World Heritage Site
Hue, located on the central coast, is the original imperial capital, with many century-old pagodas, architectural relics and the Forbidden Purple City still standing despite heavy bombings. Listed as Vietnam’s first World Heritage Site, Hue’s blend of beauty and romance is a step back in time, showcasing the Vietnamese monarchy at its most prosperous period. Our lunch on the banks of the Perfume River was an unforgettable experience, with floating villages of water gypsies in the distance.

Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon), just off the southern coast, is an urban frenzy of eight million people packed into a city of sidewalk cafes, cyclo-pedicabs, city squares, palaces and markets. The three top tourist attractions are the War Remnants Museum, Reunification Palace and the underground world of the Cu Chi Tunnels, with many of the tours conducted by former residents. Later we saw the remnants of the towers and temples of the now extinct Indian-influenced Kingdom of Champa.

Our time in Sihanoukville, Cambodia was brief. But it was easy to see a fledging nation still recovering from the genocide of the Khmer Rouge regime. Many in our group were stunned to see such poverty in this nation attempting to make tourism an important component of its infrastructure. Animals grazed in open garbage dumps, and derelict homes on stilts tilted towards the sea. Yet, young children with open smiles rushed up to me to say hello in English. Like Vietnam, I hope it’s just a matter of time before they join the modern world.
The trip turned out to be a real voyage of adventure, and made me realize how much more of the world there is to see.

For more information, visit RoyalCaribbean.com.
Ed Boitano is travel editor for Southern California Life After 50 magazine.