This off-the-beaten-path trip includes a diverse range of destinations little visited by tourists, from the Mekong Delta to the remote temples of Cambodia. You will begin your journey in bustling Saigon, with its many historical monuments and religious sites. You will also discover the “Holy See” of Caodaism in Tay Ninh, as well as the remains of the Vietnam War in Cu Chi. Then you will immerse yourself in the heart of the Delta, a paradise of vegetation with its floating markets and the boats that ply the many rivers.

Still along the Mekong, you will cross Cambodia to stop over in Phnom Penh, its bustling capital. You will continue to Siem Reap to visit the fabulous temples of Angkor, one of the main tourist attractions in Southeast Asia. You will live a unique experience with the incomparable majesty of these religious buildings, nature taking back its rights sometimes, as in Ta Prohm. You will also be intrigued by the mysterious faces of Bayon, as well as the floating villages of Tonle Sap Lake.

Highlights :

+ Varied program to visit the most attractive sites of the two countries
+ Knowledge of Saigon and Phnom Penh, with their traditions, religious sites and turbulent histories
+ Unforgettable navigation in the Mekong River and its arroyos, in the middle of lush vegetation, with tasting of delicious tropical fruits
+ Bucolic bike rides and possibility of taking a cooking class
+ Discovery of the spectacular temples of Angkor

Itinerary :

Day 1: Arrival in Saigon

Day 2: Saigon - Vĩnh Long - Can Tho

Day 3: Can Tho - Long Xuyen - Tra Su - Chau Doc

Day 4: Chau Doc - Phnom Penh

Day 5: Visit of Phnom Penh

Day 6: Phnom Penh - Flight to Siemreap

Day 7: Siemreap / Angkor Wat, Taprhom and Bantey Srei

Day 8: Siemreap / Preah Khan, Neak Pean and Angkor Thom - Departure flight.

Notes:

- Depending on your desires and your budget, this tour can be adapted and modified in terms of duration, content, as well as the date of departure.
- The price of this trip varies depending on the number of participants, the services chosen (accommodation category, activities and board during the trip, ...) as well as the tourist period of the year.
- Do not hesitate to contact us for more information. We are always ready to listen to you.

Day 1: Arrival in Saigon

(guide, car, dinner, accommodation, visits)

Arrival in Saigon. Welcome by Zen Vietnam Travel guide and driver. Transfer to the city center.

Saigon, today called Ho Chi Minh city, is the first city of Vietnam in several senses: economic, area, population ...

Continuation of your day by visiting the Reunification Palace which served as the Presidential Palace of South Vietnam before 1975. Visit of the central post office and Saigon Cathedral.

Discovery of the Chinese district of Cholon with in particular the Binh Tay market which is full of life and where you can find absolutely everything you can imagine, all in a warm atmosphere. Finally, visit the Thien Hau pagoda, a guaranteed atmosphere with the incense cones burning on the ceiling and all the decorative elements typical of a pagoda dedicated to the goddess of the sea.

Dinner on the Indochine Junk boat, a beautiful ride for 1h30 on the Saigon river, admiring the modern beauty of the city while listening to traditional music.

Overnight at hotel in Saigon.

Day 2: Saigon-Cai Be - Vinh Long - Can Tho

(guide, car, lunch, dinner, accommodation, visits)

Breakfast at the hotel.

At 8:00 am, departure with the guide towards Cai Be. Arrival in Cai Be, you will start a short one-hour boat trip on an arm of the Mekong and enjoy the typical landscapes of the Mekong on its two banks.

Arrival at Vinh Long. Gourmet lunch from the region.

In the afternoon, visit of the factory with tasting of sweets, nougats, rice cakes, rice alcohol ... and huge gardens of exotic fruit trees, durian, mangosteen, rambutan, milk apple ....

Then, take the car back to Can Tho.

Arrival in Can Tho.

Dinner at the restaurant. Night at the hotel.

