Day 1: ARRIVAL IN HO CHI MINH CITY (by A/C car)
Arrival in
Saigon
or
Ho Chi Minh City.
Warm welcome to everybody, a moment of courtesy meeting then
self-introduce with tour guides in the meeting point's Tan Son Nhat
Airport.
Saigon
or
Ho Chi Minh City,
a
young city with the
age of more than 300 years, a center of culture, education, commerce and
tourism of Vietnam, the biggest city of
Vietnam mix with the West and the Orient, and once known as the "Pearl
of Far East".
Transfer to hotel check-in for check in and time of rest. On the way to
hotel,
take
photo-stop at Neo-Roman
Notre Dame Cathedral
- one of
the most splendid and typical of the beautiful French-built churches in
Ho Chi Minh city,
next
Municipal Post Office - Saigon's
French-style main post office to admire and take photos of its nice
architecture that is one of the Ho Chi Minh City’s symbolizing images,
then drive slowly along a historical boulevard which the impressive
buildings as the old US Embassy the
Prime Ministerial building and many
more, there are
like the historical
witnesses to the ups and downs, political upheavals of a Nation and its
generations. Later, pass by
Ho Chi Minh City People Committee
(also the
old French City Hall before 1975), and
Municipal Theatre
built in 1899.Dinner
at local restaurant with Indian / Vegetarian food.
Overnight
in Saigon.
(D)
Please note that standard check in time is 14.00, check out at 12.00.
Early check in or late check-out is subject to room availability. Hotel
would probably guarantee early check in or late checkout as an extra
surcharge on depend to the rooming’s status at that time.
Day 2: HO CHI MINH CITY - CU CHI TUNNLES (by A/C
car 70km)
After
breakfast, morning depart to Cu Chi Tunnels
located at the threshold of Saigon and adjacent to the revolutionary
base, played an imp
ortant
role in the two wars on before 1975. Visitors will have a lot of
questions as knowing that Cu Chi was an
"underground village" with its
labyrinth of interlaced tunnels having a combined length of more
than 200 km of tunnels built here by the Communist guerillas are the
highlight of South Vietnam tours. You will be guided to the bedrooms,
meeting rooms, air-raid shelters, smokeless kitchens, and experience
life underground during your short visit to this extraordinary tunnel
complex. Opportunity to crawl into the tunnels for discovering and
hearing all things of it. You can also try shooting with real bullets
here (your own account).
Back to Ho Chi Minh City
then visit the
Reunification Palace -
a symbol
of Saigon old Government before 1975,
(also called former President Palace) to
learn the sorrowful historic of Vietnam
Ideology War from 1954-1975.
Left time is saved for
you to do shopping at Ben Thanh Market - a most
typical market of Vietnam, with how many things are available for
your choice: jewelry, gold and silvers items, silk, lacquer-ware,
woodcarving, ready-made clothes... all at extremely attractive price.
Dinner at local restaurant with Indian / Vegetarian food.
Overnight
in Ho Chi Minh City.
(B, D).
Day 3: HO CHI MINH CITY -MEKONG RIVERS ( MY THO )(by
A/C car 70km, motor-boat, rowing-boat)
After
breakfast, take a fantastic excursion to Mekong Rivers, overland
70 kilometers to
My Tho town - the "Gateway
of Mekong River and its Delta". Mekong Delta - the rice granary
of Vietnam and has vast areas of durian, mango
,
rambutan and other delicious tropical fruit trees.
Arrival My Tho and transfer to the bank of Mekong River,
take a
motor river-boat which to be rent exclusively
for the group then crossing the Upper
River and cruising along Tan Long
Peninsula, let’s enjoy this golden moment to relax the verdant
luxuriant sceneries of the watery region, taste very fresh coconut milk,
disembark and visit a island, stop-over a handicraft village that produces house-hold items from materials of
coconut trees. Walking on the quite
country roads, you will reach to local lush orchards, taste delicious
fresh fruits, drink hot tea with honey during the traditional melodies
and folk music surround you. From here you can observe the life of the
Mekong River Delta, the main source of rice and many other agricultural
products of Vietnam. Enjoy also a short tilbury
carriage tour on the village road. Take boat trip along the canal
network with a bit of adventure mood in
Ben Tre Province to visit a bee farm and then a
coconut candy workshop. Till now rivers and artificial canals are
an important circulation system of the Mekong Delta.
After that, take boats
to come back to My Tho City. Then drive back to Ho Chi Minh City and
free for your own activities.
Dinner at local restaurant with Indian / Vegetarian food.
Overnight
in Ho Chi Minh City.
