Amazing Southern Vietnam 7 Days

Day 1: Arrival in Ho Chi Minh

Ho Chi Minh welcome: Your private guide will be on time and waiting for you at the arrival hall. A comfortable private car and experienced driver are ready and will transfer you to the hotel.
Ho Chi Minh City is known as the most important commercial and tourist centers in Vietnam. It is 1,730km by land from Ha Noi capital and 50 km from the East-Sea. Saigon was once praised as the "Pearl of the Far East".

Free-time idea(s):

• Go for a walk at Nguyen Hue walking street where takes place activities of culture exhibitions, sport, art performances, especially activities at night.
• Dress up for Lam Son Square, one of the city’s most prestigious addresses, is the place to head for a night of culture.
• Enjoy café in HCMC and find the differences from others or enjoy some cuisine here such as Pho, Bun Bo Nam Bo, Banh My,…
• Ho Chi Minh City has everything from bia hoi (fresh beer), to a variety of clubs, restaurants and bars for every taste by night. Karaoke is a national pass-time, and bright-colored signs announce it everywhere.

Today useful note(s):

• Change your currencies before arrive in Ho Chi Minh.
• Take your thin coat accompany in case of the cold night.
• You can easily find supermarket, local food restaurants near your hotel for necessary needs.

Meals: __/__/__

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City

Day 2: Cu Chi Tunnels – HCM Half Day City Tour

Cu Chi Tunnels discovery:

You have your breakfast at your hotel before being transferred to Cu Chi, which is 70 kilometers far from Ho Chi Minh center through beautiful villages

Cu Chi Tunnels are an immense network of connecting underground tunnels located in the Củ Chi District of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and are part of a much larger network of tunnels that underlie much of the country.

• Cu Chi Tunnels known as Viet Cong dug tens of thousands of miles base, including an extensive network running underneath the Cu Chi district northwest of Saigon. Soldiers used these underground routes to house troops, transport communications and supplies, lay booby traps and mount surprise attacks, after which they could disappear underground to safety.
• You also have chance to try detecting every cavernous tunnels. It seems hard for you to enter the tunnels due to your quite gigantic body, don’t worry, the local guide will help you know how to do. Our history will surely leave you with a lasting impression.
• Enjoy a delicious lunch in a local restaurant as we return to Ho Chi Minh City.

Ho Chi Minh discovery in the afternoon

In the afternoon, you will visit some historical places, including War Museum, Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral in the city center.

• Reunification Palace (Independence Palace) is in the center of HCMC. Surrounded by Royal Palm trees, the dissonant 1960s architecture of the government building and the eerie mood that accompanies a walk through its deserted halls make it an intriguing spectacle.
• Perhaps most fascinating of all is the basement with its telecommunications center, war room and warren of tunnels, where hulking old fans chop the air and ancient radio transmitters sit impassively. Towards the end are rooms where videos appraise the palace and its history in Vietnamese, English, French, Chinese and Japanese. The national anthem is played at the end of the tape and you are expected to stand up – it would be rude not to.

• Ask any local people about the location of the city’s center or its symbol, the answer would definitely be Ben Thanh Market or Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral (officially Basilica of Our Lady of The Immaculate Conception). It only takes you about 10 minutes to the market from Independence Palace and while the market stands at a modern and crowded corner of the business district, the ancient cathedral is located in a very peaceful picturesque corner in the downtown of Ho Chi Minh City.
• Shopping in Ben Thanh Market is the best choice at the end of the day. Because the market possesses one of the most crucial locations in District 1, transportation is extremely convenient and trade is bustling. You can find almost everything from dry food to clothes for a reasonable price. From late afternoon until late night, the shops inside are closed, but several restaurants are open outside on the surrounding streets.

Free-time idea(s):

• There are some beautiful rooftop restaurants and bars which are the great ways to see the bustle from a distance, such as the Strata Sai Gon at the Bitexco Tower, Chill Skybar, Rex Hotel Rooftop in Nguyen Hue Blvd,…
• Dong Khoi Street and area of Saigon, sort of reminds of Oxford Street, is an upscale area of Saigon, and along Dong Khoi Street you will find high end boutiques and designer store.
• Vietnamese coffee is excellent – and it’s inexpensive and available nearly everywhere because Vietnam is the biggest coffee exporter in the world.
• Head over to the round about of Turtle Lake to hang out and mingle with friends, eat snacks, and enjoy life.

Today useful note(s):

• The museum isn’t really kid-friendly due to the jail replica which is very graphic indeed and likely to be pretty disturbing for kids.
• You should not sit deep into the crowded food tent to avoid the heat in Ben Thanh Market.

Meals: Breakfast/lunch/__

Overnight in Saigon.

Day 3: Ho Chi Minh – Dalat

Dalat welcome

Say goodbye to lively HCMC, you are transferred to Tan Son Nhat airport for your flight to Dalat, after your breakfast in the hotel of course. You are welcomed by private guide at the airport in Dalat, a romantic and peaceful city. Your driver will escort you to your hotel for check in. Free for rest of the day.

