Islands to Indochina Cruise on the Oceania Riviera
1/23/2024 to 2/15/2024
Page 1 – Pre-trip in Singapore
Page 2 – Embarkation; Ship
Page 3 - Cabin, Shows, Activities; Ports of Call: Muara, Brunei; Kota Kinabalu (Borneo), Malaysia
Page 4 - Ports of Call: Puerto Princesa, Philippines; Coron, Philippines; Manila, Philippines
Page 5 - Ports of Call: Hue (Chan May), Vietnam; Nha Trang, Vietnam; Bangkok (Laem Chabang), Thailand
Page 6 - Ports of Call: Saigon, Vietnam; Sihanoukville, Cambodia; Bangkok (Laem Chabang), Thailand
Page 7 - Post-trip in Bangkok Thailand Days 1 & 2
Page 8 - Post-trip in Bangkok Thailand Days 3 & 4
Hue (Chan May), Vietnam
When we visited Vietnam in 2010, I really wanted to visit the ancient royal capital of Hue, but the ports we visited were too far away for a tour. On this itinerary it said that Hue was one of our ports. Although, we docked at Chan May which was an hour and 45-minute drive to Hue. The original itinerary had us in port from 9 to 5 or 8 hours which would give us about 3 hours to tour Hue, since the ship would need time to clear, and we would want to get back an hour before the ship leaves. When we boarded the ship, the times were changed to 10 to 4 or just 6 hours in port. We would only have 1 hour to tour. Thankfully, later in the cruise it was changed to 10 to 5 or just an hour less than the original itinerary. Because we arrived in port early, we got to start the tour at 10:00 AM and were able to spend 2.5 hours touring Hue. We were grateful for the change and early arrival. Chan May was an old commercial port.
We booked private tours for each of the four days we would be in Vietnam with a company called Tour with Xuan (https://www.tourwithxuan.com). We were doing the tours with several people we had met on our CruiseCritic.com roll call. We joined groups with another couple that would be doing all the tours with us. They were doing back-to-back-to-back cruises on the Riviera. The day before we got on the ship, she emailed me to tell me that they had to get off the ship in Singapore due to a medical issue and were returning home. We felt terrible for them. They were going to miss two legs of the cruise they had planned so long for.
Xuan did find a replacement couple who were on the cruise for the Hue tour, so there would be three couples in the very comfortable van. Xuan recommends no more than eight people on a tour so that everyone has a window seat.
Our guide for the day was Nguyen. He did an outstanding job and provided us with great information for what we were seeing. He assured us regularly that we would see the best parts of the ancient capital and get back to the ship by 4:00 PM with no problem. He did just what he told us he would do. He gave us a great tour.
We enjoyed the drive to Hue with the hilly terrain and many rice fields.
There were also interesting things to see in the cities. Vietnam goes all out for the Chinese New Year celebrations, and we would see many displays and lots of products for them. They sell a lot of the Yellow Mai trees during this time. We saw people carrying them on their motor scooters regularly, as well as other trees. The big one we saw was not going anywhere.
When we saw a fellow carrying a couple cases of Huda beer, Nguyen told us that it is produced in Hue and is very popular. I planned on trying one at some point during the tour.
When we arrived at the imperial city of Hue, we could tell that this was going to be an interesting place to see.
As we walked toward the entrance to imperial city, we saw several very large canons.
The first thing to draw our attention was the huge flag tower building. It is called Ky Dai or huge flag tower. It was properly named.
We then came to the Meridian Gate, the main gate to the city.
We next walked into the imperial city. This is what we were hoping to see. The throne palace was ahead of us surrounded by water and flowers.
Before we went there, we went to the building behind us. It was quite attractive and served as a museum.
From the upper level, we had a nice view from above of the throne palace. We could look the other way and see the flag tower.
I loved the ornate roof decorations on the throne palace.
Nguyen told us that we were very lucky, since the throne had not been shown for a long time and had just been put back on display.
We saw a large building in the distance that we wouldn’t have time to visit. We were able to get a better view of it later during the tour.
There were so many gorgeous gates and buildings. I just loved the place.
We came to the To Mieu Temple which was quite pretty with decorations and large urns.
We continued our walk through the complex enjoying the many sights.
We went inside the residence of the queen-mother. There was lots to see. We were impressed with the beautiful woodwork.
Even the garage was impressive.
Our time was getting short, but he wanted to take us to the royal theater. That sounded good to us. The exterior area was just gorgeous. The ceiling in the entrance area was amazing.
The interior of the theater was stunning.
