VIETNAM

FLIGHT TO VIETNAM
May 13

When we fly from the U.S. to HANOI, VIETNAM.
we will cross the International Dateline
and lose a day, and it suddenly becomes May 14.

HANOI
May 14- 19

HANOI, the capital of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, is a beautiful city of boulevards, parks and lakes. Our major concentration will be the Hanoi of Ho Chi Minh and the Vietnam War. We plan to visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum with its glass sarcophagus, the Ho Chi Minh Museum, the Army Museum with models of the battle of Dien Bien Phu and the taking of Saigon, and the "Hanoi Hilton," the prison where American POWs were held during the war. We will also visit some earlier historical and artistic sites such as the 11th-century One Pillar Pagoda and the Temple of Literature, the site of Vietnam's first university. In one evening we will enjoy a performance of Hanoi's famous water puppets. After our stay in Hanoi and Ha Long Bay, we will travel by an overnight train to Hue.

HUE
May 20 - 21

HUE, known to Americans for its bloody battle in the Tet Offensive of 1968, was capital of Vietnam from 1802-1945 under 13 emperors of the Nguyen Dynasty and is considered one of the cultural centers of Vietnam. We will visit several of the splendid tombs of these emperors, the Citadel which contains the Forbidden Purple City for the private lives of the emperors, the Imperial Museum, and the famous Thien Mu Pagoda.

Time permitting, we will make an excursion to Khe Sanh, a famous American base in the Vietnam War. We will then fly to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City).

The Tomb of Emperor Minh Mang

Student Dressed as a Vietnamese Mandarin

SAIGON (HO CHI MINH CITY)
May 22 - 25

SAIGON was the capital of South Vietnam from 1956-1975. After the North Vietnamese took the city in 1975, its name was changed to honor the communist-nationalist founder of North Vietnam. Our sightseeing tour begins with a visit to the Reunification Palace which was the former residence of the President of South Vietnam until end of 1975. Close to the palace are some striking French colonial structures including the Notre Dame Cathedral and the old Saigon Post Office. We also visit the War Remnant Museum to see how some of the Vietnamese view the U.S. participation in the war .

Saigon Town Hall

Former Presidential Palace

Saigon Street Scene

War Remnants Museum

CAMBODIA

From Saigon we will fly to Siem Reap, Cambodia.

SIEM REAP
May 26- 28

SIEM REAP, formerly a sleepy village, is now a base for exploring the world famous temples of the ancient city of Angkor. On the way to Angkor, we will also be able to visit a memorial to atrocities by the Khymer Rouge. Time permitting we will take a short cruise on Tonle Sap Lake, Cambodia’s biggest natural lake. Along the way we will stop to visit a floating village and catch a glimpse of fishermen at work.

EXCURSIONS TO ANGKOR

Angkor was the capital of the powerful Khmer Empire from 802 AD to 1350 AD. With the fall of the Khmers, the temples were slowly recaptured by the lush forest and remained hidden until 1861 when they were re-discovered by a French naturalist.

Our guide will take us through Angkor Thom, which is famous for its series of colossal human faces carved in stone, the Bayon Temple, the Royal Enclosure, Phimeanakas, the Elephant Terrace, and the Terrace of Leper King.

Then we will visit Angkor Wat, the largest as well as most complete temple complex. We stroll around this massive monument with its many galleries with columns, libraries, pavilions, courtyards and ponds full of water reflecting the towering temple.

We will also explore the jungle covered temple of Ta Prohm as well as some of the surrounding temples.

Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat

Thailand

May 29- June 1

From Siem Reap we will fly to Bangkok, Thailand.

BANGKOK
May 29 -June 1

Our stay in BANGKOK will start with a walking tour of the area of Ko Ratanakosin. We will begin at Lak Muang, the City Pillar, which is a shrine enclosing a wooden pillar built in 1782 to represent the founding of the new capital of BANGKOK by Rama I. From there we will walk to Wat Pho, the oldest and largest Wat in Bangkok with its large reclining Buddha representing the passing of the Buddha into nirvana. Next we will see the Wat Phra Kaew, called the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, and Grand Palace, which is now used only for ceremonial purposes. On this excursion we will also visit the Wat Mahathat, a monastery and center for the largest Thai monastic sect.

We will also examine Thai art at the National Museum, visit the Royal Barges, and take a boat ride on the Chao Phraya River.

CHINA

June 2

From Bangkok we will travel by air to Shanghai to join the China Tour students.

SHANGHAI
June 2 - 6

From the Opium Wars of the 1840's to the 1930's, SHANGHAI went from a provincial fishing and weaving community of 50,000 people to a western metropolis of over a million people with skyscrapers owned by western bank and trading houses, western cinemas, and more cars than any other city in Asia. It became the largest manufacturing city in Asia based on the slave labor of Chinese boys and girls. Foreign business interests dominated the city and were guarded by the armies of their home countries. Along with the colonialists came gambling and dance halls, opium dens, and brothels.