(B, D).
Day 4: HO CHI MINH CITY - PHNOM PENH (by public
bus 250km)
This
morning, check out right after early breakfast then transfer to bus
station where you will take an express public bus to
Phnom Penh via
Moc Bai
border
(Vietnam) and Bavet border (Cambodia).
This journey will take you around 06 hours (ETD
07.00 - ETA 13.00). After
completing some
Vietnam and Cambodia border formalities, drive straight up to
Phnom Penh.
Welcome to
Phnom Penh -
the city
retains its traditional Khmer and
colonial charm. French villas along tree-lined boulevards remind the
visitor that the city was once considered the gem of Southeast Asia.
Recent political changes have triggered an economic boom of sorts, with
new hotels, restaurants, bars and nightclubs springing up around the
city. Transfer
to hotel for check in and a moment of rest. In the afternoon, you will
have opportunity to visit the
Royal Palace compound,
was built by King Norodom in 1866, inside its gleaming yellow walls are
most conspicuous feature and impressive colourful Khmer-style Halls for
the Royal family, then visit Silver Pagoda,
located in the compound of the Royal Palace. Inside its floor is
constructed of 5000 silver tiles. In the centre of the pagoda there is a
magnificent 17th-century emerald Buddha statue made of baccarat crystal
and its walls enclosing are covered with frescoes depicting episodes
from the Khmer version of the Ramayana.
Left time of the day is saved for
shopping
at
Toul
Tompong Market
(called Russian Market), so-named
because of the prevalence of items from the Eastern Bloc in past times,
the Russian Market today is a treasure trove for tourists, that you will
feel a bustling daily life of local people with Cambodian’s special
character through local specialties, their houses, their face.
Dinner at local restaurant with Indian / Vegetarian food.
Overnight
in Phnom Penh.
(B, D).
Day 5: PHNOM PENH (by A/C car)
After breakfast, you
will enjoy a full day with visit to the notorious
Killing Fields
"Choeung
Ek" 15km southwest of Phnom Penh. This one is the site of brutal
executions of more than 17,000 individuals, most of whom first
suffered through interrogations, torture and deprivation in
Toul Sleng Prison
during
Pol Pot regime
(From 1975-1979). Continue your visit to
Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum
(S21
prison). This
prison was a high school, and used as a prison by Pol Pot's security
forces and became the largest center for detention and torture during
the rule of the Khmer Rouge. After that,
enjoy
a
sightseeing tour of the charming city with the most attractions of
Cambodia
including
Independence Monument
- the Independence Monument commemorates
the end of Cambodia’s ruled by France in 1953, which was constructed in
1954 after Cambodian took their country back from
French
colony. Then visit National Museum, the
distinctive red building with a beautiful Khmer architecture was build
since 1917 and contains more than 5000 art objects made of sandstone,
bronze, silver, Copper, wood and others. They are really the cultural
treasure of Cambodian.
Dinner at local restaurant with Indian / Vegetarian food.
Overnight
in Phnom Penh.
(B, D).
Day 6: PHNOM PENH - SIEM REAP (by public bus 314
km, boat)
This
morning, after breakfast, check out then
you will
take an excursion by public bus from Phnom Penh
to Siem Reap. The trip is
smoothly and passes how many ponds of white and pink lotus in blossom,
immense rice-fields, particularly palm ranges. After a 6-hour drive (ETD
08.30 - ETA 14.30),
you will arrive in Siem Reap.
Siem Reap
-
The Cradle of Angkor Civilization - Where
Cambodian were Born, this is also a famous Archaeological City,
as named as one of the seven greatest
architectural wonders of the World.
Covering approx 600 sq km, it contains more than 100 fabulous ancient
monuments and over dozen major compound Temples, which were built during
the most splendid Era of the Khmer
Dynasty between the 9th -
13th century and were the ancient capital of the
Khmer Empire.
Express
check in your hotel and a moment of rest.
After that,
you will enjoy the floating village of the
Chong Khneas, located 10 kilometers south of Siem Reap. Take a
traditional wooden boat for a ride on
the Tonle Sap, the "Great Lake" of
Cambodia and the largest in Asia,
its
extraordinary bio-diversity and hydrology make it an ecological wonder
of the world, offer visitors an insight into the old tradition of
riparian life and natural splendor of Cambodia. If enough time, you will
enjoy
shopping at
Old Market & colonial quarter,
take your time to enjoy a busy market day, communicating with the local
sales and all sorts of their products.
It’s
quite a sight to see, to give somewhat a picture of Cambodian social
living.
Dinner at local restaurant with Indian / Vegetarian food.
