Southern Vietnam & Cambodia Travel 9 days

Destination: Ho Chi Minh City - Vinh Long - Can Tho - Chau Doc - Phnom Penh - Siem Reap

Highlights: This 9 day trip is specially designed for those who are keen on tracking down the southern Vietnam and Cambodia. You'll start from Vietnam's most prosperous city capturing its show. Move to Tay Ninh for a view of Cao Dai Holy ceremony and call on Cu Chi tunnels to perceive how life under the ground was. You'll then take pleasure in a peaceful ambience of the Mekong Delta and indulge your curiosity with peculiar architectural sites and gorgeous panorama in Phnom Penh and Seam Reap.

Code: B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner, G = Guide

Day 1: Arrival at Ho Chi Minh City (D)

Arriving at Tan Son Nhat airport in Ho Chi Minh City, you’ll be driven to your hotel. Rest of the day, you'll be free to stroll around the city as you wish.

19.00 - 20.30: You’ll a Welcome dinner at one of a famous restaurant.

You’ll spend the night in Ho Chi Minh City.

Day 2: Ho Chi Minh City tour (B, L, G)

8.30: Your car and driver will come to take you for your Ho Chi Minh City tour

8.30 - 10.30: You’ll be driven to visit History Museum, an exhibition of the 5th century ‘Oc Eo’ civilisation.

10.30 - 12.00: You’ll visit the Museum of War Remnants provides a very partial, but riveting, perspective of the ‘American War’

12.00 - 13.15: Lunch will be served at the local restaurant.

13.15 - 14.00: You’ll visit Centre Post Office with colonial building and the Cathedral Church.

14.00 - 14.45: You'll be driven to visit the Jade Emperor Temple. It’s one of the best Taoist temples in Vietnam, with superb effigies, remarkable carved panels of the descent to Hell and somewhat incongruous terrapin and tortoise sanctuaries.

14.45 - 17.00: You’ll have approximately two hour to visit the Ben Thanh market, one of the liveliest areas of Ho Chi Minh City, is packed with every conceivable commodity and a visit to lacquer workshop to see the complex processes and meticulous workmanship involved in this traditional Vietnamese craft product. End of your services at the hotel. You'll spend the night in Ho Chi Minh City.

Day 3: Ho Chi Minh City/Tay Ninh/Cu Chi (B, L, G)

8.30 - 12.00: You’ll be picked up to Tay Ninh to visit the Cao Dai Holy See in time to watch the mid-day ceremony. The Cao Dai is a ‘new’ religion unique to Vietnam with around a million followers. Both its creed and its architecture are remarkable and exotic. The service lasts about half an hour – the rituals are based upon an eclectic mixture of Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Taoism. Discreet photography is OK, but shoes must be left outside

12.00 - 13.30: You'll be driven to local restaurant to have lunch.

13.30 - 14.30: You'll visit the Cu Chi tunnels, a byzantine maze of underground passages, chambers, rooms and booby traps used by both the Vietminh and the Viet Cong to suddenly materialise as if from nowhere, launch a lightning ambush, and vanish equally rapidly.

14.30 - 15.45: You’ll drive back to Ho Chi Minh City to spend the night.

Day 4: Ho Chi Minh City/Vinh Long/Can Tho (B, L, G)

8.30 - 10.30: Drive to Vinh Long, a city famous by the Mekong River and floating market

10.30 - 15.30: You’ll cruise to visit Cai Be floating market, fruit orchards, a traditional family-run brick kiln, and drop in to look at some traditional cottage industries - a workshop making the huge coffins unique to the Mekong is particularly interesting. You'll have a lunch at one of the local family and have a shot show of traditional music in Mekong Delta which is operated by the local people.

15.30 - 16.00: You'll have time to wonder around the fruit market to buy some kind of famoust tropical fruit such as banana, pomelo, dragon fruit and so on.

16.00 - 17.30: You'll be driven further into the Mekong Delta to Can Tho where you'll spend the night.

Day 5: Can Tho/Chau Doc (B, L, G)

8.00 - 10.45: You'll have breakfast at your hotel and then be picked up to Ninh Kieu Harbour. You'll then take about two hour boat trip to cruise along the Mekong River to Cai Rang and Phong Dien floating markets. You can enjoy the Mekong rural lifestyle.

10.45 - 14.00: You'll take the high-speet boat to Chau Doc. You'll check in your hotel and free in the evening in a town on the border between Vietnam and Cambodia.

You'll spend the night in Chau Doc.

Day 6: Chau Doc/Phnom Penh (B, L, G)

7.00 - 7.30: Breakfast at your hotel. You'll then take a high-speet boat again to Phnom Penh.

On arrival in Phnom Penh, you'll be picked up to visit Silver Pagoda, National Museum, Royal Palace and Ounalom Monastry and join sunset cruise on Mekong Rivers. You'll spend the night in Phnom Penh.

