Southern Vietnam Discovery Package Tour: 7 Days

Welcome to Southern Vietnam! Upon arrival at Tan Son Nhat International Airport, you will meet our local guide and driver for transferring to your hotel in central Ho Chi Minh City. Hotel check-in is normally available from 2:00 PM. And the remaining time is free for you to rest after your flight or take a short walk around the nearby streets.

In the late afternoon, you will begin exploring of Saigon with a traditional water puppet performance. Originating in the villages of northern Vietnam, this distinctive art form uses colorful wooden puppets, live music, singing. And water-based choreography to portray rural life, legends, festivals, and historical stories.

After the performance, you will transfer to the Saigon River pier and board an evening cruise. Then, you will enjoy dinner while admiring the illuminated skyline, riverside landmarks, and lively nighttime atmosphere of Ho Chi Minh City.

After the cruise, return to your hotel at approximately 10:00 PM.

Meals: Dinner

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

After having breakfast at the hotel, you will meet our guide at approximately 8:30 AM and begin a full-day discovery of Ho Chi Minh City.

Your first stop is the Reunification Palace, the former presidential residence and one of the most significant landmarks associated with the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. Then, you will continue to visit the War Remnants Museum, where photographs, military equipment, documents, and personal accounts provide a powerful perspective on the consequences of war.

Next, you will admire two outstanding examples of French colonial architecture: Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon and the historic Central Post Office. While access to the cathedral may be limited during restoration work or religious services. But its distinctive red-brick exterior remains one of the city’s most recognizable sights.

Following lunch at a local restaurant, travel to Cholon, Ho Chi Minh City’s historic Chinatown. Next, you will explore Binh Tay Market, known for its lively wholesale atmosphere and extensive selection of household goods. Such as dried foods, herbs, and local products.

Then, you will visit Thien Hau Pagoda, an atmospheric Chinese temple dedicated to the sea goddess Mazu. Its elaborate ceramic roof decorations, incense coils, and traditional courtyard offer an insight into the spiritual life of Saigon’s Chinese-Vietnamese community.

Conclude the day at Ben Thanh Market, where you can browse handicrafts, textiles, coffee, spices, and souvenirs before returning to the hotel.

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

After your breakfast at hotel, you will depart Ho Chi Minh City at approximately 8:00 AM and travel through the countryside to My Tho, the gateway to the Mekong Delta.

Firstly, you will visit Vinh Trang Pagoda, a peaceful Buddhist complex distinguished by its harmonious blend of Vietnamese, Khmer, Chinese, and European architectural elements. Continue to the pier and board a motorboat for a cruise along the Mekong River.

Traveling past fishing boats, riverside houses, orchards, and several fertile islands. Disembark to explore a local village. Where you can taste seasonal tropical fruits and listen to đờn ca tài tử, a traditional form of southern Vietnamese folk music.

Then, you will visit a bee farm to sample honey tea and learn about local beekeeping. Continue to a coconut workshop to see how coconut candy and other handmade products are prepared.

One of the day’s most memorable experiences is a sampan ride through narrow canals shaded by nipa palms. The peaceful waterways offer a closer look at the Delta’s rural landscape and water-based lifestyle.

Next, you will enjoy lunch at a garden restaurant featuring Mekong specialties. Depending on local arrangements and weather conditions, you may also take a short bicycle or motorized cart ride along village paths.

Later, you continue traveling by road to Can Tho, the largest city in the Mekong Delta. After checking in, your evening is free to explore Ninh Kieu Wharf, sample local street food, or relax beside the Hau River.

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Overnight in Can Tho.

You will enjoy an early breakfast before transferring to Ninh Kieu Wharf. At approximately 6:45 AM, you will board a private boat for Cai Rang Floating Market, one of the Mekong Delta’s most famous river markets.

Here, you can watch traders exchange pineapples, watermelons, vegetables, and other agricultural products directly between boats. Many vendors display their goods on tall bamboo poles so buyers can easily identify what is available. Although the market has become smaller as road transport has developed, it remains an engaging reflection of the Delta’s commercial heritage.

