SGN04: Hồ Chí Minh City and Surrounds(6D5N)

Upon arrival Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport, you will be greeted by your local guide and accompanied to the hotel for check in. After you have had time to rest and freshen up we will head off to start exploring the city.

Leaving your hotel about 04:30p.m., and we’ll drive among the busy traffic to a traditional theater to enjoy a 50-minute Water Puppet Show, a great way to discover the history and traditional culture of Việt Nam.

After that, we’ll have a one-hour Xích Lô tour around the city center; Xích Lô (cyclo!) was one of the most popular taxi services in the early 20th century, and is still the best way to experience Hồ Chí Minh’s insane traffic and wonderful city scenes.

We’ll arrive at the city harbor, board the boat and start cruising between 1,5 – 2 hours along the Sài Gòn River. Enjoy your wonderful dinner while having some live performances, and watching the beautiful lights of the city by night.

Disembark by 9 p.m. and transfer back to your hotel.

Overnight in Hồ Chí Minh City.

Breakfast is served at your hotel. Your guide will pick you up at hotel and spend your delightful day to discover city highlights. Your visits will include, in no specific order:

Independence Palace (*) was rebuilt after an unsuccessful coup by bombing in 1962 that destroyed almost the entire old building, which had been built by the French colonial government in 1871. During the Việt Nam War (1955 – 1975), this was also well known as The Presidential Palace, the most powerful symbol of South Việt Nam until April 30, 1975.

War Remnants Museum (*), a must-see attraction for most visitors, was founded on September 4, 1975. It was first named “Exhibition House for U.S. and Puppet Crimes”. In 1990, the name was changed to “Exhibition House for Crimes of War and Aggression”. In 1995, a week before an announcement by the U.S. President, Bill Clinton, for the normalization of diplomatic relations, the name was changed to War Remnants Museum, as we all know it now.

Central Post Office, built between 1886 and 1891, is one of the best examples of classical French colonial architecture mixing with Eastern decoration style. There are two painted maps that were created just after the Post Office was built; one map is titled “Telegraphic lines of Southern Việt Nam and Cambodia 1892”, and the other is titled “Sài Gòn and its surroundings 1892”.

Notre Dame Cathedral of Sài Gòn, constructed between 1863 and 1880, has two bell towers, reaching a height of 58 meters (190 feet). Most of the original building materials were imported from France. After nearly 140 years in use, the building has been in renovations since July 2017, which will continue until the end of 2023. During this time, we are not able to go inside, but a beautiful view from outside is also worth paying a visit.

Jade Emperor Pagoda, built in 1909 in honor of the supreme Taoist God, is one of the most spectacularly atmospheric temples in Sài Gòn. There are many ancient works of art for worship, such as paintings, statues, panels, exquisite carvings… made from wood, pottery and pasteboard.

Lunch is served at a local restaurant before your afternoon in Chợ Lớn – well known as China Town.

Giác Lâm Pagoda, built in 1744, is one of the oldest pagodas in the city. It still preserves many old Buddha statues dating back to the 18th century. It’s also a fantastically atmospheric place set in peaceful, garden-like grounds.

Thiên Hậu Temple, built in 1760, is a Buddhist temple dedicated to the Chinese sea goddess, Mazu. Mazuism is an incorporation of different aspects and traditions which merged to form a new belief. The exterior is beautifully designed with the traditional curvy roof on which small porcelain figures are standing symbols for themes from Chinese religion and legends.

Bình Tây Market was built from 1863 – 1927 by a Chinese businessman named Gouyan (Quách Đàm). Unlike Bến Thành Market in District 1, this market mainly serves the local population with its extensive range of fresh fruits, vegetables, poultry, meat, and seafood from regions across Việt Nam.

After that, we complete the tour excursion by taking you back to your hotel. Your evening is free at leisure.

Overnight in Hồ Chí Minh City.

Breakfast is served at your hotel. Your guide will pick you up at hotel, and drive 1,5 hours to Củ Chi Tunnels. We will stop along the way for refreshments and toilet.

Upon arrival, you’ll watch a brief of propaganda video, which explains how the tunnels were used to successfully defeat American military forces in combat. The tour continues and the guide explains some traps that were placed in the jungles of Việt Nam to either maim American soldiers or create panic amongst the ranks. From here, you can enter one of the tunnel entrances and crawl through the tunnels, a real experience to imagine how people could live there for an extended period!

You can also visit the Bến-Dược temple, the biggest monument in Việt Nam. This temple was built in memory of more than 44,000 soldiers who died in the Củ Chi district during the Việt Nam War.

There is a shooting range where you can try to fire an automatic or semi-automatic weapon for a fee (this fee is not included). Take some rest at the end for a taste of Củ Chi boiled tapioca and thinking what humans are capable of when having to defend their home.

We have lunch at a local restaurant before driving back to Hồ Chí Minh City, and complete today tour by taking you back to your hotel.

Overnight in Hồ Chí Minh City.

Breakfast is served at your hotel. Your guide will pick you up at hotel, and drive 1,5 hours to Cần Giờ District. We will stop along the way for refreshments and toilet.

Upon arrival, we board a canoe and cruise along a vast network of canals and channels to enjoy wonderful views of the Mangrove Forest.

Arrive at the Giant Bat Lagoon and explore gently by rowboat, before trekking through the mangrove jungle. Visit a crocodile reserve (and feed them if you wish!) and see monkeys in their natural habitat, as well as crab fishing and bird-watching for exotic local and migratory species. You can also enjoy another mangrove jungle walk. Climb the Tang Bồng tower to enjoy your panoramic view of the green forest.

Lunch will be served at a local restaurant with a Vietnamese 5-course set menu. Please request in advance if you have a food allergy or if you are a vegetarian.

We drive back to Hồ Chí Minh city afterwards, and complete the tour by dropping you back to your hotel.

Overnight in Hồ Chí Minh City.

Breakfast is served at your hotel. Your guide will pick you up at hotel, and drive 2,5 hours to Cái Bè Village. We will stop along the way for refreshments and toilet.

Upon arrival, we will visit a flea market before cruising along a vast network of canals and channels to enjoy wonderful views of the Mekong River. Stop by a house-boat at the floating market to have fresh fruits, and see how locals do their business on the water.

In your visits to some local cottage industries you can see a coconut candy workshop, try some snake wine, and learn how to make pop-rice, or witness the process of making rice paper.

Cross to the other side of the Mekong River to a famous island named Tân Phong. Here Visit a local family’s home, where we are welcomed by local musicians who will play and sing for us as we enjoy tea and fruits while chatting with other guests. Enjoy what local people offer by hand-rowing a sampan along the shady, breezy canal.

Lunch will be served at a local house. Your host will show you a cooking demonstration, and you can challenge yourself by cooking a traditional Vietnamese dish — and then enjoy your wonderful lunch afterwards.

After that, we can choose to take a rest at the house or take a cycling tour about 30 minutes around the village; this will give you a fantastic way to experience local life. Get back to the house, say goodbye to your hosts, and drive back to Hồ Chí Minh City and complete the tour excursion by taking you back hotel. Your evening is free at leisure.

Overnight in Hồ Chí Minh City.

Breakfast is served at your hotel. Your driver will pick you up and transfer to Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport for talking flight out. End of services.

HAVE A GREAT TRIP!