Mekong Delta & Phu Quoc Island 5 days

Day 1: Saigon - Mekong Delta - Can Tho

At 8:00, our guide and driver will pick you up and travel to My Tho.

Mekong Delta welcome

The Mekong Delta is situated in Cambodia and southern Vietnam and it is also known as the Western Region - the region in southwestern Vietnam where the Mekong River approaches and empties into the sea through a network of distributaries.

Mekong Delta discovery

• You will transfer to a Wooden Motor Boat, which will take you to the spectacular Unicorn Island. People are living on Unicorn Island where to earn from orchards, bee farms, making co-co nut candies and fishing. Here, you can experience quiet local villages and rural people working the rice fields. Make sure to snap some pictures of the exotic fisherman’s port with its iconic stilt houses. Take experience of boat trip around the island, to try & enjoy the taste of tropical fruits from orchards.

• Travel to Turtle Island and transfer to a smaller row boat to experience a more local view of the river. It is so interesting to see traditional house made of wood and palm tree leaves and see some activities of the local farmers with an opportunity to make contacts with them and see how they catch fish, pick up fruits by ancestral ways in Mekong Delta. With a suggestive name reminiscent of pirate stories, Turtle Island is the smallest of the 4 Islands of My Tho but very rich in terms of tropical fruits is concerned, in particular the striking dragon fruit, but also papaya and bananas grow on the island. On this island there are regular performances of Vietnamese traditional music to delight us with the monochord and guitar music. If your sweet tooth hasn’t been satisfied enough, we’ll head to a coconut candy store, where you can see how local people make these great handcrafted treats and items from the coconuts around.
• In the late afternoon, you will come back to Can Tho

Free-time idea(s):

• Visiting a coconut candy milk workshop and enjoying coconut candy.
• Get on a horse cart or “xe loi” (Wagon pulled by a motorbike) on the country side road.
• Travel around this island by bike and enjoy local activities.
• Enjoy café in famous café shop in Can Tho like Hop Pho Café at 6 Ngo Gia Tu Street,…

Today useful note(s)

• Wear comfortable clothes and shoes.
• Prevent your electric devices from water during this trip.

Meals: Breakfast/ Lunch/__

Overnight in Can Tho

Day 2: Mekong - Saigon

Have breakfast and prepare to move to the largest marketplace in Mekong Delta.

Mekong Delta discovery (continue)

• The floating markets belong to the highlights of the Mekong delta. Here you can cruise through the channels and check out what’s on offer in this incredible market that exists entirely on the water. These markets are central markets in the delta, where people can buy fruit and vegetables from local production. The goods are sold directly from the boats - the owners hang the available products on long poles so that people can see what’s on offer from far away. Small sampans serve as mobile cafés, where you can buy soft drinks, an iced coffee or a strong noodle soup for breakfast.
• From here, we’ll head to visit a rice noodle making village, where you can learn how your daily noodles are made! Then we head down the river to the Monkey Bridge over the Delta which is a handmade bamboo or wooden pass way across a stream or gully. The Monkey Bridge as a uniquely Vietnamese traditional symbol and you can try it once time.
• Have lunch in a restaurant
• In the afternoon, you will visit Binh Thuy Pagoda. Its area is over 4.000m2 which is the biggest temple of Can Tho city with a diverse architecture style. The view from outside the temple looks like the temple of Ong Bon, a Chinese temple, but the facets are similar to the French style. The decoration inside also retains the nuances of ethnic, Vietnam national spirit in the topic and present architectural style: the engraved images, horizontal board, jars, are the ones best of the temple.
• Transfer to Rach Gia and take speedboat to Phu Quoc.

Free-time idea(s):

• Bars and clubs: there are a lot of nightlife options here in Phu Quoc, however, most of the venues are not very busy. Some popular spots in town are Rory’s, Priate Cove,…
• Drink café in some famous café shop in La Café Deli, PQ Café,…

Today useful note(s)

• Wear comfortable clothes and shoes.
• Prevent your electric devices from water during this trip.

Meals: Breakfast/__/__

Overnight in Phu Quoc

Day 3: Phu Quoc

Have breakfast in restaurant and you will be free for your own leisure.

