Treasures of Vietnam and Cambodia
Topic: Tour Calendar January 7 to 25, 2008
A special tour in cooperation with Calvin College
This tour is a cooperative venture with a Calvin College Interim course directed by Dr. William Van Vugt. Part of our experience will be to learn about the history and culture of Vietnam and Cambodia as it was affected by French colonialism and the war with the United States. Our exotic and educational journey will provide many opportunities to explore the history and rich cultural traditions of these two fascinating countries! We will visit Hanoi, Hue, Hoi An, My Son, Ho Chi Minh City, the Mekong Delta, Phnom Penh, and finally Cambodia, where we will behold the magnificent site of Angkor Wat. Not only will we tour the main historical sites, but we’ll have the unique experience of talking with students, former soldiers, and government officials. This will enable us to understand the history and culture from the Vietnamese perspective.
January 2008
Day 1 ~ 7, Monday - Departure
Depart early this morning by motorcoach for Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport where we will begin the first leg of our journey. Our Korean Airlines flight departs late morning for Seoul, Korea. Meals will be served aloft.
Day 2 ~ 8, Tuesday - Seoul, Hanoi
Arriving at Seoul’s Inchon International Airport, we’ll have time to stretch our legs before boarding our connecting flight to Hanoi. Dinner will be served aloft. Arriving at Noi Bai Airport later this evening, we’ll clear passport control and customs, then transfer to our hotel for a two-night stay. It will certainly feel good to settle in for a well-deserved sleep.
Day 3 ~ 9, Wednesday - Touring Hanoi
We’ll spend the entire day exploring intriguing Hanoi. Various cultures have settled along the Red River for a thousand years and the architecture of the city reflects all who conquered this great valley – from the Chinese to the French. Visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (perhaps the country’s most revered place), the serene Van Mieu (Temple of Literature), the Military History Museum, and the Fine Arts Museum with its eclectic collections, including a delightful collection of folk art. We’ll also take a cyclo tour of the Old Quarter. Lunch is included today, so perhaps we’ll have the opportunity to try one of the delicious specialties such as Cha Ca (marinated barbecued fish), Nom (a green papaya and peanut salad in a cold sauce) or the best noodle soup in Vietnam. Prior to dinner (if time permits), you may wish to attend an optional Water Puppet Show where scenes from Vietnamese lore and history are performed by colorful lacquered puppets.
Day 4 ~ 10, Thursday - Hanoi, Hue
After breakfast, we’ll have a special meeting with members of the War Veterans Club and then visit the Hoa Loa Prison (“Hanoi Hilton”) Museum. Built by the French in 1904, when Vietnam was still part of French Indochina, it was used to hold Vietnamese prisoners, particularly political prisoners. It was later used by North Vietnam for prisoners of war during the Vietnam War. After what is sure to be an interesting and compelling morning, the balance of the day will be at leisure to explore the city or relax in your hotel room. Later in the day, we will transfer to the airport for the flight to Hue. Depending on the flight time, we will either have dinner in Hanoi or at our hotel in Hue. The students will be taking an overnight train to Hue, so we will meet up with them tomorrow morning.
Day 5 ~ 11, Friday - Hue
Following breakfast at the hotel, we’ll rendezvous with the students and begin our explorations of this ancient royal capital. Of the ancient capitals in Vietnam, Hue is the only one that still has the intact appearance of a complex of the monarchic capital consisting of walls, palaces, and royal tombs. Consequently, Hue is among Vietnam’s most valued national treasures in terms of history and heritage. It was also a major battle zone during the TET offensive. Our morning city tour will include Thien Mu Pagoda and the Imperial Citadel. After lunch, we’ll explore the city further on a bicycle tour. Tonight’s dinner is independent, but you can depend on our guide and John to provide excellent suggestions!
Day 6 ~ 12, Saturday - Hue
On our agenda today is a morning boat tour and countryside walk to the tombs of former emperors Te Duc and Dong Khanh. There are several royal tombs in this area and each resembles a small imperial city with a garden, lake, temple, and the grave itself. After lunch, return to Hue for a meeting with members of the Hue Monuments Conservation Center. We’ll learn about their many projects, including the ongoing restoration of the Hue Citadel, which has been designated an UNESCO World Heritage Site. Return to our hotel for a pleasant dinner, then enjoy an evening at leisure.
