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Saigon and Mekong Delta Ho Chi Minh City Trips to the Cu Chi Tunnels & Mekong DeltaThese Ho Chi Minh City trips allow you to combine a stay in cosmopolitan and historic Ho Chi Minh City (formerly known as Saigon) with a laid back trip through the emerald Mekong Delta. There's plenty of time to wander wide-eyed around Ho Chi Minh City, the largest city in Vietnam, admiring the French-style architecture, wide avenues, large markets and fantastic restaurants. You'll stay in a comfortable hotel in the lively quarter of Ho Chi Minh City, full of energy, street stalls, and backpackers. From Ho Chi Minh City, you'll take trips to the fascinating Cu Chi Tunnels, an eerie labyrinth of underground passages built by the Viet Cong, and the shimmering Mekong Delta. Here you'll leave urban life behind and experience life on the water in South Vietnam.You can also choose to take this module as private trips. You'll then be taken by chauffeur-driven car to the Cu Chi Tunnels and by private boat with guide for the journey through the Mekong Delta. Feel free to ask our travel specialists if you are interested in taking private trips. |
Duration | 5 days / 4 nights | Accommodation | 3 nights in a central Ho Chi Minh City hotel (Comfort Level 3) and 1 night in a simple hotel in Cantho on the Mekong (Comfort Level 2). |
Price | £206 per person - based on 2 people | Includes | Transport, accommodation with breakfast, trips as described in text, guide, entrance fees for the Chi Chi Tunnels |
Air-conditioned minibus and (speed) boat | Excludes | All other meals and drinks, breakfast in the Mekong Delta |
Day 1: Arrival in Ho Chi Minh CityIf you're arriving from the north, you'll probably arrive in Ho Chi Minh City by sleeper train or internal flight. From here, you'll need to organise a taxi to your hotel, located in District 1. This couldn't be easier as, you'll quickly learn, taxis and tuk-tuks are never in short supply in Vietnam. You'll stay in a luxury room complete with air-conditioning for 3 nights. The hotel is located near Tham Street, Ho Chi Minh City's frenetic backpacker/market area. The area is crammed with dozens of cosy little restaurants and small souvenir shops. |
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Day 2: Ho Chi Minh City - Cu Chi tunnels - Ho Chi Minh CityToday you'll leave Ho Chi Minh City for your trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels, located 30km northwest of Ho Chi Minh City. You'll travel by minibus, passing peaceful paddy fields and watching delta life, you'll also have a chance to see an unusual floating temple.The Viet Cong dug the haunting network of the Cu Chi tunnels during the Vietnam War to hide from American forces. The underground labyrinth covers an incredible 250km and enabled the Vietcong to carry out covert attacks. They are very narrow, deep, and unbelievably dark, making them hugely claustrophobic. The tunnels were built to live in and work in; they include sleeping quarters, kitchens, ammunition stores, weapon factories, and command centres. The many fake entrances and booby traps built within the tunnels to mislead the enemy are quite ingenious. You'll be given the opportunity to climb into the tunnels and experience their eerie atmosphere first hand. Many of them have been enlarged especially for tourists, making them far less hair-raising for visitors. However, if you're feeling brave, you can also try the originals. It's a unique, if creepy, experience. The guide will explain the history and the precise uses of the tunnels. In the adjoining Cu Chi Museum, you can also see a video with vintage American film material. You'll return to Ho Chi Minh City in the afternoon and for the rest of the day you can recover from your journey and relax into your holiday. Our suggestions would include a visit to the Reunification Palace, the heart-breaking American War Museum, and a few of the majestic pagodas dotted around the city. Equally, you could hire a bike rickshaw for a whole day of sightseeing or simply stroll around Ho Chi Minh city, soaking up its incredible atmosphere. |
Day 3: Ho Chi Minh City - Mekong DeltaThe next two days are dedicated to the dazzling Mekong Delta. The Mekong River, with its vast fertile delta, is the backbone of the economy in the south. It produces one of Vietnam's most important exports - rice. At around 7:30 AM, the minibus will pick you up from your hotel in Ho Chi Minh City and take you in the direction of Cai Be. From here, you'll hop onto a boat and sail in a small group through the Mekong Delta. In Cai Be you'll sail past colourful, floating markets, where vendors will offer their wares from their boats jammed with produce, dangling their goods in the air from a long pole. You'll also see traders link up to swap goods amongst themselves.You'll also sail through canals inhabited by the people of the Mekong Delta. You'll quickly understand why the people of the south are renowned for their friendliness, as they smile and wave from their houses when you pass by. Daily life will pass you by as you sail through small villages, past rice paddies and when visiting family businesses. These businesses refine rice or make candy out of coconuts. While sailing through the maze of canals, you'll visit one of the many islands on the Mekong; Vinh Long Island. After a lunch consisting of Mekong Delta specialities, you can also cycle through one of the villages on a river island, catching an even closer glimpse of daily life.. During the afternoon you'll sail for approximately 3 hours until you reach Can Tho, where you'll arrive in time for sunset. In the event of unforeseen circumstances, for instance low water levels, this entire portion of the trip will be conducted by mini bus. The boat will then take you to a simple but charming hotel for the night. It lies in Cantho on the banks of the Mekong, where you can relax in the evening with a cool drink and watch the delta sunset. |
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Day 4: Mekong Delta - Ho Chi Minh CityToday you'll leave your hotel at 7.30 sharp! The local boat will take you to the floating market of Cai Rang, which is the largest, most important, and probably the noisiest floating market in the Mekong Delta. In order to get close to all of the excitement of the floating market, you'll transfer over into a bamboo rowboat. You'll sail amidst all of the boats peddling their wares. Naturally you yourself won't have to row during this journey and therefore you'll have plenty of time to negotiate and purchase goods, such as a pineapple for 50 cents. In the village on the banks of the river, you'll drop in on a factory where rice is ‘puffed’ and transformed into Vietnamese rice cakes. You will also visit a small rice noodle factory, (if it's open on that day!)At the end of the Mekong Delta trip you'll have a pretty good impression of life on this important river. Eventually you'll take the comfortable air-conditioned coach back to Ho Chi Minh, and after a quick stop at Can Tho market, you'll arrive back in Ho Chi Minh City at around 3-5pm. |
Day 5: Ho Chi Minh City - End of moduleThis module finishes today after breakfast. |
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