Ho Chi Minh City Tour & Cycling In Ben Tre - Viet International Travel and Trade Co., Ltd

08.00 AM. ViTravel’s guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel then bring you out for the city exploration.
Start with a visit to the city’s most iconic building: Reunification Hall. Formerly called the Presidential Palace, images of the building were seen around the world on 30 April 1975 when tanks stormed the gates as Saigon fell to the North Vietnamese. Hear the echoes of time while walking through this historic downtown site.
Then take a stroll to Ho Chi Minh City’s colonial quarter, walking past scenes of everyday life on the way. Admire the beautiful architecture of the Opera House, City Hall, and the old Saigon Post Office, Hear about the glory days of French Indochina and how that era continues to influence aspects of modern Vietnamese culture.

Step inside the War Remnants Museum for an insightful, yet sombre, look into Vietnam’s military history. See exhibitions displaying imagery from the French and American wars, learn more about the country’s struggle for independence and hear tales of the resilience of the Vietnamese people.
Having lunch at a local restaurant at noon.

In the afternoon, let’s drive to districts 5 and 6 to explore China Town and its famous relics as Thien Hau Temple – which was built by the Chinese who came earlier by seaway to dedicate the Goddess of the Sea. Explore the highlights of this fascinating area, beginning with intricate friezes, carved tableau and impressive incense coils that make for some great photos. Then observe street life through the narrow streets to Binh Tay market that sells everything from clothes to dried squid. Then head back to district one to visit the last destination of the tour: Ben Thanh market where you can see lots of shops selling clothing, souvenirs, fruits, and flowers…a good place to try your bargaining skills.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

Early morning, let's departure for Ben Tre province. The drive is about 1,5 hours long.

Ben Tre province is the gateway to the Mekong Delta – the home to about 20 million people and the largest rice barn in the country. At Huu Dinh Hamlet, take a tri-motorcycle ride down narrow village roads to explore the lush surroundings of rice paddies and fruit farms before boarding the cruise ship where a refreshing coconut welcome drink awaits as you enjoy rustic river scenes.
Shore excursions include a small home factory making handicrafts from Ben Tre’s famous coconuts and a brick workshop where bricks are made by hand using centuries-old traditional methods.
Take a 5-7km (3-4mi) bicycle trip around Phong Nam village on flat trails with stops at a rice noodle factory and the home of a local family where you can observe local life while sampling tropical fruit and honey tea.

Explore some of the Delta’s famed waterways via rowing sampan boat before enjoying lunch at a very cozy restaurant.

After lunch, we continue to bike around the area to immerse in the tranquillity and fresh air of the delta before heading back to busy HCMC and visiting some other local families as you want.
Return by motorboat to the Hung Vuong Pier in Ben Tre city to get back in our car and drive back to the hotel in HCM city center.
 

08.30 AM - ViTravel’s food expert will pick you up at your hotel or any location in the city center. Our food expert will brief you about what to expect while sightseeing and safety instructions before the food tour start.
 

09.00 AM - We begin at Nguyen Thien Thuat's backstreet – The Lively Saigon. You will pass through one of the typical streets of the city with constructions dating back to the 1960s. Along the street are many Vietnamese guitar makers’ stores. There are also many interesting eateries. Mass residential apartment buildings are on the back street. Wandering around here gives you an idea of how lively Ho Chi Minh City is. Get your camera ready for many special moments that come suddenly on the streets. This first walk starts from Nguyen Thien Thuat street and ends at Ban Co market. You will have a chance to try a Vietnamese popular sweetened soup (the desserts made of beans, sticky rice, taro, longan fruit and coconut milk…).

10.00 AM - Travel to districts 10 and 5 to stroll through more typical residential apartment buildings. And again, you will witness Ho Chi Minh city from another angle: the lifestyles on the streets with shops, street food stalls and rickshaws passing.

11.30 AM – Following Hai Thuong Lang Ong & Trieu Quang Phuc streets - the traditional medicine streets in China Town. This is an area concentrated with traditional clinics and medicine herb stores. Walking along the streets, you can smell the herbs and watch the shop owners do their business. Visit Thien Hau Temple (built by Chinese people to worship Ocean Goddess - an important god in their culture).

12.00 PM - Go to a local restaurant for lunch then come back to the hotel around 1:00 pm or we will take you to Tan Son Nhat airport for your next flight.

Trip ends.

ViTravel goodbye and see you again.