DAY 1 : ARRIVE IN HOCHIMINH CITY
Arrive in Hochiminh City Airport to … on the flight …
Customs formalities and luggage collection (Estimated time approximately 45 minutes).
You will then be greeted by your guide … and your driver, outside the airport, transfers to the city for a day tour of the city.
Lunch at the restaurant
Ben Thanh Market : is the most famous shopping destination for tourists in Ho Chi Minh City, featuring every type of souvenir the spending traveler desires to buy. The attraction is one of the earliest surviving structures in Saigon and an important landmark of the city. The market was first created as an informal gathering of street vendors near Saigon River .
DAY 2 : HOCHIMINH CITY
Breakfast at the hotel
Then guided tour of the colonial district:
Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral : built in the late 1880s by French colonists, is one of the few remaining strongholds of Catholicism in the largely Buddhist Vietnam. Sitting between two streams of traffic, Notre Dam Cathedral is in the middle of Saigon’s chaotic District 1. A brick, neo-Romanesque church with 40m-high square towers tipped with iron spires. Interior walls are inlaid with devotional tablets and some stained glass survives. In front of the cathedral stands a Virgin Mary statue, which is said to have shed tears in 2005, causing thousands of people to stop around the Basilica.
Lunch at the restaurant.
The Central Post Office : is one of the oldest buildings in Ho Chi Minh City. This was built around 1886 – 1891 based on Villedieu’s design, a famous French architect. It has been the busiest post office of the country. Its architecture, with a roof topped by a glass roof, is reminiscent of the buildings of the World Expo. It is a place where it is nice to stop.
The People’s Committee Building of Ho Chi Minh City : was built and put into use in 1909 as a hotel whose original name was Hôtel de Ville. It was designed by Gardes, a famous French architecture. This building is thus one of the oldest, biggest and most beautiful French style buildings in Ho Chi Minh City, functioning both as a city institution and as the city’s most prominent landmark today.
The Saigon Opera House is owning an elegant architecture.The building still many lively evidences for the influence of French architecture in Vietnam. This magnificent building designed by French architect Ferret Eugene, was built as a classical opera house with 800 seats. The style of this majestic building is influenced by flamboyant style of the French Third Republic. Since 1975, he has returned to his original function.
The lacquer manufacturing workshop : Lacquer-ware refers to wooden or fiberglass objects painted and preserved with lacquer. Lacquer is a clear, water-resistant resin made from the sap of the Rhus Succedanea tree. The application of lacquer to wooden artifacts is an ancient process dating back thousands of years.
The War Remnants Museum : was opened in September 1975. Not only does the museum illustrate a phase of painful history, but it also tells unknown stories about war to people, especially to Westerners. Also featured are grisly photos that show the disfigured bodies of locals who had prenatal exposure to strong pesticide and chemical sprayed, best known by the name ‘Agent Orange’.A powerful collection of photographs taken by 134 international journalists who were killed during the Vietnam War. The exhibit was donated by the state of Kentucky. A collection of artwork by young children around the world showing their ideas about war and peace. An exhibit of photographs, factoids, and signboards showing the technological advantage and firepower that the Americans utilized during the Vietnam War.
Independence Palace (Dinh Doc Lap), also known as Reunification Palace (Vietnamese: Dinh Thong Nhat), built on the site of the former Norodom Palace, is a landmark in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. It was designed by architect Ngo Viet Thụ and was the home and workplace of the President of South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. It was the site of the end of the Vietnam War during the Fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975, when a North Vietnamese Army tank crashed through its gates.
Overnight at hotel in Ho Chi Minh City
DAY 3 : HOCHIMINH CITY – MY THO – CAI BE
Breakfast at the hotel
By bike, you visit the local market, a workshop of making rice cakes, Phu Nhuan temple
Then depart to My Tho.
10h00 am: embarkation for a guided cruise on the “Cochinchine” boat of the company “Mekong Emotion” at My Tho,
Welcome drink and attribution of your cabin.
Visit an island by small motor boat where you could visit a village where is perpetuated local crafts. You can get to know the locals and taste a variety of tropical fruits.
Then you wander in sampans through the coves shaded by palm trees.
Lunch served on board.
Then cruise for Cai Be across the island Ngu Hiep.
Arrival at Ngu Hiep Island. Visit the island by bike or on foot to witness the daily life of local people. Pleasant cruise along the Mekong while admiring the beauty of the landscape and enjoying the beautiful sunset on the river Tien.
Dinner at the restaurant
Overight on board between Ngu Hiep Island and Cai Be.
