20 Days Saigon Siem Reap Halong Bay Hanoi on RV Bassac Pandaw Cruise: You can get to the fruit orchards of Ben Tre by sampans that take you through mangroves and bamboo groves. Local artists are making things in these shops, and they invite people into their homes for tea, fruit, and honey products made from their own honey.
Table of Contents
Day 1: Saigon – My Tho
Activities: Transfer to My Tho, talk about life in the Mekong Delta for Vietnamese, cocktail hour
From the meeting place in Saigon, get a ride to My Tho Port. After getting on your Pandaw, we sail downriver to Ben Tre and drop an anchor in the middle of the river. In the afternoon, there is a talk about life in the Mekong Delta for Vietnamese people. During cocktail hour, an indigenous dance group entertains passengers and they get to know the key crew.
Meals: Lunchon board, Dinneron board
Overnight: RV Bassac Pandaw Cruise
Day 2: Ben Tre – Cho Lach
Activities: Invite visitors into their homes for tea, fruit, and honey products made from their own honey. They also show visitors how to make traditional Banh Xeo pancakes.
You can get to the fruit orchards of Ben Tre by sampans that take you through mangroves and bamboo groves. Local artists are making things in these shops, and they invite people into their homes for tea, fruit, and honey products made from their own honey. This area has a lot of birds, and on the way back, we take public transportation through the green countryside. After lunch, the ship docks near Cho Lach island for a lesson in making traditional Banh Xeo and more views of Delta life, agriculture, and local Vietnamese hospitality.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: RV Bassac Pandaw Cruise
Day 3: Con Phuoc Island
Activities: Take a short coach ride to Gao Giong, then get off and explore the island by Xi Loi to see basket making, a 100-year-old Catholic church, and woodworkers at work.
After breakfast, you can take a short bus ride to the “green oasis” of Gao Giong, which has a bird sanctuary. Here, there are many kinds of water and tens of thousands of egrets gather in the Duong Tharp Muoi, also called the “Plain of Reeds.” We can get to the main nesting areas by rowing boats through the canals. When we get back to the boat, we head upstream toward Con Phuoc Island. We stop in a small canal near Con Phuoc Island and go ashore to explore the island by Xi Loi. We see how baskets are made and go to a Catholic church that’s been around for 100 years. We also visit local woodworkers.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: RV Bassac Pandaw Cruise
Day 4: Tan Chau – Phnom Penh
Activities: Go to a Taoist temple in Tan Chau, see a fish farm, and cross the border.
In the afternoon, you can explore the confusing network of canals around Tan Chau and go to a Taoist temple where the monks will tell you your future. Continue through Xi Loi’s local villages, stopping to help people take care of their fields. Then, stop at a fish farm and earn merit by releasing fish into the Mekong. Formalities for crossing borders take up most of the afternoon, and while the ship is still, you can take a tour of how it works or take a class on how to carve fruit.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: RV Bassac Pandaw Cruise
Day 5: Phnom Penh
Activities: Visit the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda by cyclo, the Killing Fields and Genocide Museum by foot or by tuk-tuk, and end the day with High Tea at Raffles Hotel.
In the morning, we got to know Phnom Penh by riding a cyclo to the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda. After that, we went to the National Museum, which has a great collection of Angkorian statues. In the afternoon, you can go to the Killing Fields and Genocide Museum or take a tuk-tuk to see the riverfront. After that, you can have High Tea at the Raffles Hotel. Spend the night in Phnom Penh City Port, which has lots of bars, restaurants, and things to do at night.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: RV Bassac Pandaw Cruise
Day 6: Koh Oknha Tey
Activities: Visit Koh Okhna Tey, also known as “Silk Island,” to learn about the whole process of making silk, from the worms to the weavers.
Sail up the Mekong and Tonle rivers and stop at Koh Okhna Tey, also known as “silk island,” to learn about how silk is made, from the worms to the weavers. Bokator, an ancient Khmer martial art, will be shown off in a show. Get back on the ship and sail upstream to Kampong Cham. Evening talk about Angkor and the culture of the Khmer.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: RV Bassac Pandaw Cruise
Day 7: Wat Hanchey – OBT Chiro Village – Wat Nokor Bachey
Activities: Sunrise cruise to Wat Hanchey, visit structures from the 8th century, some of which were destroyed by American bombs during the Vietnam War, take a bus to the nearby OBT Chiro Village, and visit the Wat Nokor Bachey, which dates back to the reign of Jayarvaman VII.
