|
THE ART OF PRODUCING
SECRET INDOCHINA'S UNIQUE EXPERIENCES
Producing our journeys and experiences is a delicate and fascinating task, almost an art, involving various stages, substantial investments, and control. It demands an in-depth knowledge of the regions, local characteristics, geography, history, ethnography, and a strong local network. We produce our experiences in four phases that can take months, years or even decades for remote or special areas. The four phases typically include:
- Reflection. In this phase, we conceive an idea and identify a site, such as a remote mountain range or forsaken forest.
- Research. We conduct bibliographic and cartographic research that enables us to identify potential sites and study their characteristics, usually in archives from the French colonial and American periods.
- Surveys. We start with preliminary appraisals to identify site access, verify facts, and share thoughts with the local populations, followed by an official, in-depth survey in the area.
- Development. This phase involves acquiring local permits, involving indigenous populations, as well as investments and marketing.
Since 2011, Secret Indochina has used this approach to create magical journeys exploring various remote and mythic areas in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. We have developed unique concepts that combine adventure and soft-adventure programs, culture, luxury, ethnic immersions, and personal encounters. Each trip is planned, produced and undertaken with a spirit of adventure and a deep passion for the region
|
|
|
|
|
POL POT AIRPORT
SECRETIVE KHMER ROUGE SITE
Kept secret for many years, the Khmer Rouge airport is located near Kampong Chhnang and Tonle Sap Lake in a green valley bordered in the west by Cambodia’s Cardamom Mountains. Now abandoned, the airport site covers 300 hectares and features two massive 2.4 km-long runways flanked by two giant moats, a control tower, administrative buildings, a quarry, a former prison camp, seven enormous cisterns, and tunnel-prisons. Construction began on the airport in 1976 under the supervision of Chinese engineers, but was abandoned in 1979. During the Khmer Rouge era, the site was used to purge and “reeducate” the Kampuchea Democratic Army (ARK). It became a concentration camp where tens of thousands of people died. While exact figures are unknown due to the secrecy of the location, estimates range from 10,000 to 350,000 souls who died from starvation, exhaustion, or were killed in the tunnel-prison complexes and then buried in mass graves. Today, green rice fields cover the once blood-soaked earth.
On the way to Battambang, Phnom Penh or Phat Sanday – Secret Indochina’s floating house project – you have the option to discover this secretive Khmer Rouge site. Meet a local family and learn about the local area, then start your tour of the site with the quarry, continuing on to the airport, runway and western moat. End your visit with a walk down the southern hill towards the entrance of a tunnel-prison
|
|
|
DISCOVER THE ECLECTIC CAO DAI
WHERE EAST MEETS WEST
Caodaism is a religious movement founded in Vietnam in 1926. It has around six million followers, making it the third-largest religion in the country. This eclectic, monotheistic religion is something of a fusion; it incorporates ethical principles from Confucianism, occult practices from Taoism, theories of karma and rebirth from Buddhism, and a hierarchical organization from Christianity, including a Pope. The faith is represented by The Divine Eye, or the Left Eye of God, which serves to remind believers that God witnesses everything, everywhere, all the time.
In Mekong Delta, meet a Cao Dai master to get a sneak peek into this little-known religion. Discuss the history and goals of Caodaism, which attempts to unite all of humanity through the common vision of an individual creator. Learn about its unusual pantheon of saints, ranging from Buddha, Jesus, Joan of Arc, and Thomas Jefferson to Victor Hugo. Attend a daily ceremony in a dragon-adorned temple and gaze in awe at its vaulted ceilings, vibrant color schemes, and praying masses accompanied by drumbeats and stringed instruments
|
|
Secret Indochina was established in 2011, following the encounter of two professionals, Tran Quang Hieu and Nicolas Vidal, passionate about authentic travel. Secret Indochina, DMC branch of Amica JSC, strives to lead travellers to outstanding sites, magical places, and little-known ethnic communities
READ MORE
|
|
|
|