Dalat is the capital of Lam Dong Province in Vietnam. The city is located 1,500 m above sea level on the Langbian Plateau in the southern parts of the Central Highlands region. In Vietnam, Da Lat is a popular tourist destination.

Free on your own time in the afternoon

Free-time idea(s):

• If you want to discover Dalat Nightlife, you can visit some destination, such as: 100 Roofs Café, Café de la Poste, Larry’s Bar.
• Xuan Huong Lake in the center of Dalat could be fascinated for those loves walking with serenity, passing through the charming villas and pine trees, flower gardens and hear the soul of silence. Don’t forget to rent a huge swan paddleboat and take a spin around if you travel as a family with young kids.
• If you are interested in flowers, Dalat Flower Park beside Xuan Huong Lake is the ideal destination to take lots of pictures.
• Another place you should check in is Dalat Railway Station which brings you ancient feelings.
• You are recommended to enjoy a cup of coffee and admire Dalat views at twilight and night. It is really peaceful.

Today useful note(s):

• Don’t walk a lot though you have almost all day free.

Meals: Breakfast/__/__

Overnight in Dalat

Day 4: Dalat Half Day City Tour

Dalat adventure

• Truc Lam Thien Vien Temple is one of the most visited Vietnamese Buddhist Temples in Vietnam, located on Phung Hoang mountain, glazed at beautiful Tuyen Lam Lake. Especially, you get opportunities to discover the life of Bao Dai, the last Emperor of Vietnam in Bao Dai villa after this temple.

• Your private guide and driver accompany with you to Truc Lam Temple for about 20 minutes from Dalat city centre. It is massive place which covers 24 hectares (including the private monk and nun quarters). There are two entrances to Truc Lam Temple. Visitors can start from Tuyen Lam Lake and walk up 222 steps or get dropped off at the top of the hill and walk up only 61 steps to enter the main entrance. It is up to you.
• The main part of the temple is the ceremonial hall which is in the center and once you walk inside you will be in awe of the detail of everything. The Buddha statue is sitting on a large lotus and in meditation pose with legs crossed and sitting upright. Wooden roof with wooden engravings of lotus flowers are around the borders, a real peaceful element to all.
• The wonders continue with Bao Dai Villa (Bao Dai’s Summer Palace), known as Palace 3. It is really interesting to see how Vietnamese royals spent holidays with peaceful and pretty gardens. You will also get a chance to see well-preserved valuable items including several sculptures of royal family, the life-size white bust of Bao Dai himself and a smaller gold and brown bust of King Bao Dai by King Sihanouk of Cambodia and an engraved glass map of Vietnam.
• After a couple of minutes, you make a stop at Dalat’s Central market which is bustling with activities. Unlike most market in Vietnam, Dalat’s market has an open promenade where visitors can walk about. At the end of the promenade is a stair leading to the Le Dai Hanh Street, one of the Dalat’s major thoroughfare. The locals claim that Dalat is Vietnam’s botanical garden in the middle of a pine forest. Many of the country’s fruits and vegetables come from here.
• Leave the market behind, you have chance to visit a French Romanesque-style cathedral set in the middle of Vietnam’s central highlands. With its distinctive red brick, stained glass windows, and soaring 47-metre high spire, Dalat Cathedral is the city’s most distinctive landmark.
• You are free rest of the day.

Free-time idea(s):

• The pine forests and romantic quality of Da Thien lake make Love Valley an appealing spot for tourists. You are recommended to take a trip to the Northeast, 6km from Dalat city. It is for honeymoon couples and young people.
• Lake of Sorrow (Ho Than Tho) which is 5km Northeast of Dalat city in a silent hill is an ideal place.

Today useful note(s):

• The temple is a religious place, so remember there is a dress code – no shorts above the knees and shoulders showing for females.
• Bring sport shoes and comfortable clothes if you want to hike to the hill.
• Shoes must be removed at door in Bao Dai Villa.
• Dalat enjoys favorable weather year round, the temperature is from 10 to 18 degrees C, it is better to take your thin coats accompany.
• Do buy fruits in the market, don’t buy in shops, peddlers because it is expensive and not tasty.

Meals: Breakfast/ Lunch/__

Overnight in Dalat

Day 5: Dalat – HCM – Can Tho

Can Tho welcome: Left Dalat, you take a morning flight to Ho Chi Minh. In the arrival hall, your private driver and guide will escort you to Can Tho which belongs to Mekong Delta by 3-hour driving private van.

Mekong Delta is called as the ‘rice bowl’ of Vietnam, the delta is carpeted in a dizzying variety of greens. This tour offers you the lively picture of the rhythms of the mighty Mekong, where boats, houses and markets float upon the innumerable rivers, canals and streams that crisscross the landscape like arteries.

