20 Days Saigon Siem Reap Halong Hanoi on RV Mekong Pandaw Cruise: 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. Visit a Taoist temple in the afternoon where the monks will interpret your future by navigating the maze-like network of canals surrounding Tan Chau.
Table of Contents
Day 1: Saigon – My Tho
Activities: Transfer to My Tho, talk about Mekong Delta living in Vietnam, and 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: Lunchon board, Dinneron board
Overnight: RV Mekong Pandaw Cruise
Day 2: Ben Tre – Cho Lach
Activities:
Invite guests into their houses for tea, fruit, and honey goods prepared with their own honey. Take them on a trip in a local vehicle across the lovely countryside.
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 Mekong Pandaw Cruise
Day 3: Con Phuoc Island
Activities: Short bus ride to the Gao Giong, go ashore to explore the island by Xi Loi, and see basket making, a 100-year-old Catholic Church, and local woodworkers.
The short coach ride to the Gao Giong “green oasis” and its bird sanctuary takes place after breakfast. The Duong Tharp Muoi, also known as the “Plain of Reeds,” is home to a wide variety of water and egrets that flock in their tens of thousands. To take us to the main nesting areas, rowing boats travel the canals. Once back on board, we sail upstream to Con Phuoc Island. We anchor in a tiny canal off Con Phuoc Island and disembark to explore the island using the Xi Loi method, stopping to see local woodworkers and observe basket makers as well as a century-old Catholic church.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: RV Mekong Pandaw Cruise
Day 4: Tan Chau – Phnom Penh
Activities: See a fish farm, a Taoist temple in Tan Chau, and a border crossing
Visit a Taoist temple in the afternoon where the monks will interpret your future by navigating the maze-like network of canals surrounding Tan Chau. After pausing to assist people in tending their farms, continue through the nearby villages of Xi Loi. Next, stop at a fish farm to tour and gain merit by releasing fish back into the Mekong. An optional tour of the functioning ship and fruit carving lessons on deck are available during the afternoon’s lengthy border crossing procedures.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: RV Mekong Pandaw Cruise
Day 5: Phnom Penh
Activities: Take a cyclo to the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda, a tuk-tuk to the riverfront, or a trip to the Killing Fields and Genocide Museum before finishing 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 Mekong Pandaw Cruise
Day 6: Koh Oknha Tey
Activities: To learn about the full silk-making process, from worms to weavers, travel to Koh Okhna Tey, or “silk island,” and then continue on to Kampong Cham.
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 Mekong Pandaw Cruise
Day 7: Wat Hanchey – OBT Chiro Village – Wat Nokor Bachey
Activities: Travel by bus to the nearby OBT Chiro Village, take a sunrise sail to Wat Hanchey, see 8th-century temples, some of which were damaged by American bombs during the Vietnam War, and visit Wat Nokor Bachey, which dates to the Jayarvaman 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 Mekong Pandaw Cruise
Day 8: Kampong Cham – Siem Reap – Hanoi
Activities:
Moor at Kampong Cham to disembark, travel to Siem Reap, and then take a flight to Hanoi
Sailing downstream will bring you to Kampong Cham, where you can disembark and take a taxi to the airport in Siem Reap for your flight to Hanoi and your hotel.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 9: Hanoi
Activities: Leisurely exploration of Hanoi
Today is free for you to explore Hanoi.
Day 10: Halong Bay
Activities: Transfer to Hanoi, then a warm welcome
Take a transfer from Hanoi to Halong Bay to board your Pandaw ship, stopping along the way for lunch. With a welcome cocktail, set sail in the late afternoon for an evening sail while taking in the stunning island scenery.
Meals: Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: RV Angkor Pandaw
Day 11: Halong Bay
Activities: Visit a floating fishing house and the village’s vegetable farm while exploring Viet Hai Village on a mountain bike or electric buggy.
Sail in the early morning hours around Halong Bay and its surrounding areas, taking in the 1,500 dramatic limestone islands and amazing rock formations that date back 20 million years.
Visit the village’s vegetable farm and typical village homes by stopping at Viet Hai Village and exploring on a mountain bike or an electric buggy. The journey along the narrow road that winds through the limestone rocks is breathtaking.
