permits, we will visit the iconic Ben Thanh Market, one of the earliest surviving structures in Saigon and popular wholesale market for local handicrafts, textiles, souvenirs and street food.

Drive to the former residence of the US Ambassador of South Vietnam in the early 1960s, Mr. Henry C. Lodge Jr., who supported the overthrowing of the South Vietnamese Government. Enjoy a cold drink while watching a 10min documentary film about Saigon during that time.

After lunch on your own, we then drive to Saigon’s Chinatown to visit the beautiful Thien Hau Pagoda, built by the Cantonese community in the early 19th century to honour the Goddess of the Sea. Take time to make a wish, write it on a small card and attach it to one of the incense coils according to local custom. Continue your visit to FITO, the first museum of traditional medicine in Vietnam, offering insight into the history and application of traditional medicine in everyday life before taking the scenic route through the city back to the ship.

NOTES:
·       There is an extra charge for the transfer at the other ports.
·       Outside visit only due the renovation at Notre Dame Cathedral until further notice
·       Tour duration: 08 hours

Meals: None
TOUR INCLUSIONS

Inclusive of: Non-inclusive of:

·     Private transfers and transportation on tour
·     Sightseeing with Local English speaking guides
·     Entrance fees and boat rides if any
·     Cold towels and water on sightseeing days
·     Welcome pack
·     Dock permit
·     Tips & gratuities
·     Vietnam visa
·     Accommodation on board
·     All meals where not mentioned in the program
·     Drinks/water at included lunches and dinners
·     All flights & airport taxes
·     Hotel early check in/ Late check out
·     Overweight luggage
·     Personal expenses
·     Travel insurance
·   Other services not listed in inclusive column

Half-Day Saigon: History of Architecture with History Researcher (4 hours)

On arrival to Saigon (Nha Rong Port), drive 20mins to the city center for a tour of some of Saigon’s historic landmarks reflecting its French and Chinese influences. Meet with a local cultural and history researcher at your hotel lobby and take a short trip to local coffee shop for an overview of the impressive history of the city once known as “The Pearl of the Orient”. Then take a step back in time to visit several of the very best examples of “storytelling” architecture. Start at Jade pagoda established in the early 1900s to get a glimpse of ancient history when a group of Chinese fled the new regime to Saigon around the end of 17th century under the reign of Lord Nguyen.

Then wind your way to Archbishop's Palace – with a prayer house more than two hundred-years old (outside visit) as the home for the first French Catholic missionary. Gain an overview about the first approach of the French during the Cochinchina period in the early 18th century. Stroll around the University of Social Sciences & Humanities which used to be the 11th infantry regiment colonial military barracks for an insight into French campaigns against Viet Minh at the time. Your stop will be at the former residence of the US Ambassador, Henry C. Lodge in the 1960s for a drink and watch 10-min movie about Saigon back in the day.

NOTES:
·       There is an extra charge for the transfer at the other ports.
·       Total duration: 04 hours

Meals: None
TOUR INCLUSIONS

Inclusive of: Non-inclusive of:

·     Private transfers and transportation on tour
·     Sightseeing with Local English speaking guides
·     Entrance fees and boat rides if any
·     Cold towels and water on sightseeing days
·     Welcome pack
·     Dock permit
·     Tips & gratuities
·     Vietnam visa
·     Accommodation on board
·     All meals where not mentioned in the program
·     Drinks/water at included lunches and dinners
·     All flights & airport taxes
·     Hotel early check in/ Late check out
·     Overweight luggage
·     Personal expenses
·     Travel insurance
·   Other services not listed in inclusive column

Half-Day Saigon: Retracing the Past (5 hours)

On arrival to Saigon (Nha Rong port), disembark the ship and meet your guide. Commence with a visit of the shrine outside of the US Consulate then continue to the former CIA building (outside visit only), where helicopters evacuated the remaining US citizens in 1975. Head to the rooftop café of the Rex hotel, a familiar landmark for Americans during the Vietnam War. Sit down for a drink, enjoy the view and this piece of history which your guide will help to explain. Then visit the Reunification Palace for a guided tour of the former headquarters of the South Vietnamese Government and residence of the presidents. Drive to the former residence of the US Ambassador of South Vietnam in the early 1960s, Mr. Henry C. Lodge, who conducted a mission to overthrow the South Vietnamese Government. Watch a 10 minutes documentary film about Saigon during that time while enjoying a cold drink. Then drive to a secret weapon chamber which VC used as a place to hide and store weapons during Vietnam War. Then weave through tiny back alleys and meet and chat with the locals who are living in tiny houses. Head to a historic venue for a late lunch of “pho” (noodle soup). The house number 07 on Ly Chinh Thang Street (former Yen Do street) is now known as Pho Binh restaurant which used to be the headquarters of Viet Cong Commanders where they gathered to plan for the 1968 Tet Offensive. Take a walk upstairs to learn more about the history through the family’s photo collection. Then drive back to the port to embark the ship.

