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This amazing 8-day cultural educational tour in south Vietnam curated by our local educational travel experts will take you to explore the historic sites of Saigon as the Presidential palace, War remnants museum, Secret weapon bunker. Discover the daily life of people living in the Mekong Delta when cruising along the Mekong river. Join hands to build the bikes donating to free school, interacting with the children from the local region. Learning the Vietnamese culinary and local culture through a food walking tour in Saigon to tast the local delicacies.

Ho Chi Minh City & Mekong Delta

8 days, from US$985pp

Custom Travel Program

JOURNEY

Overview

This amazing 8-day cultural educational tour in south Vietnam curated by our local experts will take you to explore the historic sites of Saigon as the Presidential palace, War remnants museum, Secret weapon bunker. Discover the daily life of people living in the Mekong Delta when cruising along the Mekong river. Join hands to build the bikes donating to free school, interacting with the children from the local region. Learning the Vietnamese culinary and local culture through a food walking tour in Saigon to tast the local delicacies.

JOURNEY

Highlights

  • Explore the historic sites of Saigon through visits of the famous War remnants museum, Presidential palace
  • Delve into the must see Cu Chi tunnels, an underground system preserved by the goverment built since 1948
  • Cruise on private charter boat along the Mekong river, and take small sampan rowing through canals with maze of coconut trees
  • Experience the local culture and learn the Vietnamese culinary by tasting some must eat dishses when coming to Vietnam
  • Optional: Join hands to build bikes and donate books/pencils/schoolbags…to a free school in district 7 of Saigon city

JOURNEY

Itinerary

DAY 1
ARRIVE HO CHI MINH CITY
Welcome to Ho Chi Minh City! Still commonly called Saigon, this modern metropolis quickly banishes any stereotype of Vietnam as a nation of terraced rice paddies and remote delta lowlands. Surging with the energy of a place that has made incredible strides in just 20 years, Ho Chi Minh City provides an opportunity to explore a dark past in a city where the future is bright.

By special arrangement you’ll have VIP fast track Immigration and Customs service. After deplaning, proceed to Immigration and look for an airport representative who will be holding a sign with your names. The representative will walk you through a designated fast-track line. You will then be brought to a comfortable lounge to relax as the representative collects your luggage. Once the luggage is collected, they will then fast-track you through customs.

In the Arrivals area, the airport representative will connect you with your local guide, where you’ll be shown to your awaiting private vehicle for a transfer into the city and your hotel. The Icon Saigon features all the amenities and comforts of modern times yet is designed in a way that transports the guest to Saigon’s colonial history. The hotel is ideally located at Lam Son Square, near the elegant Opera House within walking distance of the businesses, shopping, entertainment, and main tourist attractions of district one.

Dinner at a local restaurant.
Hotel 3-4* | Meals: D

DAY 2
HO CHI MINH CITY NOW & THEN
Explore the Heart of Saigon
Ho Chi Minh City from past to present. Start at the Reunification Palace, where the official handover of power took place during the Fall of Saigon in 1975. Then visit the War Remnants Museum. The Museum contains an at-times grisly display of wartime photographs and relics including an American tank, an original 20th century French guillotine and a UH-1 “Huey” helicopter.

Visit Cao Dai temple
Learn about this interesting religious sect which came about as the result of many influences, including Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Hinduism, Vietnamese spiritism, Christianity and Islam.

Lunch at a local restaurant.

Cu Chi Uncovered
Transfer 1.5 hours northwest of Ho Chi Minh City to explore one of the region’s most well-known wartime landmarks – the Cu Chi tunnels. The intriguing network of underground tunnels provided shelter and an effective source of infiltration for the Viet Cong during the later years of the Vietnam War. Catch a glimpse of life during the war as you experience crawling in tight, narrow passageways and through a series of caverns which consist of storage rooms, make-shift hospitals and sleeping quarters.

Dinner at a local restaurant.

Please note: The Cu Chi Tunnels are very narrow, confined spaces which may cause discomfort, particularly for those who experience claustrophobia, fear of the dark, irregular cardiac conditions or similar health conditions. However, crawling inside the tunnels is entirely optional and you can spend more time exploring above ground if you prefer.
Hotel 3-4* | Meals: B,L,D

DAY 3
MEKONG DELTA IN-DEPTH
The Mekong Delta is a rich fertile region of farmland interlaced with countless waterways crisscrossed by low-lying rice paddies. Today you will explore one of the country’s most enchanting landscapes travelling by car and then motorized sampan (a flat-bottomed wooden boat) into the ‘rice bowl’ of Vietnam.