Continue your cruise toward Lan Ha Bay in the afternoon so you can visit a floating fishing house.
Bring your swimsuit and, weather permitting, end the day with cocktails on a stunning beach in Halong Bay!
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: RV Angkor Pandaw
Day 12: Halong Bay
Activities: Visit Dark and Bright Cave, explore the cave by kayak or local basket boat, and learn how to make Vietnamese spring rolls from our chef who will also demonstrate his fruit carving skills.
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 local basket boat that is rowed by fishermen. The cave is filled with the sound of bats, and huge stalagmites hang from the ceiling.
Leaving Halong Bay, enter the river and moor close to Hai Phong.
In the late afternoon, our chef will demonstrate how to make Vietnamese spring rolls and share his expertise in fruit carving.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 13: Kinh Thay River
Activities: For a lesson on Vietnam’s history, geography, and boat people, as well as a trip to Thanh Ha Commune with a village tour and a private water puppet play, meet your guide in the dining room.
Observe the KinhThay River, a crucial commercial waterway, and its unique and vibrant life.
For a lesson on Vietnam, its history, geography, and the boat people, meet with your guide in the eating area.
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.
Return to the ship, keep cruising until dusk, and then drop an anchor in the middle of the channel.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 14: Hanoi
Activities: Discover Bat Trang, a ceremic village on the way to Hanoi, and take in a traditional lion and unicorn dance at the jetty.
We spend the day cruising toward Hanoi. Stop at the ceramic village of Bat Trang along the way in the late afternoon. 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 had its beginnings in China.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 15: Hanoi
Activities: Visit the Vietnam War Prison, the Hanoi Hilton, the Temple of Literature, the Saigon Mausoleum, and a coffee shop to learn about the country’s renowned coffee-making tradition as you explore Hanoi.
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 16: Hanoi – Phu Tho
Activities: Visit a traditional Arcadian Vietnam where emerald green rice paddies are broken up by limestone rock formations. Take an excursion to a carpenter village known for its fine woodworking and carving.
Although Viet Tri isn’t the most picturesque town, it makes a great starting point for exploring more of Highland Vietnam. Morning sail through the day from Hanoi up the Red River to Viet Tri.
Visit a time-capsule Arcadian Vietnam where emerald-green rice paddies are broken up by limestone rock formations by setting foot on land. The pagodas at Thay and Tay Phuong are particularly fascinating.
A visit to a carpenter village known for its fine woodworking and carvings takes place in the afternoon.
Viet Tri arrival in the evening.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 17: Lo River – Phu Tho
Activities: The bus continues to Hung Lo Temple after cruising to the Tien Du ferry port and the town of Gia Thanh, where conical hats are made.
Early in the morning, go to the town of Gia Thanh, which produces conical hats (also known as “non la”), through the Tien Du ferry terminal. Enjoy the views and sounds of the busy river while engaging in various crafts and activities.
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.
Continue to Hung Lo Temple via bus.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 18: Da River – Hanoi
Activities: Visit the ancient village of Duong Lam as you travel through the Ba Vi National Park, which is home to a variety of lush, tropical, and subtropical plants and animals.
Admiring the Da River’s pristine beauty while day sailing downstream. Visit the UNESCO-praised village of Duong Lam after passing through the Ba Vi National Park with its abundant and diverse tropical and subtropical flora and fauna before arriving in Hoa Binh.
Visit the ship’s engine room, crew quarters, and galley in the afternoon.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 19: Hoa Binh
Activities:
Visit a local village in the morning and take a boat ride on the reservoir of the Hoa Binh power plant. In the evening, enjoy a traditional performance by the hill tribe residents. Hoa Binh, which is where the Muong ethnic group calls home, 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. Visit a nearby village and take a morning boat ride on the reservoir of the Hoa Binh power plant. The indigenous hill tribes conduct a traditional show in the evening.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 20: Hoa Binh
Activities: After breakfast, disembark, visit a museum and a nearby village, then travel to Hanoi
After breakfast (08:30), disembark to visit a museum and a nearby village where people are still dressed in their traditional attire.
A local restaurant will serve lunch before transporting you to the Pan Pacific Hotel Hanoi or the airport in Hanoi.
Meals: Breakfast
