Aqua Mekong River Cruise

Day 1 - 3 : Your Journey Begins

Arrive in Vietnam and begin your adventure in Ho Chi Minh City. Visit the historic tunnels of the Viet Cong on a day trip from the city center, enjoy shopping and begin to experience some of the country's most famous temples.

Welcome to Vietnam! On arrival in Ho Chi Minh City, you will be met by your guide and transfer to your hotel. Settle into your room with the rest of the day free to relax after your long international flights. Ho Chi Minh City, which nearly everyone still calls Saigon, is the economic powerhouse of this rapidly developing country, featuring grand boulevards, central squares and riverfront shops. Though you can still experience some of old Asia, Saigon is a new Asian boomtown and its inhabitants are poised to embrace the modern advances of the 21st century.

Visit the infamous Viet Cong stronghold at Cu Chi. The hundreds of miles of tunnels here often confounded American troops fighting in a very foreign land. Sections are open to tourists where you can climb in and get a feel for the harsh conditions faced by the thousands of Vietnamese who lived and fought in these tunnels.

This morning enjoy a leisurely walking tour of downtown, or District One. View some of the impressive colonial-era structures, including Notre-Dame Cathedral and the Central Post Office, designed by Gustave Eiffel. Continue to the Reunification Palace, historically known as Independence Palace, and tour the former nerve center of the war for South Vietnam.

Next, visit the Cao Dai Temple. Vietnam's most fascinating indigenous religion, Caodaism, was founded in 1926 by Ngo Minh Chieu. It is a syncretistic faith that merges Eastern and Western religious and philosophical traditions.

End your day by exploring the bustling market district of Cholon, Saigon's Chinatown, with its frenzied merchants. Stroll Binh Tay Market and then visit Thien Hau Pagoda, Saigon's most celebrated Buddhist shrine.

Return to your hotel with the evening free to dine on your own. Perhaps stroll along Dong Khoi Street and visit the art and handicraft shops.

Day 4 - 8 : Beautiful Beaches

Travel to Hoi An and its stunning beachfront accommodations. These next few days include tours of ancient villages, historic sites and a sunset boat cruise on the Thu Bon River.

Transfer to the airport for your flight to Da Nang, then make the 40-minute drive south to Hoi An and check in at your beachfront resort, with the remainder of the afternoon and evening at your leisure.

Resting on a tranquil stretch of the pristine China Beach near the ancient trading port of Hoi An is a luxury resort and residential enclave known as The Nam Hai, with 60 beautiful guesthouses and 23 grand pool villas. Each occupies its own section of landscaped gardens and offers views of the South China Sea and Cham Islands.

Today you will explore Hoi An. For hundreds of years, until it was superseded by Da Nang, this was the most vibrant port in the country, attracting traders from China, Japan and Europe.

Monsoons forced many trading vessels from around the world to stop here to wait for the wind direction to change. During the four months between monsoons, these merchants rented lodgings and trading houses, preferably on the waterfront. Miraculously, the town has remained intact, and it’s still possible to wander here and imagine yourself in another age. 

Walk along the streets of Hoi An’s Ancient Town, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The city is a haven for artists, and numerous galleries display a range of artistic interpretations. Visit the Japanese Bridge, built in the 16th century to link the Japanese section of Hoi An with the Chinese quarter. It’s the only covered bridge known to have a Buddhist pagoda attached to one side. Stop by the produce market and the Tan Ky House, residence of an 18th-century merchant whose family lived here for seven generations. 

Late in the afternoon enjoy a sunset boat trip on the Thu Bon River, and visit a traditional shipbuilding village before transferring back to the resort for the evening.

After breakfast depart for a full-day tour of Hue. You will take the scenic route over the 1,500-foot Hai Van Pass — Pass of the Ocean Clouds — where the mountains meet the South China Sea and the views are spectacular.

Visit the former Imperial Citadel and Forbidden Purple City where emperors once ruled. The area was the site of some of the most intense fighting during the Tet Offensive of 1968. Scars from the battle remain and the entire complex is undergoing restoration under the watch of UNESCO.

Today you are free to relax, enjoy the amenities of your resort and explore Hoi An independently. Perhaps stroll the streets in the old French quarter; they are a delight to roam, with many cafes, art galleries and handicraft shops. Hoi An is especially well-known for local artists and tailor-made clothing, with more than 60 shops providing this service.