DAY 4 : CAI BE – VINH LONG – TRA ON
Breakfast at the hotel
In the morning, the sound of the floating market wakes you up, visit the daily lives of local people living on both sides of the Mekong River. Breakfast is served on board.
Cruise in a small motor boat to explore the Cai Be floating market in the morning.
Walk to visit a handicraft village of the local population with an old house and examples of various tropical fruits.
Continue boat trip to Mekong Lodge – an eco-resort Mekong Lodge includes 29private pretty bungalows and River View Restaurant, spread over an area of over 10000 m2 set right next to the Tien River.
Lunch on board.
As far as the Tidal River, disembark and take a pleasant walk or bike ride on the country trails to discover the tropical fruit orchards and activities of the local people, especially some orchards (orange groves) with his farmer.
Continuation of the cruise towards Tra On. Enjoy the beautiful sunset on the river. Pleasant cruise along the Mekong while enjoying the beauty of the b’s and appetizers, sunset cruise.
A wonderful day with picturesque crossings on the Mekong River branches.
Dinner at the restaurant
Overnight on board.
DAY 5 : TRA ON – CANTHO
Breakfast at the hotel
The sound of the floating market wakes you up early in the morning, the continuation of the cruise to Can Tho. Enjoy the beautiful sunrise on the river. Pleasant cruise the Bassac river all admiring the beauty of the landscapes.
You board a small motorboat that will take you to explore the Cai Rang Floating Market which is one of the liveliest in the Mekong Delta with hundreds of small merchant ships stopping and scrambling to find the space to sell their goods. You then travel through the shady stream of palm trees to visit local houses and green orchards.
10:00 am: the cruise ends and takes you back to the port of Can Tho where the car of the hotel is waiting for you to transfer
(Assignment of rooms at 13H, you will first deposit your luggage)
Free day to discover the city of Can Tho
Overnight at hotel in Can Tho
DAY 6 : CANTHO – CHAU DOC
Breakfast at the hotel
Then depart to Chau Doc
Chau Doc city in An Giang Province, bordering Cambodia, in the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam. As of 2013, the city had a population of 157,298, and cover an area of 105.29 square kilometres (40.65 sq mi).
The city is located by the Hau River (a branch of the Mekong River flowing through Vietnamese territory) and Vinh Te canal. Chau Doc is situated 250 kilometres (160 mi) west of Ho Chi Minh City.
Arrive at Chau Doc then visit:
Sam Mountain is the highest mountain in the Mekong Delta. On the way there, you can enjoy the sights of the two rice fields along the road, and drop by for a short visit to a small Khmer village. You will have a short walk up on the mountain side to see the daily life of mountain people. There are dozens of pagodas and temples, many of them set in caves, around Sam Mountain. The Chinese influence is obvious and Sam Mountain is a favourite spot for ethnic Chinese (both pilgrims from Vietnam and abroad).
Tay An Pagoda was constructed in 1847 and has been rehabilitated and repaired many times. In 1958, it was thoroughly upgraded to encompass a total area of 1,250sq.m with nearly 200 statues. Water and electricity was also available and could be supplied to over 1,000 people.
Tay An is an ancient pagoda with a mixture of Vietnamese and Asian architectural styles. Lying on one side of the Sam Mountain, under the lights, the pagoda itself looks like a monk dressed in yellow, heading to Chau Doc Town, An Giang Province.
Thoai Ngoc Hau Tomb is located in front of Ba Chua Xu Temple, that is the biggest monument at the foot of Sam Mountain, 5-km southwest of Chau Doc.
Thoai Ngoc Hau (1761 – 1829), originally named Nguyen Van Thoai, was the first man from this area to exploit the virgin soil, establish living settlements, and dig Vinh Te and Thoai Ha channels. He was buried there along with his two wives and a temple in his honour was built in the 1930s.
Lunch at the restaurant.
The Cave Pagoda: Located on the western slope of Mount Sam about 600 meters from the Queen of the Country Temple, perched at the top of a staircase, this secluded pagoda offers a superb view of Cambodia’s rice fields.
The temple of the Queen of the Country: Very curious temple, smoky, overloaded, invaded by crowds of pilgrims and devotees, come to make offerings to the Queen of the country, a statue of painted stone covered with frosted fabrics.
