DAY 1 SAIGON ARRIVAL
Welcome to Vietnam! Upon arrival, meet our team at the airport and drive to city center, transfer to city center, check-in hotel and relax after spending a long flight. Overnight in Saigon.
DAY 2 SAIGON – BEN TRE – CAN THO (B,L)
Arrive at Ben Tre town, get on boat to cruise along the Ben Tre river. Visit a brick workshop where bricks are still painstakingly made by hand. Then we go through the zigzag canals to visit local a coconut processing workshop where you can try fresh coconut candy and see how every single part of this versatile nut is turned into food and other products.
The boat will then stop at a quiet village where you can visit a mat weaving house, where straw mats are woven using a hand loom – you can even have a go at weaving by yourself! Enjoy some tropical fresh fruits and have a cycling tour to experience real Mekong Delta village life. Stop at a riverside restaurant for a delicious and filling lunch, featuring such local specialties as elephant-ear fish, freshwater prawns…, washed down with some cold drinks or beers.
After lunch. You will then hop onto a “tuk tuk" for a fun ride through the coconut forest to go to Mr Khanh’s. He is a passionate antique collector and his house is jam packed full of fascinating artifacts from Vietnam and elsewhere in Asia. He also has some fascinating family albums dating back to French colonial times. You will then get back on your tuk tuk and head to a rowing boat station. Go down the water way on such a boat and enjoy a mesmerizing time.
DAY 3 CAN THO – SA DEC – LONG XUYEN (B,L,D)
Breakfast at hotel and check-out. Drive to Sa Dec. Arrive in the charming town of Sa Dec and visit one of its highlights, the Kien An Cung, ancient Chinese architecture has played an important part in the Chinese community in Dong Thap for nearly a hundred years. Stroll around town to observe the architectural influences from French colonial times as well as the large Chinese and Khmer communities that were established here. As a result, many religions are represented side by side: a Cao Dai temple, a Catholic church, a Chinese temple and Vietnamese pagodas. We will also visit Huynh Thuy Le Ancient House. The home is an outstanding example of Western and Oriental architectural elements and was famously used in the movie “The Lover”, the love story of young Marguerite Duras, set during the Indochine period. Lunch at restaurant. In the afternoon, drive to Long Xuyen and check-in homestay. Make a conversation with local host to understand their culture and see how they live in traditional house. Dinner at homestay. Overnight in Long Xuyen.
DAY 4 LONG XUYEN – OC EO – TRI TON (B,L)
05:00 am. Wake up early to visit Long Xuyen floating market where wholesalers converge on the Mekong River to sell their goods. After breakfast, transfer to Oc Eo town for exploring Funan Civilization in Oc Eo relic. Oc Eo was part of the Funan culture, or Funan empire, a pre-Angkor society based on international trade and sophisticated agriculture built on an extensive network of canals. Trade goods flowing through Oc Eo came from Rome, India, and China. Then going to Tri Ton for lunch. In the afternoon, we will observe Ta Pa. Ta Pa Rice fields is considered to be the most unique field in the Mekong Delta, thanks to the Khmer people’s custom of exceptional farming skills. Seeing the color plots on Ta Pa rice fields in any season, you can also feel the beauty as a watercolor painting between the charming mountain scenery and the rustic scene of farmers in the fields. We will take you to Ta Pa Pagoda - This is a pagoda with a very unique architecture and contains many legends of the ethnic people here. Check-in resort and overnight.
DAY 5 TRI TON – TINH BIEN – CHAU DOC (B,L)
On this day, we will visit Tra Su Forest where is an ecosystem of cajuput trees that line dusty dirt paths and home to a large variety of birds and other wildlife. Tra Su Forest, also referred to as Tra Su Mangrove Forest, Tra Su Cajuput Forest is located in Van Giao Commune, Tinh Bien District, An Giang Province, just about 10km from Cambodian border. For those who love the beauty of wild nature, Tra Su is an ideal place to explore the typical ecosystem of Mekong Delta. In flood season, the forest is dressed up with the appealing look of the green carpet of duckweed covering the whole large area. Drive to Chau Doc and overnight.
DAY 6 CHAU DOC – TAN CHAU (B,L)
Explore one of the most famous floating fishing villages in Mekong river delta with hundreds of floating houses on the Bassac river. You will enter one of the floating houses through a porch. The locals will welcome you with the hospitality. The sampan tour keeps going to the Chau Doc’s secrets – Cham minority village. Step into the Cham ethnic village and fully understand their cultural values that have been hidden through periods of social development. You may visit the Jamiul Azhar Mosque there as well. Lunch at restaurant. In the afternoon, we will visit the most famous site in Chau Doc – The Lady Temple & Thoai Ngoc Hau Temple, referring to this land, one cannot help but remember that Ba Chua Xu Temple is a famous spiritual tourist destination in the Southwest region.
DAY 7 CHAU DOC - DEPARTURE (B)
Breakfast at hotel. Free time until check-out hotel. On this day, you can go back to Saigon for your personal schedule or take a speedboat to come Cambodia.
