Vietnam Laos Cambodia

D A I L Y I T I N E R A R Y

Classic Journeys: Vietnam, Laos & Cambodia For reservations or information, call us at 1-800-200-3887 or 858-454-5004. Key Code: IT13VAW Visit us online at www.classicjourneys.com

VIETNAM, LAOS & CAMBODIA Cultural Walking Adventure


Vietnam, Laos & Cambodia Cultural Walking Adventure Most tourists never see Halong Bay in the morning. They miss the fishing junks sliding past limestone spires that thrust from the turquoise water. They can't imagine how the scent of fresh coffee hangs in the air as eagles float overhead. It's an extravagant sensory moment possible only because we spend the night on the water...on a luxury junk. And it's just one unique event we'll share with you in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. Of course we visit the great cities of Indochina. But we also stop at the simple homestead of a rice farmer...meet the enormous residents of a Laotian elephant preservewander the temples of Angkor with an expert guideand stay in Indochinas finest hotels and resorts. Along the way, youll wend your way through exotic markets, eat truly remarkable local specialties, and experience the traditional cultures you only find if you approach the region like a traveler, rather than a tourist.

ANGKOR WAT

We never pass up the chance for a unique experience. So at Angkor Wat, Classic Journeys hires a special guide whos expert in the temples. He leads usmemorablyto this amazing site like generations of pilgrims. On any of our itineraries youre likely to meet experts in archeology, history, botany, or any other specialty that helps us explore and understand local culture firsthand.

PICTURE YOURSELF Rambling past rice fields to friendly villages

untouched by tourism

Riding an elephant in the Mekong River

Absorbing Angkor Wat at sunrise


Daily Itinerary

D A Y 1 H I G H L I G H T S : Cruise the Mekong River by

traditional long-tail boat

Enjoy a very leisurely bike ride between colorful local villages in the Mekong Delta

Dine at renowned French restaurant, La Carmague

DAY 1: SAIGON & MEKONG RIVER DELTA We meet in Saigon this morning. Its a lively, high-energy metropolis where new construction and technology constantly bump up against the traditional and the historic. To get started, youll meet your local Vietnamese guide who will offer plenty of insights on this land that has changed so much in recent decades. For instance, our friend Mai and her family were among the boat people who were once forced from the country.

Southern Vietnam is the classic landscape youve imagined. Today will provide our first glimpse of the lush, tropical landscape, carpeted with rice fields that produce three or four crops a year. Brightly dressed workers bend to their work, forming a line of the conical straw hats well see throughout the trip. The all-purpose hats protect fair skin from the sun and shed rain too.

Then we enjoy a drive to Cai Lay, a small town on the banks of the Mekong River. At the local pier, we board a long-tail boat to weave among the many craft that rely on the river and its tributaries for transportation and commerce.

At Cam Son Bridge, we disembark to start an ultra-leisurely bike ride into the heart of the Mekong Delta. (The bikes are perfect even if youre not a regular biker, with cushy saddles and high handlebars. The roads are flat and free of traffic and our pace is easy. Of course, if you prefer, you can hop onto one of the local mini-carriages known as xe loi.) We see no tourists as we follow narrow country roads that curve over tiny canals and past fruit gardens and sleepy villages. Kids will greet us with a big smile and xin chao! And were likely to trade nods and smiles with a woman in the traditional ao dai as she pedals (and sings) her way to the local market. Along the way, well visit a fish farm, rice paddies and a tropical fruit orchard. Mr. Hai Cu, the owner, is always good for a friendly chat and a taste of his fruits, fresh from the tree. Back on the river, a sampan ride lands us at a 100-year-old house, where the owner and his wife treat us to a lunch of local specialties.

Tonight we can unwind after an amazing day over dinner at La Carmague, the citys finest French restaurant. Relax with a complimentary non-alcoholic drink or two at the bar before dinner. Overnight: Saigon (Park Hyatt) Meals: L, D

ONE OF THIS TOURS FINE HOTELS Our goal is always to find the most interesting and memorable lodging a region offers. Here's one of our favorites from this itinerary. Sofitel Metropole Hanoi is located in the heart of Hanoi. This French Colonial style hotel has been hosting heads of state since 1901 and was restored to its original grandeur in 1992. The hotel is centrally located, yet quiet and relaxing. Stroll through the tropical gardens or take a dip in the outdoor swimming pool.


DAY 2: SAIGON (HO CHI MINH CITY) Fuel yourself with what youll soon see is a series of exceptional breakfasts. (Youll have many choices from typical western to Vietnamese specialties, but please try the traditional pho soup; its delicious.) After breakfast, we depart the hotel and drive just beyond the city limits to explore the Cu Chi Tunnels, a remarkable underground complex that served as a refuge for thousands of Viet Cong during the war. For years the American military had no idea that the enemy lived literally beneath their feet. Now we can climb down to experience some of the 125 miles of tunnels, staging camps, hospitals and bunkers.

