Day 1: Saigon arrival (-/-/D)

Saigon - Airport: 7km, ~20min drive

Upon arrival at Tan Son Nhat Airport, meet your guide and driver who then escort you to the city centre. After making sure of a successful hotel check-in, you will be free to explore the largest city in Vietnam, otherwise known as the “Pearl of the Far East”. Dinner tonight is served at a popular local restaurant.

Meals Included: Dinner
Accommodation: Hotel in Saigon

Day 2: Saigon - Cu Chi - City (B/L/-)

After breakfast, we depart for the famous Cu Chi Tunnels which were an incredible underground network constructed by Vietnamese fighters during their long struggle for independence. The tunnels contained hospitals, accommodation, schools, and were used as a military base for the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War.

In the afternoon, we have a half day to visit all famous sites of this bustling city. The first destination is the now-demolished wartime American Embassy. Following this, we head to the Reunification Palace, the former residence of the President of South Vietnam until April 30, 1975, until Viet Cong tanks came crashing through the front gates thus bringing the U.S.-Vietnam War to a dramatic end. Enjoy beautiful French colonial structures including the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Old Saigon Post Office. Notre Dame Cathedral was built between 1877 and 1883, and the stones used to create it were exported entirely from France. Apart from the religious meaning, the most captivating point of this Cathedral is its special neo-Romanesque style of architecture. Next, to the cathedral stands the Old Saigon Post Office, finished in 1891. It is another fine example of French architecture and is Vietnam's largest post office.

 After visiting the Jade Emperor Pagoda and the War Remnant Museum, we continue our trip to the bustling Ben Thanh Market. There are a number of vendors and food stalls in the market food section that offers you many delicious cuisines! You also can find many goods for daily use as well as a variety of eye-catching local handicrafts and souvenirs.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Hotel in Saigon

Day 3: Saigon - Ben Tre - Can Tho (B/L/-)

Saigon - Ben Tre: 107 km, ~2h drive

After breakfast at the hotel, we leave the bustling city of Saigon behind us and depart for the Mekong Delta known to locals as ‘Vietnam’s biggest rice basket’. Upon arrival at Hung Vuong pier in Ben Tre, we embark a boat to cruise along Ben Tre River, a tribute to the Mekong. We stop at the brickfield to see how bricks are made by hand and a coconut candy home factory located along the canal where we witness how to make these local delicacies. You will then have the opportunity to taste bee honey tea at a local honey farm and a variety of tropical fruit that grow abundantly in the orchards of the Mekong Delta. You can then walk or cycle through the coconut groves and green rice paddies to soak up and relax in the tranquil countryside atmosphere.

After lunch at a local restaurant, we will take a trip on small rowing boats through a maze of waterways lined by two rows of palm trees. We cruise back to the pier and disembark for a drive to Can Tho where we will spend the night.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Hotel in Can Tho

Day 4: Can Tho - Cai Rang - Chau Doc (B/L/-)

Can Tho - Chau Doc: 122km, ~3h10min drive 

Rising early to the sounds of the Delta coming to life for another day, we have breakfast and start our trip with a boat cruise along the sparkling streams that make up the endless waterways of Mighty Mekong River. Our destination is the Cai Rang floating market, the biggest and most famous floating market in the Mekong Delta. Here, hundreds of boats are packed with mango, bananas, papaya and pineapple… for selling, buying and exchanging. We then disembark to visit the beautiful old Binh Thuy house. In the afternoon, we will travel along the colourful road to the bustling river town of Chau Doc where we will take a short trip to the Sam Mountain. Here you will spend your last night in Vietnam.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Hotel in Chau Doc

Day 5: Chau Doc - Speedboat to Phnom Penh (B/L/-)

Chau Doc - Phnom Penh: 116km, 5h by speedboat 

This morning we will take a boat ride from Chau Doc to Phnom Penh departing at 8 am. The boat takes us along the Mekong River. It continues on to the Vietnamese (Vinh Xuong) - Cambodian border (Kaom Samnar) and then to Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. The journey takes approximately 5 hours. After our arrival in Phnom Penh, our guide and driver will meet and escort you to the hotel for check-in. A visit to Phnom Penh is a very interesting experience indeed as it is a city which delivers an authentic feel of South-East Asia.  We will visit the Wats Phnom, National museum, Silver Pagoda and Royal Palace.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Hotel in Phnom Penh

Day 6: Phnom Penh - Speedboat to Siem Riep (B/L/-)

Phnom Penh - Siem Riep: 320km, ~6h by speedboat 

After breakfast, we take an exciting speedboat ride to Siem Reap (around 5 hours). On the way, we can see the scenic scenery of the Cambodian rural lifestyle along the riverbank. (From April to July, the Mekong water is very low so the speed boat will be replaced by a short flight).

