Mekong River

8:00am: Your guide will meet you in the lobby of your hotel and bring you by car to your boat at Ho Chi Minh City pier. 8:15am: The boat departs and you slip away from downtown Saigon via narrow canals, and enter the verdant green tributaries of the Mekong Delta. A light breakfast is served on board. 8:45am: Enjoy a brief stop at the ornate, overwater Tuong Van Pagoda, while your guide explains the importance Buddhism to many people of the Delta. 9:30am: Visit a bustling, colorful riverside market full of local curiosities, tropical fruits and all manner of fish and shellfish. Great photo opportunities! 10:30am: Reach the idyllic watery expanses of the Delta itself, known as the Delta of Nine Dragons for the 9 tributaries that splinter from the main Mekong River. 10:45am: Turn off the delta into small, winding canals of the Thu Thua area, shaded by a canopy of foliage as you drift along lazily. Depending on the route, you will visit a traditional riverside house with huge Burmese pythons as pets, a quaint Mekong village and surrounding rice paddies, and then a traditional farmhouse where you’ll sample coconuts and Mekong whisky. Or you will visit a local merchant and try a range of Mekong produce, and whisky and wine. You’ll walk along the banks of the river to a traditional rural Vietnamese house where 3 generations live, before exploring a charming village where you can try fresh coconuts from the tree. This variation provides fascinating insight into life in the Mekong Delta region. Note: Our tours are flexible. Your guide may combine parts from both routes. 12:30pm: Enjoy a traditional Mekong Delta lunch at a local pagoda prepared by our private chef.

Cao Dai Temple

After lunch, you will visit an orphanage run by Buddhist monks. 01:30pm: Visit a colorful Cao Dai Temple. 02:30pm: Return to the speedboat and depart for Ho Chi Minh City. 04:00pm: Arrive back in Saigon. Staff will return you to your hotel by car.