MEKONG DELTA WITH VINH LONG - 4 DAYS 3 NIGHTS

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2 - 4 Days Tour

Group: From 2 people

Sa Dec

TRIP OVERVIEW

The mighty Mekong Delta. Feast your eyes and ears on a kaleidoscope of richness. A world of contrasts, a biological treasure trove, a collection of personal and moving stories told by the people of the delta, and explore the secrets of this vibrant green land with its silty brown waters. Pedal power your way through sleepy villages, let your feet take you on a journey to a sacred mountain, and step into traditional and more unusual places of worship. Embrace the peaceful canal waters, the piercing shrills of cicadas, the lyrical calls of the floating market traders mingled with the chug chug chug of motorboats. Pluck fresh fruit from the trees, discover the intricacies of the humble coconut, and marvel at a split second explosive popping rice spectacle. Discover infinite treasures, a melting pot of beliefs, and patchwork of colors making up the ‘rice bowl’ of Vietnam.

Tour Included

Private vehicle with driver as specified in the daily program
Accommodation with daily breakfast
A private English-speaking guide for the whole trip
Meals (B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner) as specified in the daily programs
All entrance fees as specified in the program
All boat trips as specified in the program
Mineral water (01 bottle for a half day tour and 02 bottles for a full day tour)
Other services as specified in the program

Tour Excluded

Vietnam visa fees
International return flights
Hotel early check-in, late check-out surcharge (if requested)
Meals (L/D) not specified in the tour itinerary
Surcharges will be applied if travel is during peak travel season from 24th-31st December 2022
Personal expenses and additional activities not included in the tour itinerary
Tips
Personal travel and health insurance
Bank fees and other expenses not mentioned in the program

Schedule

DAY 1 (…) – Saigon, Travel to Coco Riverside Lodge, Excursion in the countryside (L/D)

08:00. You will be picked up from your hotel in Ho Chi Minh City (also known as Saigon) to start your visit to Vung Liem District in Vinh Long Province. Travel by private car along some scenic countryside roads. This area is commonly known as the “rice bowl” of Vietnam, famous for its vast rice fields, orchards, coconut trees, and numerous waterways.

Upon arrival, you are led to the lodge along countryside path. After just a short walk you will be treated to a welcome drink. Check in and have lunch at lodge's restaurant

After a chance to rest, you select bicycles for a cycling tour around village paths leading us to home of Mr. Cong where you watch how he makes pop rice, shows you the blend of traditional and modern agricultural method that sustains the local village. He will reveal the secret of making 'rice pop'. This unique and nutritious foodstuff will become a gift for locals or children in school. Your guide explains how the animals are raised and shows you the way they collect 'biogas' to make free and sustainable cooking food.

Continuing riding on quiet village roads passing by a duck farm if we get a chance, green rice paddies, sedge field and small villages. Along the way, you visit one of the dragon or orange fruit plantations and taste it directly at the garden. This is a relaxing time with plenty of chances to capture the picturesque Asian sun set scenes. Enjoy the beautiful sunset before returning to the lodge on your bicycles.

Shower and refresh, you start to walk to home of neighbor who fought during the Vietnam war and be shared with the story, experienced of "poon" lights and traditional music. End of the show, we walk back in hand of traditional torches made of dried coconut leaves.

You are the chef! A traditional cooking class with Vietnamese pancake made by you. A great learning experience that means you can take a little of Vietnam home with you. Dinner is served at lodge's restaurant

Overnight in Vung Liem.

DAY 2 (…) – Morning excursion, Private transfer to Can Tho, City tour (B/L)

Breakfast, loaded boats are already heading to local squatting market and transporting goods such as coconuts from one factory to the other, crossing local ferry to visit beautiful Cao Dai temple. We also had a chance to see these factories. Situated alongside the river, these are small coconut-processing operations. Once the coconut has been shelled, the coconut fibers are removed from the husk to make rope, which in turn is used to weave rugs. You can watch the whole manufacturing process in a short period of time. Most of the work is done by hand at a professional way. The buyers are mostly foreign companies.

