6 Days Ho Chi Minh City-Mekong Delta Exploration

CHÀO MU’NG! Welcome to Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon)! We will pick you up at the airport and transfer you to your hotel. Ho Chi Minh City is where colonial buildings and traditional temples stand beside the emerging modern skyline. This afternoon enjoys an orientation tour of the downtown. Learn about Vietnam’s recent history as you pass the Reunification Palace, formerly the South Vietnam’s Independence Palace, until stormed by tanks on April 30, 1975. See the War Museum, the former US Embassy, and then drive along Dong Khoi Street (formerly Rue Catinat) into the heart of the old colonial Saigon. Stroll through the colorful Ben Thanh Market with its hundreds of stalls teeming with silks, spices, and assorted souvenirs. The rest of the day is at leisure to explore this vibrant, teeming metropolis.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

This morning, you will visit Chinatown and the Thien Hau Pagoda, dedicated to the goddess of the sea. Then you will depart for Can Tho and the Mekong Delta. Stop in Cai Be and board a motorboat to explore the Cai Be Floating Market. Experience how people exchanging goods, fruits and many other commodities from vessel to vessel. Cruise into the small villages and see their orchards and fruit plantations. Travel on through small canals enjoying the charm of the upper Mekong Delta. Stop to watch how the delta residents make traditional treats such as dried longans, rice pancakes and puffed rice candies, natural honey and honey wine, and their famed Ben Tre, coconut candy, with a chance to sample the local delicacies.

Continue on to Vinh Long, arriving in Binh Hoa Phuoc village – the green pearl of Vinh Long town.  Have a lunch of fresh river food served in the heart of the lush of a green garden. Enjoy the southern Vietnamese traditional folk music then take a peaceful walk through a bonsai garden. Continue to Can Tho by late afternoon.

Overnight in Can Tho.

Enjoy a full day discovering life in the Mekong Delta with a boat trip to Cai Rang, another floating market with a plethora of farm products, and Cai Rang town with its seasonal specialty goods. Next, travel to Phung Hiep, aboard a long tail motorboat and watch the Phung Hiep floating market at seven river corners. Disembark here to explore the local markets – snake, turtle, basketry groups, and boat making workshops. Learn how to “bargain” for some products and wonderful souvenirs.

Next stop is in Soc Trang to visit Kh’Leang Pagoda. Originally built from bamboo in 1533, it has been completely rebuilt in 1905. Soc Trang is home to seven religious festivals per year, attracting people coming from all around the province. Throughout the year, you can see the Khmer people visit to bring donations and pray. Visit the Bat pagoda and see the thousands of bats hanging on the surrounding trees.

Visit the Buu Son Tu (Clay-pagoda) where almost all statues are made of clay, before driving back to Can Tho and arrive there in late afternoon.

Overnight Can Tho.

This morning, depart for Chau Doc, a border town with Cambodia and a major hub of trade along the Mekong, via Long Xuyen. Arrive in the afternoon and explore the region on a boat tour on the Hau River. the highlight of the tour is a visit to a fish-breeding farm and to a small Muslin community at Cham village. Relaxing on the boat and enjoy a view of the sunset over the mighty Mekong River.

Overnight in Chau Doc.

This morning explore the sacred Ba Chua Xu (Country Lady) Temple at the foot of Sam Mountain in Chau Doc. Then you will head east to Ho Chi Minh City. Experience the simple beauty of rice fields and the smiling faces of the local people along the way.

En route to Ho Chi Minh City, stop in Cao Lanh to see Xeo Quit, a former communist Vietnamese base during the Vietnam War. On arrival, board a boat to explore the Xeo Quit Forest that was once a stronghold of the communist troop during the American War. This boundless Cajuput forest is dissevered by dozens of narrow canals surrounded by aquatic grass, plants, tall trees, and vines. The cool humid air mixing with the fragrance of flowers and beautiful bird songs in the quiet environment will make the tour an unforgettable experience. Arrive in Ho Chi Minh City in the late afternoon.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

Enjoy some time at leisure in the city until your transfer to the airport for your departing flight.