Around 7.30 am, meet with your tour guide for a 2.5-hour drive to Ben Tre to experience the lush countryside of the Mekong area with tranquil river landscapes, and the warmth of its people. The riverside promenade and the narrow lanes on both sides of the river are ideal for two-wheeled exploration if you are a cycling lover. Upon arrival, hop on a local bike for a leisurely 5-7km ride (otherwise motor-tricycle) through quiet village lanes surrounded by vegetable gardens and rivers. You might want to challenge yourself to cross over the monkey bridge, which is a handmade bamboo walkway built across canals and gullies.

Along the way, get off your bike and walk through a small rice field for a glimpse into an integral part of rice in Vietnamese culture. The rice-growing cycle is continuous, and depending on the season, you could see either lush green fields, fields flooded with water, or empty fields recently harvested. Ride further to the village communal house originally built in the 19th century where the farmers usually come to pray for their wishes. Wind your way further to the local cottage industry of brick kiln factories where the baking methods have not changed for centuries. They bake the bricks by hand inside the large dome-shaped kiln. Ben Tre owns the largest coconut-growing area in the country. Chance to observe family-run coconut candy-making coconut-peeling factories. Enjoy lunch as a group during the tour. Continue on excursion.

Then get on motorized boat for a cruise along the main river for an insight into agriculture-river life. Enjoy a motor-tricycle ride onward to a rustic local restaurant for lunch with Mekong Delta specialties. After lunch, relax in a rowing sampan ride through idyllic canals covered with shady water coconut groves.

Check in your homestay & free time till dinner with the family.
Homestay | Meals: B,L,D

DAY 4
MEKONG DELTA SCHOOL VISIT | BIKE BUILDING + LIBRARY BUILDING ACTIVITIES (SAMPLE ACTIVITIES)
After breakfast, transfer to the local school in the community. Start the activties with kids as teaching English, building the bike or library then donate to the school. Lunch at a local restaurant. In the afternoon, continue with the community project. Overnight at the homestay.

Bike building / Library building donation to a free school
This activity is optional for the group. If the group would like to donate this to the school, there will be cost applied for purchasing bicycles, and transportaton for these bikes to be delivered to the school.

Dinner with the local family.
Homestay | Meals: B,L,D

DAY 5
SCHOOL PROJECT | PAINTING WALL + FIXING GATES, DOORS & TABLES (SAMPLE ACTIVITIES)
Today, the project will be painting the school wall and fixing the broken tables and windows. Lunch with children at school. In the afternoon, continue with the project and transfer back to your homestay for overnight.

Dinner with the local family.
Homestay | Meals: B,L,D

DAY 6
SCHOOL PROJECT | PAINTING WALL + FIXING GATES, DOORS & TABLES (SAMPLE ACTIVITIES)
Today, the project will be painting the school wall and fixing the broken tables and windows. Lunch with children at school. In the afternoon, continue with the project and transfer back to your homestay for overnight.

Dinner with the local family.
Homestay | Meals: B,L,D

DAY 7
HALF DAY UNVEILING SAIGON CHINA TOWN
Experience the vibrant district of Cholon, the heart of Saigon’s Chinese community. Translating to big market, Cholon is home to Mandarin speakers, ancient pagodas, and shops adorned with Chinese script. Begin your exploration with a visit to FITO – the first museum on traditional herbal medicine, offering fascinating insights into traditional Vietnamese everyday life and medical development over the centuries.

Next, head to the Thien Hau temple, dedicated to the Lady of the Sea, who is believed to be able to locate and rescue those in trouble on the high seas. Enjoy a guided walk through the bustling trading areas, watch skillful craftsmen at work on Scissors Street. Along this former Rue de Canton, admire the ancient fusion French and Chinese architecture and immerse yourself in the local atmosphere of this unique district. Then discover traditional herbal medicine quarter, just by standing on the street, you can inhale the typical smell of herbs spreading through the air. If time permits, stroll through the side road of the age-old Dai Quang Minh market. Don’t get lost in the colorful world of stalls selling apparel and garment accessories from buttons, buckles to ribbons.

The remainder of your day is at leisure. Lunch and dinner on own arrangement.
Hotel 3-4* | Meals: B,L,D

DAY 8
DEPARTURE
Breakfast at the hotel. Free time to explore the city before transfer to the airport for your onward flights. End of the program.

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JOURNEY

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