Amazing South Vietnam

Day 1 – Arrival in Ho Chi Minh City

Arrive at Tan Son Nhat Airport in Ho Chi Minh City, where you’ll be welcomed by our experienced guide and transferred to downtown. Check into your hotel and enjoy some free time to refresh and explore.

🏚️ Hotel Option in Ho Chi Min City: Ha Hien Signature Hotel or similar.

Day 2 – Ho Chi Minh City & Cu Chi Tunnels (B)

After breakfast, we’ll take you on a 2-hour drive northwest of Saigon to the Cu Chi tunnels, through urbanized areas and a typically lush southern Vietnamese countryside. The tunnel complex was dug in 1948 for the guerrillas to hide from French air and ground sweeps. It also served as communication routes and food and weapon caches as well as hospitals and living quarters for guerrilla fighters throughout the American/Vietnam war. Visit the underground villages to better understand the tunnels’ history, life in the tunnels, and the Vietnamese’s resilience during the combats.
In the afternoon, visit the moving War Remnants Museum which presents a partial, but riveting, view of the American War, as it is known in Vietnam. Continue to the Reunification Palace, former residence of the Indochina Governor-General and later President of the Republic of Southern Vietnam until the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975. The day ends with visits to the charming Notre Dame Cathedral, the Old Post Office, one of the oldest buildings Ho Chi Minh City built around 1886-1891, the elegant Saigon Opera House, and the bustling Ben Thanh Market.

🏚️ Hotel Option in Ho Chi Min City: Ha Hien Signature Hotel or similar.

Day 3 – Ho Chi Minh City – Mekong Delta – Can Tho (B, L)

After breakfast, it is a 2-hour pleasant drive to Ben Tre province crossing the cable-stayed Rach Mieu bridge. As you cross the bridge and have a panoramic view towards the South Sea, you may see the four islets of Ben Tre: Long (Dragon), Lan (Unicorn), Quy (Turtle), Phung (Phoenix) gathering together, known as “Tulinh” or The Four Holy Beasts of Vietnam.  Upon arrival at Hung Vuong Pier, hop on a motorized boat on the Ben Tre River – one of the tributaries of the mighty Mekong river – while sight-seeing lively activities along the river such as fishing and boats transferring fruits, flowers, and rice to local markets. Our first stop is at a brick kiln to see how to make bricks traditionally by printing and baking. Those brick kilns are open in the summertime only when there is enough sunshine to dry the bricks. Continuing on, we’ll visit a coconut processing workshop located along the canals. When we return to the boat, we’ll motor through natural scissors creeks to a village and see some local houses, sleeping mat making, and enjoy some local fruits.
Take a Tuk-Tuk (motorized cart) or bicycle along shady paths, pass by green rice fields and vegetable plains to be able to touch on real life in the delta, and find out about tropical culture from peasants. Lunch will be at a local riverside restaurant.
After lunch, we’ll take a rowing boat along a beautiful water palm creek before meeting the motorized boat and transferring you back to the pier. From there, we’ll continue farther to Can Tho city, one of the larger trading areas in the Delta.

🏚️ Hotel Option in Can Tho: Mekong Rustic Can Tho Lodge or similar.

Day 4 – Can Tho – Floating Market & Cycling (B, L)

On an early morning boat cruise along the small and picturesque tributaries, we will see the Cai Rang Floating Market – the busiest but nicest one with heaps of boats. Although smaller in recent years due to expanded roads and bridges, it is still an amazing sight to motor among all the boats selling, buying, and trading local fruits and goods as they have done for hundreds of years. You’ll see the daily culture and activities of the Southern Vietnamese local river life, including walking around a village and visiting a rice husking mill. Disembark at Ninh Kieu quay in time to return to your hotel for breakfast.
After breakfast hop on a bicycle, and we will ride through villages and fruit orchards, take a ferry across the river, and visit a blacksmith family, where you can learn how to make knives manually and you’ll have chances to make friends with local people. It’s surrounded by a luxurious garden with many types of tropical fruit trees and flowers.
Then, you’ll experience learning how to make a banana cake and cycling around Nhan Ai Island to visit the monkey bridge which local people use to cross the canals daily and learn how they cross the bridges. Stop at a local farmer’s house to savor a cup of tea and a coconut’s freshwater. You can try plucking the fruits at the host’s garden and talk to him to understand how local farmers care for their gardens. Later, drive back to Ho Chi Minh City with lunch served at a local restaurant on the way.

🏚️ Hotel Option in Ho Chi Min City: Ha Hien Signature Hotel or similar.

Day 5 – Departure Ho Chi Minh City (B)

After breakfast, you are free until meeting our guide and transfer to the airport for your departure flight.