Vietnam & Cambodia November 5 – 22, 2020 Hosted by Jim Bratt CALL/CAA invites you on an exotic and educational adventure to Vietnam and Cambodia. Come explore modern, historic, and ancient societies on the Indochinese peninsula. Your host historian, Jim Bratt, will provide historical commentary along the way, from the blending of Vietnamese, French and Chinese cultures, to the Vietnam War. Highlights include intriguing Hanoi, a wonderful overnight cruise on Halong Bay, ancient Hue, charming Hoi An, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), the scenic Mekong Delta, sites of the U.S. war in Vietnam, and finally, Cambodia — where we will behold the magnificent site of Angkor Wat. Tour Cost Your Host $5,294 per person, based on double occupancy, Jim Bratt bus from Calvin University and flights from Chicago James Bratt is Professor of History, Register online at emeritus, at Calvin University. He was born and reared in Grand Rapids and bookings.wittetravel.com attended Calvin as an undergraduate, use booking code then earned his PhD in American history at Yale University (1978). He 110520BRATT taught at the University of Pittsburgh or complete and return the printed registration form. for ten years until returning to Calvin, where he worked in the History Department until his retirement in 2016. He has considerable international experience, including three Fulbright grants (two semesters in the Netherlands and one-year teaching at Xiamen University in China), directing the Calvin semester in Britain (2006), and two stints teaching on the Semester at Sea (2017 and 2019). Visiting Vietnam was a highlight of his 2017 SAS voyage, and he is excited to be returning there on this CALL trip. Vietnam and Cambodia are fascinating both in their own right and in their significance for American history, not least for people who came to maturity in the 1960s and ’70s. This trip should thus be an important way to connect personal memory and interest with the vibrant present of two intriguing countries. [email protected] November 2020 08, Sunday 09, Monday Inclusions: 05, Thursday Hanoi Halong Bay Cruise • Roundtrip air Depart After a good night’s sleep Today we’ll transfer to Halong • Visa costs for Cambodia The day of departure has and breakfast, we’ll spend Bay, where we’ll board a and Vietnam arrived. We meet at Calvin the day exploring the capital chartered ship for a delightful • Hotel accommodations University for our bus transfer of Vietnam. We’ll see an overnight cruise adventure. • Breakfast daily, 7 lunches to Chicago O’Hare International interesting combination of Halong Bay is a UNESCO and 8 dinners Airport, where we check in Vietnamese, Chinese and World Heritage Site, beloved • Hanoi city tour for our flights to Asia. Our French cultures. First, we head for its emerald waters with to the Ho Chi Minh area of forested islands jutting from • Halong Bay Cruise adventure begins! (Meals – in flight) Hanoi. We’ll see the Ho Chi the water. We’ll enjoy lunch on • Food tour by trishaw Minh Mausoleum (outside only, board as we cruise along the • Tour of the DMZ 06, Friday as it’s closed in November); limestone islands of Fighting (Demilitarized Zone) En route then we visit Ho Chi Minh’s Cock, Dog Rock, and Incense • Hoi An – UNESCO World stilt house and garden, the Burner. Options for this Very early we leave Chicago. Heritage Site One Pillar Pagoda, and the afternoon include swimming, Crossing the International Date serene Van Mieu (Temple a Vietnamese cooking class, • Ho Chi Minh City Line we move forward one day. of Literature). After lunch at and relaxing on the sundeck • Mekong River Delta Tour 07, Saturday Brother Café Restaurant, we’ll before dinner. Optional evening • Ankor Wat Taipei (layover), Hanoi visit the Hanoi Hilton Prison activities include night squid • And more! Museum, Hoan Kiem Lake fishing, karaoke, and dancing. We’ll touch down at Taiwan and Ngoc Son Temple. We’ll (B, L, D) Taoyuan International Airport then enjoy a fantastic trishaw and have a chance to stretch ride through the hustle and our legs before boarding our bustle of Hanoi’s Old Quarter. Tour Pace connecting flight to Hanoi. Dinner is independent tonight, Upon arrival at the Noi Bai so perhaps we’ll have an Airport, we’ll clear passport opportunity to try one of the control and customs. Then we delicious specialties such as transfer to the hotel to settle Cha Ca (marinated barbecued in for a night of well-deserved fish), Nom (green papaya and Temple of Literature, Hanoi rest! (Meals – in flight) Halong Bay, Vietnam MODERATE – Activity peanut