Overview
- Day Trips & Excursions
- Day 1: Ho Chi Minh City – Arrival
- Day 2: Ho Chi Minh City – Sightseeing tour
- Day 3: Day trip to Ben Tre in Mekong Delta
- Day 4: Ho Chi Minh City – Nam Cat Tien National Park
- Day 5: Crocodile’s Swamp – Drive to Mui Ne
- Day 6: Mui Ne Free day
- Day 7: Mui Ne Free day
- Day 8: Mui Ne - Drive to Ho Chi Minh City – Shopping Afternoon
- Day 9: Ho Chi Minh City – Departure
Customizable itinerary
Arrive to Ho Chi Minh City, get welcomed by your tour guide and driver then transferred into your hotel in the downtown.
Enjoy your time of leisure.
All meals are on your own arrangement. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City
Morning
After breakfast, meet the tour guide and driver at the hotel and head out for a discovery tour of this City.
The first stop is ‘Tao Dan Park’ where locals practice their morning exercises – Tai Chi, aerobics and badminton. Stroll around the park to a small pagoda where you are likely to see locals performing daily prayers. Buddhism in Vietnam has had a symbiotic relationship with Taoism, Chinese spirituality as well as aspects of indigenous Vietnamese religion. You will also have the unique opportunity to enjoy a café sua da “White Coffee” at the birds’ club located at the end of the park. Local people gather here with their birds to relax, talk, enjoy a morning coffee and compare their birds.
Our next stop is the Reunification Palace before visiting a twin set of neighboring landmarks: the Post Office, noting the architecture and in particular the map of Saigon that shows where this modern city has come from, followed by Cathedral of Notre Dame (“Our Lady”).
Travel down Dong Khoi Street, know for its elegant shops, the name actually means “people’s revolution”. Pass by the Opera House, popular backdrop for wedding photos, now used as a Municipal Theatre. This area is rich with history from the times of the French invasion to the filming of Phil Noyce’s “The Quiet American.”
The next stop is the monument of Thich Quang Duc, a Vietnamese Mahayana Buddhist monk who burned himself to death on June 11, 1963 to protest against the persecution of Buddhists by South Vietnam’s Ngo Dinh Diem administration.
Then take a quick stop at the colorful Ho Thi Ky flower market before riding to the Funeral Home to get to know about Vietnamese funeral ceremonies & customs.
Roll through Chinatown to Nhi Phu temple built in the end of 17th century by Chinese immigrants from Fujian Province. Although the exact construction date is unknown, an inscription on the pagoda’s ancient bell dates the pagoda to pre-1765. Nhi Phu Temple is built in a unique architectural style with an open yard in the center. Its roof is covered with tubular tiles lined with bas-relief mosaics made from broken ceramics, depicting the eight immortals of Taoism including apricot trees, orchids, bamboo and of course dragons and phoenix.
On the way stop at a Chinese Medicine shops for an explanation about “Thuoc Bac – medicine from herbs” or “Thuoc tàu – medicine from China” End the tour at the hotel at midday.
Afternoon
We enjoy lunch in a local restaurant. After lunch we continue to discover the remains of Saigon including the Jade Emperor Pagoda and Ben Thanh Market and perhaps the War Remnants Museum if you are interested in war’s figures and facts. Kindly note that our tour guide can always assist you to discover other hidden parts of the City that normal tours do not go to.
Get back to the hotel and spend the rest of the day at leisure.
Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City
Meals: Breakfast, lunch (Choice of Halal/ No Pork – No Lard Meals)
Morning
You are picked up and depart for Ben Tre province at 8:00 AM.
Upon arrival at Hùng Vương Pier (Bến Tre town) you board your private boat and cruise on Bến Tre river – one of tributaries of Mekong river. During the cruise you will witness the lively activities of fishermen along river such as fishing, placing fish traps…
You will stop at a brick workshop to see how local people produce brick manually with their stunning printing and baking skills.
As you are in the homeland of Coconut, you also visit one of plenty of coconut processing workshops located along canal. You will learn how local people make use of coconut products from the wood, the fiber, the shell, the meet and the juice to make all kind of produces for local use and exports.
The boat continue to take you into the density of natural small networks of creeks. You then jump on land, walk in the peaceful village to visit a mat weaving family where you will have a chat with them and enjoy seasonal fresh fruits.
A trip on a local made motor-cart will take you in shady pathways, passing by green rice field and vegetable plains.
Afternoon
You will stop at a riverside restaurant and enjoy our local lunch today.
After lunch you take a rowing boat ride along the water palm creek to get back to our big boat for our cruise back to Hùng Vương Pier.
We then drive back to Ho Chi Minh City. Check into your hotel then enjoy your time of leisure.
Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City
Meals: Breakfast, lunch (Choice of No Pork – No Lard Meals)
Morning
07.30 A private driver will pick you up and transfer you to Cat Tien National Park. The terrain rises up gradually via volcanic area. On arrival, we cross Dong Nai River to the park center. Check in room at the park center. Lunch break afterwards.
Afternoon
In the afternoon, your local guide will collect you and start to visit the Bear Sanctuary where they rescue and take care of hunted bears in Vietnam until their health get well enough to be released into the wild. Start walking 3km along the ecologic route: sites of Lagerstroemia Ovalfolia (Bang Lang), Tetrameles nudiflora (Tung), Cycas rumphii (Thien Tue), Ancistrolandus tectorius (Trung quan), Afzelia cyclocarpa (Go). Then trek back to the center for leisure and dinner.