Phu Quoc welcome

Phu Quoc is a very mountainous and densely forested Island of 1320 sq km; it is 48 km in length from south to north and has a population of approximately 80,000 people. Situated in the Gulf of Thailand 45 km west of Ha Tien on the Vietnamese mainland and 15 km south of the coast of Cambodia, Phu Quoc is ringed with some beautiful beaches in Vietnam, and offers the best seafood in the country.

Phu Quoc adventure

Free-time idea(s):

For the first day In Phu Quoc Island, there are lots of attractive destinations in North Phu Quoc such as Ham Ninh fishing village, National park area, the village of Ganh Dau with the nearby view of Cambodia, dropping in to see Cau Temple

• Starting from Duong Dong town in Phu Quoc with the morning market. Duong Dong market buys and sells fresh fish, vegetables and consumer goods. This is a great market to buy fresh fruits and unique local like the Phu Quoc mushroom, fresh island pepper or Herring to make the infamous Herring salad. You would be surprised how cheap everything is here. The market is located behind the construction site of a new bridge which kind of makes it a bit difficult to find.
• Located 20km northeast of Duong Dong town, Phu Quoc district, Ham Ninh village is renowned for its breathtaking natural scenery and peaceful daily life of local fishermen. Visiting Ham Ninh, you have a golden chance to taste mouth-watering and healthful drinks and seafood like ginseng- seaweed water, “Tram” mushroom (a special kind of mushroom in the island), sea-horse soaking in the liquor and so on. And it is so great to lie on the sand, enjoy boiled flower crab meat and watch the stunning sunset on the beach. If you want to choose some special gift for friends and family, you can buy some flower crabs, a bottle of sea-horse in liquor or some souvenirs made of shell.

• Phu Quoc National Park was established by the Vietnamese Government in 2001 after upgrading the previous Natural Protection Area and Nature Reserve. It is mostly located across the North of the island with the northerly and eastern boundaries following stretches of the coastline, except for the northerly villages of Ganh Dau and Rach Vem and Cua Can. The park is situated within the boundaries of the following communes: Ganh Dau and Rach Vem and Cua Can and in part of the Communes of Cua Duong, Ham Ninh, Duong To, and Duong Dong Township.

- The highest point in the national park is Mount Chua at 603m, with plans in future for a walking trail to a look out from this point. The national park contains a number of seasonal streams, with the most sizable being the Rach Cua Can river, which flows into the gulf of Thailand on the West Coast of the island just north of Cua Can village. You can hire motorbike on your own and explore some parts of the island.

- The best areas and most forested parts can be found on the road toward Ganh Dau. To get there, take the road from Duong Dong towards Bai Thom and turn off toward Ganh Dau, the National park becomes more apparent the closer you get to Ganh Dau Village. If you have more free time, you can climbing Mount Chua and enjoy the fresh atmosphere as well as see all stunning landscapes from there.

• Visit Cau Temple which is the most popular sight – seeing attraction on Phu Quoc Island because it is located near the tourist area of Long Beach in Duong Dong town. This temple is a part shrine and part lighthouse and it is perched on top of rocks at the mouth of the Dong Duong River. To reach the top of the temple, you need climb 29 winding stone steps. At the top of the temple there is a shrine, a lighthouse, as well as terrace overlooking Duong Dong Town, the port and the sea. There is no entrance fee required to visit this temple.
• Dinh Cau Beach is a tiny beach located in Duong Dong Town and behide Night Market. Every evening at the sunset locals congregate by the beach to eat local Vietnamese snacks, drink beer, swim and enjoy the sunset.
• The sunset along the Duong Dong River, Dinh Cau Beach and Cau Temple are quite magical.

Today useful note(s)

• Due to the fact that this is a local market, not a tourist market, we do not recommend that you go in large groups, it will be easier for you and less intimidating for the vendors if there are just 2 or 3 of you, rather than a whole gang.
• Wear formal cloth when visiting temple, pagoda.
• Tips for trekking, climbing

- Always plan your trip carefully in advance.
- Leave written details of your route and expected time of return with a responsible person.
- Take your time; set a pace that the slowest member of your party can handle.
- Make sure you have plenty of water, and that you know where fresh water is available along your track.
- Always carry a well-equipped first aid kit.
- Never light a fire on a day of Total Fire Ban.