When the communists took over in 1949 they got rid of the slums, child labor, and opium dens, but the economy also declined. Then with the economic reforms of Deng Xiaoping, SHANGHAI has had a resurgence. In fact, two of the most important leaders of China, Jiang Zemin and Zhu Rongji, rose to prominence as leaders of Shanghai.

We will tour the remnants of the International Settlement including the British, French, American, and Japanese concessions and the Huangpu River embankment, called the "Bund." The Bund is lined with the western buildings constructed in the1930's in a mixture of colonial, neo-classical, and even Egyptian architectural styles. Here we will see where the foreigners and Chinese met and still congregate to talk and see street performers and hawkers.

Of course, we will also visit the SHANGHAI Museum with its collection of bronzes, ceramics, and paintings; the site of the 1st National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party attended by Mao Zedong; Sun Yatsen's residence; and the wonderful Jade Buddha Temple with two Buddhas from Burma.

We will cap off one day with an evening performance of the famous Chinese acrobats.

EXCURSION TO HANGZHOU

We also plan to make a day long excursion to Hangzhou, considered by the Chinese to be one of their most beautiful cities..

At the end of our visit to Shanghai we will travel to Nanjing by train.

SHAOLIN MONASTERY
June 10

The SHAOLIN MONASTERY is probably the best know Buddhist monastery in the West. It is famous for its long association with Kung Fu or martial arts. Martial arts groups from all over the world have made donations for the upkeep of the monastery. Today, many private schools teach the fundamentals of kung fu within sight of the monastery. We will see a performance of a martial arts group.

BEIJING
June 11 -15

Although Beijing was not a major player in early Chinese history, from the 13th century to the present it has been the capital under the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties as well as the Communist regime.

It was the Mongols who first made it their capital when they conquered China in the 13th century and established the Yuan Dynasty. When the Ming Dynasty took power in the 1300's its first capital was Nanjing, but the Emperor Yong Le moved the capital to Beijing in the early 1400's and started the construction of the Forbidden City. Later when the Manchus conquered China, they kept Beijing as capital and enlarged the Forbidden City. In 1949 the Communists chose Beijing as their capital and set up headquarters right next to the Forbidden City.

Tiananmen Square

One of our first stops in BEIJING will be Tiananmen Square, site of the 1989 student demonstrations and subsequent bloodbath. Around the square we will visit the Museum of the Chinese Revolution, the Museum of Chinese History, and Chairman Mao Zedong Memorial Hall containing the preserved body of Chairman Mao, the first leader of Communist China.

Then we will pass through the Tiananmen (Gate of Heavenly Peace) into the Forbidden City, where twenty four emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties ruled from their palaces for hundreds of years. Here there are six major palaces including the Palace of Ci Xi, the last Empress Dowager who dominated China in the early 20th century.

In BEIJING we will also see the beautiful Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace of the Emperors with the famous marble boat built by Ci Xi with funds to build a navy. In the evenings we will attend a performance of selections from the Beijing Opera and other cultural events.

EXCURSION TO THE GREAT WALL,

MING TOMBS AND

EASTERN QING TOMBS.

The Great Wall was begun in the 5th century BCE and completed by Qin Shi Huang, founder of the Qin dynasty in 221 BCE. Being approximately 3750 miles long, it is surely one of the wonders of world.

The Tombs of the Ming Dynasty Emperors date back to the 15th and 16th centuries.

XIAN
June 16 - 20

Known as Chang An in earlier times, XIAN has been inhabited since neolithic times and was one of the early capitals of China. Here we will visit the Ban Po Neolithic Museum, which is built on the site of a village from the period 6080-5600 BCE. The Museum contains interesting implements, weapons, and models of the village. In the city of XIAN we will also visit the archaeological exhibit at the Xian Province Museum, the Great Mosque of Xian, and a number of sites from the Tang and Ming Dynasties such as the Drum and Bell Towers, the City Walls, and the Big Goose Pagoda.

The Great Mosque of Xian

XIAN was particularly important during the Qin Dynasty. We will take a bus tour to the Tomb of Qin Shi Huang, the first Qin Emperor, and his amazing burial vault with its 7,000 life-size terra-cotta warriors, armed and in battle order. Nearby we will see the Huaqing Hot Springs, a favorite spot of the emperors and site of the "Xian Incident" where Chiang Kaishek was kidnapped by one of his own generals in the struggle with the Communists in 1936.

We will also take a tour of the Western Tombs in the countryside. Our evenings will include a Chinese traditional dance program and free time to socialize with Chinese students.

Xian Dance and Musical Performance

End of Asian Cultural History Tour and
China Cultural History Tour

OR
ON TO THE TIBET OPTION

TIBET OPTION

TRAIN TO LHASA, TIBET
June 21

Barkhor Square