Day 8 - 12 : Embark on your cruise

Following a leisurely breakfast, transfer to the airport for a return flight to Saigon, then travel back to the Park Hyatt Saigon, where you will meet the staff of the Aqua Mekong and transfer by air-conditioned coach (90-minute drive) to My Tho. Settle into the elegantly appointed vessel as it begins to cruise. Ascend to the Observation Deck to take in the view of the swaying palms and bustling waterways of My Tho.

Over the next four nights, the Aqua Mekong will sail along the Mekong toward remote natural and cultural destinations visited by only a few.

Note: Cruise itineraries are subject to change, due to weather and other conditions. All times indicated are approximate and subject to change as well.

People of the Mekong Delta rely on flat-bottom wooden boats called sampan to get around and transport goods to market. Climb aboard and paddle through the Cai Be floating market, where more than 400 sampans gather every day. Each boat has one bamboo stick on the front to display that vendor’s product. Continue your exploration of the area on foot or by bicycle for more up-close glimpses of Mekong Delta dwellers.

In the afternoon, travel by skiffs to Binh Thanh Island, where villagers weave mats and baskets from river reeds and water hyacinths. At the village temple where they practice Hoa Hao Buddhism, in which emphasis is placed on modesty over ornate offerings, you will have an interaction with village elders to learn about their life before, during and after the war. On your return journey, stop by a fish farm to learn how people fish directly underneath their floating homes.

Leave the Aqua Mekong and head by skiff for Tam Nong, the largest bird sanctuary of South Vietnam at more than 18,000 acres. This protected national park is home to 233 waterfowl species and accounts for one-fourth of the country’s bird population.

Cruise through lush cajuput forest, looking for rare white-winged wild ducks, painted storks, lesser adjutants, spot-billed pelicans and sarus cranes (the world’s tallest flying bird).

Later, relax by the pool on the Aqua Mekong, try a traditional Khmer massage in the floating spa or learn more about Vietnam from the expert guide’s lecture in the air-conditioned lounge while border-crossing formalities are completed.

You begin your Cambodia adventures with a visit to Koh Oknha Tey, a beautiful island on the Mekong. Here you will explore by tuk-tuk (an auto rickshaw), heading to one of the villages where renowned weavers let you wander freely among their looms to admire their skills as they work. A biking option is available for those who wish to explore deeper into the island.

This afternoon, cruise farther north toward the remote village of Preah Prosop. As you walk through this typical Khmer village of stilt houses, you will see and experience authentic Cambodian village life untouched by the outside world. You will also pass a brick factory before reaching one of the oldest Buddhist temples in the area. Explorers may opt to venture around Preah Prosop by bike.

Sail into Phnom Penh and shift gears from the sleepy countryside to Cambodia’s political and economic capital. Buddhist temples, French Colonial villas and the Royal Palace provide a photogenic backdrop to international business and a new generation of boutique hotels, chic shopping and cosmopolitan nightlife.

Take in this historic city’s most important sites, including the 1866 Royal Palace that is still home to the reigning monarch and its Silver Pagoda, so-called because in 1962 then-Prince Sihanouk ordered the floor inlaid with 5,329 silver tiles. Today the pavilion houses many jeweled statues and images, including the 17th-century Emerald Buddha and a life-size gold Maitreya Buddha adorned with about 9,600 diamonds, including one of 25 carats.

Next door, the National Museum of Cambodia houses the world’s largest collection of Khmer art, much of it removed from Angkor Wat to prevent looting. Here we can linger among the linga, representations of the Hindu deity Shiva, and thousands of other artifacts, including an imposing 11th-century bronze sculpture of a reclining Vishnu that is considered a monumental example of Khmer statuary.

The Aqua Mekong will arrange your transfer to the airport for your flight to Siem Reap.    

Day 12 - 14 : Angkor Wat

Explore the temple and city of Angkor Wat, a breathtaking expression of Khmer architecture and Cambodia’s most-prized national treasure.

Day 14 : Departure

Spend the day at your leisure until you transfer to the airport for your flight to Seoul, South Korea, where you connect to your homebound flight.

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