2008 Texts will be updated to match changes in program. Inside numbers reflect trip days as numbered for Dutch participants. Outside numbers refect days with flights from U.S.

 INCH 
 Indochina - Vietnam, China, Laos, Cambodia - 28 days 
1 Depart US 
2 1. In transit   
3 2. Arrival Saigon (NL group arrives at 10:45 AM) 
4 3. Saigon 
5 4. Saigon, excursion Tay Ninh and Cu Chi 
6 5. Saigon, flight to Hanoi 
7 6. Hanoi - Halong Bay 
8 7. Halong Bay, boat trip - Hanoi, night train to Lao Cai 
9 8. Arrival Lao Cai - Bac Ha 
10 9. Bac Ha - Sa Pa 
11 10. Sa Pa 
12 11. Sa Pa - Lao Cai - Shilin 
13 12. Shilin, excursion to Stone Forest - Kunming 
14 13. Kunming, flight to Jinhong 
15 14. Jinhong 
16 15. Jinhong - Luang Nam Tha 
17 16. Luang Nam Tha - Luang Prabang 
18 17. Luang Prabang 
19 18. Luang Prabang 
20 19. Luang Prabang - Vientiane 
21 20. Vientiane 
22 21. Vientiane, flight to Phnom Penh 
23 22. Phnom Penh 
24 23. Phnom Penh, boat to Siem Reap 
25 24. Siem Reap (Angkor Wat) 
26 25. Siem Reap (Angkor Wat) 
27 26. Siem Reap - Depart (NL group departs at 4:25 PM)
28 27. Arrival US 

 

Ho Chi Minh City

+ 1 Day  Depart U.S.

Day 1 In transit  (Dutch travelers depart Amsterdam)

Day 2 Arrival Saigon

Day 3 Saigon

Day 4 Saigon, excursion Cu Chi and Tay Ninh

Ho Chi Minh city, or Saigon, is a city of millions, a center of industry, trade and international communications, and home to an important harbor. After the division of the country in 1954, Saigon became the capital of the republic of Vietnam. After the invasion of the northern armies in April 1975, the revolutionary authorities gave the city the name Ho Chi Minh City, but most of the inhabitants still call the city Saigon. On the way to your hotel, you will notice the streets are flanked with lush green trees and filled with an endless flow of bicycles, motor scooters and cyclos. As the French - and later the Americans - introduced Western culture and architecture to Saigon, the Vietnamese countered by building pagodas and temples everywhere. The city is best explored on foot or on a rented bike or cyclo. Authentic examples of French architecture include the post office, the “hotel de Ville” (city hall)  and the cathedral. Visit the Museum of the Revolution, the Historical Museum and the Ho Chi Minh museum. Leave time for a couple of hours in the Chinese district wih the fascinating Ben Thanh market, where you can buy everything that the Vietnamese eat, carry or use on a daily basis.

 

On Day 4, we make an excursion outside the city. First we stop at a museum, the intricately designed Cu Chi tunnel network, which was in the sixties a vast defense network of the Vietcong resistance. Afterwards we drive on to Tay Ninh, the center of one of the most intriguing sects in Vietnam, the Cao Dai sect. The cathedral is a striking building that looks like a cross between an extravagant rococo church and a fairy tale castle.  We arrive there early in the afternoon, allowing you time to experience the daily ceremonies in the church.

Hanoi - Halong Bay

Day 5 Saigon, flight to Hanoi

Day 6 Hanoi - Halong Bay

Day 7 Halong Bay, boat trip - Hanoi, night train to Lao Cai

 

Old Hanoi is the political and historical capital of the united Vietnam, but nevertheless it seems a small provincial town in comparison with Ho Chi Minh City. Since the fifties, little has changed in the city center, and the authentic character has been well-preserved. It is a pleasant town to explore at your own pace. The Hoan Kiem Lake is at the center, and on the southeast side of this great lake is the modern center, or French Quarter, with its department stores, embassies and hotels. The small streets of the old Chinese district are an ideal place for souvenir hunters: hand-painted cards, embroidered Chinese flags, antiques, woodcarvings, silk articles and a hundred and one more neat knick knacks.  Dong Xuan market lies in the old district: here you can find many street vendors selling all kinds of outdated fashions for very little money. In the east of the city you find the mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh, the One-pillar pagoda from the 11th century, the Temple of Literature and the Ngoc Son Temple. You can also visit the museum of the 'Hanoi Hilton ', the prison where Americans were held during the war.

We will travel by the bus to the unique natural reserve of Halong Bay, where about a thousand small limestone rock islands rise from the Gult of Tonkin. Here we will take a boat trip according to the program. You will need to pay a harbor fee. On this boat excursion you can enjoy the natural splendor of this picturesque area from the deck - or you can swim in the clear water. From time to time the boat will anchor at a beach or at one of the innumerable caves. Between the small islands you will be able to see traditional “sampans” with their characteristic large reddish brown sails. In the early evening we drive back to Hanoi, then take a night train to Lao Cai, located in the beautiful mountainous region by the Chinese border. You will spend the night in four person sleeper compartments.

Bac Ha, Sa Pa, Kunming, Jinhong

Day 8     Arrival Lao Cai - Bac Ha

Day 9     Bac Ha - Sa Pa

Day 10   Sa Pa

Day 11   Sa Pa - Lao Cai - Shilin

Day 12   Shilin, excursion to Stone Forest - Kunming

Day 13   Kunming, flight to Jinhong

Day 14   Jinhong

Day 15   Jinhong - Luang Nam Tha

After the train’s arrival in Lao Cai in the morning, we spend another hour on the bus to Bac Ah. The terrain is not always the best, but you will enjoy beautiful views and have numerous opportunities for photos along the way. The following morning will give us some time to visit the colorful market.

