Leave the city behind this morning as you travel about two hours to reach Cai Be, a gateway to the Mekong Delta.  Then hop aboard a small boat and travel along the winding waterways to take a peek into life on the water.  Stop off at Dong Phu and An Binh where you will see small home-based factories that produce oil, matting, candy and even wine from coconuts!  Then visit an old French colonial house that is more than 150 years old.  After a quick stop for lunch, hop aboard another boat that will take you to the ferry hub of Vinh Long and then drive to Can Tho arriving in the late afternoon.

It’s an early start to the day as you go by boat the daily floating market of Can Tho. Experience the flurry of vendors trading their wares as boats teeming with fruit, vegetables and household goods ply the waters.  Then it’s off to Chau Doc, a sleepy riverside border town, about three hours by road.  Along the way, stop off at Sa Dec a romantic and charming town which was the setting for ‘The Lover’ in the famous love story written by French novelist Marguerite Duras. 

Discover daily life on the river this morning as you travel by boat and visit a Muslim Cham village. Learn about the history of the Kingdom of Champa that stretched from the centre of Vietnam, to the Mekong Delta and into Cambodia. See traditional stilt homes and the mosque to understand more about this rich and diverse culture.  Cruise down the Vinh Te Canal that marks the border between Cambodia and Vietnam, then later in the afternoon take a trip to the Tra Su Forest, an ecological reserve spanning 850 hectares. Glide quietly by sampan, through the thick mangroves and keep an eye out for the myriad of bird life.  Along the way stop off at a small village that is home to ethnic Khmer people and meet the monks at the pagoda.

Say good bye to the delta and travel to Ho Chi Minh City about seven hours by car. There will be plenty of stops along the way to stretch your legs and take photos.