ITINERARY
Day 1: Saigon Arrival. Welcome to Vietnam’s modern metropolis: Saigon. Arrive in the late morning and enjoy an orientation tour through Ho Chi Minh City’s bustling streets en route to the hotel. Have lunch at a downtown restaurant of your choosing then set out on a guided city tour. In the afternoon you will visit such sites as the Reunification Palace, the War Remnants Museum, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Old Post Office and Ben Thanh Market. Enjoy the rest of the day at your leisure.
Meals: Dinner.Accommodations: Hotel in Saigon. Day 2: Saigon – Cu Chi Tunnels – Tay Ninh. Today you travel outside of Saigon to visit the Cu Chi Tunnels. The Cu Chi Tunnels are an underground labyrinth of passageways, used by the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War (or “American War” as it’s referred to here) as protection against American air raids. Those inclined are invited to crawl through selections of the tunnels to better understand what life was like for the Vietnamese soldiers during wartime. Next you will visit the beautiful Cao Dai Temple in Tay Ninh and partake in the noontime prayer service. This large and colorful compound is home to the hybrid religion founded in the 1920s: Caodaism, which combines elements of Buddhism, Confucianism, Hinduism, Christianity and Islam in order to promote peace. Have lunch in Tay Ninh and return to Saigon in the late afternoon.
Meals: Breakfast.Accommodations: Hotel in Saigon. Day 3: Saigon – Mekong Delta – Can Tho. Today you leave Saigon and travel to the Mekong River Delta. Enjoy an early breakfast at the hotel before driving to the riverside town, Cai Be. Along the way, stop at a candy factory and orchard garden, where you have an opportunity to listen to traditional music. Enjoy a relaxing lunch at a riverside restaurant, then cross the Mekong by motorized boat to visit some fluvial islands and explore the countryside by bicycle. Your driver will meet you at Vinh Long pier and take you to Can Tho City for the night.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.Accommodations: Hotel in Can Tho. Day 4: Can Tho – Chau Doc. Early this morning, you take a private boat for Cai Rang floating market.
Then drive to Chau Doc - a small town situated along the Cambodian border. On arrival, check in to your hotel for refreshment and. In the rest of the afternoon, bored a boat to tour the Mekong River and learn about local culture, stopping to see the stilt houses of a Cham village as well as a local fish farm.
Meals: Breakfast.Accommodations: Hotel in Chau Doc.
Day 5: Chau Doc – Phnom Penh by speed boat. This morning you travel by speedboat up the Mekong to Cambodia’s capital: Phnom Penh. The total trip takes about four and a half hours (including visa formalities).
Visas are easily obtained at the border between Vietnam and Cambodia and cost $34 (including the processing fee).
Your guide will meet you at the dock in Phnom Penh and take you to the hotel. Despite its recent turbulent history, Phnom Penh’s wide tree-lined boulevards and faded colonial mansions hold an undeniable charm. After lunch at a downtown restaurant, take a leisurely tour to visit the Russian Market and try out your best bargaining skills.
Meals: Breakfast.Accommodations: Hotel in Phnom Penh. Day 6: Phnom Penh City Tour. Spend the day on a tour of Cambodia’s vibrant capital city. Start by learning about the Khmer Rouge and Cambodia’s recent, bloody history on a guided tour of the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and the notorious Choeung Ek “Killing Fields.” Enjoy lunch at a downtown restaurant, then conclude the day with a cyclo ride down Sihanouk Boulevard to visit the National Museum and the Royal Palace - home to the royal family and the opulent silver pagoda.
Meals: Breakfast.Accommodations: Hotel in Phnom Penh. Day 7: Phnom Penh – Siem Reap. Today you travel to Siem Reap, the gateway into the ancient Angkor temples. After breakfast, your driver and guide will meet you at your hotel and take you on the 5 hour drive on the new highway, National Road No. 6. The journey offers an excellent opportunity to observe rural Cambodia up-close. Stop along the way and visit a market, where every assortment of street food is available, including the Khmer favorite: deep fried spiders... Once you arrive in Siem Reap, check in at the hotel then enjoy lunch at a downtown restaurant. In the late afternoon, drive to the Angkor Archeological Complex to watch the sunset from Phnom Krohm Mountain, gilding the surrounding temple-dotted jungle in golden light.
Meals: Breakfast.Accommodations: Hotel in Siem Reap. Day 8: Angkor Wat – Angkor Thom. Enjoy an entire day dedicated to discovering the mysterious Angkor temples.
After breakfats, set out on a full day temple tour. Starting with the magnificent Angkor Wat - the largest Khmer temple and finest example of Angkorian art and architecture, you then proceed to Angkor Thom’s imposing South Gate, topped with the four serenely smiling faces of Avalokiteshvara. Next, visit Bayon temple, the Elephant Terrace and the Terrace of the Leper King.
Meals: Breakfast.Accommodations: Hotel in Siem Reap. Day 9: Siem Reap Departure. Enjoy breakfast at the hotel. Your driver will transfer you to the Siem Reap International airport to catch your departure flight home. Bon Voyage!
Meals: Breakfast.Accommodations: N/A.
Start city: HCM City End city: Siem Reap