Overnight in Siem Reap.
(B, D)
Day 7: SIEM REAP FULL DAY TOUR (by A/C car)
A full day
to discover Siem Reap. Firstly, you will visit
Angkor Thom (the Great City) including the
Southern Gate, famous
Bayon temple
(12th century in the center of city remains one the most
enigmatic temples of the Angkor group composed of 54 gothic towers
decorated with 216 smiling faces of Avalokitesvara;
Baphuon temple
lying just to the north of Bayon a
pyramidal representation of mythical Mont Meru;
Terrasse of Elephants used as a giant reviewing stand for public
ceremonies and served as a base for the king’s grand audience hall ;
Terrace of the Leper King a plateform
7m high, on the top stands a nude though sexless statue;
Phimean Akas
temple means “Celestial Palace”, dedicated to Hinduism.
Afternoon, you will visit the wonderful
Angkor Wat
- one of the seven greatest architectural wonders of the world,
as a temple
and mausoleum for King Suryavarman II at
the peak of the Khmer empire in the first half
of
12th,
Angkor Wat is probably the best-preserved of the Angkorean temples, with
a central tower surrounded by four smaller towers. The central monument
represents the mythical Mount Meru, the
holy mountain at the centre of the universe, which was home to
the Hindu God Vishnu.
The
whole complex covers 81 hectares, a rectangular wall measuring 1025
meters by 800 meters borders the inner edge of the moat, and temple's
greatest sculptural treasure is its 2 km-long bas-reliefs around the
walls...In the late afternoon
coming to
the Phnom Bakheng temple, is the first
temple in Angkor region build by the Yacovarman I King in the first of
9th century, located on a
slope gently hill where thousands tourist are grouping on the hilltop to
catch a memorable lifetime when viewing the marvellous
sunset
on Angkor Wat and on the other sites.
Dinner at local restaurant with Indian / Vegetarian food.
Overnight in Siem Reap.
(B, D)
Day 8: SIEM REAP FULL DAY TOUR (by A/C car)
A
continuing full day tour for Angkor complex.
Visit
Thommanon,
small, attractive temple in very good condition, built at the same time
as Angkor Wat. It’s Angkor Wat style is most easily seen in the style of
the carved Apsaras and the shape of the tower,
Chaosay Tevoda,
it seems to stand in partnership with Thommanon but actually was built
much later in Suryavarman II’s rule than Thommanon,
Banteay Kdei,
Srash Srong.
Then visit Kravan & especially
Ta Phrom Temple, was a monastery built by Jayavarman VII as a
residence for his mother. Ta Prohm has been controversially left to the
destructive power of the jungle by French
archeologists
to show how nature can destroy man's work. It has been largely overgrown
by the jungle and as you climb through the dilapidated stone structures
you see many giant trees growing out of the top of the temple itself.
Ta Prohm looks as many of the monuments
did when European explorers first laid eyes on them. After that,
excursion to
Grand Circuit,
visit Pre Rup,
traditionally believed to be a funerary temple, but in fact the
state temple of Rajendravarman II.
Mebon,
architecturally and artistically superior temple-mountain.
Beautifully carved false doors on upper level as well as an excellent
view of the surrounding countryside.
Tasom,
the most distant temple on the grand circuit. Small but classic
Jayavarman VII temple, Neak
Pean, which
means ‘coiled serpents’, from the encoiled nagas that encircled the
temple. The temple is faced by a statue of the horse, Balaha, saving
drowning sailors and Preah
Khan,
‘Preah
Khan' means 'sacred sword'. In harmony with Ta Prohm, which was
dedicated to Jayavarman VII's mother, Preah Khan is dedicated to his
father.
Dinner at local restaurant with Indian / Vegetarian food.
Overnight in Siem Reap.
(B, D)
Day 9: DEPARTURE FROM SIEM REAP (by A/C car)
After breakfast, free at leisure for your own activities until check
out, then transfer to Siem Reap airport for flight back home.
Have a safe trip come home.
It’s timely,
you have to say Good-Bye Vietnam-Cambodia.
We (Toan
Vinh Tours)
thank you very much for your choice of our company as your ground
handler in Vietnam-Cambodia and may be Indochina countries on further,
be sure all our people are your best friends always and beyond. May we
will meet and honoured welcome you have other voyages to Indochina in
the days coming, continuing to discover, to experience the endless
imposing landscapes, and then get the restful moments in a diversified
World and a colourful Sub region of Mekong
River: VIETNAM - LAOS - CAMBODIA - THAILAND - MYANMAR! GOOD-BYE & SEE YOU AGAIN !
(B)