salad in a cold sauce), levels vary from day to day. or Pho (traditional noodle Cha Ca (marinated barbecued fish) Sightseeing is often a brisk soup). (B, L) walk over distances of several One Pillar Pagoda miles on cobblestone streets Cover: View of the sun setting from and uneven ground. the summit of Phnom Bakheng 10, Tuesday 11, Wednesday 12, Thursday 13, Friday Halong Bay, Hanoi, Hue DMZ, Van Kieu, Danang, Hoi An Flight to Hue After breakfast, we visit one Dong Ha, Hue Today we take a scenic Early risers can enjoy a tai of the most beautiful tombs Early this morning, we’ll transfer drive via Lang Co Beach to chi lesson on the sundeck, in Hue, the tomb of former to the Demilitarized Zone visit China Beach, a former and we’ll visit a cave before emperor Tu Duc. Then we’ll (DMZ), the area around the airfield for American soldiers. heading back to the harbor. If take a boat ride on the Perfume former border between North Then we’ll visit the Marble our flight schedule allows, we’ll River to Thien Mu Village, the and South Vietnam. We’ll visit Mountains, including Linh have some free time to shop in imperial Citadel where the the holy La Vang Cathedral and Ung Pagoda, Tang Chon Cave, Hanoi’s Old Quarter and then last monarchy of the Nguyen the battlefield of Khe Sanh on and Huyen Kohng Cave. We’ll transfer to the Hanoi Airport Dynasty was seated. Here the historic Road 9, which links continue to Hoi An, a charming for our flight to Hue. Hue is we’ll have an opportunity to Laos to historic war sites such ancient town and a UNESCO the only ancient capital in learn about Vietnamese history as Rockpile Base, the Ho Chi World Heritage Site. Visitors Vietnam that still has the intact and traditional architecture, as Minh Trail, and the village of Van will find Hoi An’s Old Quarter appearance of a monarchial well as enjoy the meditative Kieu. Upon arrival at the Ta Con lined with two-story Chinese capital complex consisting atmosphere of this place. Airfield, we’ll visit a museum shops that feature elaborately of walls, palaces, and royal This evening we’ll visit Dong with remains of aircraft, tanks carved wooden façades and tombs. (B, D) Ba Market and enjoy a street and fortresses from the war moss-covered tile roofs. These food tour in Hue by trishaw. with the United States. We’ll wonderful old buildings remind During the tour we’ll taste enjoy lunch in Dong Ha City us of another era, when Hoi local specialties, such as bahn and stop to visit the 17th An’s market was filled with khoai (pancake filled with pork, Parallel Monument (the 17th wares from as far away as India shrimp, and vegetables), nem parallel was the north-south and Europe. We’ll visit the Hoi lui (lemongrass skewer), Bahn border outlined in the Geneva An Ceramic Museum, Fujien nam (steamed rice dumplings), Acord) and the Hien Lunong Chinese Temple, Tan Ky Ancient and che dau (coconut milk bean Bridge, which crossed the Ben House, the famous Japanese pudding). (B, D) Hai River (the natural border Pagoda Bridge, and have time between the North and South). to shop at Hoi An’s Market. We’ll then visit the Vinh Moc At the market you’ll find great Tunnels, shelters for the Viet variety, low costs and friendly Cong and the villagers in Vinh hosts. We’ll then check in at Linh during the U.S.- Vietnam the hotel and relax over dinner. War. Our day ends back in Hue, (B, D) where the evening will be free for an independent dinner. (B, L) 14, Saturday 15, Sunday 16, Monday 17, Tuesday Hoi An, Optional Ho Chi Minh City Ho Chi Minh City, Ben Can Tho, Tra Su Swamp, My Lai Massacre We’ll start the day with an Tre, Can Tho Chau Doc Excursion, Flight to interesting trishaw ride through After breakfast at the hotel Early this morning, we check Ho Chi Minh City the hustle and bustle of the we check out and transfer to out of the hotel and take a boat city to Chinatown. Here we’ll Ben Tre, on the Mekong River trip to the floating market of Today you’ll have the option visit the Thien Hau Temple, Delta. We’ll get on a boat to Cai Rang, cruising along small of taking an excursion ($50 the War Remnants Museum, cruise throughout the river canals to see how the locals additional cost with lunch Reunification Palace, Notre delta. We stop to visit a shop live. We’ll visit a home factory included) to the My Lai Dame Cathedral, the old post making coconut candies before that makes rice noodles, as Massacre site or remain in Hoi office, and Ben Thanh Market. continuing the cruise to Nhon well as the Thanh Binh Market. An for independent exploration This evening we’ll take a street Thanh market.