In Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) you take a comprehensive tour of this vibrant, bustling city. You must take the traditional Vietanmese noodles PHO, and will also have time for shopping. Next we spend a day exploring the Cu Chi Tunnel network used by the Viet Cong during the war.
At the end of the tour, you visit the Mekong Delta region where we take a boat ride along tree-shaded canals, past houses on stilts and fruit orchards. We will have lunch in the middle of an orchard, and visit a local family to experience their agricultural lifestyle. After an overnight stay in Can Tho City, you'll take a boat to the Cai Rang floating market, and see the snake market of Vinh Long.
Ending of your unforgetable Mekong Delta exploration with return to Ho Chi Minh City and prepare for your departure transfer.

• Brief Itinerary:

Day 1: Arrive in Ho Chi Minh city

Day2: Cu Chi Tunnel, city tour

Day 3: Ho Chi Minh city – Ben Tre – Can Tho

Day 4: Phong Dien Floating Market & Soc Trang, Ho Chi Minh City  

• Trip Grade:

Easy - Suitable for travellers with an average level of fitness and mobility.  

• Weather:

Undoubtedly, weather is one of the determining factors for your traveling decisions. If you are heading to Vietnam, then, take it easy to make up your mind. Vietnam’s climate is not just steamy hot as what you are frequently exposed to on movies. All year round here, there is always a perfect place where it is pleasant to stay. Basically, the whole country falls into the tropic and subtropics but its stretching length and diverse topography allow it to span several different climate zones. The weather thus, tends to vary considerably from season to season and also from region to region.

Southern Part
The South of Vietnam, merely 8 degrees north of the Equator, is typical of humid tropical climate which is excellent for growing rice. The region’s temperatures experience little variations in a year (around 27-32°C/80-90°F). There are two main seasons: the rainy and the dry. During the rainy/monsoon season (from May to November), downpours are expected to happen nearly every afternoon, resulting in occasional street flooding in and around Saigon. In the dry season, it is hot from late February to April then slightly cooler when first downpours come. Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) enjoys rather equitable tropical climate with high humidity all year round. December to March is said to be the most pleasant time to hit this region’s center.

Northern Part
The North of Vietnam is generally cooler than other South East Asian regions in the same longitude. It experiences two main distinct seasons. In winter months, the weather gets colder and colder fromNovember to March and considerably warmer in April (a leap into summer). This is also time to observe much cloud and frequent drizzle. The average winter temperature is 17.2°C (62.9°F). Particularly, the mountainous areas (Northwest) are often much colder, temperature may keep below 10°C (50°F) for long period. Ice and snow even cover Hoang Lien Son Mountains and nearby Sapa town for some times with the lowest record of -3°C (26.6°F) in Feb 2008.
In the summer (from May to October), the whole region is quite hot. Temperature may rise to 37°C (98.6 °F) in the peaks of June and July. Hanoi and coastal provinces around the Red River Delta generally enjoy equitable weather with high average humidity (80%) all year round though they may occasionally be subjected to typhoons and heavy rain in late summers (September to November). Vietnamese people even identify four seasons in the Northern provinces (from Hai Van Pass toward the north) with their distinct features: pleasant spring (typically March-April) and autumn (October-December), a chilly winter (December- February) and a hot summer (June – July).

Central Part
The Central Vietnam with two sub-regions, coastal lowlands and central highlands, can be seen as an in-between climatic area of the North and the South. The coastal strip is usually dry and hotter than the rest in the summer, as the Truong Son Mountains do not allow it to enjoy most rainfall of south-western monsoon (from April to October). Unprotected coasts in their turn, however, make it wet and colder than the rest in winter-monsoon season (from November to March). Also, storms and typhoons strike this area more frequently than the northern coasts in summer months (from July to November). The Central Highlands in particular enjoys nearly double the average rainfall of the country. Two biggest towns in this plateau, Dalat and Pleiku, are ideally cool throughout the year. Near-the-south coastal cities, Quy Nhon, Nha Trang and Phan Thiet, on the contrary, experiences steamy hot weather (21°C-32°C / 70°F-90°F) all year round.

Note: In all, Vietnam climate is so diverse that there is almost no definition of an average temperature for the whole country. Thanks to these regional variations in weather, generally, you can drop in Vietnam at any time of year. Commonly, based on the duration of your stay, you should plan to catch the good weather and places by either dropping in Saigon in February or March then following the coast to north or hitting Hanoi in October-November then tracing southward.  

Day 1: Arrive in Ho Chi Minh city
Your tour guide will meet you at the Tan Son Nhat Airport and escort you to your hotel in downtown Ho Chi Minh city. The rest of the day is at leisure

Ho Chi Minh City was a small fishing village likely known as Prey Nokor, "Forest City". The area that the city now occupies was originally swampland, and was inhabited by Khmer people for centuries before the arrival of the Vietnamese. In Khmer folklore southern Vietnam was given to the Vietnamese government as a dowry for the marriage of a Vietnamese princess to a Khmer prince in order to stop constant invasions and pillaging of Khmer villages. Currently Ho Chi Minch City is the commercial City of Vietnam.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh city

