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THE MEKONG DELTA & CAMBODIA-10 Days

Day 1 Arrive Saigon(Ho Chi Minh City) Delta Caravelle hotel -5 Star
On arrival at SaigonÕs Tan Son Nhat International airport, you will be greeted by our representative and transferred to your hotel. There are no activities planned for today but our representative will be able to offer advice and assistance where necessary. This evening your guide will return to your hotel to escort you out on the town for a traditional music show and welcome dinner. (Dinner included)

Day 2 Cu Chi Tunnels & Ho Chi Minh City
In the morning, an excursion to the famous Cu Chi tunnels. This network of tunnels, which stretched for over 200km, became legendary during the 1960's. The Cu Chi tunnels played a vital part in the American war in that they allowed the Viet Cong to control a large rural area only 30 to 40 km from Saigon. At its height, the tunnel system stretched from Saigon to the Cambodian border. The network, parts of which were several levels deep, 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 feel of what underground life in the American war must have been like. The tunnels have been widened for our benefit (otherwise we would not be able to enter them!) For those interested, there's even the opportunity to fire off rounds from an AK47 or MK16 at the nearby rifle range. Allegedly the old wooden targets were made to resemble US Marines!

We return to Ho Chi Minh City for lunch. After lunch we embark on a tour of the city including Cholon, the War Remnants Museum, and the Reunification Palace. Cholon is home to Saigon's substantial Chinese population and also is the site for the largest market in Vietnam, the Binh Tay market. The War Remnants Museum has a wealth of images from the wars, the most moving being a gallery entitled Requiem which is dedicated to Vietnamese and foreign journalists and photographers that perished during the French and American conflicts. The Reunification Palace was the former residence of the President of South Vietnam until April 30, 1975 when the North Vietnamese tanks came crashing through the front gates, bringing the American war to a dramatic end. Close to the palace some of the best examples of French colonial architecture are represented in the forms of Notre Dame Cathedral and the Central Post Office. The ornate Notre Dame Cathedral dominates the business centre of town. Built by the French between 1877 and 1883, the stone used to create it was imported in its entirety from France. Next to the cathedral stands the Central Post Office, finished in 1891. It is Vietnam's largest post office. For all its French colonial history, Ho Chi Minh City is by far and away Vietnam's most modern city. It has numerous shopping malls, cinemas, discotheques and a bewildering number of bars and this evening you will have the opportunity to see just what the city has to offer at nighttime! (Breakfast and lunch included)

Day 3 Mekong Delta
This morning we travel by road to the small town of Cai Be in the heart of the Mekong Delta. From here you will board our boat and take a cruise around the tributaries of the mighty Mekong River. On the way we will visit some local cottage industries, including the puffed-rice and rice paper makers, bonsai nurseries and fish farms as well as explore a floating market. Each boat usually sells one particular item, whether it be pumpkins, pineapples, sugar cane etc, and in order for the customer to know where to shop, they hang that item from the highest part of the boat. From here we head out into the Mekong River itself, a huge expanse of water. The Mekong River begins its life in Tibet and travels 4,500 km through six countries before eventually flowing into the South China Sea. Our lunch will be on the banks of one of the many canals that interlace the area, and will include the very tasty 'Elephant ear fish'. After lunch we continue to weave our way through the intricate network of canals. The canals carry everything from human cargo to huge rice barges and are the lifeblood of the Delta. Traveling by boat gives you a unique perspective of life here and later we can even navigate some of the narrower canals by small rowing boats. Tonight we will be the guests of a local family in the heart of VinhLong in a home stay. (Breakfast, lunch and dinner included)

Day 4 Mekong Delta - Ho Chi Minh City
After a leisurely breakfast we bid farewell to our charming hosts and take the boat to visit the cultural village near the town of Vinh Long. Here you will see various cottage industries including brick kilns, tofu and ceramic tile manufacture, even a coffin-maker! Following these visits we will once again board our vehicle for the drive to the town of My Tho, where we will visit Dong Tam snake farm and the Vinh Trang pagoda before journeying back to Ho Chi Minh City. (Breakfast and lunch included)

Day 5 Flight to Phnom Penh on Vietnam Airlines.
Arrive in Cambodia's capital city of Phnom Penh, check into your hotel and have a short rest before heading out with our tour leader for an orientation tour of the city and a visit to Wat Phnom. On this sight in 1372, a small monastery was founded by a wealthy Khmer woman called Penh after she found four Buddha statues in a tree trunk on the banks of the Mekong River. The hill or "Phnom " on which the monastery resides is, incidentally, the only hill in the capital. (Breakfast included)

Day 6 Full day tour of Phnom Penh Le Royal- 5 star
Today you have a full day's sightseeing in CambodiaÕs capital, Phnom Penh. Regarded by many as the most beautiful of all the French-built cities in Indochina, its location is important as it lies where the Mekong, Bassac and Tonle Sap Rivers converge. At one time it was a bustling commercial hub during the French occupation and today has re-established itself as the political and financial center of the country. Its rich historical past can be traced to the Khmer and French influence evident in the ornate Khmer-style temples and the grand colonial buildings. On today's tour we will visit the most important sites in the city. The Royal Palace and the adjoining Silver Pagoda are very impressive. The Silver Pagoda, also known as the Pagoda of the Emerald Buddha, named after the statue housed there, was created by King Norodom in 1892. The floor is comprised of more than 5,000 silver blocks, weighing a total of 6 tones. The National Museum, built in the Khmer style in the 1920's has an extensive collection of Khmer art. The highlight of the exhibit is a 6th century bronze figure of the Hindu god Vishnu. The Tuol Sleng museum, or Museum of Genocide is testament to a more recent and bloody past. Originally this building used to be a high school, until in 1975, it became the Khmer Rouge's main torture and interrogation centre, gaining the acronym 'S-21'. From here the victims were taken out and executed in what is now known as the Killing Fields. (Breakfast and lunch included)

Day 7 Phnom Penh - Siem Reap Grand Hotel D'Angkor- 5 star
This morning you will have an early breakfast before transferring to the dock to board the five-hour boat trip to Siem Reap. Upon arrival at Siem Reap dock, transfer to Siem Reap town and check into the hotel.

