Cruise Ha Long Bay, visit ancient Angkor Wat, and explore Ho Chi Minh City.
Itinerary
DAY 1: Depart home and travel to Hanoi.
DAY 2: Arrive in Hanoi and take an orientation tour of the city’s key sites and blend of Vietnamese and French classical architecture before checking-in to your hotel.
DAY 3: Tour Hanoi, visiting the One Pillar Pagoda, Vietnam’s first university, the Temple of Literature, and Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum and former residence. In the evening, perform a concert in one of Hanoi’s incredible venues.
DAY 4: Travel by rickshaw to Hanoi’s Old Quarter and explore the area’s narrow streets and small shops. Discover Hoan Kiem Lake and the tiny Tortoise Pagoda before meeting and performing an exchange concert with a local ensemble.
DAY 5: Board a cruise ship, your home for the night, at Ha Long Bay and sail one of Vietnam’s natural wonders. Visit the Ba Hang floating village, tour a recently discovered cave system, and learn how to fish Vietnamese-style.
DAY 6: Take a Tai Chi class on the deck of the ship, and marvel at the rock formations around the Bay. Fly to Ho Chi Minh City, also known as Saigon, and check-in to your hotel.
DAY 7: Explore Ho Chi Minh city with visits to the Reunification Palace, Central Post office, and Notre-Dame Cathedral. Take a guided walking tour through Chinatown, and participate in a workshop with a local ensemble.
DAY 8: Visit the impressive Binh Tay Market, tour the Giac Lam Pagoda, and meet and perform an exchange concert with a local ensemble.
DAY 9: Embark on a boat ride along the Mekong River and watch a Don Ca Tai Tu music performance. Stop at the Vinh Trang Pagoda, a beautiful ancient Buddha temple, on the way back to Ho Chi Minh City.
DAY 10: Fly to Siem Reap, Cambodia, tour some of the area’s most prominent sites including the Ta Prohm Temple, made famous in the movie “Tomb Raider”, and the Banteay Kdei Monastery, and check-in to your hotel.
DAY 11: Discover the breathtaking beauty of Angkor Wat, the largest religious monument in the world, and visit the ancient capital of Angkor Thom before returning to Siem Reap for the night.
DAY 12: Transfer to the airport and begin your journey home.
