16 activitati in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and South, VIETNAM

Our transport for the first half of today is a traditional cyclo, a three wheeled bicycle with a carriage at the front for the passenger to sit in, while the driver uses pedal power to power us along. This allows us to take in the sights, sounds and smells of Ho Chi Minh City without the barrier of a car window or the sound of an engine, very environmentally friendly. Our journey takes us through Tao Dan Park to the War Remnants museum, originally opened in September 1975, the museum displays old military equipment and other related items from the Vietnam War. In the courtyard we will find some larger exhibits including a F5A fighter and a UH1-Huey helicopter. From here we continue our journey past the Reunification Palace, previously referred to as the Presidential Palace, it is the sight of the official South Vietnamese surrender on April 30th, 1975. We will not go into the palace however our local guide will provide you with information and a chance to take come photographs. Leaving our cyclos and cyclo drivers behind we walk to the Notre Dame Cathedral, built by the French during the colonial era. It and our next destination, the General Post Office, are fine examples of architecture from the colonial period. We meet our cyclos again and ride to the Saigon Opera House and City Hall, situated in the centre of Ho Chi Minh city where scenes from the movie ''The Quiet Amercian'' were filmed, not far from the Opera House we will find the Continental Hotel where Graham Greene, amongst other famous journalists and writers, called home during their stays in Vietnam. We leave our cyclos behind at the intersection of Ton That Dam St & Huynh Thuc Khang St and dive into a real local food market. Continuing we explore Antique shop street and shoe street. Our final visit for the day is the Ben Thanh market where your local guide will assist you in getting a taxi back to your hotel or alternatively you are free to continue exploring the area. Why not practice your bargaining skills in the Ben Thanh market. The markets original location was close to the Ben Nghe River and the old fort of Gia Dinh was where it derived its name (Ben meaning ''pier'' and Thanh meaning ''Fort''). The market was destroyed in 1859 during the French invasion of Saigon. It was rebuilt and later moved to its present location in 1899. At the end of the trip you are free to continue exploring the area or your guide will assist you in getting a taxi back to your hotel. Duration Between four and five hours Languages English

Leaving the hustle and bustle of Ho Chi Minh City behind we journey 2 ½ hours west towards the Cambodian border bound for the Cu Chi Tunnels. Before arriving at the tunnels visit some local friends and gain an insight into local life in the area, both past and present. Learn about their lives, culture and customs and get an insight into the recent past through local eyes. Leaving the hustle and bustle of Ho Chi Minh City behind we journey 2 ½ hours west towards the Cambodian border bound for the Cu Chi Tunnels. Before arriving at the tunnels visit some local friends and gain an insight into local life in the area, both past and present. Learn about their lives, culture and customs and get an insight into the recent past through local eyes. Continue onto the Cu Chi tunnels were built by local fighters during the Indochina conflict as a base from which the Viet Cong could operate from close to the Southern Vietnamese capital. The location proved of significant strategic importance, at the end of the infamous Ho Chi Minh Trail and within striking distance of the southern Vietnam capital. Initial construction started in 1948 when the Viet Minh required somewhere to hide from French air attacks and by 1965, the tunnel complex was estimated to consist of 200km's of tunnels. It included, hospitals, schools, meeting rooms, kitchens and sleeping quarters. Life was difficult for the inhabitants and to protect against outside intruders bobby traps were laid throughout the complex. Today the Vietnamese government has preserved approximately 75 kilometers of the tunnels as a memorial park, in some areas tunnels have been widened and low powered lights installed so that western tourists can now fit through the complex. Our local guide will take us on a fascinating trip around the Cu Chi Tunnels where we learn more about the conditions the people lived in, the hardships they faced and the amazing ingenuity employed to maintain life in the tunnels. We walk past huge bomb craters , evidence of the heavy bombing campaigns in the region during the Indochina conflict, discover hidden entrances right beneath your feet, wander past tiny little chimneys in the ground that dispersed smoke from the underground kitchens, sample some of the simple cuisine that local fighters would have survived on and have an opportunity to venture into the tunnels and explore the complex. Following our step back in modern history we return to the chaos of Ho Chi Minh City. Meeting/ Pick up point: Pick up at Front entrance of the Central Post Office - 2 Cong Xa Paris St, District 1 (next to Notre Dame Cathedral) at 7.30am Duration: Between five and six hours. Languages: English. Others: Please dress up to standard with shoulders & Knee covered.