We were given a choice to either continue looking at buildings in the imperial city or to go to a pagoda that he thought we would enjoy. We trusted his judgement and headed out of the imperial city. We first stopped at his favorite gate to take a group photo.
Next was the Thiên Mu Temple. The first thing we saw was the pagoda which is considered the unofficial symbol of the city. It was built in 1601.
Nguyen told us that it was a good place for a restroom break and refreshments before we headed back to the ship. He asked if I wanted a Huda beer. That was a no brainer! It was an outstanding beer.
We next walked up the stairs and looked around the temple grounds. There were many interesting objects. We came to a large marble turtle, which is the symbol of longevity.
There were several other buildings and temples to see also.
A most interesting object was an Austin car that was used to drive a Buddhist monk to Saigon in 1963 who set himself on fire protesting the discrimination against Buddhists. A photo of the even was above the car.
As we were leaving, I was able to take a photo of a different side of the pagoda without people in it, since the front was always crowded.
Nguyen then told us it was time to head back to the ship. We were thrilled to have done so much in a short time. We would have loved to see more, but it was enough to know that Hue is a very special place and well worth visiting.
Nha Trang, Vietnam
As we pulled into Nha Trang, Vietnam, we were impressed at what a large, modern resort city it was. It has great beaches all around it. It was a lovely and fascinating city. Only about 4 cruise ships a month visit there, so we were lucky to visit there.
This was the only tender port on the cruise. The original itinerary had us arriving at 10:00 AM. Then they changed it to 11:00 AM and again to noon. We ended up arriving at 10:30 AM, much earlier than they expected. This worked out great for us, since the ship tours were starting later and we would be able to get tender tickets much easier. We were able to get on the first tender off the ship. Ten minutes later we were in Nha Trang.
Once again, we were using Tour with Xuan (https://www.tourwithxuan.com) for this day’s tour. We originally had 5 on the tour, but with the one couple having to cancel, Cathy and I were doing the tour just with Pat. That was fine, but it is always nice to be able to share a great tour with others. Our guide for the day was named Thrive. He said that was his name because he thrived to succeed. I think he will. He did a very nice tour for us.
The large van seemed empty with just the three of us, but it was certainly most comfortable.
As we began the drive to our first destination, we enjoyed the gorgeous beach area. We also passed by the Trầm Hương Tower that I had seen from the ship and didn’t know what it was. It is a multi-venue performing arts center. The lotus shape certainly stands out on the shoreline. We also passed by a Vietnam war memorial.
Since the tour included a meal, Thrive asked us if we wanted to eat first or later. With the arrival time change, we had an early lunch, and chose later. Our first stop was to the Long Son pagoda. The pagoda is very nice, but the large Buddha on the top of the hill is more impressive.
Our guide said that it is 200 steps to the top. I figured I could get part way up to get a nice photo. About halfway up, we came to a reclining Buddha, but I couldn’t see the big Buddha at all.
Thrive kept telling me it wasn’t much further. When we finally got to where I could see the Buddha, there weren’t many more steps to the top, so I ended up climbing all 200 steps. It was worth it.
On the way down, we passed a small pretty bell tower.
Our next destination was to a small shop that made straw mats. It was interesting to see how they made them. They were quite nice.
We next had a refreshment/restroom break at an historical home. We were given some tea and were able to sample some of their local fruits. They also gave us each a whole cocoanut to drink. It way too much.
We enjoyed the detailed woodwork and unique furniture in some rooms.
On the way to our next destination, we pulled over at a beautiful rice field. Our guide wanted us to experience the fresh smell of the rice and to take our photo there.
We next went to a conical hat shop. It was quite a slow process making the hats. We were surprised that it takes several hours for each hat. We enjoyed seeing how they made them, but it isn’t a souvenir that most people would want to purchase, since there isn’t a good way to pack them for an airplane flight.
On our way to the next stop, we were amazed at how many shops along the road had so many flowers for sale. They were so beautiful, and they were everywhere.
Then there was a river boat ride. There was lots to see, especially fishing boats.
In the distance we could see the top of our destination, the Po Nargar Hindu Temple.
When we got there, it was break time. I asked Thrive if they had Huda beer. He said they didn’t, but he found a Saigon beer for me. It was pretty good too.
The grounds around the temple were very nice with many flowers.
The temple is composed of four main towers of the original six, the tallest was constructed in 817 AD. It was a very important temple to Champa people who lived in the area over a thousand years ago.
The temple celebrates the goddesses that they worshipped. There was a carving of one over the door of the tallest tower, as well as some statues in a display area.
I climbed up to the main level and went around to the back where the light was much better for photos. It is quite an impressive place and well maintained.
