Day 1: Saigon arrival (Own ticket) (None)
Upon arrival, transfer to your hotel on your private vehicle.
Formerly known as “Saigon” prior to 1975, today the city is Vietnam’s commercial center. Although Saigon has rapidly developed into a modern city with skyscrapers and shopping centers, there are still remnants of its past visible in the historic landmarks and beautiful French colonial buildings dotted throughout the city. This offers great opportunities for photography, showcasing the contrast of Saigon now and then, life of Saigonese on high rise buildings and in tiny local alleyways.
Depending on arrival time, optional to walk around the city highlights Notre Dame Cathedral, Central Post Office, Catinat Rue, Opera House. Capture the sights of elegant Saigon ladies in Ao Dai back on forth on hustle bustle streets of Saigon during rush hour.
Day 2: Saigon – Chinatown – Back alley life – Saigon wet markets (Breakfast/- /Dinner)
Opportunity to take snapshots of the busy and colorful Saigon markets before Tet, or the local life in old colonial apartments and back alleys of the city. All of these hidden sites will be ready for you to note down by photos.
Places to choose from: Saigon early morning street café and breakfast, Chinatown – Thien Hau pagoda, Binh Tay market, Binh Dong harbor to see floating flower market in Saigon, it happens once a year, from the second half of the last month, till the New Year Eve, Old Market – Ton That Dam, French colonial apartments.
Notes:
- Suggested time: 07:00
- Duration: 8 hours
Day 3: Saigon – Sa Dec – Long Xuyen (Breakfast/-/Dinner)
Leave Saigon to start exploring life in Mekong Delta Vietnam. Take a 3.5-hour drive from Saigon to Sa Dec, famous of flower farms before Tet, and the rice noodles factories which make the best rice noodles in the region.
Stop at Sa Dec local market and L’Amant house. This 130-year-old house is one of the top destinations in Sa Dec Town, Dong Thap Province. The building reflects a part of 20th century Vietnamese history when the country was a French colony, and also features in “L’Amant” (The Lover), a movie that was adapted from the novel of the same name by French writer Marguerite Duras that tells the love story of Duras and a Chinese Vietnamese man from Sa Dec.
Continue to Long Xuyen where you can find the untouched floating market life and the best broken rice dish in Mekong Delta. Take a night food tour to enjoy and photograph some of Long Xuyen best street food.
Notes:
- Suggested time: 07:00
- Duration: 10 hours
Day 4: Long Xuyen – Ben Tre (Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner)
Early morning wake up to visit Long Xuyen floating market. Unlike Can Tho or Cai Be floating markets which are touristy and less busy day after day, Long Xuyen floating market is still untouched and still well preserve it authenticity with trading activities from boats to boats. Stop at a rustic house of local merchant to have a chat for an inside view of how people in this area live.
Leave Long Xuyen for Ben Tre – the land of coconut, take time to capture the sunset over Ham Luong River.
Notes:
- Suggested time: 05:00
- Duration: 10 hours
Day 5: Ben Tre (Breakfast/-/Dinner)
Located just 1.5 hour drive from Saigon, Ben Tre is hometown to the famous coconut kind, nurture beautiful oasis and canals and act as the cultural cradle to all Westside regions. Take a tour around Ben Tre, row on sampan, visit workshops, coconut factories where people create lots of different products from coconuts, and enjoy lunch with Ben Tre delicious specialties.
Notes:
- Suggested time: 08:30
- Duration: 10 hours
Day 6: Ben Tre – Bac Lieu (Breakfast/-/Dinner)
Continue to the Southeast of Mekong Delta, with a 5-hour drive to Bac Lieu. Stop by Soc Trang, a Khmer-related province in Mekong Delta. Soc Trang is majorly inhabited by Khmer ethnic group, offering the beautiful blend of Vietnamese-Khmer culture, history and cuisines. With numeral Khmer pagodas, Soc Trang is an ideal place for iconic photos.
Continue to Bac Lieu for the scenic sunset over Bac Lieu salt rice.
Notes:
- Suggested time: 08:30
- Duration: 10 hours
Day 7: Bac Lieu (Breakfast/- /Dinner)
Spend your full day in Bac Lieu for visiting and photographing with sunrise over Salt Fields, net fixing house where you can capture scene of women working in the house, local wet market life. Visit Bac Lieu Prince’s house, whom once well known as the richest person in the region, burnt money to boil water just to impress his beloved.
Notes:
- Suggested time: 06:00
- Duration: 8 hours
Day 8: Bac Lieu – Chau Doc (Breakfast/-/Dinner)
Morning depart for Chau Doc, known as land of palm trees, bird sanctuary and mangrove wetland. Visit some handicraft villages in the way (mat waiving, rice paper, knife making – close to travel date we will select the busiest village for the tour).
Notes:
- Suggested Time: 08:00
- Duration: 9 hours
Day 9: Chau Doc (Breakfast/- /Dinner)
Today continue to explore Chau Doc and set for photography. Wake up early to depart for lily flower shooting, Tra Su mangrove forest, palm sugar making, with scenic view of sunset over rice paddy fields and palm trees.
Notes:
- Suggested time: 05:30
- Tour Duration: 11 hours.
Day 10: Chau Doc – Phnom Penh by speed boat (Breakfast/-/Dinner)
Check out hotel and transfer to Chau Doc pier for speedboat to Phnom Penh.
Upon arrival Phnom Penh, start your visit to Phnom Penh most famous temples and local market with Wat Phmom, Toul Sleng museum, Toul Tumpong market.
Notes:
- Suggested time: 08:00
- Tour Duration: 8 hours.
Day 11: Phnom Penh – Koh Ker (Breakfast/-/Dinner)
This morning check out hotel, drive to Koh Ker via Kampong Thom.
En route, stop at spider market at Skun, a few more stops on the way at some interesting villages.
Continue South to Koh Ker. Koh Ker or Chok Gargyar, as it is known in Old Khmer inscriptions, is a 10th-century temple complex and former capital of the Jayavarman (928 – 941 AD), situated in northern Cambodia. Koh Ker represents a unique vision in the arts, architecture and introduces new technologies, which changed urban planning for the coming centuries.
Capture the sunset over Koh Ker Temple.
Notes:
- Suggested time: 08:30
- Duration: 10 hours
Day 12: Koh Ker temple (Breakfast/-/Dinner)
Early morning wake up to capture sunrise of Koh Ker temple, then continue your day to set up photography around Koh Ker Archaeological Site with support from your local guide, also passionate photographer
Notes:
- Suggested time: 06:30
- Duration: 8 hours
Day 13: Koh Ker – Siem Reap – Banteay Srei and Rulous Group (Breakfast/-/Dinner)
After breakfast, check out hotel, transfer to Siem Reap.
Spend your whole day for photography of Banteay Srei – the citadel of women renowned for its intricate decoration carved in pinkish sandstone that covers the walls like tapestry, Preah Dark village, Banteay Samre temple, Rolous Group.
Day 14: Siem Reap – Departure (Breakfast/-/Dinner)
Wake up early in the morning to take photo of Angkor Wat over sunrise, if time permits, continue to Angkor Thom – the last and most enduring capital city of the Khmer Empire.
Bid farewell and transfer to airport for your flight home.