Sunrise cruise to Wat Hanchey, which was an important place of worship during the Chenla period and is on a hill above the mighty Mekong River with some of the best views of the river in Cambodia.
You can see buildings from the 8th century, some of which were destroyed by American bombs during the Vietnam War. It is known for its strange statues of animals and fruits.
We sail back downriver to Kampong Cham, where we have lunch. After lunch, we take a bus to the nearby OBT Chiro Village, where educating the local children is a top priority. To help local kids learn new skills, there are projects to teach them how to recycle plastic, keep bees, farm, and make crafts. Then, we go to the Wat Nokor Bachey, which dates back to the time of Jayarvaman VII. It is made entirely of Black Sandstone, which makes it different from other temples built at the same time. Greek legend says that this complex was built by a king who killed his father by accident and then married his mother. As punishment for his crime, he built this temple.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: RV Bassac Pandaw Cruise
Day 8: Kampong Cham – Siem Reap – Hanoi
Activities: Stop at Kampong Cham to get off the boat, take a bus to Siem Reap, and fly to Hanoi.
Sail downstream until you reach Kampong Cham, where you can get off the boat and be driven to the Siem Reap airport to catch a flight to Hanoi and your hotel.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 9: Hanoi
Activities: Leisure to explore Hanoi
Day at leisure to explore Hanoi.
Day 10: Halong Bay
Activities: Transfer to Hanoi and a welcome drink
You’ll be taken from Hanoi to Halong Bay to board your Pandaw ship. On the way, you’ll stop for lunch. With a welcome drink in hand, they set sail in the late afternoon and anchored in a safe bay in the middle of the beautiful island scenery.
Meals: Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: RV Angkor Pandaw
Day 11: Halong Bay
Activities: Explore Viet Hai Village on a mountain bike or electric buggy, stopping at a vegetable farm and typical village homes. You can also stop by a floating fishing house.
In the morning, sail around Halong Bay and beyond, where there are more than 1,500 dramatic limestone islands and amazing rock formations that are 20 million years old.
Stop at Viet Hai Village and explore on a mountain bike or electric buggy, going to the village’s vegetable farm and typical village houses. A small road that winds through the limestone rocks is a beautiful way to travel.
In the afternoon, keep sailing toward Lan Ha Bay to visit a floating fishing house.
Depending on the weather, you can end the day with cocktails on a beautiful beach in Halong Bay. Don’t forget to bring your swimsuit!
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: RV Angkor Pandaw
Day 12: Halong Bay
Activities:
Visit Dark and Bright Cave and explore it by kayak or local basket boat. Our chef will show you how to make Vietnamese spring rolls and show you how to carve fruit.
Visit the so-called “Dark and Bright Cave” to learn more about Halong Bay. Take a kayak or a local basket boat that is rowed by fishermen and go into this amazing cave. You will find yourself in a small, enclosed space that looks like a crater. In the cave, you can hear bats, and the ceiling is full of huge stalagmites.
Leave Halong Bay and go into the river to drop anchor near Hai Phong.
In the afternoon, our chef will show us how to make Vietnamese spring rolls and show us how to carve fruit.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 13: Kinh Thay River
Activities: Meet your guide in the dining room for a talk about Vietnam’s history, geography, and the boat people. Then, you’ll go on an excursion to Thanh Ha Commune and take a walk through the village, followed by a private water puppet show.
Watch the KinhThay river, which is an important commercial waterway, and see how busy and interesting it is.
Your guide will give a talk about Vietnam’s history, geography, and the boat people in the dining room.
Afternoon trip to Thanh Ha Commune with a walk through the village and a private water puppet show by a pond with lotus and lilies.
Go back to the ship and keep sailing until late evening, when you’ll drop anchor in the middle of the river.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 14: Hanoi
Activities: Bat Trang is a ceramic village on the way to Hanoi. At the jetty, you can see a traditional unicorn and lion dance.
