Discover Mekong - Promotion

Day 1: Saigon Arrival.
Day 2: Saigon – Cu Chi Tunnels – Cao Dai Temple.
Day 3: Saigon – Mekong Delta – Can Tho.
Day 4: Can Tho – Chau Doc.
Day 5: Chau Doc – Phnom Penh by speedboat.
Day 6: Phnom Penh City Tour.
Day 7: Phnom Penh – Fly to Siem Reap.
Day 8: Siem Reap – Angkor Temples.
Day 9: Siem Reap Departure.

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.
Accommodation: Hotel in Saigon.
Day 2: Saigon – Cu Chi Tunnels – Cao Dai Temple.
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.
Accommodation: Hotel in Saigon.
Day 3: Saigon – Mekong Delta – Can Tho.
After breakfast, you leave Saigon and travel to the Mekong River Delta. Arrive in Cai Be at around 11:00 AM and start your tour of the delta with a private cruise to visit Cai Be floating market, passing by a beautiful cathedral. Proceed to local cottage industries, home factories to see how rice paste, rice cookies and coconut candies are made, along with the longan fruit drying process. Sail along some of the Mekong’s innumerable branches and creeks and visit local orchards and an ancient house over 170 years old built by the French. Then cross Tien Giang River, one of the two large “arms” of the Mekong, by motorized boat to visit some fluvial islands and explore the countryside by bicycle. Your driver will be waiting for you on the other side of the river to take you on a 45 minute journey to the largest city in the Mekong: Can Tho, a buzzing town with a lively waterfront and a colorful mix of narrow back streets that make for some rewarding exploration. Rest of the day, you are at leisure.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.
Accommodation: Can Tho.
Day 4: Can Tho – Chau Doc.
Wake early and leave the hotel to visit the famous Cai Rang floating market by motor boat. Experience the daily life of the Mekong River Delta as vendors from around the region gather to sell fresh fruits, local delicacies and handmade goods. Proceed your discovery of the region with a tour of the cottage industries to see people making coconut candies and rice paper. Continue to Chau Doc where a sunset journey up Sam Mountain provides sweeping views of the surrounding countryside. You also visit Xu Lady and Thoai Ngoc Hau Temple if time permits.
Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Chau Doc.
Day 5: Chau Doc – Phnom Penh by speedboat.
After breakfast, check-out the hotel then 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 (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.
Accommodation: 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, and 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.
Accommodation: Hotel in Phnom Penh.
Day 7: Phnom Penh – Fly to Siem Reap.
After breakfast, fly to Siem Reap, the primary access point for the Angkor Archaeological Park. On arrival, meet your driver then begin your tour at Angkor National Museum for a brief introduction to the history. The modern museum showcases artefacts from the Golden Era of the Khmer Empire by use of multimedia technology to picture this interesting historical period. Experience Angkor at its best on a guided visit to the museum.
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.
* You can also choose to take a speedboat up the Mekong from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap (best time to travel by river ferry is from September to December).*
* A drive from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap is now also recommended thank to the improvement of the National Road 6 condition. It takes about 5 hours to drive from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap or vice versa.*
Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Hotel in Siem Reap.
Day 8: Siem Reap – Angkor Temples.
Enjoy an entire day devoted to the mystical and ancient Angkor Temples. After breakfast at the hotel, you set out 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. Leaving Angkor Thom by the North Gate, you travel to Preah Khan (Sacred Sword), one of Angkor’s largest temples, constructed in the 12th century by Jayavarman VII. After a delicious lunch of traditional Khmer food, head to the mystical, jungle-entwined Ta Prohm temple and then on to the most famous Khmer temple: Angkor Wat. Constructed as a Hindu monument, later dedicated to Buddha, Angkor Wat is the largest temple and finest example of Angkorian art and architect.
Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Hotel in Siem Reap.
Day 9: Siem Reap Departure.
Today is free at your leisure for last minute shopping or sight-seeing before driving to Siem Reap International Airport to catch your departure flight home.
Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: N/A.