Ho Chi Minh. The Mekong Delta. Phnom Penh. Hanoi. Cambodia. Khmer Rouge. If you’re a teenager of the ’60s, as we are, all of these words can mean only one thing to you.
The Vietnam War.
The words were on newscasts for nights and weeks on end, in a seemingly endless tale of torture, sadness, bombs and death. Today, you can string them together as part of a Viking River Cruise that sounds like such a great opportunity to see places you never imagined you could — never mind would — visit.
And at 2-for-1 prices.
Here’s how it would work. You have to get yourself to Hanoi (north) or Ho Chi Minh City (south, formerly Saigon), and home from the other. The cruise is between the two, in either direction, and it’s actually a 15-day “cruisetour” — which means there are shore excursions and hotel stays included. Also meals.
Let’s say you fly to Hanoi. You stay two nights, then fly to Cambodia. You stay there three nights, then board the RV Tonie (above) to cruise the Mekong River, which takes a week. You disembark in Ho Chi Minh City, where you spend two days before flying home. The Magnificent Mekong itinerary is available throughout 2011 and must be booked by September 30 to get the 2-for-1 deal. For all the details, click here.
The package includes 14 guided tours, to places like the Angkor Wat, the largest Khmer temple (below), and now almost 900 years old. It also includes most meals, wine with dinner, hotels, transfers, taxes and the flight to (or from) Cambodia. There are 18 opportunities to take this trip next year and the prices range from $3,000 to $4,700 per person, so even at 2-for-1 it’s not for everybody…and may not be for anybody who has tragic memories of the Vietnam War.
If you don’t, and we qualify on that count, it’s an amazing trip. For less than $10,000, a couple will enjoy Viking’s best on-board accommodation and all the tours on shore.