Life In Saigon And On The Mekong River

Welcome to Saigon, the most hectic hub of Vietnam. You will be welcomed at the Tan Son Nhat airport and transfer to the hotel to check-in. Lunch will be at your own arrangement for more flexibility before we start the city tour at the Reunification Palace, the witness of the fierce Vietnam War ended in 1975. The grand building today is a Museum and Hall of official receptions. Nearby the Palace are the colonial-styled Post Office and the Notre Dame Cathedral, built between 1877 and 1883 and one of the city’s major landmarks. The visit will end at Ngoc Hoang (the “Jade Emperor”) pagoda before we back to District 1 to enjoy ice-cream from "Bach Dang" - an ice-cream shop which are very familiar with the Saigon people for long time - and join the night market at Ben Thanh. Dinner with delicious local foods of Saigon. Overnight in Saigon.

Our day will begin with a visit to Tayninh, the centre of Caodaism, a local sect of Buddhism founded by a Vietnamese countryman in early 20th century. Arriving at noontime, we will have the chance to join the daily solemn ceremony at the temple of Cao Dai called Tayninh Holysee. On the way back to Saigon, we can stop to visit Cu Chi Tunnels, one of the few remaining monuments to the fierce Vietnam War. We can even crawl a part of the tunnel to experience the real life of the Vietnamese guerrillas, who used to use and live inside this system during the wartime. Return to Saigon late afternoon. Lunch in Tayninh or en route. Dinner by your own arrangement. Overnight in Saigon.

Head to the South to My Tho and Ben Tre, the homeland of coconut and family factories with local products. Stop en route to visit Dong Tam Snake farm and Vinh Trang pagoda. Upon arrival in My Tho, we will take a small boat to go between canals into gardens and rural houses, where a lot of families produce coconut candy, feed the bee for honey, or plant juicy fruit. Stop at some families and their small factories. Lunch en route. Dinner at your own arrangement. Overnight in Can Tho.

A highlight of trips to the Mekong delta is its floating market, whose activities are most exciting in the early morning. So we can wake up early today to arrive in Cai Rang or Phong Dien Floating market to enjoy the daily life of Mekong people, who come to the markets on the rivers everyday with lots of fruits, foodstuff and other consumer goods. Visit the Farms in Can Tho on the way back to Saigon. Dinner at your own arrangement. Overnight in Saigon.
 

It is your own time today. Finally, you are free for relax and shopping in Saigon, the biggest commercial centre of Vietnam until transfer to the Tan Son Nhat Airport for the departure flight.