NOTES:
·       There is an extra charge for the transfer at the other ports.
·       Total duration: 05 hours

Meals: None
TOUR INCLUSIONS

Inclusive of: Non-inclusive of:

·     Private transfers and transportation on tour
·     Sightseeing with Local English speaking guides
·     Entrance fees and boat rides if any
·     Cold towels and water on sightseeing days
·     Welcome pack
·     Dock permit
·     Tips & gratuities
·     Vietnam visa
·     Accommodation on board
·     All meals where not mentioned in the program
·     Drinks/water at included lunches and dinners
·     All flights & airport taxes
·     Hotel early check in/ Late check out
·     Overweight luggage
·     Personal expenses
·     Travel insurance
·     Other services not listed in inclusive column

Half-Day Saigon: Culinary Experience at Former Ambassador's Residence (4 hours)

On arrival to Saigon (Nha Rong port), disembark the ship and meet your guide. Drive 20 minutes to Ben Thanh market to buy all the fresh ingredients before continuing an historic Ambassador's home for a private hands-on cooking demonstration. The American Ambassador to South Vietnam in the 1960s, Mr. Henry Cabot Lodge, carried a mission of overthrowing the southern government at that time. When Lodge arrived in Saigon, an old villa in District 3 was converted into the Ambassador’s residence. Mr. Lodge lived in this home between1960-1965 and the architecture is a mix of Vietnamese, French and American. Today it remains a private residence owned by Trails of Indochina and it has been fully restored to its former glory. The guide will provide an orientation tour of the house while the chef prepares the ingredients. Learn typical Southern style dishes throughout the morning. The chef will show you how to serve each dish before the meal, and you will need to master the chopsticks before you can savor your own culinary creations in the old world ambiance of the villa.

After lunch, transfer back to your ship.

Note: There is an extra charge for the transfer at the other ports.

Meal: Lunch

TOUR INCLUSIONS

Inclusive of: Non-inclusive of:

·     Private transfers and transportation on tour
·     Sightseeing with Local English speaking guides
·     Lunch
·     Entrance fees and boat rides if any
·     Cold towels and water on sightseeing days
·     Welcome pack
·     Dock permit
·     Tips & gratuities
·     Vietnam visa
·     Accommodation on board
·     All meals where not mentioned in the program
·     Drinks/water at included lunches and dinners
·     All flights & airport taxes
·     Hotel early check in/ Late check out
·     Overweight luggage
·     Personal expenses
·     Travel insurance
·     Other services not listed in inclusive column

Halong Bay (Hanoi)

Meaning “Bay of the Descending Dragon,” Halong Bay’s water is calm and undisturbed despite the jutting limestone mountains that soar out of the water and toward the sky. As if a tail of a Dragon plunged into the earth, the mountains are craggy, sharp, and barren, and are dotted with thousands of small caves of various depths and heights. At dusk, they all take on mysterious shades of gray, mauve and olive, lending credence to the local legends.

Excursions

Ha Noi City Tour & Street Food Tour – 12 hours - Hanoi

Ha Long Bay Cruise (5 hours)

Ha Long Bay Cruise (7 hours)

Hanoi

Hanoi is a city with a history that dates back to the 7th century. In 1954 Hanoi was declared the capital of the Democratic Republic of North Vietnam, and in 1976, following the Vietnam War, it became the capital of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. This political history has made Hanoi one of the country's most fascinating cities to explore. The most renowned of all the monuments is the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. It is dedicated to Vietnam's most well-respected President, who in 1945, led his country to independence. Other highlights include the Museum of History, containing ancient artifacts from Cambodia, Thailand, Japan and China, the 11th century One Pillar Pagoda and legendary Sword Lake.

Excursions

Hon Gai / Hai Phong Port

Hanoi Full Day Tour (10 hours)