Saigon and the Mekong Delta

Welcome to Saigon! Upon arrival, you are greeted by your local crew and escorted to your hotel in the city center. End of the day at leisure.

Your guide meets you in the hotel lobby at 8.00am and off we go for an original morning to explore the less traveled trails of this fascinating city. Prepare to travel back in time as we first head to District 3, where we visit the oldest café in town which was opened in 1938. Enjoy a refreshment, before we immerse ourselves into some genuine Saigon popular culture. Walk through a massive street-market, gently elbow your way between conical hats and mobile street food sellers to exit at Chung Cu. Here you will find yourself in the heart of Saigon’s working-class, which remains mostly unchanged since the 1960’s. Marvel at the size of these old residential buildings as we walk through and into the Ho Thi Ky quarter. A place known for its spectacular flower market, and its maze of quiet narrow streets. A place also surprisingly famous for its Khmer delicacies since the 1990’s. Here you will be able to enjoy some of these traditional snacks. We continue deeper into District 10, a fantastic destination where every street corner holds a surprise and a chance to amaze you. Our urban adventure takes us to one of the most famous street-food streets in the city, time for lunch!
In the afternoon, we take a digestive walk around the colonial buildings of the District 1. We start at the Independence Palace, continue to the Notre-Dame Cathedral and the Saigon Central Post office before we get to the beautiful Nguyen Hue street where stands the City Hall. To complete the day, we take you to taste a few brews in one of the most famous craft beer taprooms of the country. We transfer back to your hotel afterwards, end of the day at leisure.

We depart from your hotel at 8am. We drive out of the metropolis to reach after about 2 and a half hours a less travelled region of the delta, about 30 kilometers away from the mouth of the mighty river. We hop on our private boat and start our exploration. We will meet people, learn more about their daily lives and navigate the Mekong. After visiting a local factory and an ancient communal house, we reach a small island for lunch at a local guesthouse.
In the afternoon, we visit a honey-bee farm before hoping on bikes and cycling narrow pathways across the island. We stop at another local farm to unveil the secret of Sâm jelly and sample it. We continue across orchards and transfer onto a small sampan to explore a thick mangrove.
We return to the mainland and take a short drive away to reach in time a beautiful little nature lodge for a sunset over the Mekong. Make yourself comfortable, check-in and refresh before dinner is served in the garden.

After breakfast on the terrace, we hop on wheels and cycle to the small wet market nearby. We have a look at the colorful stalls while waiting for the ferry to take us to a tiny island located on the other side of the river. Enjoy traveling at slow pace, cycling gently along houses and fields, taking the time to stop for a picture or a chat with locals. Life goes easy and slow in that area, there is a kind of epicurean vibe floating around.
After about 2 and a half hours, we return to the lodge, have a quick shower before check-out. We bid farewell to our hosts and travel to Ben Tre to have a traditional noodle soup for lunch. On our way back to Saigon, we make a last stop in My Tho to visit the fruits wholesale market. The guide will buy some fruits and we will sit at a coffee to have a refreshment and sample the fruits. Arrival in Saigon is expected in the mid-afternoon. End of the day at leisure

Day at leisure until your transfer to the airport for your outbound flight. Rooms are available until 12.00.