After our arrival in Siem Reap, you will be picked up and transferred to the hotel. Then we will visit the Roluos Group. The monuments of Roluos served as the capital of Indravarman I (reigned 877-89), and are the earliest permanent temples built by the Khmers and mark the beginning of Khmer classical art. Preah Ko, erected by Indravarman I in the late 9th century was dedicated by the King to his ancestors in 880. Bakong, the largest and most interesting of the Roluos group temples has an active Buddhist monastery just to the north-east entrance. Lolei, built on an islet in the centre of a large reservoir (now rice fields) by Yasovarman I, was the founder of the first city of Angkor.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Hotel in Siem Riep

Day 7: Siem Riep - Angkor Highlighted Temples (B/L/-)

After breakfast, we visit the most famous of all the temples on the plain of Angkor: Angkor Wat. The temple complex covers 81 hectares and is comparable in size to the Imperial Palace in Beijing. Its distinctive five towers are emblazoned on the Cambodian flag and the 12th-century masterpiece is considered by art historians to be the prime example of classical Khmer art and architecture. Angkor Watt’s five towers symbolise five peaks and the enclosed wall represents the mountains at the edge of the world and the surrounding moat represents the ocean beyond.

After lunch at a local restaurant, we visit the South Gate, the ancient capital of Angkor Thom (12th century), Bayon Temple (unique for its 54 towers decorated with over 200 smiling faces of Avolokitesvara), the Royal Enclosure, Phimeanakas, the Elephants Terrace and the Terrace of the Leper King. You will have a chance to enjoy Sunset at Angkor Wat which we can say is spectacular.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Hotel in Siem Riep

Day 8: Siem Riep - Angkor Highlighted Temples (B/L/-)

After breakfast, we visit Banteay Srei temple (10th century), regarded as the jewel in the crown of Classical Khmer Art. We continue to Ta Prohm, one of the area’s most beautiful temples. Ta Prohm has been relatively untouched since it was discovered and retains much of its mystery.

After lunch, we continue our temple visits to Preah Khan. Built by the King Jayavarman VII, Preah Khan is, like Ta Prohm, a place of towered enclosures and shoulder hugging corridors. Unlike Ta Prohm, however, the temple of Prea Khan is in a reasonable state of preservation and ongoing restoration efforts should maintain and even improve this situation. Neak Pean, a fountain built in the middle of a pool (representing the paradisiacal Himalayan mountain-lake), Ta Som and Banteay Samre, built in the third quarter of the 12th century. It consists of a central temple with four wings preceded by a hall and accompanied by two libraries, the southern example remarkably well preserved. Two concentric walls enclose the ensemble.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Hotel in Siem Riep

Day 9: Siem Riep - Poipet - Bangkok (B/L/-)

Siem Riep - Poipet: 152km, 2h30min drive; Poipet – Bangkok: 258km, 3h50min drive 

After breakfast, we will be picked up at the hotel in Siem Riep and taken to the Cambodian border by a private transfer. After 2h30min drive, we will arrive in the small town of Poi Pet where we will collect the necessary stamps and make our way on foot across the border where you’ll find your Thai driver and guide waiting to take you to Bangkok. During the 3h50min drive, we’ll pass through the beautiful green countryside and small villages, arriving in Bangkok at the end of the afternoon.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Hotel in Bangkok

Day 10: Bangkok City (B/L/-)

After breakfast at the hotel, we will enjoy a city tour that takes you through some of the most interesting parts of Bangkok, including stops at Wat Pho (the Temple of the Reclining Buddha), and  Wat Trimit (the Temple of the Golden Buddha), the home of a 5.5 tonne Buddha image. We will also visit the Grand Palace, Coronation Hall and the holiest of all Thai Temples “The Emerald Buddha Temple” (Wat Phra Kaew) where the replica of Angkor Wat and the late Ayutthaya-style murals on the surrounding walls illustrate scenes from the Ramayana. The late afternoon will be free for some shopping!

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Hotel in Bangkok

Day 11: Bangkok - Departure (B/-/-)

After breakfast, time is free until our driver meets and transfers you to the airport for your flight to the next destination. We wish you a nice trip back home and thanks you for choosing Tonkin Voyage Travel!

Meals Included: Breakfast