The afternoon is full of fascinating juxtapositions, too. We lunch on impeccable Vietnamese dishes at Hoi An restaurant. Next we board cyclos think bike-powered rickshaws to go exploring. Its a great way to see, hear and soak up the action, and its an efficient way to get to key sites like City Hall, Notre Dame Cathedral and Dong Khoi Street, the citys premier shopping district for custom-made silk garments, embroidery and more.

An evening flight takes us to Danang where we transfer to the spectacular Furama Resort, which sits on the pristine stretch of sand known as China Beach. The evening is yours to dine early or linger at the beach or pool so youre at your table for the tropical sunset. Overnight: Danang (Furama Resort) Meals: B, L

DAY 3: HOI AN / DANANG After breakfast at the resort overlooking the spectacular negative edge pools and white sands, we venture into the very heart of rural Danang for a special insight into the everyday life of a local village community. Our guide leads us along footpaths to the small settlement of Hoa Chau, nestled among endless rice fields, where we experience firsthand the very backbone of Vietnam's rural culture. Depending on the season we see the fields being ploughed by buffalo, rice planted by women, or harvested by the men. And well visit a mill to see how the rice is dried and husked. This unique glimpse into the rural lives of the villagers is a sight that very few other visitors see and will be one of the highlights of our time in Vietnam.

We then stop by Tra Que Organic Village, and walk through the market gardens where local farmers work on their fields using the traditional methods of hundreds of years ago - no electrical machinery here. Midday, we pause for lunch at Brother Caf - a beautiful restaurant located on the Thu Bon River and decorated in traditional Hoi An style with dark woods and lush gardens.

This afternoon, we journey along the beachfront road to Hoi An. Against all odds, this extraordinary village was untouched by the war and offers a glimpse of a Vietnam that exists almost nowhere else. As we wander the completely traffic-free streets of this seaport, its not hard to imagine it in the 18th Century, when Hoi An was one of the busiest trading ports in Asia. Along its cobbled streets, well see Chinese, Japanese and European architecture. At the riverfront, theres a scene of boats brimming with people and wares.

With a hand from our guide, youll also get a chance to shop the local market where the wares range from incense to flowers to betel nuts.

D A Y 2 H I G H L I G H T S : Visit Saigon by rickshaw

Explore the famed Cu Chi Tunnels

Relax at our luxury beachfront resort on China Beach

D A Y 3 H I G H L I G H T S : Wander the pedestrian

streets of Hoi An Stroll along spectacularly

scenic rice fields, meeting locals, outside Danang


Overnight: Danang (Furama Resort) Meals: B, L, D

DAY 4: DANANG / HANOI You have two options this morning. Join us for an early breakfast and a visit to My Son (Beautiful Mountain). This beautiful region is known for its cluster of Hindu temples, some of which date back to the 7th Century. On your guided visit of the ruins, youll get a haunting look into the regions rich cultural past.

If you prefer, spend a leisurely morning at the resort to catch some sun on the beach, take a yoga or tai chi class, or enjoy a massage at the spa. This afternoon, a short flight takes us to Hanoi. Vietnam's capital is an old-fashioned city with sidewalk cafes and pavement barbers. There are wide boulevards, lined with trees and filled with bicycles. Great mansions give way to crowded alleyways like Silk Street and Fried Fish Street. Our guided visit also includes a stroll in the citys lovely French Quarter to get a real feel for Vietnams colonial past.

Well also catch a water puppet performance. The art of water puppetry began a thousand years ago, possibly in the flooded rice fields. Puppeteers today stand in waist-high water and manipulate their charges in such a way that you cant help but be swept up in the legend being told. Music accompanies the action (be sure to listen for the haunting sounds of the dan bau, an instrument made from a dried watermelon rind). After a busy day, we check in to the Metropole, the citys most elegant and historic hotel. Youll want to make time for a drink under the thatched roof of the poolside bar before we sit down to a traditional Vietnamese dinner at Wild Rice Restaurant, popular with the locals and in-the-know visitors alike. Overnight: Hanoi (Metropole Hotel) Meals: B, L, D

DAY 5: HANOI + COUNTRYSIDE After another amazing breakfast, we depart the hotel and head into the countryside. Northern Vietnam is home to the country's most colorful and revered pagodas and temples. (A Buddhist vocabulary note: a temple is a place to worship the dead; a pagoda is a place to worship the Lord Buddha.) Well have a chance to roam through Tay Phuong Pagoda, famous for its vast display of finely carved wooden statues of 18th-century monks. From here, we start a scenic walk among rice fields and through bamboo groves to a local village. We have a standing invitation to the small local school where well interact with the children bedecked in their blue and white uniforms and their teacher. Its another authentic insight into daily life that has hardly changed in centuries and where foreign visitors are rare exceptions.

