Legend Mekong Vietnam & Cambodia 9D8N

Duration: 9 Days

Highlights: Saigon - Can Tho - Chau Doc - Phnom Penh - Siem Reap

From Saigon’s modern bustle to the calm waters of Tonle Sap Lake and into the ancient Khmer Kingdom; explore South Vietnam and Cambodia on a tour that takes you along the meandering Mekong River.

Type of tour: Group tour (Private tour upon request)
Standard: 3star
Departure: Daily
Start City: Saigon Finish City: Siem Reap and vice versa upon your request

Brief itinerary

Day 1: Saigon arrival
Day 2: Saigon - Cu Chi tunnels (B)
Day 3: Saigon - Mekong delta - Can Tho (B/L)
Day 4: Can Tho - Chau Doc (B/L)
Day 5: Chau Doc - Phnom Penh by speed boat (B/L)
Day 6: Phnom Penh city tour (B/L)
Day 7: Phnom Penh - Siem Reap - Angkor Thom (B/L)
Day 8: Tuk tuk ride to Ta Prohm - Angkor Wat - Blessing Ceremony (B/L)
Day 9: Siem Reap depature (B)
Day 1: Saigon Arrival

Welcome to Vietnam’s modern metropolis: Saigon. Arrive in the late morning and enjoy an orientation tour through Ho Chi Minh City’s bustling streets en route to the hotel. Have lunch at a downtown restaurant of your choosing then set out on a guided city tour. In the afternoon we will visit such sites as the Reunification Palace, the War Remnants Museum, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Old Post Office and Ben Thanh Market. Enjoy the rest of the day at your leisure.

Accommodations: Hotel in Saigon
Day 2: Saigon - Cu Chi tunnels (B)

Today we travel outside of Saigon to visit the Cu Chi Tunnels. The Cu Chi Tunnels are an underground labyrinth of passageways, used by the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War (or “American War” as it’s referred to here) as protection against American air raids. Those inclined are invited to crawl through selections of the tunnels to better understand what life was like for the Vietnamese soldiers during wartime. Return to Saigon in the afternoon.

Accommodations: Hotel in Saigon
Day 3: Saigon – Mekong Delta – Can Tho (B/L)

Today we leave Saigon and travel to the Mekong River Delta. Enjoy an early breakfast at the hotel before driving to the riverside town, Cai Bai. Along the way, stop at a candy factory and orchard garden, where you have an opportunity to listen to traditional music. Enjoy a relaxing lunch at a riverside restaurant, then cross the Mekong by motorized boat to visit some fluvial islands and explore the countryside by bicycle. Our driver and guide will meet you at Vinh Long pier and take you to Can Tho city for the night.

Accommodations: Hotel in Can Tho
Day 4: Can Tho – Chau Doc (B/L)

Today we travel to the riverside town, Chau Doc, situated along the Cambodian border. After breakfast, check out of the hotel and drive northwest to Chau Doc. Check in at the Victoria hotel and have lunch. In the afternoon, bored a boat to tour the Mekong River and learn about local culture, stopping to see the stilt houses of a Cham village as well as a local fish farm. Return in the evening and drive up Sam Mountain to watch the sunset in the distance over the Cambodian border.

Accommodations: Hotel in Chau Doc
Day 5: Chau Doc – Phnom Penh by speed boat (B/L)

This morning we travel by speedboat up the Mekong to Cambodia’s capital: Phnom Penh. The total trip takes about four and a half hours (including visa formalities). Visas are easily obtained at the border between Vietnam and Cambodia. Our guide will meet you at the dock in Phnom Penh and take you to the hotel. Despite its recent turbulent history, Phnom Penh’s wide tree-lined boulevards and faded colonial mansions hold an undeniable charm. After lunch at a downtown restaurant, take a leisurely tour to visit the Russian Market and try out your best bargaining skills.

Accommodations: Hotel in Phnom Penh
Day 6: Phnom Penh City Tour (B/L)

Spend the day on a tour of Cambodia’s vibrant capital city. Start by learning about the Khmer Rouge and Cambodia’s recent, bloody history on a guided tour of the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and the notorious Choeung Ek “Killing Fields.” Enjoy lunch at a downtown restaurant, then conclude the day with a cyclo ride down Sihanouk Boulevard to visit the National Museum and the Royal Palace—home to the royal family and the opulent silver pagoda.

Accommodations: Hotel in Phnom Penh
Day 7: Phnom Penh – Siem Reap– Angkor Thom

Today we travel to Siem Reap, the gateway into the ancient Angkor temples. After breakfast our driver and guide will meet you at your hotel and take you on the 5 hour drive along the Mekong River. The journey offers an excellent opportunity to observe rural Cambodia up-close. Stop along the way and visit a market, where every assortment of street food is available, including the Khmer favorite: fried spiders! Once we arrive in Siem Reap, check in at the hotel then enjoy lunch at a downtown restaurant. In the late afternoon we drive to the Angkor Archeological Complex to watch the sunset from Phnom Krohm Mountain, gilding the surrounding temple-dotted jungle in golden light.
Accommodations: Hotel in Siem Reap
Day 8: Tuk Tuk ride to Ta Prohm – Angkor Wat – Angkor Thom – Blessing Ceremony

Enjoy an entire day dedicated to discover the mysterious Angkor temples. Wake before dawn and take a tuk tuk ride to visit the jungle-entwined temple, Ta Prohm. Sunrise is one of the most beautiful and haunting times to visit the temples, whose ancient sandstone blocks are painted orange by the early morning rays. Return to the hotel for breakfast then set back out on a full day temple tour. Starting with the magnificent Angkor Wat - the largest Khmer temple and finest example of Angkorian art and architecture, we proceed to Angkor Thom’s imposing South Gate, topped with the four serenely smiling faces of Avalokiteshvara. Next, visit Bayon temple, the Elephant Terrace and the Terrace of the Leper King. We conclude our tour in the evening with a blessing ceremony at Angkor Wat.

Accommodations: Hotel in Siem Reap
Day 9: Siem Reap Departure

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel then drive to the airport to catch your departure flight home.