Day 2: Cu Chi Tunnel, city tour
After breakfast, you will travel out of the city to the Cu Chi Tunnels. This vast network of tunnels, stretching over 150 kilometres, was built by the Vietcongs in the battles for the south. The tunnels are a sobering insight into the dedication of the Viet Cong who lived almost entirely underground in the narrow and claustrophobic tunnels. Upon arrival, we have a chance to watch a brief video that will introduce you to the Cu Chi tunnels, followed by a walk through the reserve. Nearby is a chilling demonstration of the traps and weapons used against the American GIs. The Cu Chi tunnels have been made wider and cleaner for western visitors, however they can still be dark and claustrophobic inside so please keep in mind if you do not like enclosed spaces. Return to Ho Chi Minh city. Lunch will be served in a local restaurant on the way. Starting the afternoon tour, you will visit Ho Chi Minh’s historical landmarks including the 1880’s General Post Office and the former Presidential Palace which was once headquarters for the Saigon Government during the “American War”. Next we visit the late 19th century Notre Dame Cathedral and pass by Opera House located in a peaceful part of the city, and the War Remnants Museum which displays relics from the American War. You have lunch at a local noodle soup restaurant called Presidential Pho 2000, named due to a surprise visit by the former US president Bill Clinton during his visit that year. Return to hotel. The rest of the day is free at leisure.
Overnight in Ho Chi Minh city Meal: Breakfast and Lunch

Day 3: Ho Chi Minh city – Ben Tre – Can Tho
This morning begins with a tour to the heart of the Mekong Delta. Duration: 1 hour and 30 minutes. You arrive at Ben Tre town where we will embark on a boat trip around the Ben Tre River exploring the coconut villages and viewing various local industries along the way. We will stop to see how bricks & sleeping mats are made, as well as a coconut workshop. Next we take a motor cart passing rice and vegetable fields. This is considered as the highlight of the day.

Return to the docks and are driven to a local restaurant for lunch.
After lunch you continue to drive through the fields and towns of the Mekong to Can Tho City, known as the capital city of the Mekong Delta (Duration: 3 hours). We arrive at our Hotel for check in. Here you spend the evening at your leisure. Maybe you can explore the town by foot or pedicab, or find a quiet place for dinner and a cocktail beside the river.

Overnight in Can Tho
Meal: Breakfast and Lunch

Day 4: Phong Dien Floating Market & Soc Trang, Ho Chi Minh city
After breakfast at the hotel, you enjoy to take a boat trip to the Phong Dien floating markets. Later you can wander into the villages to visit the rice paper mill and the rice noodle making factory. You can learn how to cross the "Monkey Bridge'' which is made from a single bamboo! We will also have the chance to take a bike ride (optional) through the villages to enjoy the beautiful rural scenery.
Leaving the Phong Dien Floating Market and soaking up the scenery that stretches out on all sides and continue with driving along the creeks and canals to Soc Trang where will pay a visit the famous Khmer, Clay and Bat Pagodas. After lunch at a local restaurant in Soc Trang we drive back Ho Chi Minh city. Upon arriving the town center of Ho Chi Minh City, depending on your departure flight, you may go ahaed to Tan Son Nhat airport or spending some time in the local market.  

Meal: Breakfast and Lunch included
End of Services!

This tour is private and can be tailor-made to suit your travel needs. As a result the price is quoted in US dollars and shown on a per-person basis. The 'Price From' quoted above is for parties of 2, 4 and 6 people and for accommodation in 3 star hotels. The final price will be privately quoted, based on the number in your party, your preferred time of travel, grade of hotel and any additional services requested. Please click on the BOOK NOW button and fill in the booking form, after which one of our travel consultants will customize the best value holiday for you.
 

• REMARKS:

You are aware that a good tour must have good hotels. In Indochina particularly, hotel price makes up most of the cost of your Vietnam Holiday, Cambodia Holiday, Laos Holiday, Myanmar Holiday or Thailand Holiday. All of our prices are calculated on a twin-shared basis. As a guide, Travel Loops defines hotel grades as follows:

>>Superior Level (3 star hotels in good locations): > 40 USD/room/night
>>Deluxe Level (4 star hotels): > 80 USD/room/night
>>Luxury Level (5 star hotels): > 180 USD/room/night

Price based on twin shared accommodation.
Tour price is indicative only, please enquire for a detailed quotation.
More people means more discount. Please enquire for more details

If, after reviewing the details of this tour, you would like to receive a "Special Offer" tour price, just click on the "INQUIRY" button below. If you wish to “Tailor Make" your trip, simply click on the "CUSTOMIZE TRIP" and enter your contact details.

COST INCLUDED:

• Experienced English speaking guide
• Private transportation by air-conditioned vehicle
• Accommodation in double/twin sharing rooms with daily breakfast
• Meals as mentioned in the itinerary
• Bottled drinking water for sightseeing
• All sightseeing entrance fee where required in the itinerary.

COST EXCLUDED:

• International/domestic airfares & tax
• Visa fees.
• Travel Insurance. (We highly recommend purchasing travel insurance from home)
• Personal expenditure (telephone, laundry, shopping and so on…)
• Tips for guide, driver, porters and project cost
• Beverage and alcoholic drinks
• Any other services not clearly mentioned on itinerary and trip inclusive portion.

The hotels listed below are just our suggestions offering the best value for this trip according to the hotel category chosen, but Travel Loops also offers more options to cater for different grades, personal taste, and budget. Please let us know if you have any specific choice of hotels, or personal preferences/requirements.

Note: Our choices for each level of accommodation have been highlighted in orange. As mentioned above our selection criteria are based on: prior client reviews, hotel management and staff training, facilities maintenance, location, business relationship and advantages given exclusively to our clients on price and service.