We return to Hanoi for lunch at Indochine restaurant, followed by a visit to the Hanoi Ethnology Museum. After some time to relax back at the hotel, get ready for a truly memorable experience: cocktails and dinner at the Press Club, a true local institution. Overnight: Hanoi (Metropole Hotel) Meals: B, L, D

D A Y 4 H I G H L I G H T S : See the Hindu monuments at

My Son or relax at your 5-star resort

Settle in to the famed Metropole Hotel in Hanoi

D A Y 5 H I G H L I G H T S : Follow a scenic footpath

from a beautiful pagoda past rice fields and bamboo groves to a local village

Explore Hanois colorful French Quarter

Linger over a memorable dinner at the Press Club


DAY 6: HALONG BAY Leaving Hanoi behind, we depart the hotel and head for one of our all-time favorite travel experiences Halong Bay. The bay is considered Vietnams eighth wonder of the world and its easy to see why. Three thousand spectacular chalk and limestone outcroppings, cliffs, arches, and coves form a dragons tail of islands across the bay. Traditional sailing junks and local fishing boats glide by selling their latest catch.

In time for lunch, we board our luxury junk boat. Our cruise on the emerald green waters of the bay offers us the chance to visit and explore many islands and caves. Well pause for a visit to a traditional floating village. On deck, you can join in a cooking demonstration and discover the secrets of spring rolls. As we sail into a pearl farm cove, you can take a swim or go kayaking. Then return to the junk for evening activities from fishing to board games to spa services. Overnight: Halong Bay (Paradise Luxury Junk Boat) Meals: B, L, D

DAY 7: HALONG BAY / LAOS If more mornings could be like this one. Its the most serene. The most picturesque. The most romantic. The most of just about everything we travel for. We happily recommend a quiet breakfast as you watch and listen to the world come to life. You can also hop aboard the tender with us to go ashore and explore high-ceilinged caverns on a brief walk.

Back ashore, we return to Hanoi for an evening flight to Laos. Serene Luang Prabang sits at the confluence of the Khan and Mekong Rivers and a hint of events to come it was once the capital of the Land of the Million Elephants. Well settle into our gracious and glamorous colonial-style hotel. Dinner is on your own, but be sure to save time to ramble with our Laotian guide through the towns night market, known especially for fine handicrafts from ethnic villagers. Overnight: Luang Prabang Meals: B, L

DAY 8: LUANG PRABANG Early risers will have a chance to witness a moving ritual as long lines of barefoot monks walk silently along the streets on their morning alms rounds. Your guide can arrange for you to be welcomed into the ceremony to offer an allotment of rice to the monks. Our friends like Toubee, who entered the monkhood as a boy, can share special insights on monastery life and the study of Buddhism. Before returning to the hotel for breakfast, well explore the lively morning market, as the locals shop and bargain for the days provisions.

Todays adventure is a visit to a 2,000-acre elephant sanctuary in the beautiful and unspoiled Nam Khan River valley. Well meet the mahouts that train and care for the elephants. Theyll teach us how to give the elephants commands ourselves, and of course well climb up for truly memorable ride along and right into the river. (Please have your camera and swimsuit ready; the experience and setting is unforgettable.) After lunch at the sanctuary, you have the option of returning to the hotel for

D A Y 6 H I G H L I G H T S : Marvel at the incredible

scenery in Halong Bay

Enjoy the amenities and service on our luxury junk boat

D A Y 7 H I G H L I G H T S : Wake to sunrise on Halong

Bay

Banter with shopkeepers at Luang Prabangs famed night market

D A Y 8 H I G H L I G H T S : Wake early (if youd like) to

see the moving ritual of monks in procession

Become a mahout (elephant trainer) for a morning on a visit to a 2,000 acre


some decadence in the form of optional spa treatments. Or board a long-tail boat to float back downriver to Luang Prabang, hopping off along the way for walks and a chance to chat with the very sweet local Lao people working in their fields. Overnight: Luang Prabang Meals: B, L, D

DAY 9: SIEM REAP ANGKOR THOM For the truly grand finale of a memorable week, we catch a flight to Siem Reap in Cambodia. Once again, youll be in the company of an outstanding local guide such as our good friend Roath, one of the countrys first and most experienced guides.