Day 7: Phnom Penh/Siem Reap (B, L, D, G)

In the morning, you'll take the flight to Siem Reap. On arrival at Siem Reap airport, you'll be picked up by our driver to check in your hotel. You'll then visit the Temple complex, of which Ankor Wat is a key element. You'll begin with a visit to Ankor Thom, starting with the Bayon, a bizarre structure of several architectural changes reflecting a switch from Hinduism (the foundations) to Buddhism (the superstructure). Your next visit will be to the Elephant and Leper King Terraces followed by the Baphoun Temple, which is now nearing the end of an eight-year multi-million dollar restoration programme. Afternoon visits to some of the outer sites including Takeo, a five-tiered pyramid, Sras Srang Lake and landing terrace and Prasat Kravan (also known as the Cardomom Sanctuary). Overnight in Siem Riep.

Day 8: Siem Reap (B, L, D, G)

A full day to explore the grand circuit with visits to Pre Rup and East Mebon,  both built in the tenth century, Ta Som, an unrestored temple, and Neak Pean, a Himalayan-style lake and sanctuary. In the afternoon, you'll explore Angkor Wat itself, the largest, and for most people, the most impressive temple in the complex after which you can watch the sunset from the top of Phnom Bakheng Hill. You'll spend the night in Siem Riep.

Day 9: Siem Reap departure (B, G)

After breakfast, you’ll be driven to Siem Reap River and Wat Athovea. There, you’ll embark for a boat trip on Tonle Sap Lake, a natural reservoir that partly controls the level of floods in the Mekong Delta, and visit a floating fishing village en-route. You’ll return to your hotel for checkout and lunch, and have free time in the afternoon until your car returns to pick you up for your departure flight.  

Prices per person in US$:

Valid until December 31, 2011

Surcharge for peak season of hotels are not inclusive in the prices above.

Hotel list for Five Stars standard 

• Ho Chi Minh City: Majestic hotel (***** a charming colonial hotel in the center of Ho Chi Minh City, Colonial room) or similar

• Can Tho: Victoria Hotel (**** beside the Mekong river, good garden setting, Superior room)

• Chau Doc: Victoria Chau Doc Hotel (**** colonial style with low-rise French architectural design, located right on the banks of the Bassac River crossing and is an ideal base to explore the fascinating Chau Doc region)

• Phnom Penh: Intercontinental hotel and Resort (***** located in the new business center of the city minutes from the famous Russian market, Deluxe room)

• Siem Reap: Angkor Palace Resort (***** the first Cambodian-owned premier luxury five-star resort accommodation. Its design, décor and furnishing reflect the finest in Cambodian architecture befitting royalties and dignitaries, Deluxe room)
   

Hotel list for Four Stars standard

• Ho Chi Minh City: Rex hotel (**** in the heart of city, Superior room) or similar

• Can Tho: Golf Hotel (**** high-rise building in the city centre on the banks of Hau River)

• Chau Doc: Victoria Chau Doc Hotel (**** colonial style with low-rise French architectural design, located right on the banks of the Bassac River crossing and is an ideal base to explore the fascinating Chau Doc region)

• Phnom Penh: Sunway Hotel (**** within the city's "green belt" - an upscale district of prestigious addresses, affording our guests an unparalleled view of the city)

• Siem Reap: Tara Angkor Hotel (**** conveniently located on the road to Angkor only 5km from the entrance, 15 minutes from the airport and a short ride to the centre of town, Superior room)

Hotel list for Three Stars standard

• Ho Chi Minh City: Elios hotel (*** in the city centre, Superior room) or similar

• Can Tho: Kim Tho Hotel (*** located right in the center of Can Tho city, near dreamy and poetic Ninh Kieu quay, Superior room) or similar

• Chau Doc: Chau Pho Hotel (*** one of the most beautiful hotels in Chau Doc) or similar

• Phnom Penh: Sunway Hotel (**** within the city's "green belt" - an upscale district of prestigious addresses, affording our guests an unparalleled view of the city)

• Siem Reap: Casa Angkor Hotel (*** ideally located right in the heart of city, close to the world famous Angkor Wat temples and all others great temples)

Hotel list for Two Stars standard 

• Ho Chi Minh City: Duc Vuong hotel (** in the city centre) or similar

• Can Tho: Ninh Kieu Hotel (** in the city centre) or similar

• Chau Doc: Chau Pho Hotel (** one of the most beautiful hotels in Chau Doc) or similar

• Phnom Penh: Princess Hotel (*** in the heart of city within easy reach of many attractive tourist sites, business places, shopping centres & exciting entertainment places) or similar

• Siem Reap: Angkor Way hotel (** Conveniently located in lush tropical setting within easy reach of Siem Reap city centre) or similar

Creating Unique Touring Experiences with Gia Linh Travel
  All the touring itineraries on this website have been carefully crafted by our in-country management teams and represent a series of experiences we can certainly recommend. However, we understand that every travel experience should be as unique and individual as each traveler. Our consultants are waiting to hear from you so that we can tailor or custom design a tour to your individual specifications.