Next, you will continue traveling along the waterways to observe riverside houses, gardens, boats, and everyday local activities. Depending on operating conditions, visit a family workshop to learn how rice noodles are made.

Then, you will return to the mainland and visit Binh Thuy Ancient House. Built in a distinctive combination of French and southern Vietnamese styles. The residence preserves antique furniture, decorative objects, and architectural features associated with a prosperous Mekong family.

After having lunch, you will travel toward An Giang Province and visit Tra Su Cajuput Forest. Boarding a motorboat and, when local water conditions permit, transfer to a small rowing boat to travel beneath cajuput trees. As well as acrossing green waterways covered with floating plants. The protected wetland provides a habitat for numerous waterbirds, fish, reptiles, and native plant species.

You will continue traveling to Chau Doc and check in at your hotel. The evening is free to enjoy the town’s relaxed riverside atmosphere.

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Overnight in Chau Doc.

After having breakfast at hotel, you will take a boat trip along the waterways of Chau Doc to observe floating fish-farming communities. Besides, you also learn how local families raise fish beneath their floating houses, an established livelihood in this border region.

Then, you continue traveling to a Cham village, where members of the Cham Muslim community preserve traditional customs and weaving techniques. Visiting a local weaving workshop and observe artisans producing colorful fabrics on wooden looms. You will also visit a nearby mosque and learn about the religious and cultural identity of the Cham people.

Depending on local conditions and timing, the morning program may include some of Chau Doc’s spiritual landmarks. Such as Ba Chua Xu Temple, Thoai Ngoc Hau Tomb, or the foothills of Sam Mountain.

Next, you will leave Chau Doc and travel to Sa Dec, a charming riverside town known for its flower gardens, colonial buildings, and literary connections. Here, you will visit Huynh Thuy Le Ancient House, associated with the celebrated French author Marguerite Duras and the inspiration for her novel The Lover.

You will enjoy lunch in Sa Dec before continuing to Ho Chi Minh City. Arrival is expected in the late afternoon, at approximately 5:00–6:00 PM.

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

You will have breakfast at hotel, then departing at approximately 7:30 AM for a full-day historical and spiritual journey outside Ho Chi Minh City.

Traveling to the Cu Chi Tunnels, an extraordinary underground network used by Vietnamese resistance forces during wartime. Here, you can learn how the tunnels contained meeting rooms, kitchens, medical areas, storage facilities, shelters, and defensive positions.

Then, our guide will explain the construction of the network and the challenging conditions experienced underground. Visitors who feel comfortable may enter a widened section of tunnel prepared for travelers. Those who prefer not to crawl can explore the surface exhibits and reconstructed facilities.

Next, you continue traveling to Tay Ninh, the birthplace and administrative center of the Cao Dai religion. Visiting the impressive Cao Dai Holy See, recognized for its brightly colored columns, dragon motifs, symbolic Divine Eye, and fusion of architectural influences.

Moreover, you have a chance to observe the midday prayer ceremony from the designated visitor area.  And you also learn how Caodaism incorporates elements of Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Christianity, and other philosophical traditions.

You will enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before returning to Ho Chi Minh City in the late afternoon. The evening is free for shopping, dining, or enjoying a rooftop view of Saigon.

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

Enjoying your final breakfast at the hotel. Depending on your flight schedule, spend the morning relaxing or shopping for Vietnamese coffee, handicrafts, textiles, and souvenirs.

Hotel check-out is normally required by 12:00 noon. At the appointed time, our private driver will meet you in the hotel lobby and transfer you to Tan Son Nhat International Airport for your departure flight.

Your Southern Vietnam Discovery Package Tour: 7 Days concludes with memorable experiences of Saigon’s energy, the Mekong Delta’s waterways, southern Vietnam’s wartime history, and its diverse cultural communities.

Meals: Breakfast