Amazing Mekong waterways in 10 Days

DETAILED INTINERARY

Day 1: Arrival Saigon (D)
You will be welcomed at HCMC Airport and then embark on a city tour of the former Saigon, including The Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral and the Old Post Office, the War Remnants Museum, Giac Lam Pagoda, China town (with ancient pagodas and temples), and bustling Binh Tay Market. You will stay overnight in HCMC. 

Day 2: Tay Ninh Cao Dai Temple & Cu Chi tunnels (B/L)
This morning you will drive to the Cao Dai Temples in Tay Ninh to observe the midday service. Following lunch you will drive to the Cu Chi Tunnels and then return to HCMC at around 6 p.m. 

Tay Ninh,  near the Cambodian border, is home to the unique Cao Dai sect, whose patron saints include Joan of Arc, Victor Hugo and Winston Churchill to name a few. The religion is a hybrid of Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism and Christianity. The Cao Dai Temple at Tay Ninh has been described as the Walt Disney of the East. The temple's exterior is decorated with multi-colored dragons of all shapes and sizes competing for space with a number of religious symbols. Above the main entrance is the all-seeing holy eye, the symbol of the Cao Dai sect. The interior is just as engaging, as statues of Jesus Christ, Buddha and the Hindu god, Brahma, stand side by side. 

The trip to Tay Ninh is combined with a visit to the Cu Chi Tunnels. At its height, the tunnel system stretched over 250km. from Saigon to the Cambodian border and was three levels deep. The network included innumerable trap doors, specially constructed living areas, storage facilities, weapons factories, field hospitals, command centers and kitchens. Today the remaining tunnels have become a major tourist attraction giving the visitor a unique experience and a feel of what underground life was like during the U.S.-Vietnam War. You will stay overnight in HCMC. 

Day 3: Saigon - Vinh Long - Can Tho (B/L)
You will meet your guide at the lobby of your hotel in Saigon and drive through the Mekong Delta to the town of Vinh Long for a cruise and a visit to the local markets and orchard gardens. From here you will go back to Vinh Long and board your vehicle for the drive to the heart of Mekong Delta. You will stay overnight in Can Tho.

Day 4: Can Tho (B/L)
After breakfast, you will enjoy a cruise on  Lady Hau and visit the Cai Rangfloating market. Here, each boat usually sells one particular itemssuch as pumpkins, pineapples, sugar cane etc. In order that the customer knows where to shop, they hang that item from the highest part of the boat. The afternoon is free and you will again stay overnight in Can Tho.

Day 5: Can Tho- Chau Doc (B/L)
You will drive from Can Tho to Chau Doc through the amazing Mekong Delta with occasional stops during the journey. You will get to Chau Doc (near the Cambodian border) at around noon. In the afternoon, you will visit a bonsai garden and head up Sam Mountain for a great sunset and a bird'seye view over the paddy fields towards Cambodia. You will stay overnight in Chau Doc.

Day 6: Chau Doc- Phnom Penh (B/L)
You will take an early speedboat trip up the Mekong River to get to the capital of Cambodia, Phnom Penh. Upon arrival at Phnom Penh, you will be greeted at the harbour and transferred to your hotel. You will have free time before an overnight stay in Phnom Penh.

Day 7: Phnom Penh (B/L)
The capital city of Phnom Penh was once considered the loveliest city in Indochina. Despite its recent turbulent history, it still maintains considerable charm. A city tour acquaints you with some major sights, including the private quarters of the Royal Palace, which are now home to the royal family. In the northern area of the palace grounds is the Silver Pagoda, the most sacred shrine in the country. You will visit the legendary temple of Wat Phnom, which provides an interesting view over the environs. The next stop of your trip is the National Museum, dedicated to Khmer art and sculpture. The majority of the exhibits are from the Angkor period from 9th to 15th centuries, but some date from as early as the 4th century.

You will visit the notorious Toul Sleng Museum. In 1975 Toul Svay Prey High School was taken over by Pol Pot's security forces and turned into a prison known as Security Prison 21 (S-21). It soon became the largest such center of detention and torture in the country. The rest of day, you will go on a shopping excursion at the Central Market and Toul Tompong Market where you will feel the bustling daily life of the local people. You will stay overnight in Phnom Penh.

Day 8: Phnom Penh - Siem Reap & Angkor Wat (B/L)
In the morning you will take a flight from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap. Upon arrival at the airport you will be met and continue to the South Gate of Angkor Thom, Bayon temple (a unique for its 54 towers decorated with over 200 smiling faces of Avolokitesvara), Baphoun, the Terrace of the Leper King and more. You will visit Angkor Wat which features the longest continuous bas-relief in the world, which runs along the outer gallery walls and narrates stories from Hindu mythology. After that, you will visit Bakheng Temple and enjoy a romantic sunset view form Bakheng Hill before an overnight stay in Siem Reap.

Day 9: Angkor Wat (B/D)
You will embark on an elephant ride from the South Gate of Angkor Thom intothe jungle. You will visit Bayon temple and continue to visit Banteay Srei temple, nearly everyone's favorite site. The special charm of this temple lies in its compact size, remarkable state of preservation, and the excellence of it decorative carvings. You will also visit Banteay Samre. You will continue to visit fabulous Ta Prohm, embraced by the roots of enormous fig trees and gigantic creepers. Then it's off to Pre Rup, East Mebon, Krovan, Srah Srang, Banteay Kdei and Ta Keo. You will have dinner and enjoy watching a Khmer folk dance show at a local restaurant. You will stay o vernight in Siem Reap.

Day 10: Tonle Sap Lake - Departure (B)
Following breakfast you will board a boat on Tonle Sap Lake. Here, you'll enjoy a brief cruise past floating villages complete with schools, restaurants, hospitals, and visit the school of the "Les Artisans d'Angkor". The afternoon is free for additional Siem Reap sightseeing until transfer for your departing flight.