Back to the Lodge, if time permitted, take some activities as to harvest some water coconut leaves and weave them up by you. These leaves are a key building material in the Mekong Delta as they are used to build the walls and roof of the houses. The local people will show you not only how they use these leaves but also how to make the 'poon' sticks that illuminated in the previous night.

Check-out of the lodge and depart for Can Tho, the largest city in the Mekong Delta. The name comes from "Cầm Thi Giang", a poetic name given to the river, and it is also known as "Tay Do" meaning "Western Capital".

Arrive Can Tho. Check-in to your hotel.

After a short rest have lunch at a local restaurant.

In the afternoon, visit Binh Thuy ancient house, in Can Tho, a rare and perfect example of French-Chinese-Vietnam style houses of the Mekong Delta. It is special thanks not only to its exquisite design inside and out and the stories the house holds but also its garden has an abundance of different varieties of flowers, plants and fruit, including a wide range of orchids and a gigantic cactus. One more special thing is that the house attracts numerous local and foreign visitors, and it has been used as a film set. It is a popular location for film directors such as J.J Annaud who used the setting for his famous French movie L’Amant (“The Lover”).

Return to your hotel. Rest of the day and evening at your leisure.

Overnight in Can Tho.

DAY 3 (…) – Can Tho, Visit Cai Rang floating market, Travel to Chau Doc (B/L)

06:00. Wake up early and take a boat trip to visit the Cai Rang floating market, one of the three largest floating markets in the Mekong Delta. The ‘shops’ and stalls are housed on different sized boats. The market operates all day every day but it is busiest from sunrise to about 9am. The main items sold are farm produce and specialties of Cai Rang town, Chau Thanh District and neighboring areas. Every boat has a long upright pole at its bow on which samples of the goods for sale are hung.

During the early morning market hours, larger sized boats drop anchor and create lanes that smaller boats weave in and out of. The waterway becomes a maze of hundreds of boats packed with fruit such as mangoes, bananas, papaya, and pineapple, and even smuggled goods like cigarettes. Sellers do not have to cry out about their goods because they can easily be seen from a distance and their cries would not be heard in the vast area and over the noise of boat engines. Small boats that sell beer, wine and soft drinks weave in and out among the other boats to serve market-goers and visitors.

08:00. Return to your hotel for breakfast.

11:00. Check-out of the hotel and depart Can Tho for Chau Doc, a town in An Giang Province, bordering Cambodia.

Lunch at a local restaurant.

Arrive Chau Doc. Check-in to your hotel.

In the afternoon visit Sam Mountain. On the way, stop at The Lady Temple and Thoai Ngoc Hau Tomb. The former was built in 1820 in a solemn and ancient architectural style. The latter was a mandarin in the Nguyen Dynasty and a pioneer in this area who reclaimed and developed the land in Chau Doc; he established living settlements as well as the digging of the Thoai Ha and Vinh Te channels.

Continue hiking up the mountain. The views from the top are spectacular (weather depending) and you can easily look out over Cambodia.

Back down the mountain and return to your hotel.

Rest of the day at leisure.

Overnight in Chau Doc.

DAY 4 (…) – Chau Doc, Visit Chau Giang Cham village, Private transfer to Saigon (B/L)

Breakfast at the hotel.

08.00. Transfer to the pier for a short ferry across the Hau River to visit Chau Giang village, the largest Cham community in An Giang Province. The village still retains many unique cultural features in both material and spiritual life. They include traditional brocade weaving, stilt-house living customs, and the Cham Muslim community still go to mosque and observe their daily prayers.

Afterwards, travel by private vehicle to Saigon. On the way, have lunch at a local restaurant.

Arrive Saigon, drop off at your hotel. End of the services.

**Please note: You can travel by speedboat from Chau Doc to Phnom Penh if your next destination is Cambodia. The departure time is around 07:00-07:30 and the journey takes 05 hours from Chau Doc to Phnom Penh.

