CHARTING CONCEALED CORNERS OF VIETNAM

As Your Tour Manager, Jo Taylor Welcomes You On This Journey

Your Accompanying Tour Doctor For This Journey is Dr Mike Beckoff

Arrive in Hanoi, where we check into the Sofitel Metropole Legend, staying in Premium Rooms.

Get to know Hanoi today with one of the following Your World experiences: 

— Pay a visit to the Vietnam National Fine Arts Museum and see how art, culture and history merge in the telling of Vietnam’s stories.
— Venture along Hanoi’s backstreets, where the city’s wealth of street food is revealed. Led by enticing aromas, taste your way between various vendors, savouring the delicacies of a rich culinary culture.
— Travel by jeep with a guide to see some of Hanoi’s military landmarks, including the Vietnam Military History and Hoa Lo Prison museums, as well as Huu Tiep Lake.

Enjoy the rest of the afternoon at leisure. Afterwards, we adjourn to a local restaurant, where you’ll become acquainted with your fellow travellers during a Welcome Dinner.

Travel south to the little-known area of Ninh Binh and admire the lake-bound Hoa Lu citadel, surrounded by sharply rising, rocky peaks. The imposing Bai Dinh pagoda then bids us welcome. The country’s largest Buddhist temple complex, it comprises several temples and hundreds of individual statues of the Buddha. Our exploration of the Thien Ha cave begins aboard row boats. As we float our way through the water section of the cave, light streams through openings in the rock above. Disembarking our vessels, we set out on foot through the remaining part of the cave, admiring its many stalactites. We then make our way to the Emeralda Resort, Ninh Binh, where we stay, and also dine, this evening.

Discover Ninh Binh’s well-kept secrets further today with a Your World experience:

— From Van Long Nature Reserve, set out on a seven-kilometre bicycle ride to a small village. Here, friendly local farmers impart their knowledge of rural life and teach you their crabbing, fishing and rice-picking methods. 
— Explore the lush forest of Cuc Phuong National Park. Hike with your guide, glimpsing mammals, reptiles and birdlife, and stand before the park’s massive Sequoia tree.

Take this morning on your own schedule before we return to Hanoi. Check into our hotel, then enjoy the tantalising flavours of authentic Vietnamese cuisine at a local restaurant. Retire to your Luxury Room within the Sofitel Metropole Legend this evening.

Please note that our itinerary is subject to change according to river water levels. Due to recent lower water in the area, we have been advised our ship may be limited in how far upstream it can sail. This will mainly impact the first 3-4 days of the cruise. Should this occur, we will still visit the same locations as per the itinerary with an added coach transfer. If a coach transfer is required, we expect this will not exceed one hour of additional travel per day. Our itinerary south of Viet Tri should remain unaffected.

We depart our hotel today and transfer to Hoa Binh to embark our cruise on the RV Angkor Pandaw. Pull up a deck chair and relax as we set sail late this afternoon. Heading upstream, rocky cliffs concealed beneath flourishing vegetation adorn the shore, and before too long we find ourselves enjoying a magnificent sunset as we cruise further up the Da River and on into the night.

As we journey further along the Da River, several villages of the Muong people appear along the water’s edge. Reaching a large reservoir, we observe the Hoa Binh Hydropower Plant, the largest hydroelectric dam in South-East Asia. This evening, local hill tribe people put on a traditional performance just for us.

This morning, a visit to a local museum enhances our understanding of the region. Our newly acquired knowledge is then placed into context while admiring the traditional dress and customs of the nearby villagers. As we continue sailing downstream along the Da River, we pass through the richly tropical Ba Vi National Park, before arriving at the village of Trung Hà. Afterwards, watch as our chef imparts his fruit-carving skills and demonstrates how to create authentic Vietnamese spring rolls.