This mesmerizing trip gives you a fun and fascinating insight into the history, culture and the daily life of the locals in Ho Chi Minh City. We start our tour by heading to Chinatown with a walking tour through the fascinating back streets near Cho Lon. This area is one of the busiest commercial districts of Ho Chi Minh City and its atmospheric streets are home to some of the city’s most interesting sites. Our expert local guide takes you for a visit to Thien Hau temple, which was built in the early 19th Century and dedicated to the goddess of seafarers. We delve deeper into Chinatown visiting the amazing Cholon and Binh Tay Markets which are full of energy and dazzling array of goods. You can stop at a local café for a coffee (not included) to watch the hectic pace of life pass by in Ho Chi Minh City. Following our market visit, we stop at Fito Museum, which displays over 3,000 objects relating to traditional Vietnamese medicine and dating back to the country’s foundation. Then, after a short bus ride to the city centre, we’ll enjoy a traditional local Vietnamese lunch of pho, or noodle soup – a must when you’re in Vietnam! After our delicious lunch, we visit the War Remnants Museum; take a walking tour to Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral, General Post office, Opera House and downtown Saigon. The War Remnants Museum was originally opened in September 1975, it displays old military equipment and other related items from the Vietnam War. In the courtyard we will find some larger exhibits including a F5A fighter and a UH1-Huey helicopter. The Reunification Palace, formerly known as the Presidential Palace was the sight of South Vietnam's surrender in April 1975. Notre Dame Cathedral, General Post Office and the Opera House are beautiful examples of architecture from the French colonial period. At the end of the trip you are free to continue exploring the area or your guide will assist you in getting a taxi back to your hotel.

Run away from the city to enjoy a trip around Mekong Delta, one of the biggest tourist attractions of Vietnam where you could perceive how is life away from the downtown of the cities. Highlights - Cruise down Mekong River on a traditional boat trip and see for yourself how life ticks along in Delta - Get a taste for tropical fruit and find out about how they make their coconut candies - Get yourself buzzing as you come close to a big bunch of busy bees - Try out the local delicacies in a typical Vietnamese restaurant We depart Ho Chi Minh City for the city of My Tho (approximately 2 ½ hours). A former naval base, My Tho is now a bustling port city in the Mekong Delta. The area is the final destination of the mighty Mekong River which winds it's way from Tibet, through China, Burma, Laos, Cambodia and finally Vietnam. An incredibly fertile region it's prime industry is food production, producing approximately half of Vietnam's total agricultural output. Life for villages in the area revolves around the rivers and canals that make up the delta, people are more likely to transport by river than road. Upon arrival into My Tho we board our private boat for a cruise on the Mekong River. Our first stop is at a fish farm to gain an insight into one of the cottage industries in the region. On our boat ride our local guide will take us to visit an island with lush tropical gardens where we have a chance to sample tropical fruit. Continuing to another island in the Mekong Delta we learn more about another cottage industry, coconut candy. Our local guide will take us to a factory and explain the process of making the sweet. We have a chance to visit local villages in the area and learn more about the traditional lifestyles, culture and customs of people who call the Delta their home. We continue our visit by Xe Loi (motorized cart), visiting a bee farm where we transfer to smaller rowing boat allowing us to get deeper into the smaller canals of the Delta. Our lunch destination is Diem Phuong restaurant where our local guide will provide us with some advice on the finer points of local cuisine and assist us with ordering some of these delicacies. After lunch we return to My Tho for the journey back to Ho Chi Minh City where you will be dropped off at your hotel. Languages: English.