I could look down to the pillars that led to the temple.
After we left the temple, we finished up at a lovely restaurant to try some local Vietnamese food. It was such a beautiful place that locals were there posing for photos.
Since it was 3:00 PM, we just picked out some interesting snacks. They were very good. It was a wonderful finish to an enjoyable touring day.
When we were back on the ship, I went to the upper decks and was able to take photos of the large Vinpearl resort across the water. They have an amusement park, golf course and many hotels. It looks like a great place to visit in this popular resort city.
We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to a port that we previously didn’t know anything about.
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam – Day 1
To get to Ho Chi Minh City, previously Saigon, we would have to cruise up the Soài Rạp river from the South China Sea. To simplify my typing, I am going to call Ho Chi Minh City, Saigon. It is easier to type and it is also what the locals call their city. There was a lot to see on the river and along the shore. There were some types of seafood farms, along with fishermen and lots of industry. There was a little bit of everything.
I was surprised to see how low what looked like a fueling boat was in the water. That didn’t look too safe to me, but I must assume they know what they are doing. I never noticed how the Riviera’s wake affected them.
After over 2 hours of cruising up the river, we finally arrived at Tan Cang Hiep Phuoc Port, 45 minutes before our expected 11:30 AM arrival time. The port is just under an hour away from Saigon. The busses were waiting for the ship tours on the dock. On the other side there was a huge lot with hundreds of VW cars waiting to be shipped somewhere else.
Once again, we were using Tour with Xuan (https://www.tourwithxuan.com) for this day’s tour to the Mekong Delta. Our guide for the day was Dzunj, but she told us to call her Tina. That was a lot easier for us. We liked her a lot. She was a lovely person and very good tour guide.
From the port, it would take about 1 ¾ hours to get to our Mekong Delta destination. There were seven of us on this tour and the large van worked out great for the longer rides. Our first destination was for lunch at a rest stop. We weren’t sure what to expect, but when we went inside, we were very impressed. It was a very nice restaurant in a lovely setting.
We were served several interesting and tasty items, but the star was an Elephant Ear Fish. We had a couple for the table. The waitress pulled the fish off the body and wrapped it with some vegetables and noodles. It was delicious! Everything was.
When we were leaving, we passed by some aquariums on the wall. Tina pointed out the Elephant Ear Fish to us. He kind of looked like he knew what was in his future.
We got back in the van and headed to our next stop. Along the way we saw so many motor scooters. They are very popular in Vietnam. We also saw a large monument in a traffic circle.
We were visiting the Vinh Trang pagoda. I’ve always liked large statues, and this place had several. The entrance gate was a good start to the visit.
As we walked through the gate, we got a glimpse of the big happy Buddha.
There were a lot of beautiful statues on the grounds.
The main temple building was quite ornate.
We went through courtyards into the main building. So much to take in.
Upon leaving the temple, we came to more Buddha statues and a lovely pagoda.
The reclining Buddha was huge. We needed a selfie with it.
We walked over to where the big happy Buddha was. It is my favorite, probably because my father had a small ivory happy Buddha that I admired from when I was a young boy.
As we left, I was able to get a nice photo of the temple building.
Our next adventure was a Mekong River cruise. The boat was more than adequate for the seven of us. The captain took a photo of our group with Tina
There was lots to see on the river, especially fishing boats. But there were other things too.
I liked the eyes on some of them. They were put on to scare away crocodiles at one time. There are no more crocs on this part of the Mekong.
During the cruise, Tina put out some fruit for us to snack on. Some were not fruits we were familiar with, but they were all tasty.
The boat pulled over and we all had to get off the large boat to get on a much smaller boats to ride along the tributary. We were all worried about the stability of the boat and the ladies' ability to control it so we didn’t flip over.
The ride was very peaceful and enjoyable, other than the concern for flipping. It was a pleasant ride.
It was about a 20-minute ride. We were all happy to get back on solid land.
We then took a path through the thick foliage, looking at plants, fruits and even a small cemetery.
We then loaded onto a small jitney to head to a cocoanut candy factory.
They were mixing the batter and packaging the finished product.
We went outside to see how they break open the cocoanuts and squeeze out the milk to make the candies.
We then headed back to the ship. The ride was very interesting, since so many people were leaving the big cities to return home for the new year holiday. Most people take one to two weeks off. New year’s is a much bigger holiday for Asians than it is for us. There were so many scooters on the road. They were packed down with flowers and merchandise.
There was a lot to see out the windows on the way back. It had been a great tour.
The illuminated Riviera looked most welcoming as we returned to the ship at night.
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