20 Days Hanoi Halong Bay Saigon Siem Reap on RV Bassac Pandaw Cruise: The largest hydroelectric dam in Southeast Asia and Vietnam is the Hoa Binh Dam at the Black River. Take a boat ride on Hoa Binh Power Station’s reservoir in the afternoon. Before reaching Trung Ha, spend the day sailing downriver while taking in the unspoiled splendor of the Da River and the Ba Vi National Park’s abundant and diversified tropical and subtropical flora and animals.
Table of Contents
Day 1: Hanoi – Hoa Binh
Activities: Transfer from Hanoi to Hoa Binh, cruise check-in, a night on the Da River, and a sunset cruise
Take a bus to Hoa Binh, board your ship at around 15 o’clock, and set out for the Da River’s nighttime and sunset at the time of your choosing.
Meals: Dinneron board
Overnight: RV Bassac Pandaw Cruise
Day 2: Hoa Binh
Activities: Explore Hoa Binh, take a boat ride on the reservoir near the power plant
The Muong ethnic group resides in Hoa Binh, which was the scene of a significant battle with the French in 1951 and 1952.
The largest hydroelectric dam in Southeast Asia and Vietnam is the Hoa Binh Dam at the Black River. Take a boat ride on Hoa Binh Power Station’s reservoir in the afternoon.
The local hill tribes perform a traditional show in the evening.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: RV Bassac Pandaw Cruise
Day 3: The Da River
Activities: Visit a museum and a nearby town, where the chef will demonstrate fruit carving techniques and how to make Vietnamese spring rolls.
Visit a museum and nearby village in the morning where people are still dressed in their traditional attire.
Before reaching Trung Ha, spend the day sailing downriver while taking in the unspoiled splendor of the Da River and the Ba Vi National Park’s abundant and diversified tropical and subtropical flora and animals.
Our chef will explain how to make Vietnamese spring rolls and share his expertise in fruit carving.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: RV Bassac Pandaw Cruise
Day 4: Phu Tho
Activities: Coach travels through lovely countryside scenery to the Duong Lam hamlet, acclaimed by UNESCO, before sailing downstream to Viet Tri.
After breakfast, travel by bus through the picturesque countryside to the Duong Lam hamlet, which has received commendation from UNESCO, and continue your journey downstream to Viet Tri. Enjoy the views and sounds of the busy river while engaging in various crafts and activities.
For a lesson on Vietnam, its history, geography, and the boat people, meet with your guide in the eating area.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: RV Bassac Pandaw Cruise
Day 5: Lo – Red Rivers
Activities: Cruise to the Hung Lo Temple at Tien Du Ferry Station, bus to Gia Thanh Town, home of the conical hat manufacturers, and excursion to a carpenter village renowned for its exquisite woodwork and sculptures
Enjoy the views and sounds of the busy river while engaging in various crafts and activities. Cruise to the Tien Du ferry terminal in the morning to see the Hung Lo Temple.
Take the bus one more stop to Gia Thanh hamlet, where the “non la” conical hats are made. The “non la” are created by hand from bamboo and palm leaves. This piece of art was not made using any machinery. Their beginnings go back around 3,000 years.
Afternoon visit to a carpenter town renowned for its fine woodworking and carving.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: RV Bassac Pandaw Cruise
Day 6: Hanoi
Activities: Discover Bat Trang, take a trip to a bygone arcadian Vietnam with emerald green rice farms, and witness a traditional unicorn and lion dance on the jetty.
Visit a time-capsule Arcadian Vietnam where emerald-green rice terraces are broken up by limestone rock formations simply setting foot on land. The pagodas at Thay and Tay Phuong are particularly fascinating.
Visit the pottery town of Bat Trang on your way to Hanoi in the afternoon. Bat means “bowl” and Trang means “workshop” in Vietnamese. A pottery town with a history of seven centuries, Bat Trang is situated in a clay-rich region.
Watch a traditional unicorn and lion dance at the jetty as you make your way back to the ship. Southeast Asia has adopted this dance, which has its beginnings in China.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: RV Bassac Pandaw Cruise
Day 7: Hanoi
Activities: Visit some of the city’s highlights, including the Hanoi Hilton, the Temple of Literature, the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the Old Quarter of Hanoi, and a coffee shop.