This is the perfect tour for tourists that are interested in history and culture as we will visit the three main museums of Vietnam; The War Remnants Museum, The History Museum and the Art Museum. The tour begins with a visit to the War Remnants Museum. The Museum contains fascinating remnants and photographs of the Vietnam War including US armored vehicles, artillery pieces, bombs and infantry weapons. The most popular museum in Vietnam comprises a series of themed rooms in several buildings, with period military equipment placed within a walled yard. One building reproduces the terrifying ''tiger cages'' in which the South Vietnamese government kept political prisoners. Other exhibits include graphic photography, accompanied by a short text in English, Vietnamese and Japanese, covering the effects of Agent Orange and other chemical defoliant sprays, the use of napalm and phosphorus bombs, and war atrocities such as the My Lai massacre. Stare in disbelief at a guillotine used by the French and South Vietnamese to execute prisoners. This museum is definitely designed for people with strong stomachs! Continue on to the History Museum, which is housed in a beautifully colonial style building. The museum has an excellent collection of artifacts illustrating the evolution of the cultures of Vietnam. There are also many valuable relics taken from Cambodia's Angkor Wat. You will be able to admire its ancient ceramics, traditional costumes, and stone and bronze relics. We will end the tour with a visit the Art Museum which houses many interesting collections and revolutionary art. The building that was once built to house an all girl´s Catholic school displays not only paintings, ceramics and lacquers created by modern Post-war artists but many of its contents date back as far as pre-historic and feudalism time.

Discover the city's major sights on this fascinating half-day tour. Begin the tour at the elegant Historical Museum; which is housed in a beautifully colonial style building situated at the entrance to the Botanical and Zoological Gardens. The museum was built in 1929 and houses many artifacts chronicling Vietnam's 4,000-year history. You will be able to admire its ancient ceramics, traditional costumes, and stone and bronze relics. Here you'll also enjoy a water puppet show with many interesting traditional features. Your next stop will be the Former Presidential Palace, formerly known as the Independence Palace, where on 30 April 1975 a North Vietnamese tank crashed through the front gate, symbolically liberating the country. It was rebuilt and completed in 1966 on the site of the Norodom Palace that was bombed in 1962. You will then enjoy a panoramic city tour with outside views of the Neo-Romanesque Notre Dame Cathedral, the colonial-style Central Post Office and City Square, where your driver will stop to allow you take photographs. Venture through a Chinese-influenced section of Ho Chi Minh City; the bustling Chinatown, locally known as Cholon, with its colorful atmosphere and mysterious temples. Visit the lively Thien Hao Pagoda, a historic temple in the city of Hu? in Vietnam. Its impressive pagoda has seven stories and is the tallest in Vietnam. Learn about all the history behind this magnificent monument while you admire the enormous burning incense-coils that never fail to impress. This tour is the perfect introduction to Vietnam and is well recommended for visitors who want to see the beauty, architecture and history of the enchanting city.

Indulge in an unforgettable evening on the waterways while you discover the enchanting city of Ho Chi Minh at night! Escape the hustle and bustle of city as you enjoy a delicious dinner in a spacious floating restaurant on Saigon River all whilst admiring the sparkling views of the cityscape. Choose one of the fantastic offers and prepare for a spectacular night with your friends and loved ones. Floating Cruise Restaurant Hop aboard for a relaxing dinner cruise along the tranquil Saigon River. Enjoy a mouth-watering meal combined with a short window sightseeing tour of the city centre where you will be delighted by the blend of French-style colonial architecture with splendidly lighted modern sky-scrapers. Bonsai Luxury Cruise Surrender to the tastes and sounds of authentic Vietnam as great food, history, art and music are combined for a truly immersive experience. Savour an extraordinary evening as you embark on a tantalising dining experience. Showcasing an open kitchen and interactive dining stations the Bonsai offers both authentic Vietnam dishes as well as dishes inspired from the west prepared with the freshest locally sourced organic produce and ingredients. A creative menu, an unparalleled atmosphere with musical highlights and the energy of Saigon will add up to one unforgettable evening!

Travel to Cu Chi as a VIP on one of our modern speedboats arriving hours before the large tour groups. Your English-speaking guide will explain the life along the banks of the Saigon River as your boat gracefully slaloms through the water hyacinths. After the scenic one-hour boat trip our guide will take you through the historic Cu Chi Tunnels. A light breakfast will be served on the way to Cu Chi and a traditional Vietnamese lunch will be served after visiting the tunnels. This tour is all-inclusive and hassle free.