Service Terms And Condition

Booking & Payment

A deposit of 30% of the total invoice is required in order to confirm all our services
Balance of payment is due no later than 45 days prior to your departure date
Failure to pay by the due date may result in cancellation of the booking
Payment can be made by cash, telegraphic/electronic transfer or credit card (Visa, Master and American Express card)
Fees applied for telegraphic/electronic transfers or surcharges applied for credit card banking (3%) should be covered by the client
Once full payment has been received, you will be issued with a final voucher of services and related tour documentation sent by e-mail or fax no later than two weeks prior to your home departure

Cancellation terms and conditions

Cancellation charges will be applied as follows:

More than 60 days before start of the tour date: no cancellation charge
14-60 days before start of the tour date: 10% of the price
5-13 days before start of the tour date: 50% of the price
Less than 5 days before start of the tour date: 100 % full tour cost will be charged

Please note that as some suppliers (hotels, cruise companies, etc.) may apply their own cancellation policies; hence, we may have to adjust some cancellation charges depending on the individual supplier contracts

Cancellation of extra services

For additional accommodation (before and/or after the tour dates) and other extra services booked in connection with tour program, cancellation charges will be applied as follows:

More than 30 days prior to the service: full refund
15-30 days in advance: 50% of the price

Less than 15 days in advance: 100% of the price will be charged (unless we are able to negotiate with the suppliers)

Faqs

I'm a solo traveller, is there a single supplement?

Yes. A single supplement is available with a surcharge fee. If you're a solo traveller, please contact us for detailed information.

Do I Need Travel Insurance for Vietnam?

Yes, all visitors to Vietnam must be covered by a minimum of travel medical insurance with a liability of US$10,000 or more for COVID-19 treatment. A more robust travel insurance policy for a trip to Vietnam is optional, but highly recommended due to the unpredictable nature of international travel.

Although the only travel insurance legally required to visit Vietnam is the medical coverage related to COVID-19, there are many other aspects of a trip overseas that can quickly become costly if things go awry. Travel insurance for Vietnam can be a great asset in unexpected situations, lessening the financial burden on a traveler in an emergency or otherwise difficult situation.

Vietnam trip insurance can include a variety of coverages designed to assist travelers in unforeseen situations. Travelers may choose between plans that offer specific coverage for their unique concerns, which may include airline delays or disruptions, sudden illness or injury while abroad, trip cancellation, and much more. These coverages do vary by plan, so be sure to review your policy carefully before purchasing.

Is Travel Health Insurance covering Covid-19 mandatory to enter Vietnam?

Yes. Travel Health Insurance covering Covid-19 is mandatory. To enter Vietnam, you must show evidence of health or travel insurance that covers COVID-related medical care up to a minimum of US$10,000 for the duration of your visit. Failure to produce this may result in being refused entry to the country.

Vietnamese Covid-19 policy for foreigners to entry Vietnam.

Under the latest regulations, foreign arrivals travelling to Viet Nam by air shall be required to take a RT-PCR or RT-LAMP COVID-19 test within 72 hours or a rapid test within 24 hours before departure. This requirement is not applicable to children under two years of age.

The above requirement shall also be applied to those who wish to enter Viet Nam by road or by sea, or they can take a COVID-19 test at the port of entry.

Incoming air passengers shall no longer be obliged to take a COVID-19 or follow mandatory quarantine requirement after arriving in Viet Nam.

All incoming entrants shall be required to fill health declaration form at the website tokhaiyte.vn prior to their departure and download PC-COVID app.

Medical Surveillance

Within 10 days since the date of entry, entrants shall self-monitor their health and immediately notify the nearest medical facilities if they experience such symptoms like fever, cough, throat pain, runny nose, chills, headaches.

Entrants have to regularly wear masks and disinfect hands.

Insurance and COVID-19 treatment

Mandatory insurance coverage amount for COVID-19 treatment shall be at least US$10,000.

Incoming travellers shall have to pay for COVID-19 test and treatment and related costs (if any).