Day 7 ~ 13, Sunday - Hoi An
This morning, travel by motorcoach via Danang to Hoi An, our “home base” for the next two days. Hoi An has long been a cultural crossroad. More than five centuries ago the Vietnamese nation of Dai Viet expanded its territory southwards, encroaching on the Indianized Kingdom of Champa. Located on the Hoai River, Hoi An emerged when Japanese and Chinese traders built a commercial district here in the 16th century. These diverse cultural influences remain visible today. Visitors will find Hoi An’s Old Quarter lined with two-story Chinese shops, featuring elaborately carved wooden facades and moss-covered tile roofs. These wonderful old buildings remind us of another era, when Hoi An’s market was filled with wares from as far afield as India and Europe. Colorful guildhalls, founded by ethnic Chinese from Guangdong and Fujian provinces, still stand as a testament to the town’s trading roots. Our walking tour of the city offers a wonderful opportunity to experience the culture and the people! Lunch and dinner are again included today.
Day 8 ~ 14, Monday - Excursion to My Lai and My Son
Today we embark on an excursion to the hamlet of My Lai, most often remembered for the tragic “My Lai Massacre” during the Vietnam War. We hope to arrange a special meeting with the survivors of the massacre. It will be an educational and reflective experience for all. Following lunch, we’ll visit the sanctuary of My Son to see the ruins of the sacred Cham city historically known as Amaravati. Nestled in a lush green valley, this 4th-century site has been called a miniature Angkor Wat, but it was also damaged during the war. Return to Hoi An for an independent dinner and an evening at leisure.
Day 9 ~ 15, Tuesday - Hoi An, Ho Chi Minh City
Following breakfast, we’ll spend some additional time exploring Hoi An on a bicycle tour. Next, a boat tour to Cua Dai Beach, with some leisure time to enjoy this beautiful expanse of white sand along the South China Sea. Soon it will be time to transfer to Danang, where we’ll board a domestic flight to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The largest city in the country, it is the economic capital and a cultural trendsetter…yet within the teeming metropolis are the timeless traditions and beauty of an ancient culture. Upon arrival, we’ll check in to our hotel for dinner and a three-night stay.
Day 10 ~ 16, Wednesday - Ho Chi Minh City
This morning we will experience the culture of this dynamic city! Long before traffic choked the center of the city, Saigon had already been christened the “Paris of the Orient” due to its wide boulevards lined with stately trees and magnificent French villas. Our city tour takes us to the Reunification Palace, the neo-Romanesque Notre Dame Cathedral, and the popular War Remnants Museum. This museum presents a partial, but riveting, view of the American War as it is known in Vietnam. The horrors of warfare, aptly demonstrated by a large gallery of graphic pictures, are counterbalanced by a room concerned with international opposition to the war and the American peace movement. Following lunch, the balance of the day is at leisure so you can explore at your own pace.
Day 11 ~ 17, Thursday - Excursion to Cao Dai Temple and Cu Chi Tunnels
The Cao Dai Holy See, located near Tay Ninh town (about a hundred kilometers from Ho Chi Minh City) is well worth a visit. The Caodaism faith originated in the early 1920s when Ngo Van Chieu, a minor civil servant on Phu Quoc Island, was contacted during a séance by a spirit called the Cao Dai (high position) who handed down a creed and symbol – the “all-seeing eye.” The temple is an architectural wonder—a hodgepodge of styles from its contributing religions and ornamented in brilliant colors. The daily service is impressive…worshippers wear robes of different hues denoting their function and status, and kneel in blocks in the nave to genuflect and pray while acolytes perform complex rituals. Following lunch, we will head back to Ho Chi Minh City, stopping to visit the Cu Chi Tunnels. Built by the Viet Cong, the tunnels are part of an extensive network of nearly 200 kilometers of underground passages. A highlight will be our meeting with a military officer who lived in the tunnels.
Day 12 ~ 18, Friday - Ho Chi Minh City, Mekong Delta, Can Tho
After a free morning in Ho Chi Minh City, we will travel to the Mekong Delta with a boat tour en route. The Mekong River was a major place of conflict during the war. Lunch is included today. Our final destination is Can Tho, the unofficial ‘capital’ of the Mekong Delta. Located on the bank of the Bassac River, it is an important industrial and farming center. Originally a small settlement in the 18th century, Can Tho expanded rapidly during the French colonial period when rice growing was introduced to the Mekong. Now it has a population of a quarter of a million people, making it Vietnam’s ninth largest city. After checking in to our hotel for a one-night stay, enjoy an independent dinner and evening at leisure.
