Southeast Asia Family Adventure

Upon arrival in Hanoi transfer to our hotel near the city’s traditional center and spend an evening at leisure.

Today discover Hanoi, more than 1,000 years old and the political and cultural center of Vietnam. Hop on an open-air electric golf cart for our tour of Hanoi’s Guild District. Explore the narrow lanes, each historically devoted to the practice of a single handicraft. After a delicious lunch of pho soup, delve into the lifestyles and traditions of Vietnam’s 53 minority peoples at the sprawling Ethnology Museum. Gather this evening with fellow families for a welcome dinner at a local restaurant.

Visit Ba Dinh Square, where Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnam’s independence from France in 1945. Tour “Uncle Ho’s” mausoleum and former private residence. See the One Pillar Pagoda and the Temple of Literature, both originally built in the 11th century. Watch a traditional water puppet performance followed by an evening on your own to relax or explore the area around our hotel, which is ideally situated beside Hoan Kiem, or “Restored Sword,” Lake.

Embark on a two-night adventure at Ha Long Bay, where we explore the karst (limestone) landscape of this UNESCO World Heritage Site. Take a dip in the water as we explore Soi Sim beach and Rang Dua (“Coconut Tree”) Island. Paddle around a floating village in an optional kayak tour before dinner together.

Awake to the sound of water lapping on the ship and try tai chi on the sun deck this morning. Pass through the 100-meter arch and marvel at the sheer cliffs plunging into the brackish lake at Luon Cave, accessible only by small boat. Climb to a lookout point at Ti Top Island for a birds-eye view of the bay. Learn how to prepare mouthwatering Vietnamese cuisine with a cooking demonstration on board.

Discover Sung Sot (“Surprise” Cave), the largest cave in Ha Long Bay and a subterranean grotto filled with thousands of stalagmites and stalactites. Disembark from our ship and return to Hanoi for an afternoon flight to Siem Reap. Check in to our luxurious hotel and enjoy dinner together.

Today explore the ruined capital of the powerful Khmer kingdom. Angkor Wat, our first stop in the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, is actually a “temple mountain,” an elaborate three-dimensional model of the Hindu-Buddhist world. Investigate the temples of Angkor Thom and Ta Prohm, both built by the 12th-century god-king, Jayavarman VII, and both now in ruins and partially overgrown.

Return to the temples this morning to delight in one of Angkor’s earliest and most prized sites, Banteay Srei, which is home to the most beautifully preserved carvings remaining at Angkor. Visit Preah Khan, Dedicated by the great king Jayavarman VII to his father in 1191. Later, delight in a circus performance by Phare, whose performers are graduates of a six-year professional arts program and social enterprise in nearby Battambang.

This morning, head to the airport for our flight to Bangkok. Spend a memorable afternoon cruising the Chao Phraya River, before a visit to Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn. Later, see the King’s personal barge on the water at the Royal Barge National Museum.

After breakfast, check out the spectacular Grand Palace complex and visit Wat Pho, also known as the Temple of the Reclining Buddha. Enjoy an afternoon at leisure before gathering to toast our journey at a farewell dinner this evening.

After breakfast at our hotel transfer to the airport for flights home, arriving back in the U.S. on the same day.