Mekong Delta

After bidding a fond farewell to our travelling companions, we leave Ho Chi Minh City this morning and head to the idyllic small town of Cai Be, famous for its rural floating community. Our waiting boat will take us through the lazy waters before we disembark to pay a visit to some cottage workshops and home industries making sweet treats and local artefacts. Later, we board a sampan where our guide will expertly row us through a maze of narrow canals before we enjoy a cookery demonstration of banh xeo, a Vietnamese speciality, followed by a late lunch. We travel back to Cai Be by boat before our onward drive to Can Tho. Our home for the next two nights is the delightful Can Tho Ecolodge.

After breakfast, we drive to Chau Doc, on the border with Cambodia. Home to verdant forests, bustling riverbanks and striking Khmer temples, Chau Doc is a melting pot of many cultures. We cruise on the Bassac River, past floating fish farms, to a local village, where we hear about the lives of the local minority ethnic Cham people. Sam Mountain is the highest mountain in the Mekong Delta, and we visit one of its many impressive temples. After lunch we travel by sampan through waterways flanked by mangroves to Tra Su Forest, an eco-reserve and ecological haven, with more than 100 species of water birds and colonies of bats. Our busy day ends with a climb to a vantage point with breath-taking views over the forests below, before returning to Can Tho.

An early start today as we visit Cai Rang floating market. Boats teeming with fruit, vegetables and household goods ply the waters which bustle with activity. We then cruise to a lush orchard, where we disembark to stroll through the tropical fruit gardens and enjoy the natural beauty. Vietnam’s French colonial past is reflected in its striking architecture; a notable example of which is Binh Thuy. Built in 19th century, this grand house’s classical French style is blended with design guided by the principles of Eastern feng-shui. Binh Thuy was used as the filming location for ‘The Lover’, a film based on the novel of the same name by French novelist Marguerite Duras. Later, we arrive at Ho Chi Minh City for an overnight stay at the Liberty Central Saigon Riverside Hotel.

As our flight departs in the evening, there is further time to explore Ho Chi Minh City or to purchase any last-minute souvenirs. Our flights operate via Singapore with Singapore Airlines.

This morning we arrive into our chosen UK airport. Filled with amazing memories to cherish, our Vietnamese adventure comes to an end.