Day 13 ~ 19, Saturday - Can Tho, Chau Doc
Following breakfast, we will visit the floating markets near Cantho, then continue to Chau Doc. Once part of Cambodia, Chau Doc is an important trading and marketing center for the surrounding countryside. The area has a high proportion of ethnic Kh’mer people among its population, easily identifiable by their darker skins and a checkered scarf instead of Vietnam’s ubiquitous conical hat. There are also a fair number of ethnic Cham and Chinese people, and enough Christians to fill a local cathedral— resulting in a rare kaleidoscope of cultures and religions. Lunch is included today, as is an excursion to Sam Mountain. This modest “holy” mountain, rising from the pancake-flat plains of the Mekong, is full of caves, shrines and temples. Enjoy dinner and an overnight stay at our hotel.
Day 14 ~ 20, Sunday - Phnom Penh
This morning we leave Vietnam and journey by boat into Cambodia. Our destination is the capital city of Phnom Penh, which still retains an undeniable charm despite its tumultuous past. The crumbling colonial architecture makes an attractive backdrop to the bustling streetside cafés and redeveloped riverfront. The city has several impressive wats (temple-monasteries), including Wat Phnom (the hilltop pagoda that gave the city its name) and Wat Ounalom (headquarters of the Cambodian Buddhist patriarchate). The spectacular Silver Pagoda is one of the few places in the country where most of the artifacts embodying the brilliance and richness of the Kh’mer culture were preserved by the Kh’mer Rouge. We’ll check into our hotel for a two-night stay, then enjoy a comprehensive city tour and return again to the hotel for dinner.
Day 15 ~ 21, Monday - Phnom Penh
Following breakfast, we continue on our tour of Phnom Penh with thought-provoking visits to the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek and the Toul Sleng Genocide Museum. Located just 15 kilometers southwest of the city center, the Killing Fields are a grisly reminder of the atrocities committed by the Kh’mer Rouge. Some 17,000 people were killed here and more than 8,000 skulls, arranged by sex and age, are visible behind the glass panel of the Memorial Stupa, which was erected in 1988. Prior to being murdered, victims were detained at a prison known as S-21, housed in the Tuol Svay Prey High School. Today, the Toul Sleng Museum serves as testament to the crimes of the Kh’mer Rouge, and few details of each victim’s fate are left to the imagination. This afternoon we’ll visit Psah Thmei – the Central Market. Its high vaulted ceilings make it a more comfortable place to browse than many of the city’s more cluttered markets. There is an amazing range of merchandise available, from souvenirs to clothing, shoes, street food, and fresh produce. Remember that bargaining is expected and you can expect prices to fall with some good-humored haggling.
Day 16 ~ 22, Tuesday - Siem Reap, Excursion to Angkor
This morning we depart Phnom Penh and travel by motorcoach to Siem Reap, the provincial capital of Cambodia. Upon arrival, we’ll take an afternoon excursion to Angkor to see Cambodia’s greatest tourist attraction—the celebrated temples! The 100 or so wats are the sacred remains of what was once a much larger administrative and religious center, and were built between the 9th and 13th centuries to glorify a succession of Kh’mer kings. The most wondrous of these temples—Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom—are the best examples of Angkorian-era architecture that emerged relatively unscathed from the Kh’mer Rouge’s “clean slate” approach to history. After returning to Siem Reap, we’ll check into our hotel for a two-night stay and have dinner.
Day 17 ~ 23, Wednesday - More Time in Angkor
With so much to see in Angkor, we’ll return to this amazing place for additional exploration! Most of Angkor was abandoned in the 15th century and the temples were gradually cloaked in forest. The site became the source of scholarly interest in the late 19th century after the publication of Voyage à Siam et dans le Cambodge by French naturalist Henri Mouhot. Efforts were undertaken to clear away the jungle vegetation that threatened to completely destroy the monuments and restoration continues yet today. At the end of the day, we return again to our hotel for dinner and a quiet evening.
Day 18 ~ 24, Thursday - Siem Reap, Departure
This morning we plan to spend a bit more time at Angor, then enjoy a free afternoon in Siem Reap. The name Siem Reap literally means Siamese defeated, referring to the victory of the Khmer Empire over the army of the Thai kingdom of Ayutthaya in the 17th century. Enjoy exploring the Old Market and area shops before we meet for dinner. Afterwards, we’ll transfer to the airport to check in for the overnight flight to Seoul, South Korea.
Day 19 ~ 25, Friday - Return Home
Arriving at Seoul’s Inchon International Airport this morning, we’ll have some leisure time before boarding our connecting flight back to the USA. Arrival back in Chicago is scheduled for mid-morning the same day and then we’ll board our waiting motorcoach for the return to Grand Rapids.
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