During the day, the ship moves slowly toward Hanoi. Stop at the ceramic village of Bat Trang in the afternoon on the way. On your way back to the ship, stop at the jetty to watch a traditional unicorn and lion dance.
This dance came from China and quickly spread to Southeast Asia.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 15: Hanoi
Activities: Find out about Hanoi’s Vietnam War prison, the Hanoi Hilton, the Temple of Literature, the Saigon Mausoleum, and Vietnam’s famous coffee-making industry by going to a coffee shop.
Hanoi is the capital and a busy city where you can drop anchor and see some of the best parts of this Asian metropolis. The Hanoi Hilton, a famous prison from the Vietnam War, the temple of literature, where Confucius did his best thinking, and the Saigon Mausoleum are all must-sees.
In the afternoon, you will take a walking tour of Hanoi’s old quarter, which will include a stop at a coffee shop where you can learn about Vietnam’s famous coffee industry.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 16: Hanoi – Phu Tho
Activities: Visit a Vietnam that seems to have been frozen in time, with emerald-green rice paddies and limestone rock formations. Take a trip to a carpenter village known for its beautiful carvings and woodworking techniques.
Early in the morning, take a boat from Hanoi up the Red River to the town of Viet Tri. It’s not the most beautiful place, but it’s a great place to start if you want to see more of Highland Vietnam.
Go ashore to see a Vietnam that looks like it’s been there forever, with emerald green rice paddies and limestone rock formations. The Thay and Tay Phuong Pagodas are very interesting.
A trip in the afternoon to a carpenter village known for its beautiful carvings and woodworking skills.
Evening arrival in Viet Tri.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 17: Lo River – Phu Tho
Activities: Taking a boat to the Tien Du ferry station and then a bus to the village of Gia Thanh, where the conical hats are made.
In the morning, we took a boat to the Tien Du ferry station and then walked to the village of Gia Thanh, where the “non la” hats are made. Take in the sights and sounds of the busy river, where people are doing all kinds of things.
The “non la” are created by hand from bamboo and palm leaves. This work of art can’t be made with any kind of machine. They have been around for about 3,000 years.
Keep going to Hung Lo Temple by bus.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 18: Da River – Hanoi
Activities: Pass through Ba Vi National Park, which has a lot of different tropical and subtropical plants and animals. Visit the old village of Duong Lam.
We spent the day sailing down the Da River and taking in its natural beauty. Before you get to Hoa Binh, you’ll go through the Ba Vi National Park, which has a lot of tropical and subtropical plants and animals. When you get to Hoa Binh, you can visit the UNESCO-recognized village of Duong Lam.
In the afternoon, you can take a tour of the ship, which includes the galley, the area for the crew, and the engine room.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 19: Hoa Binh
Activities: Take a boat ride on the reservoir of the Hoa Binh power station in the morning and visit a nearby village. In the evening, hill tribe people from the area will put on a traditional show.
The Muong people live in Hoa Binh, which is where a big battle with the French happened in 1951 and 1952.
The largest hydroelectric dam in Vietnam and Southeast Asia is the Hoa Binh Dam on the Black River. Take a morning boat ride on Hoa Binh power station’s reservoir and stop by a nearby village.
In the evening, hill tribe people from the area put on a traditional show.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 20: Hoa Binh
Activities:After breakfast, we’ll get off the boat, visit a museum and a local village, and then head to Hanoi.
After breakfast at 8:30, you’ll get off the boat and go to a museum and a nearby village where people still wear traditional clothes.
After lunch at a local restaurant, you will be taken to the airport in Hanoi or the Pan Pacific Hotel Hanoi.
Meals: Breakfast
Activities: Transfer to My Tho, lecture on Vietnamese life on the Mekong Delta, cocktail hour
From the meeting place in Saigon, get a ride to My Tho Port. After getting on your Pandaw, we sail downriver to Ben Tre and drop an anchor in the middle of the river. In the afternoon, there is a talk about life in the Mekong Delta for Vietnamese people. During cocktail hour, an indigenous dance group entertains passengers and they get to know the key crew.
Meals: Lunchon board, Dinneron board
Overnight: RV Bassac Pandaw Cruise
