Itinerary
- Day 1
Ho Chi Minh City
You'll arrive in Ho Chi Minh City and get picked up from the airport for transfer to your hotel. After checking in and getting a tour briefing, there's time for an orientation walk around the city if you want to start getting your bearings. The evening is yours to do whatever you'd like around the city.
Optional Activities
- Orientation walking tour around Ho Chi Minh City
- Day 2
Ho Chi Minh City
Start the day with Ho Chi Minh City's colonial landmarks, beginning at Reunification Palace, then head to the Central Post Office designed by Gustave Eiffel and Notre Dame Cathedral. Around noon you'll attend the ceremony at Cao Dai temple to see the religious architecture. After lunch at a local spot, you'll visit the site of Thich Quang Duc's self-immolation in 1963. The day wraps up at the War Remnants Museum and Ben Thanh Market for handicrafts and souvenirs.
- Meals
- Lunch (Lunch at a local restaurant)
Included Activities
- Visit to Reunification Palace
- Visit to Central Post Office
- Visit to Notre Dame Cathedral
- Noon ceremony at Cao Dai temple
- Visit to Thich Quang Duc self-immolation site
- Visit to War Remnants Museum
- Browse Ben Thanh Market
Landmarks Reunification Palace Central Post Office Notre Dame Cathedral Cao Dai temple War Remnants Museum Ben Thanh Market - Day 3
Cu Chi Tunnels
Travel northwest 70 kilometers to Cu Chi Tunnels, the underground network built starting in 1948 that supported the Viet Minh against the French. You'll walk through the tunnel system with its living quarters, kitchens, storage areas, weapon shops, hospitals, and command centers. Two sections opened to visitors in 1988 for exploration. Lunch comes at a local restaurant before you head back to Ho Chi Minh City with time to yourself for the rest of the day.
- Meals
- Lunch (Lunch at a local restaurant)
Included Activities
- Visit to Cu Chi Tunnels
Landmarks Cu Chi Tunnels - Day 4
Ho Chi Minh City to Can Tho
You'll start early and travel south 105 kilometers to Cai Be at the Mekong Delta entrance. Board a boat and cruise the river visiting floating markets full of fruits and vegetables, then check out family factories producing coconut candies and popcorn. Lunch features local 'elephant ear' fish in a bonsai garden setting. After eating, take a small sampan through shaded canals to Vinh Long, passing boats loaded with produce. Cycle through orchards sampling tropical fruits, then drive by late afternoon to Can Tho, the Mekong Delta's center.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Special local fish 'elephant ear' in a bonsai garden or in an old house), Dinner
Included Activities
- Boat cruise along Mekong River to floating markets
- Visit to family factories for coconut candy and popcorn production
- Sampan ride through canals to Vinh Long
- Cycling through orchards with tropical fruit tasting
Landmarks Mekong River Cai Be Floating Market - Day 5
Can Tho to Chau Doc
Start with a morning boat trip to Cai Rang floating markets and explore small channels through island vegetation. You'll cycle through orchard parkways and try tropical fruits. After lunch, travel 45 kilometers north toward Chau Doc, passing through Thot Not. Stop at a viewing tower to see thousands of egrets, herons, and cormorants roosting in trees at dusk. Before reaching Chau Doc, visit the bamboo basket-making hamlet of Long Thanh.
- Meals
- Lunch
Included Activities
- Morning boat trip to Cai Rang floating market
- Discovery of small channels through islands
- Cycling through orchards with tropical fruit tasting
- Viewing tower for egrets, herons, and cormorants
- Visit to bamboo basket-making hamlet of Long Thanh
Optional Activities
- Cycle the parkways and paths through orchards
Landmarks Cai Rang Floating Market Long Thanh bamboo basket-making hamlet - Day 6
Chau Doc to Phnom Penh
After breakfast, take a boat to see fish farms with cages under floating houses, then visit a Cham minority stilt-house village where you'll find traditional textiles on old wooden looms. Continue by boat to the Cambodian border, handle border procedures, and cruise the Mekong to Phnom Penh. You'll meet your guide at the dock and transfer to your hotel for check-in and a rest. Later visit the Royal Palace from 1866 and the Silver Pagoda with its 5,000 silver floor tiles, then explore the National Museum for Khmer art and history.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Boat visit to fish farms with floating houses
- Visit to Cham minority stilt house village
- Boat cruise along Mekong River to Cambodia border
- Visit to Royal Palace
- Visit to Silver Pagoda
- Visit to National Museum
Landmarks Royal Palace Silver Pagoda National Museum - Day 7
Phnom Penh to Siem Reap
After breakfast you have free time before transferring to Phnom Penh airport for your domestic flight to Siem Reap, arriving around midday. Meet your guide and driver for hotel transfer and check-in. Following some rest, head to Ta Prohm, one of the area's most beautiful temples that's stayed relatively unchanged since discovery. In the evening enjoy a buffet dinner and watch a Khmer Traditional Dance Show at a local restaurant.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Dinner (Buffet Dinner with Khmer Traditional Dance Show at local restaurant)
Included Activities
- Visit to Ta Prohm temple
Landmarks Ta Prohm - Day 8
Siem Reap
Rise early for a tuk-tuk ride to Angkor Wat to catch the temple's dawn reflection on water, cooler and less crowded than midday. Angkor Wat is a UNESCO site built by Suryavarman II between 1113-1152 honoring the Hindu god Vishnu, with pyramidal design combining spaces and architectural elements. Return for breakfast and have leisure time through midmorning. In the afternoon, head to the South Gate of Angkor Thom and visit Bayon temple with its hundreds of stone faces. Then see the Terrace of the Elephants where King Jayavarman surveyed armies, and the nearby Terrace of the Leper Kings with its statue of Yana. Finish by watching sunset from Phnom Bakhen Hill.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Pre-dawn transfer to Angkor Wat for sunrise viewing
- Visit to Angkor Wat temple
- Visit to South Gate of Angkor Thom
- Visit to Bayon temple
- Visit to Terrace of the Elephants
- Visit to Terrace of the Leper Kings
- Sunset viewing from Phnom Bakhen Hill
Landmarks Angkor Wat South Gate of Angkor Thom Bayon Terrace of the Elephants Terrace of the Leper Kings Phnom Bakhen - Day 9
Siem Reap
After breakfast, travel 10 kilometers south to the floating village of Chong Khneas and explore it by traditional wooden boat on Tonle Sap Lake, one of Asia's largest. After this experience on the 'Great Lake,' you'll transfer to Siem Reap International Airport for your departure flight.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Visit to floating village of Chong Khneas
- Traditional wooden boat excursion on Tonle Sap Lake
Landmarks Chong Khneas floating village Tonle Sap Lake