• Ben Tre is known as “the Island of coconuts”, a peaceful and poetic destination with shaded villages’ paths and immense orchards. With boat trips from here and with its large network of minor canals, there’s a lot of scope for riverine exploration. Phung Islet, an island floating on Tien River in Tan Thach commune, Chau Thanh suburban district which is just only 12km far from the center of Ben Tre, is famous not only for its variety fruits, especially the coconuts, but also the delicious dishes of south-east Vietnam.
• Especially, visitors have opportunity to witness the process of making coconut candies in the land of coconut. The production line for coconut candies is quite simple, but to make a good quality candies is far from ease. But we are looking directly at the process with super quality, in rich collection, with eye-catching packaging so we can be proud of it as the Swiss – with their chocolate.
• The impression of the trip is to take sightseeing through the picturesque villages by horse cart. Then cruising to Unicorn Island to visit crocodile farm and visit the remains of Coconut belief. Having lunch in orchard garden then take a visit to a bee farm and enjoy tea and candies is one of the most interesting activities.
• After enjoy lunch with sample the local delicacy, try taste dried Ear Elephant fish that is one of the special dishes in Mekong Delta.
• In the afternoon your guide will accompany with you to catch a boat to My Tho. After about 1-hour boat (18km) you arrive in and our vehicle is waiting for transfer to Can Tho.

Free-time idea(s):

• Enjoy Can Tho’s cuisines like Vietnamese Cong Cakes, Rice Spaghetti with Pork skin, Vietnamese Crepes.
• Visit Can Tho museum to discover culture of local people
• Leisure in the evening for wandering Tay Do night market, Ninh Kieu wharf or enjoy these delicious local dishes.
•  Try local dishes

Today useful note(s):

• Ben Tre is the place you had better buy coconut candies as a gift to your relatives.
• Keep your phone or luggage away from the water on the boat.

Meals: Breakfast/ Lunch/ Dinner

Overnight in Can Tho

Day 6: Can Tho – Cai Rang Market – HCM

Cai Rang Floating Market:

Cai Rang Floating Market is known as one of the famous floating market of the Southwest, specializes in selling fruits and agricultural products of the whole region. Its opened time is from 4a.m to 8a.m, so you will have to get up very early to catch the amazing scene to start the visit ideal time (6am – 8am). A ready early breakfast is necessary to start your day.

• After about 20-min boat (5km) you will come surprise to surprise when larger sized boats anchor and create lanes that smaller boats weave in and out of. The waterway becomes a maze of hundreds of boats packed with mango, bananas, papaya, pineapple, and even smuggled goods like cigarettes. To be recognized easily, the owners hang out product samples on a long bamboo (called Cay Beo) in front of the boats, so that they do not need to cry their wares as in mainland market. And, besides of agri – products, the market has most services of a normal market such as food, grocery sales, repairing service, fuel station…
• You’ll also get the opportunity to interact with some of these floating merchants, most commonly this happens when a small boat selling drink latches onto the tour boat’s side. Take for nice pictures or contact with local people is totally different from other markets you have seen.
• Leave the market, your guide lead you along the river bank and down canals to see how Southern Vietnamese live, around the garden, do something as farmers really do, fishing, rice working, plugging part in activities with the family. Enjoy lunch with the local family.
• Back in the city, the trip takes you a visit to Khmer monastery in Can Tho city. You could be surprised to find Khmer towns whose inhabitants speak a different language, follow a different brand of Buddhism and have a remarkable different history and culture to Vietnamese neighbors. The Pitu Khosa Rangsay Pagoda (Vien Quang Temple) is a religious haunt of the Khmer community and is one of the most beautiful temples in Mekong Delta due to its sophisticated architecture and the spiritual values that it brings.
• Especially, you also discover its four buildings which are decorated with delicate patterns display an Angkor dragon, fairy Keynor, sacred bird Krud, god Hanuman, goddess Teppanom which are majestic.

Free-time idea(s):

• If you fell tired after long journey, you will have a relaxing massage and spa services by experienced residents.
•  You can visit many night markets in HCMC like night market on Ky Hoa Street and the one near Ben Thanh market.
• Another attractive destination is Ho Chi Minh’s Chinatown, which is located in District 5, you can discover the bustling here.

Today useful note(s):

• Wear formal uniform when visit pagoda.
• Keep your electric devices or luggage away from the water during the trip.

Meals: Breakfast/ Lunch/__

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

Day 7: Ho Chi Minh Departure

Ho Chi Minh Departure: This last day will be free at your own leisure before being transferred to the airport for your departure flight back to your country.

Free time idea(s):

You find it quite difficult to choose different favorite goods and lots of typical oriental products following your step. However, it is easy to find anything in Saigon downtown.

Today useful note(s):

Check your luggage, visa, passport before check in airport

Meals: Breakfast/__/__

Goodbye and hope to see you again!

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