Saigon back in time and Coffee culture!

Start with a visit to the iconic architectural landmarks Saigon Central Post Office and the Notre Dame Cathedral. Then take a stroll along Dong Khoi heading toward the river through an area that in the early colonial era was occupied mainly by small shops run by Chinese merchants. Dong Khoi is not only Saigon's most famous thoroughfare, known in the French colonial period as rue Catinat but also the main artery leading from the river wharf to the Can Nguyen gate, the most important of the two southern gates of the first Gia Dinh Citadel. Admire the beautiful architecture of the Opera House, City Hall, and buildings and hear about the glory days of French Indochina and how that era continues to influence aspects of modern Vietnamese culture. Then step off Dong Khoi Street for the Reunification Palace, the former residence of the presidents of South Vietnam before 1975. Continue to the War Museum, one of Vietnam’s most popular museums which primarily exhibits the American phase of the Vietnam War.

At this point, you will be getting hot and hungry, so you make your way to a favorite lunchtime watering hole. Getting there is also an adventure in itself as it involves finding your way to an obscure apartment block where you climb to the roof for a delightful lunch overlooking the city rooftops.

Lunch is followed by a different discovery of Saigon; the caffeine habits of the locals and the significance of coffee drinking in Vietnamese culture. Coffee was introduced to Vietnam by the French in the late 19th century but the country quickly became a leading exporter as vast areas of the highlands were given over to this important new cash crop. Today, the Vietnamese have taken coffee to new gastronomical levels, which continue to evolve. Heading to a lovingly restored ‘shophouse’ in the historic part of the city. Here, you’ll be introduced to Vietnamese specialty coffee and learn how to expert ca phe trung, fabulous egg coffee, over the course of 1-hour.

Caffeine-fueled, conclude the tour after the last egg coffee experience and return back to your hotel.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh.

Cu Chi Tunnels by speedboat (Join-in) @07:00 – 07:30

At 07:00 - 07:30, we set out early to avoid large crowds, and get a short drive to the banks of the Saigon River to board a speedboat for a scenic ride to the Cu Chi tunnels. Watch as the scenery changes, passing through urban neighborhoods and then rural countryside.

You will have an opportunity to uncover the secrets of the Cu Chi Tunnels, a vast network of underground passageways built and used by the Viet Cong to evade detection as they moved troops and supplies throughout Ho Chi Minh City’s northern district. During the tour, the guide will introduce you to life along the banks of the Saigon River as your boat gracefully slips through knots of floating water hyacinths on this scenic boat trip. Enjoy a window into traditional Mekong river life and wonderful photo opportunities. After a short documentary, your guide will lead you through the historic Cu Chi, dug by resourceful guerrilla fighters to provide communication and supply routes, hospitals, food, and weapon caches living quarters during numerous conflicts.  After which, you’ll board your boat to make the scenic trip back to Saigon.

Return to the hotel and free at leisure until the evening tour.

Taste of the Night: Motorbike Street Food Tour

The tour will start when your tour guide meets you at a place specified by you at 17:30 pm. You will then receive safety instructions on how to ride on the back of a bike properly in order to ensure the safest experience. Then, you will soon whisk away on the back of the bikes in the rush hour with no problem at all to find out and taste the most special dishes offered in small alleys while learning about the history and cultural significance of each dish. You will probably be getting full at this point. Therefore, let’s walk together to digest easily and enjoy the nightlife of Saigon where the sights that most foreign tourists never even hear about or see and we’ll see what it is like to be a local. Next, the guides will introduce the most popular Vietnamese food tradition: “The Street Barbeque”. You have a chance to fill up your stomach with the irresistible authentic local dishes which make you wish for another belly and let’s drink local beer. Before it ends, do not forget to sit down and relax with the sweet desserts totally in Vietnamese style. At around 10:00 pm, we will drive you back to your hotel and wish you a good trip in Vietnam! Our tour is designed to give you a taste of as many different kinds of food as possible and is suitable for all travelers to Vietnam.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh.

08:00 Leave the busy streets and modern buildings of Ho Chi Minh City behind on the Mekong Delta, a remarkable agricultural area referred to as ‘the rice bowl of Vietnam’.

Enjoy a boat cruise along the river which is a branch of the Mekong River. We will start the day by taking a short walk through various local workplaces where you will be able to picture how local people work. Stop at a traditional brickwork factory to see how to make bricks by hand. Continue your boat trip to My Long village, walking to the hamlet to see rice paper making and enjoy some rice cake. Follow the Cai Son canal, winding through a coconut jungle, visit a coconut workshop, and have a look at the stages of coconut processing from removing the husk to prizing out the peel by hand.

Then, explore the riverside promenade and narrow lanes that are ideal for a bicycle ride or choose to hop on a Lambro motor-tricycle which was once the iconic vehicle and main means of transportation in southern Vietnam in the 1960s. After lunch at a riverside restaurant with Mekong Delta specialties, head back to the main pier in Ben Tre by motorboat to meet your driver, and then drive to your hotel in Can Tho for overnight.

Overnight in Can Tho.

Enjoy a delicious breakfast buffet before cruising to the colorful Cai Rang Floating Market to observe dozens of barges laden with fruits and vegetables and other products from the Delta. Also enjoy interesting shore excursions along the way, stopping at a fruit orchard and bread workshop.

Disembark the boat, we will visit the Binh Thuy ancient residence, a very beautiful and typical southern delta house. The ancient house has five apartments, two roofs, and a French architectural style, built-in 1870 by a family named Duong. Continue driving to Pothi Somron Pagoda located next to O Mon River. The pagoda was constructed in 1735 and is evaluated as one of the most beautiful Khmer pagodas with intact traditional architecture. In 1856, the pagoda was rebuilt out of precious wood and roofed with scaled tiles that reflected an influence from the cultures of Khmer and India.

Enjoy some time at leisure before driving back to Ho Chi Minh overnight.

Check-in at the hotel on arrival and the remainder of the day is free at leisure.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh.

Today you will have free time until your driver picks you up 3.5 hours before your departure time and transfer you to the airport for your flight back home.

**NOTE: The standard check-out time is 12:00 (A late check-out is on request and subject to availability, the extra cost will be applied to guarantee this service).