| | | | | Arrive | Depart |
| 15th15 | FebFeb | 202323 | 10 nights accommodation before your cruise, staying in Hanoi, Halong Bay, Hoi An, Hue, Ho Chi Minh City | | |
| 25th25 | FebFeb | 202323 | Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, embark on the Emerald Harmony | | |
| Romantically referred to by the French as the Pearl of the Orient, Ho Chi Minh City today is a super-charged city of sensory overload. Motorbikes zoom day and night along the wide boulevards, through the narrow back alleys and past vendors pushing handcarts hawking goods of all descriptions. Still called Saigon by most residents, this is Vietnam's largest city and the engine driving the country's current economic resurgence, but despite its frenetic pace, it's a friendlier place than Hanoi and locals will tell you the food—simple, tasty, and incorporating many fresh herbs—is infinitely better than in the capital.This is a city full of surprises. The madness of the city's traffic—witness the oddball things that are transported on the back of motorcycles—is countered by tranquil pagodas, peaceful parks, quirky coffee shops, and whole neighborhoods hidden down tiny alleyways, although some of these quiet spots can be difficult to track down. Life in Ho Chi Minh City is lived in public: on the back of motorcycles, on the sidewalks, and in the parks. Even when its residents are at home, they're still on display. With many living rooms opening onto the street, grandmothers napping, babies being rocked, and food being prepared, are all in full view of passersby.Icons of the past endure in the midst of the city’s headlong rush into capitalism. The Hotel Continental, immortalized in Graham Greene's The Quiet American, continues to stand on the corner of old Indochina's most famous thoroughfare, the rue Catinat, known to American G.I.s during the Vietnam War as Tu Do (Freedom) Street and renamed Dong Khoi (Uprising) Street by the Communists. The city still has its ornate opera house and its old French city hall, the Hôtel de Ville. The broad colonial boulevards leading to the Saigon River and the gracious stucco villas are other remnants of the French colonial presence. Grisly reminders of the more recent past can be seen at the city's war-related museums. Residents, however, prefer to look forward rather than back and are often perplexed by tourists' fascination with a war that ended 40 years ago.The Chinese influence on the country is still very much in evidence in the Cholon district, the city's Chinatown, but the modern office towers and international hotels that mark the skyline symbolize Vietnam's fixation on the future. After checkout, enjoy a tour of the city, visiting the Notre Dame Cathedral, Opera House and Town Hall. Then, visit the Reunification Palace before transferring to the port, where you will board your Emerald Cruises Star-Ship, Emerald Harmony. You'll be welcomed on board by your captain and crew before setting sail towards My Tho in the Mekong Delta. This evening, enjoy your first dinner on board with your fellow travellers. Your Cruise Director will conduct a port talk to review the activities and itinerary for the days ahead. Included Excursion An orientation tour of Ho Chi Minh City |
| 26th26 | FebFeb | 202323 | Ben Tre, Vietnam | | |
| This morning you will be taken to the village of Ðat Dua, where you will learn how coconut candy and other local sweets are made, along with a fruit workshop. Enjoy a ride through the fruit plantations to Tan Long Pagoda on a Lambro before returning to Emerald Harmony to sail onwards to Sa Dec, a hidden gem on the Mekong Delta. Included Excursion A visit to a workshop in Ðat Dua and a visit to Tan Long Pagoda |
| 27th27 | FebFeb | 202323 | Sa Déc, Vietnam | | |
| Visit Sa Dec on a walking tour, with stops at the Chinese Congregational House in Kien An Cung, the home of Mr. Huynh Thuy Le, who inspired Marguerite Duras' novel L'Amant, and enjoy a walk through the central market to peruse its varied produce. Return to Emerald Harmony by sampan and sail to My An Hung Island. Recognised as a cultural and historical destination, this small village in rural Vietnam specialises in red-hot chilli and peppers. Enjoy some local folk singing during the visit. EmeraldPLUS A visit to My Ang Hung village Included Excursion A visit to the Chinese Congregational House and the home of Mr. Huynh Thuy Le |
| 28th28 | FebFeb | 202323 | Long Khánh, Vietnam | | |