Then our explorations of the regions awesome Angkor temples begin. In the afternoon, we visit Ta Prohm. Unlike many of the regions temples, this one still looks much as it did when it was discovered surrounded by jungle with great trees growing from the ruins. Later, we pay our first visit to Angkor Wat to see the famed temple complex at sunset before settling into our hotel. Overnight: Siem Reap (Raffles) Meals: B, D

DAY 10: SIEM REAP ANGKOR WAT Sleep in if you like, but its well worth rising before the sun for a visit to Angkor Wat at daybreak. After breakfast, we all return for an in-depth walking tour in the largest temple in the world. Erected at the command of King Suryavarman II, Angkor Wat took an estimated 30 years to build, probably as his funeral temple. Our knowledgeable guide will help you grasp the enormity of the place. After lunch, we enter the ancient walled city of Angkor Thom, literally Great City. Built in the 12th Century by Jayavarman VII, Angkor Thom contains the famous Bayon Temple with its more than 200 enormous mysterious faces and the Elephant and Leper King Terraces. Well also take in the sites of Preah Khan (The Sacred Sword), a huge monastic complex.

Late in the afternoon, we part company at the airport in Siem Reap. From here you can catch flights to Bangkok or other hub cities.

No Overnight Meals: B

D A Y 9 H I G H L I G H T S : Absorb the lovely ruins of the Ta Prohm temples with our expert guide

Time a visit to Ankgor Wat at sunset

D A Y 1 0 H I G H L I G H T S : An in-depth guided visit of

Angkor Wat

Bayon Temple and the Leper King Terrace at Angkor Thom


Vietnam, Laos & Cambodia Cultural Walking Adventure Trip Information

Countries: Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia Tours Begin: Saigon, Vietnam - lobby of first night hotel -

9:00am (Note: your airport transfer to our starting hotel is included in the trip price)

Tours End: Siem Reap, Cambodia - airport - approximately 7pm (Note: your airport transfer today is included in the trip price)

Terrain: Easy to moderate on good trails and paths. An average of 2 to 3 hours of walking per day, with a mini-van usually in support.

Trip Length: 10 days and 9 nights Dates & Prices: Tour prices are per person based on double occupancy. Single supplement is only if you are traveling solo and/or have a room to yourself.

Tour Dates

Tour Price

Single Supplement

Oct 25 Nov 3, 2013 $4,695.00 $1,295.00 Nov 22 Dec 1, 2013 $4,695.00 $1,195.00 Dec 28, 2013 Jan 6, 2014 $4,795.00 $1,395.00 March 14 23, 2014 $4,595.00 $1,195.00 May 16 25, 2014 $4,595.00 $1,195.00 Oct 24 Nov 2, 2014 $4,695.00 $1,295.00 Dec 28, 2014 Jan 6, 2015 $4,795.00 $1,395.00

Internal Airfare: This trip includes internal flights, which are priced separately from the land tour. The total cost for the internal flights is approximately $695 per person.

Whats Included: Your trip price includes the following: First class accommodations for 9 nights All breakfasts, 8 lunches and 7 dinners

One bottle of water per person during all meals Full-time experienced guide(s) who are with you throughout the trip, handle behind-the-scenes logistics and are there to help with anything from haggling for a rug to buying a tube of toothpaste Support vehicle(s) Admissions to tastings, historic sites and other scheduled events as noted in the daily itinerary Gratuities for hotels, meals and baggage Trip literature All land transportation during the trip, whether by bus, boat or train

Airport transfers in Park Hyatt Saigon and Siem Reap

For additional information, please email us at [email protected] or call us at 800-200-3887 and one of our exceptional Guest Services Coordinators will be happy to share with you all kinds of details.

RESERVE YOUR ADVENTURE TODAY! To make a reservation, simply call Classic Journeys at 1-800-200-3887. She will have you on your way in just a few minutes. To make a reservation, youll provide the following information for each traveler:

1.First and last name 2.Mailing address 3.Home and mobile telephone numbers 4.Email address 5.Date of birth 6.Visa, Master Card or American

Express card number, expiration date and security code for your $500 non-refundable deposit. (Note that Classic Journeys will automatically charge the balance due on your card 75 days before the tour departure.)

PROTECT YOUR INVESTMENT WITH TRIP INSURANCE We strongly recommend purchasing travel insurance from Travel Guard International. A great new benefit offered by Travel Guard is called "cancel for any work-related reason" and protects you if you are required to cancel for any work-related reason. Well include Travel Guard's application with your confirmation package. Please keep in mind that the cancel for any work-related reason coverage and some other benefits are available to you only if you take out the insurance within 15 days of making your reservation. (Note: For guests who live in Washington state or Oregon, Travel Guard must be purchased within 7 days to receive these additional benefits.)

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Vietnam Laos Cambodia