Depart From: Depart from the US on international flights.

In Transit: Overnight flight to Vietnam.

Arrive To: Arrive to Hanoi International Airport and transfer to Halong Bay. Please note this is a 3 hour transfer.

Afternoon: Arrive in Halong bay and board your traditional Vietnamese Junk for two nights. "Ha Long" which means "Bay of Descending Dragons," is a stunning a site, famous for its scenic ocean karst topography and peaceful horizon. After checking into your room, join other participants for your program orientation.

Dinner: Welcome dinner on board the Vietnamese Junk.

Lodging: Vietnamese Junks

Meals Included: Dinner

Note: Surprise Cave has about 50 stairs that are steep. Must be stable and be able to walk without any aid to go into the cave.

Breakfast: Breakfast on board the boat.

Morning: Begin the morning with a lecture on ecology and environmental issues on Halong Bay. Then take a field trip to Surprise Cave. Discovered in 1901, this very large grotto was used by Viet Cong as a hideout during the war with the United States. A short, steep climb up paved steps leads you to three chambers, the last being the largest.

Lunch: Lunch on board the boat.

Afternoon: Enjoy cruising around the bay. Stop at one of the many islands on the bay to learn how locals in the bay live.

Dinner: Dinner on board the boat.

Lodging: Vietnamese Junks

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast on board the boat.

Morning: Disembark the Vietnamese boat and transfer to Hanoi. Upon arrival in Hanoi, check into your hotel.

Lunch: Try the traditional "PHO" lunch.

Afternoon: Explore Hanoi's vibrant Old Quarter. First begin with a cyclo ride near Hoam Kiem lake and around the Old Quarters. Remnant of a bygone era, The Old Quarter has the original street layout and architecture of old Hanoi. At the beginning of the 20th century the city consisted of only about 36 streets, most of which are now part of the old quarter. Each street then had merchants and households specialized in a particular trade, such as silk traders, jewellery, etc. The street names nowadays still reflect these specializations, although few of them remain exclusively in their original commerce. While here, visit a restored 'tube house' to see how residents in this area once used to live.

Dinner: Dinner at a local restaurant.

Lodging: Mercure Hanoi La Gare Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Ba Dinh Square / Tea with Monk / Free Afternoon with Optional Activity: Museum of Ethnology

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: Begin the morning with a presentation on the History of Vietnam. Then visit Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Ba Dinh Square where Ho Chi Minh himself read out the Declaration of Independence in 1945. Inside Ba Dinh Square revel at the simplicity of Ho Chi Minh's house. Visit the One Pillar Pagoda, constructed to celebrate the heiress Emperor Ly Thai Tong, who dreamt about receiving a son from the Buddhist goddess of mercy and compassion seated on a lotus flower. Then continue to Hoe Nhai Pagoda and enjoy tea with a Vietnamese monk and converse with them about their daily lives and the history and beliefs of Mahayana Buddhism.

Lunch: Lunch at a local restaurant.

Afternoon: Free afternoon to explore on own, or take an optional field trip to the Museum of Ethnology and learn about the life and culture of the 54 ethnic groups that live in Vietnam. This is a self-guided museum visit.

Dinner: Dinner is on your own.

Lodging: Mercure Hanoi La Gare Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: This morning, partake in a hands-on cooking class at Madam Tuyet's. Madame Tuyet became famous both locally and internationally when her Anh Tuyet Restaurant was visited in 2002 by American chef Anthony Bourdain. During class you will visit the local market and learn about Vietnamese ingredients and then proceed to learn how to prepare and cook true northern Vietnamese cuisine.

Lunch: Savor your Vietnamese creation.

Afternoon: Afternoon at leisure for you to explore Hanoi on your own.

Dinner: Dinner on own.

Lodging: Mercure Hanoi La Gare Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: Fly from Hanoi to Saigon. The vibrant city of Saigon is a thriving metropolis reflecting Vietnam's contentious past as well as its fast-forwarding future. Take notice of the past and present as you take a city orientation admist intricate traditional French colonial architecture, Chinese pagodas and sleek skyscrapers. Then continue to the hotel for check in.

Lunch: Lunch at the hotel.

Afternoon: After lunch, take an excursion to Reunification Hall (the former Presidential Palace) built as a modern administrative center. Then continue to the War Remnants Museum, which holds a large collection of weapons, machinery, artifacts and photographs illustrating the War.

Dinner: Dinner at a local restaurant.

Lodging: Grand Hotel Saigon

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: Through a presentation, learn about the history of the Mekong Delta. Then continue to an orphanage that helps house Vietnamese street children.

Lunch: Lunch on your own.

Afternoon: This afternoon, experience the Cu Chi Tunnels - an immense network of connecting underground tunnels located in the Cu Chi district of Ho Chi Minh. The tunnels were used by Viet Cong guerrillas as hiding spots during combat, as well as serving as communication and supply routes, hospitals, food and weapon caches and living quarters for numerous guerrilla fighters. The tunnel systems were of great importance to the Viet Cong in their resistance to American forces, and helped achieve ultimate military success.

Dinner: Family hosted dinner.

Lodging: Grand Hotel Saigon

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Note: Pariticipants must be comfortable enough to sit and stand and get in and out of small boats.