Embark on an exhilarating journey full of culture, history, architecture and beauty. This fascinating tour visits the Cu Chi's incredible Tunnels (70km northwest of HCM City), an amazing complex of underground tunnels used during the Vietnam War. The Cu Chi tunnels were built by local fighters during the Indochina conflict as a base from which the Viet Cong could operate from close to the Southern Vietnamese capital. Initial construction started in 1948 when the Viet Minh required somewhere to hide from French air attacks and by 1965. The Cu Chi tunnel complex was estimated to consist of 200km's of incredible tunnels. Discover the shocking remains of hospitals, schools, meeting rooms, kitchens and sleeping quarters. You will find out how life was difficult for the inhabitants and to protect themselves against outside intruders bobby traps were laid throughout the complex. American soldiers used the term ''Black Echo'' to describe the conditions within the tunnels. For the Viet Cong, life in the tunnels was difficult. Air, food and water were scarce and the tunnels were infested with ants, poisonous centipedes, scorpions, spiders and vermin. Most of the time, soldiers would spend the day in the tunnels working or resting and come out only at night to scavenge for supplies, tend their crops, or engage the enemy in battle. Your guide will tell you all about these stories while you wander round the amazing tunnels where history has happened. You will learn more about the conditions the Vietnamese people lived in, the hardships they faced and the amazing ingenuity employed to maintain life in the tunnels. The Cu Chi Tunnels have been widened in places for visitors, (and the traps have been marked for your safety!), however they can still be dark, hot and claustrophobic inside so please bear this in mind if you do not like enclosed spaces. For those who choose to stay above the ground there are plenty of easily accessible rooms and excavated areas to visit. Above-ground attractions include caged monkeys, vendors selling souvenirs, and a shooting range where visitors can fire a number of assault rifles, such as the M16 rifle or AK-47, as well as a light machine gun like the M60. This fascinating tour is essential on any holiday itinerary for those who love history, culture and are up for some adventure!

Enjoy a fast and scenic speedboat trip to the Mekong Delta departing by boat from the central pier in Ho Chi Minh City. You will explore an authentic region of the Mekong Delta that only a few other tourists get to experience. There are many interesting cultural stops including: local Pagoda’s; a Cao Dai Temple; a riverside market; local workshops; and historical sites along the way. There are countless opportunities to capture some amazing photos. We bring our own chef from Saigon down to the Mekong Delta who prepares an elaborate Vietnamese lunch for our guests at a local pagoda.

Discover the city's fascinating sights on this essential half-day tour. Start at the elegant Historical Museum and trace the country's history from the ancient Dongson period until recent time. Admire an enchanting performance of traditional Water Puppetry. En route, see the twin-spired Notre Dame Cathedral, the finest example of French colonial architecture and the City Hall. Explore the old inspiring Presidential Palace with its remarkable network of underground bunkers. Venture through bustling Chinatown, locally known as Cholon, with its colorful atmosphere and mysterious temples. Visit the lively Thien Hao Pagoda, with the enormous burning incense-coils that never fail to impress. After lunch at a local restaurant, continue to visit the War Remnants Museum. The Museum contains fascinating remnants and photographs of the Vietnam War including US armored vehicles, artillery pieces, bombs and infantry weapons. Continue on to the Art Museum which houses many interesting collections and revolutionary art. Last stop will be the colorful Benh Thanh Market (Cho Benh Thanh Market); seeing skillful artisans at work in a Lacquer-ware factory, visit art galleries, and indulge in the splendors of a Vietnamese Silk Shop. Stroll along the many tantalizing shops of Dong Khoi Street, once known as Rue Catinat, the boulevard where the high society flocked and shopped in colonial times. Shop for bargains, discover your bargaining power and come away with unusual souvenirs that will always remind you of this exciting afternoon. Languages English.