| The morning is yours to enjoy your free time on board or, if you prefer, partake in a DiscoverMORE optional excursion to the Tam Nong Ramsar Bird Sanctuary. Covering a total area of 7,313 hectares, Tram Chim National Park, located in Tam Nong, is currently one of Vietnam's eight most important bird sanctuaries. With a system of swamps, grass plots and natural canals, the park is an ideal habitat for 191 species of plants, 150 species of freshwater fish, and nearly 231 species of water birds. Some of these are listed in Vietnam's Red Book of rare and threatened species. In the afternoon, embark on a journey to Long Khanh Island, visit a local family to learn about scarf-weaving and visit the Hoa Hao Buddhist Pagoda. Return to Emerald Harmony where, later this evening, you'll be delighted by a traditional Lion Dance performance on board. EmeraldPLUS A Lion Dance performance on board DiscoverMORE A visit to Tam Nong Ramsar Bird Sanctuary in Tram Chim National Park (extra expense) Included Excursion A visit to a local scarf-weaving workshop and Hoa Hao Buddhist Pagoda on Long Khanh Island |
| 1st01 | MarMar | 202323 | Tân Châu, Vietnam | | |
| In Tan Chau, as part of EmeraldPLUS, visit the recently renovated Cao Dai temple. The religion of Cao Dai is a syncretic, monotheistic religion established in southern Vietnam in the city of Tây Ninh in 1926. Here, you will learn more about the mix of ideas that form the basis of this fascinating religion. After a Xe Loi ride, embark one of our sampans to Evergreen Island for a walk through a local village to get a glimpse into the lives of the local farming community. Stop at a local fish farm enroute back to the ship. Back on board your luxury Star-Ship, cruise to the border between Vietnam and Cambodia. Tonight, celebrate crossing the border with a Cambodian-style family dinner. EmeraldPLUS A visit to Cao Dai temple, a religion unique to the Mekong Delta Included Excursion A visit to Evergreen Island and Tan Chau |
| 2nd02 | MarMar | 202323 | Phnom Penh, Cambodia | | |
| Wake up in Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh. The city, known as the 'Pearl of Asia', was almost entirely evacuated by the Khmer Rouge in 1975. This morning, you will learn more about the Khmer Rouge and the darkest days of the country's history. A short drive will take you to the Killing Fields at Choeung Ek. Here you will have the opportunity to walk through the fields, visit the small museum and learn about this sad historic chapter. Afterwards visit the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (also known as S-21). This is a former school that was converted to the main prison and torture headquarters of the Khmer Rouge. The afternoon is yours to continue exploring, experience one of four DiscoverMORE options or to simply relax on board your Star-Ship. In the evening, you will have a chance to experience an evening remork (or Tuk-Tuk) ride through Phnom Penh to enjoy the city lights. EmeraldPLUS Phnom Penh by night on a remork (Tuk-Tuk) tour Included Excursion A visit to the Killing Fields & Toul Sleng Genocide Museum DiscoverMORE A silk farm tour at Koh Oknha Tei (extra expense) DiscoverMORE A visit to the silversmith village of Kho Chen (extra expense) DiscoverMORE Enjoy a craft beer adventure by remork in Phnom Penh (extra expense) |
| 3rd03 | MarMar | 202323 | Prek Kdam, Cambodia | | |
| Located north of Phnom Penh, Oudong was the former royal capital of Cambodia up until it moved to Phnom Penh in 1866. Important remnants on the temple sight include the burial sites of Khmer kings as well as religious artefacts dating back more than a hundred years. In the main temple of the Oudong Monastery, receive a traditional Buddhist blessing from the temple's resident monks as part of your EmeraldPLUS excursion. In the afternoon, you will visit the majestic Royal Palace with its gardens and the central market located in the heart of the city. This evening, enjoy a cultural performance by the Cambodian Student and Children's Organisation. EmeraldPLUS A traditional Buddhist Monk blessing EmeraldPLUS A cultural Performance by the Cambodian Student and Children's Organisation Included Excursion A visit to Oudong Monastery Included Excursion A visit to the Royal Palace and central market |
| 4th04 | MarMar | 202323 | Prek Kdam, Cambodia, disembark the Emerald Harmony | | |
| Disembark Emerald Harmony in the morning and continue by road to Siem Reap for your included three-night stay. En-route to Siem Reap, stop in the spider village of Skol, Kampong Kdei and see the impressive Angkor Bridge. This evening, witness the incredible Cambodian Circus, Phare, a spectacle of acrobatics, theatre and music. Phare is an NGO founded by Cambodian refugees to assist disadvantaged young people by teaching them performing arts. EmeraldPLUS The Cambodian Circus, Phare |
| 4th04 | MarMar | 202323 | 3 nights accommodation following your cruise, staying in Siem Reap | | |
| 7th07 | MarMar | 202323 | Check out of accommodation | | |