In the afternoon we will continue on to Sa Pa. The small mountain village, surrounded by forests, was once a favorite French vacation resort, where beautiful villas were constructed. In the center you can see Hmong and Thai people buying and selling their wares. The mountain tribes can be recogized by their colorful traditional costumes. You will also come across the tribes the next day if you choose a walking or jeep tour to visit these small villages or nearby areas. You can also visit the May Bridge or the Bac Waterfalls.  On the way, we will search for a beautiful picnic spot.

From Lao Cai, we enter China. Kumming is the capital of the province Yunnan and our base to explore the intriquing Stone Forest. Most of the surreal formations have been assigned their own name and meaning by the local Yi minority. In nearby Jinhong, you will find many villages and cities inhabited by ethnic minorities. Those who would like to may visit these towns by bike. The market in Galan Ba and the Hinayana Temple are also worth visiting.

Laos - Luang Prabang

Day 16   Luang Nam Tha - Luang Prabang

Day  17  Luang Prabang

Day 18   Luang Prabang

Day 19   Luang Prabang - Vientiane

The old royal capital of Laos, Luang Prabang, lies between the Mekong and Khan rivers. The city is surrounded by hill, forests and small rivers. Both inside and outside the city, there are numerous golden temples with dragon ornaments on the roofs. You can taste the local delicacy: seawood from the Mekong fried with sesame seeds. The former Royal Palace has been converted to a museum. The many temples are characterized by overhanging roofs that almost reach the ground, with great attention to detail, such as mosaics and woodcarvings. When you have had enough of the temples, you can take a boat ride to observe the green rice paddies, the water buffalo, and the fishermen. From Luang Prabang, you can also visit some small villages of the minority tribes surrounding Luang Prabang.

Vientiane

Day 20 Vientiane

Day 21 Vientiane, flight to Phnom Penh

Located on the Mekong River in Laos is Vientiane, still a quiet city with a provincial atmoshpere.  The old colonial buildings and the lively sociability of the day visitors from Thailand give Vientiane a pleasant atmosphere. You can spend time walking along temples and busy markets. Around the Nom Phou fountains is a collection of cozy little restaurants. The Luang Stupe is one of the most important temple complexes in the country. In addition to the temples you will find, among other things, the Patuxai, the Laotian version of the Arc de Triomphe. The French influence is seen in both the historic buildings and the delicious fresh baguettes at breakfast. We can also a visit the Nam Ngum reservoir, about 60 miles from Vientiane. In the beautiful surroundings you can take a boat trip and a picnic to one of the small islands in the lake.

Cambodia -  Phnom Penh

Day 22 Phnom Penh

Day 23 Phnom Penh - boat to Siem Reap

Phnom Penh offers many possibilities, such as a visit to the royal palace with its silver pagoda, and the national museum with a lot of valuable archaeological finds from the Khmer era. In this district, you can also find old Buddhist monasteries and other buildings with Khmer trademarks. North of here, the old French quarter of the city lies around the temple of Wat Phnom. This temple on a hilltop was built in commemoration of the founding of the city. The most charming part of the city is the boulevard along the Tonle Sap-River, where, in the evening hours, you can explore on foot or by bike, or relax on a balcony to enjoy the beautiful sunset. A walk through the hectic Central Market will give you a good impression of the Chinese district. The Tuol Sleng Holocaust Museum is both impressive and horrific. Many visitors will also go to see the Killing Fields, site of many of the shocking atrocities of the Khmer Rouge regime.

We take a boat from Phnom Penh to the city of Siem Reap across the enormous Tonle Sap Lake.  The cabin of the boat is air conditioned, but you can also sit outdoors on the rooftop, so you can enjoy the beautiful surroundings and the activity in and along the water’s edge.  We sail for several hours, first up the Tonle Sap River, then across the grand Tonle Sap Lake, so large that you cannot see the banks. Before we arrive, you will see the Floating Village, a small village on the water which has been inhabited by Vietnamese refugees for years.

Siem Reap, Angkor Wat

Day 24 Siem Reap

Day 25 Siem Reap

Day 26 Siem Reap - Depart (NL group departs at 4:25 PM)

Day 27 Arrival U.S.

In the pleasant city of Siem Reap we will spend the night in a centrally located hotel which serves as a base for one of the highlights of this trip: a visit to Angkor Wat and other world reknowned temples of the traditional Khmer civilization from 9th to 12th centuries. The planned days are necessary to visit the large number of temples and explore the surroundings. With a motor bike (or you can rent a bicycle), a driver gladly takes you to the remains of the walled capital Angkor Thom, with the royal palace, and the mystic temple Bayon. In the immediate surroundings, there lie other superb temple complexes such as Preah Kahn and the still overgrown and mysterious Ta Prohm. Further North, Banteay Srei is known for its beautiful bas-reliefs, but the absolute highlight in regards to decoration and architecture is, of course, the massive Angkor Wat. This temple was built in the 12th century as a mausoleum for King Suryavarman II, and now is used as Buddhist temple. The complex is surrounded by 600 foot wide canal and is dominated by 150 foot tall temple towers. There are many other temples to visit in this area. Rise early in the morning so that you can see them at sunrise. Some temples have been overgrown by the jungle, and it is a splendid sight to see how the roots wind around the stones. Not only the temples, but also the countryside, the markets and the farm villages will keep you intrigued.  At night you will find many small restaurants, where you can enjoy delicious food and drinks and see a traditional Cambodian dance performance. From Siem Reap you will fly back home to the States, where will you arrive the following day.