Vietnamese cooking is an art that takes a lifetime to master, but an attentive student can quickly learn enough tips and tricks to make some delightful meals at home. Here is your chance to learn how to cook traditional Vietnamese dishes with the help of an instructor guiding you along the way. Learn to fuse together a host of delicious ingredients in a fully equipped professional environment and create delicious Vietnamese dishes. The classroom ki Vietnamese cooking is an art that takes a lifetime to master, but an attentive student can quickly learn enough tips and tricks to make some delightful meals at home. Here is your chance to learn how to cook traditional Vietnamese dishes with the help of an instructor guiding you along the way. Learn to fuse together a host of delicious ingredients in a fully equipped professional environment and create delicious Vietnamese dishes. The classroom kitchens provide students with everything they need to learn from a stove to utensils, blackboard to pens. The first part of the class is a trip to a colorful food market to learn about the local ingredients, including ‘nuoc mam’ (fish sauce) which is ubiquitous to Vietnamese cooking. You will learn about Vietnamese cuisine and the amazing diversity of the dishes. Each region in Vietnam; north, central or south, has its specialities. After the market visit, you will be transferred to a Vietnam Cookery Centre; where you will learn the secrets of Vietnamese cuisine. Here you will take your cooking class in a traditional setting; and guests will be divided into small groups to enhance interaction. At the completion of the lesson, you will sit down and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Each day different menus are prepared, so why not take another journey into the world of Vietnamese cuisine tomorrow. After a few short courses, you will be creating culinary masterpieces at whim. Meeting/pick-up point: Pick-up at hotels in Ho Chi Minh City. Duration: 5 hours. Start/opening time: At 8am. Languages: English, Spanish and Japanese speaking guide. Others: Private transfer.

Take a fascinating day trip that combines two of Ho Chi Minh City´s iconic structures. Firstly head in the morning to Tay Ninh; where the Great Temple of the Cao Dai religion is located. This religion is exclusively found in Vietnam and is a unique fusion of Western and Eastern philosophies and religions. Considered one of the most remarkable structures in all of Southeast Asia, it acts as the headquarters of this unique sect, which is a hybrid of Buddhism Take a fascinating day trip that combines two of Ho Chi Minh City´s iconic structures. Firstly head in the morning to Tay Ninh; where the Great Temple of the Cao Dai religion is located. This religion is exclusively found in Vietnam and is a unique fusion of Western and Eastern philosophies and religions. Considered one of the most remarkable structures in all of Southeast Asia, it acts as the headquarters of this unique sect, which is a hybrid of Buddhism, Christianity and Confucianism. Look out for the all-seeing holy eye, the official symbol of Cao Dai, located above the temple entrance. Then attend the extravagant midday ceremony to witness how the Cao Dai followers conduct daily mass. Observe the strictly orchestrated, colorful ceremony at noon from the balconies in the cathedral. After lunch at a local restaurant, continue to the Cu Chi Tunnels. Crawl through tunnels to experience Vietnamese guerrilla life. Originally dug as a base to organize guerrilla style actions against the French, the tunnels were expanded during the Indochina War to become a huge and ingenious underground network. There are more than 200 kilometers of subterraneous complex containing storage rooms, kitchens, hospitals, sleeping quarters and even schools. Learn about the conditions the Vietnamese people lived in, the hardships they faced and the amazing ingenuity employed to maintain life in the tunnels. The Cu Chi Tunnels have been widened in places for visitors, (and the traps have been marked for your safety!), however they can still be dark, hot and claustrophobic inside so please bear this in mind if you do not like enclosed spaces. For those who choose to stay above the ground there are plenty of easily accessible rooms and excavated areas to visit. Above-ground attractions include caged monkeys, vendors selling souvenirs, and a shooting range where visitors can fire a number of assault rifles, such as the M16 rifle or AK-47, as well as a light machine gun like the M60. This fascinating double tour is essential on any holiday itinerary for those who love history, culture and are up for some adventure! Meeting/pick-up point: Pick-up at hotels in Ho Chi Minh City. Duration: 9 hours. Start/opening time: At 8am. Languages: English speaking guide.

Travel to the heart of the Mekong Delta on this fascinating group adventure. You will discover beautiful landscapes along the river with its endless paddy fields and observe the typical Mekong delta rural life. Experience the diversity of the Mekong waterways first hand as you explore fish farms, exotic fruit farms and dine on traditional Mekong Delta food. Begin your exploration at My Tho; a former naval base. My Tho is now a bustling port city in the Mekong Delta where you will visit the ancient Vinh Trang pagoda; the most beautiful pagoda of the province with a mixture of many styles. Next, a motorized sampan will take you on an adventure through the vast estuary of the Mekong Delta. This incredibly fertile region is very popular for food production, producing approximately half of Vietnam's total agricultural output. All daily life and agricultural activities are centred on the countless branches of the river. Life for villagers in the area revolves around the rivers and canals that make up the delta, people are more likely to transport by river than by road. Because of its abundance of rice fields and water, this region is called the Rice Bowl of Vietnam. Take pleasure in visiting an island with lush tropical gardens where we have a chance to sample tropical fruit from a local fruit orchard. Continuing to another green island in the Mekong Delta we learn more about another cottage industry, coconut candy. Our local guide will take us to a factory and explain the process of making the sweet. We have a chance to visit local villages in the area and learn more about the traditional lifestyles, culture and customs of people who call the Delta their home. This fascinating Mekong Delta tour is essential on any holiday itinerary for those who love scenic landscapes, beauty and for those who would like to experience the authentic life on the Mekong Delta River.

