Legend of Mekong - 9 Days

Day 1: HCMC Arrival.
Welcome to Vietnam’s modern metropolis: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Your guide and driver will meet you outside the baggage claim of Tan Son Nhat International Airport and take you to hotel in city center. Enjoy the rest of the day at your leisure and recover from jet lag.
Meals: N/A.
Accommodation: Hotel in HCMC.

Day 2: Saigon City Tour.
Enjoy a full day to tour Saigon’s diverse attractions. Start with a visit to Saigon’s China Town, then learn about traditional Vietnamese medicine at the FITO Museum and browse through the amazing array of goods at Ben Thanh Market. Stop for lunch then continue on the city tour with a visit to the War Remnants Museum and former Presidential Palace. You conclude the day exploring the city’s French colonial architecture, stopping at the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Old Post Office.
Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Hotel in Saigon.

Day 3: HCMC – Mekong Delta – Can Tho.
After breakfast, leave HCMC and travel to the Mekong River Delta. Arrive in Cai Be at around 11:00 AM and start your tour of the delta with a private cruise to visit Cai Be floating market, passing by a beautiful cathedral. Proceed to local cottage industries, home factories to see how rice paste, rice cookies and coconut candies are made, along with the longan fruit drying process. Sail along some of the Mekong’s innumerable branches and creeks and visit local orchards and traditional houses made of wood and palm tree leaves. Then cross Tien Giang River, one of the two large "arms" of the Mekong, by motorized boat to visit some fluvial islands and explore the countryside by bicycle. Your driver will be waiting for you on the other side of the river to take you on a 45 minute journey to the largest city in the Mekong: Can Tho, a buzzing town with a lively waterfront and a colorful mix of narrow back streets that make for some rewarding exploration. Rest of the day, you are at leisure.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.
Accommodation: Hotel in Can Tho.

Day 4: Can Tho – Chau Doc.
Wake early and leave the hotel to visit the famous Cai Rang floating market by motor boat. Experience the daily life of the Mekong River Delta as vendors from around the region gather to sell fresh fruits, local delicacies and handmade goods. Proceed your discovery of the region with a tour of the cottage industries to see people making coconut candies and rice paper. Continue to Chau Doc where a sunset journey up Sam Mountain provides sweeping views of the surrounding countryside. You also visit Lady Xu and Thoai Ngoc Hau Temple if time permits.
Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Hotel in Chau Doc.

Day 5: Chau Doc – Speedboat to Phnom Penh.
After breakfast, check-out the hotel then travel by speedboat up the Mekong to Cambodia’s capital: Phnom Penh. The total trip takes about four and a half hours (including visa formalities). Visas are easily obtained at the border between Vietnam and Cambodia and cost (including the processing fee). Your guide will meet you at the dock in Phnom Penh and take you to the hotel. Despite its recent turbulent history, Phnom Penh’s wide tree-lined boulevards and faded colonial mansions hold an undeniable charm. After lunch at a downtown restaurant, take a leisurely tour to visit the Russian Market and try out your best bargaining skills.
Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Hotel in Phnom Penh.

Day 6: Phnom Penh City Tour.
Spend the day on a tour of Cambodia’s vibrant capital city. Start by learning about the Khmer Rouge and Cambodia’s recent, bloody history on a guided tour of the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and the notorious Choeung Ek “Killing Fields”. After lunch at a downtown restaurant, continue to visit the National Museum and the Royal Palace – home to the royal family and the opulent Silver Pagoda.
Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Hotel in Phnom Penh.

Day 7: Phnom Penh – Speedboat to Siem Reap.
*Boat runs from July to February (best time to travel by speedboat is from October to Feb of the next year).
After breakfast, your driver will transfer you to the Sisowath Quay to take a speedboat (about 6 hours) to Siem Reap, the primary access point for the Angkor Archaeological Park. On arrival, meet your driver then begin your tour at Angkor National Museum for a brief introduction to the history. The modern museum showcases artefacts from the Golden Era of the Khmer Empire by use of multimedia technology to picture this interesting historical period. Experience Angkor at its best on a guided visit to the museum. Later in the afternoon drive back to city to explore the Psar Chass, also known as the “Old Market” located in central of Siem Reap for souvenir or bargain hunting. Check in hotel and relax.
Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Hotel in Siem Reap.

Note: There is option of flight from Phnompenh to Siem Reap at extra US$ 90.00/person.

Day 8: Siem Reap – Visit Angkor Temples.
Enjoy an entire day devoted to the mystical and ancient Angkor Temples. After an early breakfast at the hotel you set out to Angkor Thom’s imposing South Gate, topped with the four serenely smiling faces of Avalokiteshvara. Next, visit Bayon temple, the Elephant Terrace and the Terrace of the Leper King. Leaving Angkor Thom by the North Gate, you travel to Preah Khan (Sacred Sword), one of Angkor’s largest temples, constructed in the 12th century by Jayavarman VII. After a delicious lunch of traditional Khmer food, head to the mystical, jungle-entwined Ta Prohm temple and then on to the most famous Khmer temple: Angkor Wat. Constructed as a Hindu monument, later dedicated to Buddha, Angkor Wat is the largest temple and finest example of Angkorian art and architect.
Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Hotel in Siem Reap.

Day 9: Siem Reap Departure.
Today is free at your leisure for last minute shopping or sight-seeing before driving to Siem Reap International Airport to catch your departure flight.
Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: N/A.