Day 3: Can Tho - Floating market - Long Xuyen - Chau Doc

(guide, car, lunch, dinner, accommodation, visits)

Wake up early at 6 am to visit the Cai Rang floating market, the largest floating market in Vietnam where hundreds of boats gather every morning to trade in agricultural products, fruits and flowers. The origin of the floating markets comes from the relief of the Mekong Delta with rivers, streams and canals everywhere, which really discourages land transport but which seems ideal for boat travel. Here you will see that the locals of the Mekong are as comfortable on their boats as the others elsewhere on their scooters !!!!!

Return of the floating market. Time for breakfast.

Visit of the old Binh Thuy house in which the film L'Amant was shot, a very beautiful house with a mixed French-Vietnamese style.

The road towards Chau Doc via Long Xuyen. Visit of the Tra Su reserve.

Lunch at the restaurant and visit of the crocodile farm.

Arrival at Chau Doc. Visit of the temple of Lady Celestial.

Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 4: Chau Doc - Fast boat to Phnom Penh

(guide, car, lunch, dinner, accommodation, visits)

Breakfast at the hotel.

Transfer to Chau Doc pier for the boat to Cambodia.

Reception at the pier in Phnom Penh. Visit of Wat Phnom, the oldest monument in the city to which it gave its name, and whose stupa contains the ashes of King Pona Yat, the founder of the city.

Discovery of the post office district, very characteristic of the colonial architecture of the time of the French protectorate. Visit of the Russian market.

Overnight in Phnom Penh

Day 5: Phnom Penh - Visits

(guide, car, lunch, dinner, accommodation, visits)

Breakfast at the hotel.

Visit of the capital of Cambodia: discovery of the National Museum where an impressive collection of pre-Angkorian and Angkorian sculptures is exhibited, the Royal Palace in traditional Khmer style, and the Silver Pagoda with its silver paved floor.

Free time.

Overnight in Phnom Penh

Day 6: Phnom Penh - Siem Riep

(guide, car, lunch, dinner, accommodation, visits)

Breakfast at the hotel.

Transfer to Phnom Penh airport for flight to Siem Reap. Home to Siem Reap, city of the fabulous set of Angkor temples, the small town of Siem Reap constitutes the spiritual and cultural heart of Cambodia.

Visit of the great temple of Angkor Wat dating from the first half of the 12th century and dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu. This huge mountain temple, built by King Suryavarman II, is considered a masterpiece of Khmer art and architecture. Its founder, who reigned over Cambodia from 1113 to 1152, is represented twice on the bas reliefs of the south gallery. Overnight in Siem Reap.

Day 7: Siem Reap

(guide, car, lunch, dinner, accommodation, visits)

Breakfast at the hotel.

Visit of the ancient capital of Angkor Thom with the Bayon Temple, the geometric center of Angkor Thom and the mountain temple built by the Buddhist king Jayavarman VII, the Baphuon, royal temple erected in the middle of the tenth century, the Terrace of the Elephants, the Terrace of the Leper King, so called because of a statue which represents a Judge of the Underworld with a demonic aspect.

Visit of the fascinating monastery of Ta Prohm, invaded by the jungle, whose name means "the Ancestor Brahmâ". Visit of Ta Keo, called "the Shrine of the Crystal Jewel", a Shivist temple dating from the end of the tenth century.

Visit of Thom Manon, a small 12th century temple. Visit of Chau Say and discovery of the sacred pond of Srah Srang.

Overnight in Siem Reap.

Note: Possibility to take an elephant ride around Bayon.

Day 8: Siem Reap - Departure

(guide, car, lunch, accommodation, visits)

Breakfast at the hotel.

Visit of Banteay Srey, a small pink sandstone temple from the end of the 10th century considered as the jewel of classical Khmer art. The newly restored “citadel of women” is recommended by the perfection of its sculpted decoration, and the apsaras are more beautiful there than elsewhere.

Visit of the four temples of the Grand Circuit, of the maze of the Preah Khan temple whose name means "the Sacred Sword", of the Eastern Mebon, and of the Pre Rup at the four angles of which stand stone elephants.

Transfer to Siem Reap airport.

Note: Possibility of an ascending balloon flight to observe a large part of the Angkor temple site.

End of the trip!

Travel with passion!