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: Depart for the Mekong Delta and begin your journey along the Mekong River. Along the way, stop in Cai Be and board small boats along the arms of the Mekong River, passing by villages and fruit farms.

Lunch: Lunch at an ancient house.

Afternoon: After lunch, learn about industries that are critical to the economy of the Mekong Delta while visiting the Brick and Pottery Factory on your way to Chau Doc. Chau Doc sits at the junction of a tributary linking the Bassac and Mekong Rivers and the Bassac River itself. An incredibly friendly and bustling little city, it has a colour scheme to match its ambience, with bright pastel hues of green, blue and purple adorning many of the newer shopfronts.

Dinner: Dinner at the hotel.

Lodging: Victoria Chau Doc Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Sam Mountain / Presentation on Agriculture and Development Along the Mekong Delta

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: This morning, take a field trip to Sam Mountain, the highest elevation on the Mekong provides a spectacular view of the region's Rice Paddies and canal system and the Cambodian border. Stop at a few spots to look at some of the temples such as Tay An Pagoda, the Temple of Lady Xu and the Tomb of Thoai Ngoc Hau.

Lunch: Lunch at a local restaurant.

Afternoon: Enjoy a lecture on agriculture and development along the Mekong Delta.

Dinner: Dinner at the hotel.

Lodging: Victoria Chau Doc Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: This morning transfer by speed boat to Cambodia. At the Vietnam Cambodia border, go through immigration, then proceed to Phnom Penh and check into your hotel.

Lunch: Lunch at a local restaurant.

Afternoon: Known once as the “Paris of the East,” discover the charming capital city of Phnom Penh. First visit the Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda and finish the afternoon at the National Museum. The National Museum in Phnom Penh is the most significant public repository of Khmer artifacts in the country, displaying many important Angkorian artifacts and rare pieces from later periods.

Dinner: Dinner at a local restaurant.

Lodging: Sunway Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: This morning participate in a presentation on the current economic and political conditions of Cambodia. Then continue on a field trip to S-21, the interrogation center, and Choeung Ek Killing Fields Memorial. Though not for the weak hearted, seeing these three sites will help you understand the horrors and the legacy left by Pol Pot's regime who ruled Cambodia from1975 to 1979.

Lunch: Lunch on own.

Afternoon: Free afternoon to explore Phnom Penh. Visit one of the local markets, walk the city streets, or just relax at your hotel.

Dinner: Dinner at the hotel.

Lodging: Sunway Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Note: Transfer to Siem Reap will take about 5 hours drive with a lunch stop.

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: Transfer to Siem Reap making stops along the way.

Lunch: Lunch at a local silk production and weaving center.

Afternoon: Learn about the cycle of the silk worm, the production of the silks and the weaving process at this local business operated by an American expat. Then continue to Siem Reap and check into your hotel. Gather for a video presentation on the Angkor Temples.

Dinner: Dinner at the hotel.

Lodging: Tara Angkor Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Note: Long day. Participants must be able to get in and out of bus and sit and stand nearly the whole day in hot and humid weather.

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: Begin your introduction to the temples of Angkor with a visit to Ta Prohm, the Jungle Temple. Unlike most of the temples of Angkor, Ta Prohm has been largely left to ruins. With its dynamic interaction between nature and man-made art, this atmospheric temple is a favorite for many - who can't help but feel a little like Indiana Jones or Lara Croft (which was filmed here) as they pick through the rubble. Then continue to Banteay Srei, the Citadel of Women, a pink sandstone temple, built in the latter half of the 10th century by Rajendravarman II and Jayavaraman V.

Lunch: Lunch at a restaurant.

Afternoon: Take an optional visit to the Angkor National Museum and gain an overview of the Angkor Temples. Or take this time to explore Siem Reap or the temples on your own. Later in the afternoon, watch "The Flute Player," a film about a Cambodian American who escaped Cambodia and returns to his home country to revive the Khmer traditional performing arts.

Dinner: Dinner at a local restaurant.

Evening: Enjoy an 'Apsara Dance' preformance danced by a group of local artist that are working to preserve the traditional Cambodian classical arts. As evidenced in part by the innumerable apsaras (celestial dancers) that adorn the walls of Angkorian and pre-Angkorian temples, this dance has been a part of Khmer culture for more than a millennium.

Lodging: Tara Angkor Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast at a local cafe.

Morning: Immerse in the breathtaking beauty of Angkor Wat as it silhouettes in the sky during sunrise. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Angkor Archaeological Park contains the magnificent remains of the different capitals of the Khmer Empire, from the 9th to the 15th century. As the best-preserved temple at the site, Angkor Wat, is the only temple to have remained a significant religious centre since its foundation is Hindu - dedicated to the god Vishnu - then Buddhist. The temple is at the top of the high classical style of Khmer architecture. Also explore Angkor Thom, the last and most enduring capital city of the Khmer empire. Established in the late twelfth century by king Jayavarman VII, at the centre of the city is the mesmerising temple of Bayon.

Lunch: Lunch on own.

Afternoon: Free afternoon to explore Siem Reap on your own.

Dinner: Dinner at a local restaurant.

Lodging: Tara Angkor Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: Depart for Siem Reap airport for your return flight home.

Meals Included: Breakfast