Grand Mekong discovery tour 08 Days

Landing at the Tan Son Nhat airport, you are welcomed by professional tour guide and driver at the pickup lobby. On the 30-minute driving from the airport to the city center, your tour guide will introduce you about the highlights of the city, and share the experiences of eating and drinking, traffic, culture....On arrival, transfer to your hotel.Note: Hotel check in time at 14.00

9:00 AM: Pick up from your hotel to the Independence Palace, once used as the home - office of the Presidents of South Vietnam. Our visit includes the North Vietnamese tank which effectively attacked the palace in 1975 to bring the controversial Vietnam War to an end and the five-story palace with its rooms have been preserved in their late 1960s, 1970s style and a bunker basement.

Continue by a leisurely waking tour. Heading to the Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral, originally built between 1863 and 1880, evidently reflects the French colonist influences. It’s a picturesque spot in the city.

Toward to Nguyen Hue walking street, you will take a few walks to the unmissable city's famous landmark. The Saigon Central Post Office is a stunning building, designed by the famous architect Gustave Eiffel. It is an actually working post office with beautiful indoor decorations.

Pick up by car then short drive to have a visit to Binh Tay Market, located in Saigon’s Chinatown area with hundreds of stalls, the biggest market in city actually contributes a hub for many of Saigon’s demands including clothing, souvenir and food items. There is also a food court where visitors can sample local delicacies and street food.

Continue visit Quan Am Pagoda, one of the oldest pagodas in city and dedicated to Guan Yin, elements of Taoism, and the folk worship of the "Queen of Heaven".

Finally visit the Traditional Medicine Museum (FITO) where the medicinal herb recipes, magic potions and special antique tools are preserved.

8:00 AM: Leave from your hotel to visit the most striking place in the history of the Vietnam War, the Cu Chi Tunnels.Cu Chi is a real underground city made up of a large network of tunnels covering an area of over 250km long where the Viet Cong conducted the war of resistance against American troops. All of the tunnels were dug over a period of twenty years using only pickaxes and shovels. The tour includes special entering some part of tunnels. You will also have a chance to visit Ben Duoc memorial temple nearby but far less touristic built in 1993 in memory of the Vietnamese killed at Cu Chi.

Continue to visit one of the most sacred attractions in Vietnam - the Cao Dai Temple. Caodaism is a uniquely Vietnamese religion that is influenced by elements of Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism and even Roman Catholicism. On a visit, you can attend the midday mass.

Tour guide and driver welcome you at your hotel for your transfer to Ben Tre, a beautiful region in the Mekong Delta River, famous for making coconut candy. Arrive at Hung Vuong pier, take a boat trip on the Ben Tre River to discover the daily local life.  Continue your boat trip on a canal to Nhon Thanh Village. This will be an opportunity to taste the fresh fruits. Take a bike ride (or Tuk tuk) on a small path through the villages and enjoy views of the coconut ranges, rice fields and vegetable gardens.A lunch of elephant ear fish is served in the village. A short walk helps you to discover the local life in depth. This is followed by a boat ride on the small canal shaded by the wild palm trees. For those who wish to ride a bike, you can go to Mr Sau Khanh’s house to admire his collection of ancient objects. Then, continue riding through the rice fields and meet the locals.Transfer back to the village where you will spend a night in a homestay. Later this afternoon, you can join in preparing dinner with the host. Have dinner and stay overnight in Ben Tre.

Start the day with a bike ride through the nursery fields. Continue to visit some Khmer villages including Canh Dai, Tra Khao, Giong Lon... Then depart by car to Huynh Ky'sfamily house, dated back to the beginning of the 20th century, which has preserved a mixture of oriental & western architecture.Transfer to Long Xuyen via Sa Dec where we visit Kien An Cung pagoda, then visit Huynh Thuy Le's house from the novel by Marguerite Duras “ L’Amant – the Lover”,  Discover the local market in Sa Dec which is rich in fruits, vegetables, and fish. Continue to Long Xuyen, visit Cao Dai temple and a crocodile farm on route. Stay overnight in Long Xuyen.

Private driver will pick you up at the hotel lobby for about 30 minutes to Tan Son Nhat airport (international or domestic hall according to your request). Thanks for the visit to our city.Note: International flights require you to be at the airport 3 hours and domestic is 2 hours before departure time.In the rush hour (07:00 – 08:30 AM and 16:30 – 18:30 PM), it takes around 1 hour from city center to Tan Son Nhat airport.