DAY 7 : CHAU DOC – HA TIEN
Breakfast at the hotel
Boat trip: A two-hour walk around to discover the life and activities of the port. First, the villages on stilts, then the visit the floating market of fruits and vegetables or the sellers hang the proposed product at the end of a pole. Other local industry, floating fish farms. Real villages, each farm produces up to 60,000 fish annually (usually catfish from 1 to 2 kg). Visit a Cham village on stilts
Lunch and depart to Ha Tien
HA TIEN: A fishing port of 100,000 inhabitants, the city is located at the western end of the Mekong Delta, in a corner of the Gulf of Siam. The Cambodian border is only 8 km away and is open to tourists who can reach the seaside resort of Kep by road. Nearby, you can discover the beautiful landscapes of the Delta: rice field shimmering light under the sun of the monsoon, limestone rocks plunged into the turquoise sea, sandy beach, caves hiding small temples.
Tam Bao Pagoda: Founded by Mac Cuu in 1730, Tam Bao Pagoda is home to a community of Buddhist nuns. In front of the splendid, many-tiered pagoda is a statue of Quan The Am Bo Tat (the Goddess of Mercy) standing on a lotus blossom. Within the sanctuary, the largest statue on the dais represents A Di Da (the Buddha of the Past), made of painted brass.
Mac Cuu Family Tombs: Not far from town are the Mac Cuu Family Tombs, known locally as Nui Lang, the Hill of the Tombs. Mac Cuu, a Khmer-appointed 18th-century Chinese governor, and several dozen of his relatives are buried here in traditional Chinese tombs decorated with figures of dragons, phoenixes, lions and guardians. At the bottom of the complex is an ornate shrine dedicated to the Mac family. Best with a good guide as the beauty is mostly in the history.
The temple of Thach Dong: This temple has the particularity of being rich nestled in a cave dug into the limestone rock of a cliff.
Dinner and overnight in Ha Tien.
DAY 8 : HA TIEN – HON CHONG – HA TIEN
Breakfast at the hotel
Then transfer to Hon Chong
Hon Chong consists of only one beachfront road, along which all the town’s hotels and restaurants are located. There is no hospital, bank or post office here, though Ha Tien is only a couple hours away — over a dreadful road.
The small market town of Ba Hon is the closest major town and is the gateway to Hon Chong. From the main highway QL80 (which links Ha Tien and Rach Gia), at the fork in Ba Hon follow road TL11 south for 15 kilometres..
Duong Beach: This beach is one of the most popular in South Vietnam. It is also called “Pagoda Beach” 2 km long lined with coconut trees and small restaurants. It offers a beautiful view of the islands carving their silhouette off the waters of the Siam golf course. With its fine sand and very hot water, it is a delicious place.
The pagoda of Chua Hang: The peculiarity of this pagoda is to be nestled under a huge boulder, after having crossed the first room one arrives at the heart of this one, then after a few tens of meters one finds the light of the day and we reach the beach of Duong, wonderful surprise that this clear water after the darkness of the cave.
Lunch. Free time for the beach
Overnight at Ha Tien Hotel
DAY 9: HA TIEN – PHU QUOC
Breakfast at the hotel
Then head to the pier for depart to Phu Quoc Island.
Phu Quoc : is becoming well known for stunning beaches, untouched natural environment, the easy going and relaxed atmosphere, friendly locals, fantastic scuba diving and snorkeling.This peaceful tropical paradise floats in the warm turquoise waters in the Gulf of Thailand. In 2006, Biosphere reserves and coastal islands Kien Giang including Phu Quoc islands were recognized as World Biosphere Reverse by UNESCO.
After lunch visit :
Visit fishing village Ham Ninh: learn the life of local fishermen.
the waterfall Suoi Tranh
Lunch at the restaurant.
The Dinh Cau Palace: built on the rocks
Hung Thanh’s nuoc mam factory: to clear up the mystery of a heady smell. Nuoc mam is a brine obtained by maceration of sea fish and shrimp; it forms the basic ingredient of the Vietnamese diet
Garden Phu Quoc pepper
Dinner at the restaurant
Overnight at hotel in Phu Quoc.
DAY 10: PHU QUOC
Breakfast at the hotel.
Visit Phu Quoc Prison: where you will watch documentary films to feel the pain of the patriotic revolutionaries and the national pride of the Vietnamese.
Bathing at Bai Sao Beach: one of the most beautiful and popular of the island
Lunch at the restaurant of Bai Sao
Visit the pearl farm
The pagoda of Sung Hung Co Tu.
Phu Quoc sim wine distilleries
Dinner at the restaurant
Overnight at hotel in Phu Quoc.
DAY 11 : PHU QUOC – HOCHIMINH CITY
Breakfast at the hotel,
Then transfer to the airport with your driver for the flight to Hochiminh city.
Arrival in Hochiminh city at …
Free time for shopping,
Overnight at hotel in Hochiminh City.
DAY 12 : HOCHIMINH CITY – RETURN
Breakfast at the hotel
Then transfer to the airport for the return flight.