MEKONG DELTA - HEAD FOR THE BORDER TOUR
3 DAYS (options)
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OVERVIEW
Mekong Delta / South Vietnam
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Fish Farm Chaudoc
OPTION 1
ITINERARY
3 days Saigon – Caibe – Vinh Long – Chau Doc – Cantho – Saigon
Day 1: Saigon – Cai Be – Vinh Long – Chau Doc
7:30am departure from your hotel. This is your introduction to the rice basket of Vietnam. Upon arrival at Cai Be, you’ll board a junk boat for a tour of Cai Be’s colorful floating market. We’ll proceed to visit home factories which produce such products as rice paste, rice popcorn, coco candies, and dried longyans. Then, return by boat for an excursion to Dong Phu, Binh Hoa Phuoc, and An Binh islands located between Vinh Long and Cai Be. These islands in the Mekong River are home to a large network of meandering rivers, crisscrossed with many arroyos, and remain unknown to many people. Lunch will await you at a fruit orchard where family descendants will welcome you with a cup a warm green tea. After lunch and a short walk to visit the orchard, you’ll board a boat for a 45-minute cruise to discover beautiful landscapes along the river and observe typical Mekong delta rural life. A stop can be made on the way at An Binh ancient Church. After crossing the Co Chien River, the excursion will end at Vinh Long Pier. Pick up at Vinh Long pier and drive to Chau Doc, arriving late in the afternoon. Chau Doc is a holy pilgrimage site for many Buddhists, specifically the Holy Lady Temple found on Sam Mountain. Overnight in Chau Doc.
Day 2: (B) Chau Doc – Can Tho
After breakfast, take a rowboat to see floating houses with fish breeding cages, a Cham ethnic village, and a Muslim mosque. Then drive to Tra Su Cajuput Forest, which is renowned for the almost-untouched natural beauty of its sanctuary of flora and fauna. Take a boat trip into the forest, where you will immediately feel at harmony with nature with the aroma of cajuput (medicinal oil that is similar to eucalyptus), the fragrance of the flowers, and the music of the birds. From an observation post, you can overlook the forest with an area of nearly 900 ha, home of many birds and animals, including rare species. Relax in a hammock or experience Monkey Bridge.
Later, drive to Sam Mountain, located 5 km from Chau Doc. Arriving at the foot of the mountain you will come upon Tay An Pagoda. You will visit one of most well-known temples, Chua Xu, on your walk up the mountain. Then return to your hotel for check out and have lunch in Chau Doc (on your account) before continuing to Can Tho by car. On the way, stop in Thot Not, where you can take a rowboat trip to visit Bang Lang Stork Sanctuary. Bang Lang Stork Garden, a 1.3 hectare stork sanctuary, is home to thousands of storks. More than ten species of storks reside here. Visitors can see these birds returning home late in the afternoon. There is a tall wooden platform to get a stork’s-eye view the birds. Visitors find the sight of thousands of storks flying around and gathering in the garden to be quite fascinating. Arrive in Can Tho, check in to your hotel and relax. Overnight in Can Tho.
Day 3: (B) Can Tho – Saigon
7:00am breakfast at hotel, then board a small boat to go sightseeing at Cai Rang, the largest and most colorful floating market in Mekong Delta. From the early morning, the waterway becomes a maze of hundreds of boats packed with fruits, vegetables, plants, foods, etc. Sellers hang a sample of what they have from the top of a long pole so that buyers can see from a distance what they are offering. Then take a motorboat along small leafy creeks to a local orchard and enjoy seasonal tropical fruits. Later, check out your hotel and have lunch in Can Tho (on your account) and return to Saigon in the afternoon. En route, stop in My Tho to visit the well-preserved Vinh Trang Buddhist Pagoda (built in 1849) and view its antique wood-carved statues. Drop off at your hotel in Saigon around 16:00. End service.
OPTION 2
3 days/ 2 nights Caithia – An Binh Island – Cai Be – Tan Hiep – Cantho – Saigon:
Day 1: (L, D) Saigon – Cai Thia – An Binh Island
8:00am pick up at your hotel and drive to the Mekong Delta. This is your introduction to the rice basket of Vietnam. Upon arrival at Cai Thia village, enjoy a 1.5 hr biking tour from Cai Thia to Hoa Loc. The biking tour will take you along the Mekong Delta with its fruit covered orchards where you’ll meet the friendly people of the region who seldom see foreigners in the area. Then take a boat across the river delta and weave through the small canals of Binh Hoa Phuoc Island to discover the lush green scenery and people working on their farms. Enjoy lunch with the local delicacy of freshwater fish in a bonsai garden of a local house. After lunch, you have an opportunity to bike further away from the usual tourist areas to see rural life. Visit a fascinating collection of tropical fruit trees and flowers at the nursery of Mr. Tam Ho. Depending on the day you can see the local boat building, and the local production of bricks and earthen ware. Return and have dinner and spend the evening with a host family from whom you’ll learn more about life in the Delta. Overnight with a local family, where you will have a private room (flushing toilet in a separate building).
Day 2: Cai Be – Tan Hiep – Can Tho
Awaken to the early morning sound of boats going to market. You will have breakfast prepared by the host family, then embark on a sampan to visit Cai Be Floating Market. Your tour on the water will start with a refreshing taste of coconut juice, and then we will proceed to visit some local homes where they produce rice paper (a local delicacy used to make spring rolls), pop rice, and coconut candies. Here, guests will have a chance to learn the traditional process of producing local rice krispie treats and candies, and of course you’ll want to taste the delicious locally produced snacks! Continue along the Chin Thuong Channel by rowboat to visit with the locals and enjoy tea and fresh fruits picked from their orchards. Continue further by bike along Tan Hiep Village Road, where you can explore the local industries such as reed hats, special rice paper known as Bánh Tráng Rế, coconut leaf rooftop production, and souvenirs made from water hyacinth. Later, return to the boat and take a relaxing 20-minute cruise, taking in the beautiful landscape of Upper River and arriving at another local house where you’ll be served a delicious lunch. After lunch, cruise back to Cai Be; pick up and transfer to Can Tho, the largest city in the Mekong Delta. In Can Tho, you will have time to visit a Khmer Pagoda and Binh Thuy Temple. Back to your hotel late in the afternoon for check in and free time to relax and have dinner on your own. Overnight in Can Tho.
Day 3: Can Tho – My Tho – Saigon
7:00am breakfast at hotel, then board a small boat to go sightseeing at Cai Rang, the largest and most colorful floating market in Mekong Delta. From the early morning, the waterway becomes a maze of hundreds of boats packed with fruits, vegetables, plants, foods, etc. Sellers hang a sample of what they have from the top of a long pole so that buyers can see from a distance what they are offering. Then take a motorboat along small leafy creeks to a local orchard and enjoy seasonal tropical fruits. Later, check out your hotel and have lunch in Can Tho (on your account) and return to Saigon in the afternoon. En route, stop in My Tho to visit the well-preserved Vinh Trang Buddhist Pagoda (built in 1849) and view its antique wood-carved statues. Drop off at your hotel in Saigon around 16:00. End service.
