AUTHENTIC EXPERIENCE THROUGHOUT VIETNAM & CAMBODIA (9 DAYS/8 NIGHTS)

 AUTHENTIC EXPERIENCE THROUGHOUT VIETNAM & CAMBODIA
(9 DAYS/8 NIGHTS)

Day 1: Arrival - HO CHI MINH CITY (-/-/-)
On arrival at Tan San Nhat Airport, you are met and transferred to hotel for a check-in.
The rest of time, you will be free on your own to refresh after a long flight.
O/N in Ho Chi Minh City.

Day 2: HO CHI MINH CITY TOUR + CU CHI TUNNELS (B/-/-)
Morning: A half-day city tour of dynamic Ho Chi Minh City, still called Saigon by many locals, includes the Notre Dame Cathedral, Old Sai Gon Post Office, the Chinatown, the former Presidential Palace.
Afternoon: Transfer about 30km north-west of Ho Chi Minh City to Cu Chi town. Cu Chi tunnels were used as the base from which the Vietnamese mounted their operations of the Tet Offensive in 1968. The Cu Chi tunnels consist of more than 200km of underground tunnels. This main axis system has many branches connecting to underground hideouts, shelters, and entrances to other tunnels, the tunnels are between 0.5 to 1m wide, just enough for a person to crawl along.
Transfer back to Ho Chi Minh City.
O/N in Ho Chi Minh City.

Day 3: HO CHI MINH CITY - MY THO - BEN TRE - CAN THO (B/L/-)
In the morning, you will be transferred to My Tho, take a boat trip downstream to Ben Tre through floating market, where you have the opportunities to meet the locals there to learn about their daily life in Mekong Delta then take an outlook of natural sceneries along banks of river with coconut candy mill, fruit gardens followed by fruit tasting, rice paper mill... Biking or sitting on horse carriage to weave around the zigzag village roads. Later on, we will enjoy a lunch served at a local restaurant on island with local specialty of "Deep fried Elephant - Eared fish". Lastly we will proceed going to Can Tho.
Arrive in Can Tho, the city located on Mekong Delta bank.
O/N in Can Tho.

Day 4: CAN THO – CHAU DOC (B/-/-)
After breakfast at hotel, transfer to Ninh Kieu wharf for a boat trip to visit Cai Rang floating market. Time for taking part to the local activities and photo shoot. Then continue by boat through small canals to see more local daily life. Walk to visit small boat building local village before returning to the wharf.
In the afternoon, you will be driven to Chau Doc, on the way, we will stop by Stork Garden to learn about its ecosystem & take amazing photos before the sunset.
We will get to Chau Doc for a check-in at hotel in the late afternoon.
O/N in Chau Doc.

Day 5: CHAU DOC – PHNOM PENH (B/-/-)
In this morning, after having breakfast you will be taken to see some tourist sites such as Temple of Lady Chua Xu, which was built in 1820 on Sam Mountain. According to a legend, in the early 1800s villagers found a statue of a lady dating to the 6th century in the forest. They built a temple in her honour, hoping that she would bring them better crops and better lives. This is why the marble statue of Ba Chua Xu, meaning "country lady," is worshipped, then Tomb of Thoai Ngoc Hau, which is located in front of Ba Chua Xu Temple, that is the biggest monument at the foot of Sam Mountain, 5-km southwest of Chau Doc. Thoai Ngoc Hau (1761–1829), originally named Nguyen Van Thoai, was the first man from this area to exploit the virgin soil, establish living settlements, and dig Vinh Te and Thoai Ha channels. He was buried there along with his two wives and a temple in his honour was built in the 1930s.
Prior to the noon time, you will be escorted to Chau Doc harbor to get a high-speed boat to Phnom Penh.
At around 17:00, you will arrive Phnom Penh wharf. Right here our guide & driver will pick you up then drive to hotel for a check-in
O/N in Phnom Penh.