Night activity: 20.00, 4WD vehicle transfer to TaLai buffer zone to look for nocturnal animals.
Overnight in Nam Cat Tien
Meals: Breakfast, lunch (Choice of No Pork – No Lard Meals)
Morning
Your tour guide and driver will pick you up again and transfer you in a 4WD vehicle to junction where we turn off the main route and trek 5 kms to Crocodile lake station. Short break at lake, do some optional activities: rowing on the lake, watching biodiversity. If you are lucky, you may see crocodiles and various birds living in the lake, then trek back to the main route. 4WD pick up, transfer back to the center.
After lunch in the park you take our 5 hour drive to Mui Ne, Phan Thiet. Arrive to Mui Ne, check into your hotel and enjoy time of leisure.
Overnight in Mui Ne
Meals: Breakfast, lunch (Choice of No Pork – No Lard Meals)
Enjoy a day of leisure in Mui Ne. In your free time, beside the beach you may want to see the fishing port, fish-sauce maker families and the famous sand dunes of Mui Ne.
Overnight in Mui Ne
Meals: Breakfast, lunch (Choice of No Pork – No Lard Meals)
Today is at your own leisure to enjoy the beach.
Overnight in Mui Ne
Meals: Breakfast, lunch (Choice of No Pork – No Lard Meals)
We enjoy the last minutes swim at the beach then take our transfer back to Ho Chi Minh city. Check into our hotel and enjoy the rest of your day at your own leisure for your shopping time.
You may want to shop in best known places like Ben Thanh Market, Saigon Square, or stroll along the Dong Khoi and Le Loi Street. If you want some up-market products, check out the Diamond Palaza.
Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City
Meals: Breakfast, lunch (Choice of No Pork – No Lard Meals)
Today your private tour guide and car will come at the informed time to transfer you back to Tan Son Nhat Airport for your flight home.
End of service.
Meals: Breakfast
Inquire this trip
Useful Information
This tour is built upon our firsthand knowledge & experience, offering you the best choices available. The price of this trip varies depending on the number of people in your party, dates of departure, and availability of ground services. Please click on REQUEST A FREE QUOTE (above) and supply the required information, enabling us to send you your personalized quote within 24 hours!
Note: Amendments CAN be made to this tour to suite your requirements.
What’s Included?
- Accommodation with daily breakfast at selected hotels
- Private Vehicles and Drivers
- Private English Speaking Guides (Other languages if available, upon request)
- Meals as mentioned in the itinerary (B= Breakfast, L= Lunch, D= Dinner)
- Entrance fees for all mentioned sights visited
- Service Charge & Government Taxes
What’s Not Included?
- Your International Flights to and from Vietnam
- Vietnam entry Visa Fees (contact us for further information)
- Personal Expenses (such as laundry, telephone, drinks, etc.)
- Any bank fees or charges at your end
- Meals other than those mentioned in the itinerary
- Personal Travel Insurance
- Tips for guides and drivers
Reviews on Our Service
We are committed to giving our customers unforgettable experiences in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and beyond, not just something staged for tourists. Read reviews written by our customers about their experiences in Indochina after they have returned home. These include the ratings and comments on attractions, guides, activities, hotels and food.
Marion
Tokyo, Japan
Mary
Wisconsin, USALam did an amazing job putting together an itinerary based on phone/text conversations. We told him the where and what and he did the rest. The accommodations were beyond expectation, the guides were unbelievably friendly, and the places we were taken were spectacular. Having guides and drivers is worth every penny. So much time and money would have been wasted had we tried to accomplish this ourselves.
We got to experience so much more because of our guides local knowledge. Lastly, how great it was not to worry about how we were getting to the next adventure. Had we not used Indochina Pioneer I truly believe I wouldn’t have as many astonishing memories.
David G
USAIf you are looking for a private tour of SE Asia, look no further than Indochina Pioneer. I recently returned from a 30-day private tour of Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand all arranged by Indochina Pioneer and could not have been happier with everything they arranged for me. They are top-notch from working directly with you on planning your trip, arranging visas, having individuals at the airports to meet and walk you through everything when entering the countries, having amazing tour guides and drivers as well as organizing everything for you on the ground and being there to help you all along the way if you have any questions or problems. My tour was amazing with not only the normal tourist sights, but many off the beaten track sights and with your own guides, you learn so much more from these individuals who actually live in the places you will visit. I can’t recommend this tour agency enough. If you are looking to travel to any of the locations Indochina Pioneer has tours, you must book through them, you will not be disappointed.
Link: https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g293924-d2211874-r751470744-Indochina_Pioneer-Hanoi.html
Lidia
SpainWe had 21 days on a private tour and every detail was perfectly arranged. Perhaps, the Spanish speaking skills of guides can ve improved, but overall they were very helpful and committed with their job. I want to highlight the performance of Juan (Hanoi), Miguel (Hoi An), Chao (Ho Chi Minh City) and La (Luang Prabang, Laos).
Hotels were as we asked and the timing for the visits was very good.
I recommend this travel agency!
Link: https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g293924-d2211874-r751425461-Indochina_Pioneer-Hanoi.html
