Southern Vietnam Saigon Land Tour - February 7th - 12th, 2025

We are thrilled to offer six days in Vietnam! Discover the drama of the cloud-crowned mountains, the power of the waterfalls and pools, and the history propelling into the future of this incredible country. We will explore the best the country has to offer.

Detailed Itinerary (Bilingual, Guide & Driver)
Day 1: Saigon Arrival
Upon arrival into Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as "Saigon" and "Pearl of the Far East", we will be welcomed by our guide and brought to our hotel. The rest of the day is ours to explore the largest city of Vietnam, with its wide, elegant boulevards and historic French colonial buildings. Will stay overnight at the hotel.

Day 2: Saigon - Cu Chi - Cai Be
At 8:30am, the staff will assist our drive to Cu Chi Tunnels, 70km outside of Saigon. The Cu Chi Tunnel system was created around 1948 to assign the Viet Minh in their combat against French occupiers. Construction and enlargement continued during American bombings and the tunnels were turned into an underground city with living areas, kitchens, storage, weapon factories, and field hospitals. the Cu Chi tunnels once housed up to 10,000 people who lived underground for years. During the Vietnam-American War, the entire area of Cu Chi was designated as a fire-free zone yet was heavily bombarded. Two sections of the original Tunnel system have remained open for visitors since 1988. We will end the day with a transfer to Cai Be and overnight there. (Estimated transfer time and distance by car: 3hours 30minutes, 170km.)

Day 3: Cai Be At 8:30am, we will go on a bike ride to discover the island of Tân Phong with its fruit gardens! Stop over to visit families who have become experts in making bang trang re (rice cakes) and baskets made from water hyacinths. You will be able to try local specialties for lunch. In the afternoon, return on-board to visit a factory where clay is used to make pottery and tiles. We will then transfer and heads to Can Tho where we will overnight at a hotel. (Estimated transfer time and distance by car: 3hours 30minutes, 170km)

Day 4: Can Tho - Saigon Early morning (6:00am), we will take the boat to discover the Cai Rang Floating Market - the largest and liveliest in the Mekong Delta! The setting is beautiful: hundreds of motorized sampans, filled with rice, fruits and crafts, come together to exchange and sell local products. Then we will make a nice bike tour in the region of Vam Xang, capital of several kinds of fruit trees. Stop at the Inhabitant to take your lunch. We will then drive back to Saigon for overnight. (Estimated transfer time and distance by car: 3hours 30minutes, 170km; Time and distance of bike: 2hours, 13km)
Note: After the floating market, if possible, we might visit also a local market before heading to Vam Xang for the bicycle tour.

Day 5: Saigon City Tour
At 8:30am, our guide and driver will pick us up at the hotel. We will visit the Reunification Palace, which was the last point to fall in the country during the war, in which, on April 30, 1975, the tanks entered to end the armed conflict. The tour will continue with a visit to the Notre Dame Cathedral. This Catholic church was built between 1877-1880 at the time of French domination. Next to the Notre Dame Cathedral is the Post Office which was designed by Gustave Eiffel. We'll also visit the Jade Emperor Pagoda, also called "Chua Ngoc Hoang", it is dedicated to the King of All Heavens and was built in 1909 thanks to private donations from the faithful of the city's Cantonese community, of Buddhist worship. Next, we'll visit the war museum and return to the Ben Thanh market, where we can find all kinds of items at great prices, from food, to clothing (fabrics, ready-made suits and dresses, souvenir t-shirts, etc.). Afterwards, we'll overnight at a hotel.

Day 6: Saigon Departure
We'll say our good-byes to Vietnam on Day 6, where some of us will continue on to Thailand for our week of diving! The hotel will be available until noon.

Included:

• Accommodation with breakfast.
• Travel on private, modern, and comfortable air-conditioned vehicles with a caring driver for all trip-transfers and ground transportation (except any extra travelling done during break times).
• Meals as mentioned above (B = breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner).
• Entry fees for all mentioned sites.
• Boat trips mentioned above.
• Qualified local tour guides during the whole trip (except any extra excursions made during break times).

Important Information: Trip flyer and planning guide coming soon!