Day 6: PHNOM PENH – KILLING FIELD (B/-/-)
Today, we will spend almost our time visiting the most outstanding tourist sites in Phnom Penh with the Victory Monument and the National Museum, the Royal Palace, built by the French in 1866 on the site of the old town, and Silver Pagoda, which located within the Royal Palace ground.
Later on, we will keep on discovering Tuoi Sleng museum & Killing Field, where the Khmer Rouge did capture & executive nearly 2 millions Cambodians during the period from 1975 until 1979.
O/N at hotel.

Day 7: PHNOM PENH - SIEM REAP (B/-/-)
Breakfast at hotel
Transfer to Phnom Penh airport for departure to Siem Reap. Upon arrival at Siem Reap airport, meets and transfers to hotel
Visit the ancient capital of Angkor Thom (12th century). See the South Gate (with its huge statues depicting the churning of the ocean of milk), Bayon Temple(unique for its 54 towers decorated with over 200 smiling faces of Avolokitesvara), the Royal Enclosure, Phimeanakas, the Elephant Terrace and the Terrace of the Leper King
In the afternoon, visit the most famous of all the temples on the Angkor plain: Angkor Wat. The temple complex cover 81 hectares and is comparable in size to the Imperial Palace in Beijing. Its distinctive five towers are emblazoned on the Cambodian flag and the 12th century masterpiece is considered by art historians to be the prime example of classical Khmer art and architecture. Angkor Wat's five tower symbolize Meru's five peaks, the enclosed wall represents the mountains at the edge of the world and the surrounding moat symbolizes the ocean beyond
Sunset from Phnom Bakheng, one of two hills dominating the plain of Angkor, from where you will have a spectacular view of the Western Baray and Angkor Wat
O/N at hotel.

Day 8: SIEM REAP (B/-/-)
Breakfast at hotel
In the morning, you will continue your temple visits. Included are Prasat Kravan (with its unique brick sculptures), Srah Srang ("The Royal Boths" was once used for ritual bathing), Banteay Kdei (surrounded by four concentric walls), Eastern Mebon (guarded at its corner by stone figures of harnessed elephants, some of which are still in a reasonable state of preservation) and the "Mountain Temple" of Pre Rup.
In the afternoon, transfer to the archaeological site and continue to the temple tour. Visit Ta Prohm, one of the most beautiful temples in the area. Ta Prohm has been left relatively untouched since it was discovered and retains much of its mystery
Then, visit Takeo, Thommanon and Chau Say Tevoda temples.
O/N at hotel.

Day 9: SIEM REAP - Departure (B/-/-)
Breakfast at hotel
Visit the floating village of the Chong Khneas, located 10 kilometers south of Siem Reap. Take a traditional wooden boat for a ride on the Tonle Sap, the "Great Lake" of Cambodia and the largest in Asia
In the afternoon, visit "Les Artisans d'Angkor – Chantiers Ecoles" of Siem Reap and time at leisure at the local market (if time permits)
Transfer to Siem Reap airport for departure to the next destination.

INCLUDING:
• Transportation in private air-conditioned vehicle with driver
• Domestic air-ticket: Phnom Penh – Siem Reap.
• Accommodation in hotels (shared twin room)
• Meals as indicated: B = breakfast, L = lunch or D = Dinner
• English or French speaking guide
• Entrance fee to indicated sights
• Boat trip in Mekong
* High-Speed boat from Chau Doc to Phnom Penh

EXCLUDING: International flights, Other meals, tip, drinks, airport tax, single room, personal expenses, insurance...

* Notes:
+ FOC means Free Of Charge applied to the tour leader escorting the group of 15 people & onwards.
+ Standard Class is applied to 2-star hotels
+ First Class is applied to 3-star hotels
+ Superior Class is applied to 4-star hotels
+ Deluxe Class is applied to 5-star hotels

Cost in US$ per person in the party (Valid until 30 Sep'09 )	AUTHENTIC EXPERIENCE (VN - CAM)
	Standard	First	Superior
2 pax	925	985	1,208
3 - 6 pax	816	864	1,099
7 -10 pax	660	697	933
11 - 14 pax	587	625	864
15 - 19 pax	566	622	873
20 pax & plus	536	598	840
Single supplement	153	215	448
Full board supplement	190	190	190