Our exploration of the vast Angkor Temple complex begins after lunch. The Angkor Complex is perhaps the most stunning temple complex in the world. Rediscovered by the French in 1860, this huge site has over 400 temples spanning a period of 500 years. Founded in the 9th century, the Khmer Empire flourished for centuries, its zenith culminating with the creation of Angkor Wat in the first half of the12th century. The builders of these awesome creations likened themselves to Gods, or ÔDevarajaÕ and indeed several of the temples are dedicated to former monarchs. A succession of Khmer Kings had temples built in their honor. The oldest structures are known as the Roulous group, and it is here that we begin our exploring. The most impressive of the three remaining temples of the Roulous group is Prasat Bakong, a five-stepped pyramid temple dedicated to King Indravarman. The corners of the pyramid have statues of elephants and crouching lions guard the steps. (Breakfast included)

Day 8 Angkor Temples
This morning we visit Banteay Kdei Temple, then drive through the countryside to reach the magnificent Banteay Srei temple - the Citadel of Women. This Hindu temple, dating back to the 10th century, has three central towers each decorated with superbly intricate carvings and reliefs of male and female divinities. We return to the town for lunch. This afternoon we visit the largest and most impressive temple - Angkor Wat. Angkor Wat was built between 1112 and 1152 by King Suryavarman II and dedicated to Vishnu, the Hindu god of preservation, although some people believe it is actually dedicated to the king himself as the temple faces west, representing death. It is the best preserved of all the temples. Its layout and its scale are simply breathtaking: the wall surrounding the enclosure measures 1,000 by 800 meters in length and the moat, said to represent the oceans of the world is 200 meters wide. The five towers that dominate the scene are said to represent the five peaks of Mount Meru, the mythical home of the omnipotent Hindu deity Shiva. Beautiful bas reliefs and carvings adorn the inner sanctuaries depicting various Hindu mythological epics, including the longest continuous bas relief in the world, which runs along the outer gallery walls. From here we proceed to the hilltop temple of Phnom Bakheng, and as the end of the day approaches, we climb the hill for a truly memorable sunset. (Breakfast included)

Day 9 Angkor Temples
V isit the fortified Royal City of Angkor Thom, constructed by King Jayavarman II at the end of the 12th century, not long after the completion of Angkor Wat. It is surrounded by a massive perimeter wall and a moat with five monumental gates and covers an area of more than ten square kilometers; indeed Angkor Thom means 'Great City'. The most important monuments are located in the centre of the city, namely the Bayon, Baphoun and the Terrace of Elephants. The Bayon in particular is a fascinating piece of architecture and one of the most photographed. It is a bizarre structure, with a total of 54 towers elaborately decorated with over 200 enigmatic smiling faces. From Angkor Thom we proceed to Ta Prohm temple, whose principal attraction is that it has not been rescued from the thick jungle, as the rest of the Angkor Complex has. It looks much the same as it would have done when the French explorers discovered it 140 years ago, shrouded in undergrowth and the huge roots of old Banyan trees. One French writer eloquently described Ta Prohm this way: ÒWith its millions of knotted limbs, the forest embraces the ruins with a violent loveÓ. In the afternoon we drive out to the Tonle Sap Lake, Asia's largest inland lake, which swells to ten times its normal size during the wet season. Here we will have a two-hour boat trip observing how the local people go about their daily lives. During the boat trip we stop to visit a bird garden and a fishing farm. Visiting a nearby school and a local market will also prove a rewarding experience. Tonight we have the farewell dinner with a traditional dancing show at one of the many excellent restaurants in town. (Breakfast included)

Day 10 Depart Siem Reap Today is a free day, before you transfer to the airport. (Breakfast included)

PRICE: on request

Includes:

All transfers and transport by A/C private car: in Cambodia, 1995 and newer Toyota; in Vietnam, 2000. One transfer by hydrofoil.
Hotel accommodation, dbl occ (8 nights), home stay in the Mekong Delta (1 night)
Meals as mentioned in the itinerary
All sightseeing and entrance fees Local professional guides for sightseeing

Does Not Include:

Meals and drinks not mentioned in the itinerary
Visa and visa fees
Travel insurance
Personal expenses
Tips & gratuity

Visas: Visas are required to enter Vietnam & Cambodia for all nationalities. Visas must be arranged before your travel to Vietnam. In Cambodia visas are obtained on arrival. The cost is US$ 25

Money Exchange: Ensure you have US dollars cash or US dollar travelerÕs cheques before arriving. Most hotels are able to exchange US cash into local currency but traveler cheques need to be exchanged at a bank. At time of writing the exchange rate was 1 USD = 15,000 Vietnamese Dong (VND). US dollars cash is widely used in Cambodia.

Laundry: Laundry facilities are available at the hotels for a nominal fee.

Prices subject to change.
This tour was designed with 5 star hotels. You may request lower category hotels if you prefer.

Go to:

Highlights, 10 Days: Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi .

Eco Delta, 11 Days: Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi

(888) 367-6147 - Intl (415) 381-5861
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