Meals: Breakfast/__/__

Overnight in Phu Quoc.

Day 4: Phu Quoc

Have breakfast in restaurant and you will be free for your own leisure.

Phu Quoc adventure (continue)

Free-time idea(s):
In the next day, you can visit South Phu Quoc with variety destinations like the Pearl Farm, Coconut Prison, An Thoi and the market, Sao Beach.

• Pearl farming: If you keen to see the Pearl farms of Phu Quoc, you are best bet would be start at the pearl farm shop run by New Zealand based company in Duong To Village about 9kms south of Duong Dong along the dirt road that follows Long Beach.

• Sao beach: ranking high amongst not only the best beaches in Vietnam but also in all of Southeast Asia is Sao Beach. It is located on the south eastern side of Phu Quoc Island in An Thoi Town, Sao Beach is 7km of white sandy heaven.
• Long beach is the epicenter of all tourists related activities on the island. You can swim, kayak, jet, ski,… if you want to relax and soak in the sun, all of the resorts found along the beach offer sun loungers or you can use one of the many found at a variety of beach front restaurants.
• Phu Quoc Island is home to the largest pepper gardens in Mekong Delta. Khu Tuong is known as the largest area of growing pepper in Phu Quoc. Khu Tuong Pepper Garden contributes greatly in Phu Quoc economy. Now, it is a famous spot for tourist to visit, take photos, and explore the local life of pepper growers. pepper is one of local specialties and unique gifts for tourists when visiting Phu Quoc.
• Night fishing: you can try your luck at catching squid at night by either joining an organized tour or by commissioning your own boat from Duong Dong town.
• Here you can enjoy many cuisines like Pho, Com Tam, Bun Bo Hue as well as seafood in night market.

Today useful note(s)

• Make sure you have plenty of water, and that you know where fresh water is available along your track

Meals: Breakfast/__/__

Overnight in Phu Quoc

Day 5: Phu Quoc - Ho Chi Minh

Have breakfast in restaurant and you will be free for your own leisure.

Phu Quoc adventure (continue)

Free-time idea(s):

• Fish sauce factories: For a completely unique experience visit one of the many fish sauce distilleries in either Duong Dong or An Thoi towns. Phu Quoc is famous for its production of very high quality fish sauce which is exported worldwide and is a major contributor to the islands economy. Most factories in Duong Dong are located along the river and they will let you have a look at the large storage barrels which flow into smaller vats and then plastic containers to the bottling process. You can however purchase some fish sauce at the airport in the departure lounge.

• Another specialty of the island is the Rose Myrtle Fruit Wine, which is actually quite drinkable compared to the other local wine that contains a wild mixture of herbs and sometimes snakes resembling the taste of kerosene. The Myrtle wine is a slightly sweet tasting wine similar to alcoholic blackcurrant juice that has a violet colour and smells of the Sim fruit or Tomentose rose myrtle fruit from which is made.
• One of Phu Quoc historical sites is still partially in use today is Coconut Tree Prison, which is located about 5kms north of An Thoi Town. The prison was built by the French colonial administration before World War II and was later used by the Americans during the Vietnam War to house tens of thousands of prisoners, in its heyday covered an area of over 40 hectares housing an estimated peak of 40,000 VC prisons during the Vietnam War.

• Sung Hung Pagoda is located in Duong Dong Town, visitors will experience the peaceful ambience under the old banyan tree at Sung Hung pagoda. Built in the early 20th century, this pagoda is surrounded by huge old trees. The main entrance conforms to a three-gate style

Today useful note(s)

• Coconut Tree Prison opens Tues - Sun 7.30am to 11am & 1.30pm to 5pm
• Wear formal cloth when visiting temple, pagoda.
• Check your luggage, visa, passport before leaving Phu Quoc

Meals: Breakfast/__/__

Goodbye and hope to see you again!

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