Set ashore in the vibrant and populous capital of Hanoi to explore some of this Asian metropolis’s highlights. The Hanoi Hilton, a infamous prison from the Vietnam War, the Saigon Mausoleum, and the temple of literature where Confucius did his thinking are all must-sees.
Walking tour of Hanoi’s Old Quarter in the afternoon that includes a stop at a coffee shop to learn about the country’s well-known coffee-making industry.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 8: Luoc – Thai Binh – Kinh Thay Rivers
Activities: Trip to Thanh Ha commune with village stroll and private water puppet play to see the intriguing and vivacious life
Before arriving at your next location in the afternoon, see the intriguing and vivacious life along the river.
Excursion to Thanh Ha Commune in the afternoon that includes a rural tour and a private water puppet show in the shade of a gorgeous lotus and lily pond.
Set the anchor close to Hai Phong Port.
The Red River Delta settlements are where the Water Puppets tradition, which goes back to the 11th century, first appeared. The tales depict rural Vietnamese daily life while heavily referencing Vietnamese mythology. The actors are concealed behind a screen in a waist-deep pool with lacquered wood puppets.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 9: Halong Bay
Activities: Enter Halong, explore the eerie and luminous cave, and go there in a kayak or a traditional basket boat rowed by fishermen.
Before visiting Halong Bay’s breathtaking island beauty with its 2,000 dramatic limestone islands and spectacular rock formations going back 20 million years, set sail in the early morning down the river.
The next stop on the exploration of Halong Bay is the “Dark and Bright Cave.” Enter this amazing cave into a small, enclosed space that resembles a crater using a kayak or a traditional basket boat that is rowed by fisherman. The cave is filled with the sound of bats, and huge stalagmites dangle from the ceiling.
Before setting anchor in Rang Dua, continue your sail throughout Halong Bay.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: RV Bassac Pandaw Cruise
Day 10: Halong Bay
Activities: Visit the village’s vegetable garden and traditional village dwellings, go on a mountain bike or electric buggy ride, and see the floating fishing house.
Sail in the early morning hours around Halong Bay and its surrounding areas, taking in the 1,500 stunning limestone islands and amazing rock formations that date back 20 million years.
Visit the village’s vegetable garden and traditional village homes by stopping at Viet Hai Village and exploring on a mountain bike or an electric buggy. The journey down the narrow road that winds among the limestone boulders is breathtaking.
Continue your cruise into Lan Ha Bay in the afternoon so you may see a floating fishing house.
Bring your swimsuit and, weather permitting, cap the day with drinks on a stunning beach in Halong Bay!
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: RV Bassac Pandaw Cruise
Day 11: Halong Bay – Hanoi – Saigon
Activities: Disembark in Tuan Chau, be taken to the Hanoi airport, and take a flight from there to Ho Chi Minh.
Sail to Tuan Chau Jetty in the morning. Disembark, then take a transfer to the Hanoi Airport for your flight to Saigon and hotel, stopping along the way for lunch at a nearby eatery.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: RV Bassac Pandaw Cruise
Day 12: Saigon
Activities: Free to explore Saigon city as you choose.
Spend the day at your leisure exploring Saigon.
Day 13: Saigon – My Tho
Activities: Transport to the port of My tho, sailing to Ben tre, a talk on Vietnamese culture, and a cocktail hour
Transfer to My Tho Port from the meeting location in Saigon. We board your Pandaw and then head downstream to Ben Tre, where we drop an anchor. A presentation about Vietnamese living in the Mekong Delta is given in the afternoon. An indigenous dancing troupe performs for the guests during cocktail hour, and they may meet your important crew members.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: RV Bassac Pandaw Cruise
Day 14: Ben Tre
Activities: From bamboo groves to fruit orchards, savor tea, fruit, and honey-based items while learning how to make traditional Banh Xeo.
Travel by sampan through bamboo and mangrove gardens to the Ben Tre fruit farms. These neighborhood craftspeople welcome guests into their houses for tea, fruit, and items produced with their own honey while they are at work. On our way back, we take a local bus through the verdant countryside and a region rich in birdlife. Following lunch, the ship moors off the island of Cho Lach for pot-making demonstrations, more insights into Delta life, agriculture, and native Viet hospitality, including a cooking instruction on how to prepare traditional Banh Xeo.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: RV Bassac Pandaw Cruise
Day 15: Con Phuoc Island
Activities: Explore the island by Xi Loi to observe basket manufacture, a century-old Catholic Church, and regional woodworkers.