Embark on an exhilarating journey full of culture, history, architecture and beauty. This fascinating tour visits the top attractions of the enchanting Ho Chi Minh City. During the morning we will visit Cu Chi's incredible Tunnels (70km northwest of HCM City), an amazing complex of underground tunnels used during the Vietnam War. The Cu Chi tunnels were built by local fighters during the Indochina conflict as a base from which the Viet Cong could operate from close to the Southern Vietnamese capital. Initial construction started in 1948 when the Viet Minh required somewhere to hide from French air attacks and by 1965, the Cu Chi tunnel complex was estimated to consist of 200km's of tunnels. It included, hospitals, schools, meeting rooms, kitchens and sleeping quarters. Life was difficult for the inhabitants and to protect against outside intruders bobby traps were laid throughout the complex. Your guide will tell you all the stories while you wander round the amazing tunnels where history has happened. Next we will have a Vietnamese Lunch at Ben Nay restaurant. The architectural design of Ben Nay Restaurant has taken its inspiration from traditional Vietnamese style while adding modern accents. The menu is selected to suit the taste of local guests as well as foreign visitors, with Vietnamese, Western, Chinese dishes, and - of course - fresh seafood. As a special treat, tourists can enjoy the pastoral dishes of Vietnam's southern waterways. The tour will also give you the chance to stroll around the picturesque city of Ho Chi Minh. Gaze in awe at the Notre Dame Cathedral; the finest examples of French colonial architecture. Appreciate the magnitude and beauty of the Presidential Palace; built between 1900 and 1906 to house the French Governor-General of Indochina. You will also discover the Benh Thanh local market, shop with the locals and pick up some amazing souvenirs to take back home. If time permits it you will have the opportunity to stop at a museum of your choice. This fascinating tour is essential on any holiday itinerary for those who love history, culture, architecture and beauty.

Witness one of the biggest wholesale markets in the region. The incredible floating markets in the Mekong Delta are authentic and lively. Every day, approximately 400 -500 boats filled with fruits, vegetables and other products anchor along the banks of the river, waiting for traders and customers. The merchandise sold in each boat is hung on a high pole in front of the boat as a sample to attract customers from a distance. You won´t see anything else quit Witness one of the biggest wholesale markets in the region. The incredible floating markets in the Mekong Delta are authentic and lively. Every day, approximately 400 -500 boats filled with fruits, vegetables and other products anchor along the banks of the river, waiting for traders and customers. The merchandise sold in each boat is hung on a high pole in front of the boat as a sample to attract customers from a distance. You won´t see anything else quite like it as local people trade and bargain vigorously in this fascinating and aesthetic chaos. You will get off the boat onto an island to visit an authentic pop-rice making family, see what a local farmer’s house is really like, and visit an orchard and bonsai garden. Lunch is served at a local house on one of the Islands. Then you will continue with the boat to Vinh Long, a center of tropical fruit; stop in for a short visit to Vinh Long market. Go across My Thuan suspension bridge; the gateway to the National Highway 1A in the Southwest Province. We will drop by Mekong Rest Stop; an ideal and unique place with impressive natural landscapes. This peaceful green, clear environment is the ideal place to take photos, stretch your legs and sample delicious dishes. The special menu includes a wide variety of typical Vietnamese dishes like rice steamed in lotus leaves, grilled chicken, fried inflate glutinous rice, fish steamed with soya sauce, crab soup and green spinach, chicken hot-pot. Be sure to stop at the souvenir shop to pick up your handcrafted souvenirs before going back to Saigon. Meeting/pick-up point: Pick-up at hotels in Ho Chi Minh City. Duration: 9 hours. Start/opening time: At 8am. End/closing time: At 5pm. Languages: English speaking guide.