Treasures & Temples of Vietnam & Cambodia

Xin Chao and welcome to Hanoi! On arrival, you will be met by your Emerald Cruises representative and transferred to your hotel, situated in downtown Hanoi, for your two-night stay.

Relax at the hotel, explore the city or wander Hanoi’s romantic West Lake, before meeting your tour director for your welcome briefing this evening.

Meals Included: Dinner

Today you will enjoy a full-day city tour of Hanoi. The tour includes the main sights of the city including the outside view of ‘Uncle Ho’s’ mausoleum, considered the father of modern Vietnam. Continue to the small but iconic One Pillar Pagoda and to the Temple of Literature. The Temple of Literature was Vietnam’s first university and it was established to educate Vietnam's royalty, mandarins and members of the elite.

As part of EmeraldPLUS, you will enjoy lunch at KOTO (Know One Teach One), a unique restaurant set up to train and educate disadvantaged children. After lunch, continue with a visit to Hanoi’s Old Quarter also known as the ‘36 streets’. Take a walking tour through charming Hang Be Market and around Hoan Kiem Lake, and stop at Ngoc Son temple. This bustling area of narrow streets and alleys is home to literally thousands of small businesses and shopkeepers. It is a great place to explore with plenty of photo opportunities.
Later, attend a traditional performance from the famous water puppets, a unique North Vietnamese art form depicting scenes from rural life and episodes of historical significance.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast, leave Hanoi and travel to Halong Bay where you will board your traditional-style junk boat. Cruise through the bays and islets enjoying the breathtaking scenery of this magnificent region. Learn more about the main livelihood of the locals in the area or relax on board. Towards the end of the day the boat anchors for the night in the Trinh Nu area among the karst formations and dinner will be served on board.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

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. Return to your traditional junk boat after full day of exploration. Tonight, try squid fishing.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Enjoy the sunrise and breakfast before beginning your cruise back through the magnificent rock formations, visiting Sung Sot Cave and arriving back at port. Bid farewell as you transfer to Hanoi airport, with a stop en-route for a light lunch at a local restaurant.

Fly to Ho Chi Minh City for your included two-night stay and, once you arrive, you’ll have time to stroll through the Colonial Quarter, to experience every-day life. Admire the beautiful architecture of the Opera House, City Hall and the Old Saigon Post Office, and hear stories of French Indochina and how the era continues to influence aspects of modern Vietnamese culture.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Drive away from Ho Chi Minh City, watching the city skyline fade into the distance as the road winds through rice paddies, villages and other scenes typical to southern Vietnam. Spend a couple of hours walking around Cu Chi’s rugged grounds with a local guide. Hear how the residents constructed an intricate underground network of tunnels during the French and American wars. Hear incredible tales about the unusual foods the residents ate to survive and much more. Once above ground, see other ingenious items used by the residents to defend themselves such as bamboo traps and camouflaged pits.

Upon your return to Ho Chi Minh City, the afternoon is yours to enjoy at leisure.

Meals Included: Breakfast

After checkout, enjoy a tour of the city, 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. On arrival, you will be welcomed on board by your captain and crew before setting sail towards My Tho, the gateway to the Mekong Delta, with its floating markets and homes.

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.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

This morning you will be taken to the village of Ðat Dua, where you will learn how coconut candy and other local sweets are made, along with a fruit workshop. Then travel to the Tan Long Pagoda before returning to Emerald Harmony to sail onwards to Sa Dec, a hidden gem on the Mekong Delta.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Visit Sa Dec on a walking tour, with stops at the Chinese Congregational House in Kien An Cung, the home of Mr. Huynh Thuy Le, who inspired Marguerite Duras’ novel L’Amant, and enjoy a walk through the central market to peruse its varied produce. Return to Emerald Harmony by sampan and sail to My An Hung Island. Recognised as a cultural and historical destination, this small village in rural Vietnam specialises in red-hot chilli and peppers. Enjoy some local folk singing during the visit.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

The morning is yours to enjoy your free time on board or, if you prefer, partake in a DiscoverMORE optional excursion to the Tam Nong Ramsar Bird Sanctuary.

In the afternoon, embark on a journey to Long Khanh Island, visit a local family to learn about scarf-weaving and visit the Hoa Hao Buddhist Pagoda.

Return to Emerald Harmony where, later this evening, you’ll be delighted by a traditional Lion Dance performance on board.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

In Tan Chau, as part of EmeraldPLUS, visit a unique family-owned Lanh My A silk producing factory. The silk product is created with dyes made from the mac nua fruit, a kind of wood tree, which originally came from Tan Chau silk village about 100 years ago. Here, you will learn more about the long-complicated silk making process and have a chance to touch the real Lanh My A silk. After a Xe Loi ride, embark one of our sampans to Evergreen Island for a walk through a local village to get a glimpse into the lives of the local farming community.

Back on board your luxury Star-Ship, cruise to the border between Vietnam and Cambodia.

Tonight, celebrate crossing the border with a Cambodian-style family dinner.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Wake up in Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh. The city, known as the “Pearl of Asia”, was almost entirely evacuated by the Khmer Rouge in 1975. This morning, you will learn more about the Khmer Rouge and the darkest days of the country’s history. A short drive will take you to the Killing Fields at Choeung Ek. Here you will have the opportunity to walk through the fields, visit the small museum and learn about this sad historic chapter. Afterwards visit the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (also known as S-21). This is a former school that was converted to the main prison and torture headquarters of the Khmer Rouge. In the afternoon, you will visit the majestic Royal Palace with its gardens and the central market located in the heart of the city. In the evening, you will have a chance to experience an evening remork (or Tuk-Tuk) ride through Phnom Penh to enjoy the city lights

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Located north of Phnom Penh, Oudong was the former royal capital of Cambodia up until it moved to Phnom Penh in 1866. Important remnants on the temple sight include the burial sites of Khmer kings as well as religious artefacts dating back more than a hundred years. In the main temple of the Oudong Monastery, receive a traditional Buddhist blessing from the temple’s resident monks as part of your EmeraldPLUS excursion. The afternoon is yours to continue exploring or to simply relax on board your Star-Ship. This evening, enjoy a cultural performance by the Cambodian Student and Children’s Organisation.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Bid farewell to your Emerald Harmony Star-Ship in the morning and continue by road to Siem Reap for your included three-night hotel stay. En-route to Siem Reap, stop in Kampong Kdei and see the impressive Angkor Bridge.

This evening, witness the incredible Cambodian Circus, Phare, a spectacle of acrobatics, theatre and music. Phare is an NGO founded by Cambodian refugees to assist disadvantaged young people by teaching them performing arts.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Today, start with a visit to Angkor Thom. As the last capital of the Khmer Empire, it was a fortified city, home to priests, officials of the palace and military, as well as buildings for administering the kingdom.

Afterwards, visit the sacred Temple of Ta Prohm, still overgrown by jungle trees, it has been the backdrop for many Hollywood movies.

This afternoon and evening is at your leisure.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Rise early and witness the sunrise over Angkor Wat. Afterwards walk through this UNESCO World Heritage-listed site known for its elaborate decorations and intricate carvings throughout.

Later this evening, enjoy your farewell dinner with an Apsara dance performance.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

After breakfast this morning, you will be transferred to the airport to catch your onward or homebound flight.

This itinerary is a guide only and may be amended for operational reasons such as high and low water. As such, the cruise may operate altered from that stated above. Please refer to our terms and conditions.

Meals Included: Breakfast