DAY 1-3: HO CHI MINH CITY
Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) is Vietnam at its most dizzying: a high-octane city of commerce and culture that has driven the country forward with its pulsating energy. A chaotic whirl, the city breathes life and vitality into all who settle here, and visitors cannot help but be hauled along for the ride.
HIGHLIGHTS:
1. Enjoy welcome dinner.
2. Visit Reunification Palace, War Remnants Museum, Thien Hau Pagoda, China
Town and Ben Thanh Market.
3. Explore Cu Chi Tunnels and local farms.
DAY 4: CAI BE
Cai Be Floating Market is the largest wholesale market in the southwest. All goods are transported on the boats. The trade always takes place on the river with a large-scale all day and night. This is a very special culture in the Mekong River Delta.
HIGHLIGHTS:
1. Visit floating market — Cai Be, a mandarin house dating from the 19th century
and rice paste factory.
DAY 5: CAN THO
Set at the confluence of the Can Tho and Hau (also known as Bassac) river, and crisscrossed by tributaries, canals and waterways feeding life into the region like veins, Can Tho has traditionally been an important mercantile and transport hub. The French sought to exploit the riches of Indochina and river commerce here became integral in connecting the Mekong Delta, Laos and Cambodia.
HIGHLIGHTS:
1. Visit floating market — Cai Rang and Can Tho surroundings.
2. Visit Mekong Delta Rice Research Institute.
DAY 6: CHAU DOC
About 245 kilometers north of Ho Chi Minh City, the town of Chau Doc is situated in the vicinity of An Giang province, in the center of Mekong Delta. Towards travelers, the town is best known as a Vietnam's border crossing with the neighbor country Cambodia. Currently, Chau Doc is trying its best to become a 'festival city', utilizing tourism as a leading economic sector.
HIGHLIGHTS:
1. Learn how to raise fish in nets directly under the house.
2. Visit Cham village and Muslim community.
3. Explore Tra Su Cajuput Forest.
DAY 7-8: PHNOM PENH
Phnom Penh is the vibrant bustling capital of Cambodia. Situated at the confluence of three rivers, the mighty Mekong,the Bassac and the great Tonle Sap, what was once considered the 'Gem' of Indochina. The capital city still maintains considerable charm with plenty to see. It exudes a sort of provincial charm and tranquillity with French colonial mansions and tree-lined boulevards amidst monumental Angkorian architecture. Phnom Penh is a veritable oasis compared to the modernity of other Asian capitals. A mixture of Asian exotica, the famous Cambodian hospitality awaits the visitors to the capital of the Kingdom of Cambodia.
HIGHLIGHTS:
Visit National Museum, Wat Phnom, Royal Palace, Silver Pagoda, Museum of Genocide and Killing Fields of Pol Pot’s regime.
DAY 9-12: SIEM REAP
Set in the northwest of Cambodia, Siem Reap is best known for being home to the incredible Angkor Wat, a sprawling World Heritage-listed complex of ancient temple ruins. While Angkor is surely one of the globe’s most amazing historical sites, Siem Reap province is also home to an array of other ruins, such as Beng Mealea and Bantaey Srei, so if Khmer ruins are your thing, this province must be explored.
HIGHLIGHTS:
1. Visit Roluos Group Temples.
2. Have dinner at Madame Butterfly Restaurant.
3. Explore Angkor Thom and Angkor Wat.