The short coach ride to the Gao Giong “green oasis” and its bird sanctuary takes place after breakfast. Here, a variety of waterfowl, including thousands of egrets that congregate throughout the Dong Thap Muoi, also known as “Plain of Reeds.” To transport us to the main nesting locations, rowing boats travel the canals. Once back on board, we sail upstream to Con Phuoc Island. We anchor in a little canal off Con Phuoc Island and disembark to explore the island using the Xi Loi method, stopping to meet local woodworkers and observe basket makers as well as a century-old Catholic church.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight: RV Bassac Pandaw Cruise
Day 16: Tan Chau
Activities: Visit a taoist temple, continue through the nearby villages by way of Xi Loi, stopping along the way to assist residents in tending their fields, and go to a fish farm.
Visit a Taoist temple in the afternoon where the monks will read your future by navigating the maze-like network of canals surrounding Tan Chau. After stopping to assist locals in tending their fields, continue through the nearby villages of Xi Loi. Next, stop at a fish farm to visit and earn merit by releasing fish back into the Mekong. An optional tour of the working ship and fruit carving lessons on deck are available during the afternoon’s lengthy border crossing formalities.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: RV Bassac Pandaw Cruise
Day 17: Phnom Penh
Activities: Visit the genocide museum, the killing fields, or the royal palace and silver pagoda. You can also take a tuk-tul to explore the riverfront and finish with high tea at the Raffles Hotel.
Following a cyclo tour of Phnom Penh’s Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda, visitors can then visit the National Museum, which has an amazing collection of Angkorian statues. Optional afternoon activities include a trip to the Killing Fields and Genocide Museum, a tuk-tuk tour of the riverfront, and High Tea at the Raffles Hotel. Spend the night in the bustling bars, restaurants, and nightlife of Phnom Penh’s city port.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: RV Bassac Pandaw Cruise
Day 18: Silk Island
Activities: Travel to Koh Okhna Tey, often known as the Silk Island, to learn about the full process of manufacturing silk, from the worms to the weavers.
Visit Koh Okhna Tey, often known as the “silk island,” to learn about the full process of creating silk, from worms to weavers, by sailing along the Mekong/Tonle River junction. The ancient Khmer martial technique of Bokator will be shown. Go back to the ship and sail upstream to Kampong Cham. Evening lecture about Khmer culture and Angkor.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: RV Bassac Pandaw Cruise
Day 19: Wat Hanchey
Activities: Visit 8th century buildings that were partially destroyed by Americans during the Vietnam War, take a bus to a nearby OBT chiro hamlet, and stop at wat nokor bachey from the Jayavarman VII era.
Wat Hanchey, a significant place of worship during the Chenla period, is perched on top of a hill above the powerful Mekong River with some of the greatest Mekong views in Cambodia. Wat Hanchey is accessible via sunrise cruise.
Visit buildings from the 8th century, some of which were devastated by American bombs during the Vietnam War. renowned for its strange figurines of fruits and animals.
After lunch, we take a bus to the nearby OBT Chiro Village, where the education of the neighborhood’s children is a top priority. From there, we sail back downstream to Kampong Cham. Pre-Hospitality training programs, plastic recycling programs, beekeeping programs, farming programs, and handicraft skill projects are all put up to help local kids develop their skill sets. Next, we go to Wat Nokor Bachey, which dates back to the reign of Jayarvaman VII. It stands out from other temples constructed at this time because it is entirely made of black sandstone. There are several traditions surrounding this complex, one of which is that, according to Greek mythology, a monarch who erected it accidentally killed his father and subsequently wed his mother. In retaliation for his wrongdoing, this shrine was constructed.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: RV Bassac Pandaw Cruise
Day 20: Kampong Cham – Siem Reap
Activities: Leave the ship in Kampong Cham and go by road to Siem Reap
Sailing downstream will bring you to Kampong Cham, where you may anchor and get on a road to Siem Reap.
Meals: Breakfast
