ID11: Siemreap to Saigon 10 days

Itinerary in briefs:

Day 1: Siem reap arrival (D)
Day 2: Siem reap Angkor tour (B, L)
Day 3: Siem reap Angkor tour (B, L)
Day 4: Siem reap – Saigon (B, L, D)
Day 5: Saigon city – Cu chi tunnel (B, L)
Day 6: Saigon – Mekong delta (B, L)
Day 7: Saigon – Phan thiet – Muine beach (B)
Day 8: Muine relaxation (B)
Day 9: Muine relaxation (B)
Day 10: Muine – Saigon departure (B)

Itinerary in Details:

Day 1: Siem reap arrival (D)
Upon arrival at Siem Reap International Airport, you are met and transferred to hotel. Check in, relax.
In the afternoon, start your temple tour. See the unique interior brick sculptures Prasat Kravan, the Srah Srang reservoir (known as "The Royal Baths" was once used for ritual bathing), Banteay Kdei (surrounded by 4 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 until sunset. Dinner at local restaurant and accommodation at hotel.

Day 2: Siem reap – Angkor tour (B, L)
Breakfast at hotel.
In the morning, visit the most famous of all the temples on the plain of Angkor: Angkor Wat. The temple complex covers 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 towers symbolize Meru’s five peaks - the enclosed wall represents the mountains at the edge of the world and the surrounding moat, the ocean beyond.
Lunch at restaurant.
Visit the South Gate (with its huge statues depicting the churning of the ocean of milk), the ancient capital of Angkor Thom (12th century), Bayon Temple (unique for its 54 towers decorated with over 200 smiling faces of Avolokitesvara), the Royal Enclosure, Phimeanakas, the Elephants Terrace and the Terrace of the Leper King. Sunset at Angkor Wat. 

Day 3: Siem reap – Angkor tour (B, L)
An early bird special:
Transfer to the archaeological site for the sunrise from the 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 Or sunrise at Srah Srang.
Return to the hotel for breakfast.
Morning, transfer to Banteay Srei temple (10th C), regarded as the jewel in the crown of Classical Khmer Art. Continue to Ta Prohm, one of the area’s most beautiful temples. Ta Prohm has been relatively untouched since it was discovered and retains much of its mystery.
Lunch at local restaurant.
In the afternoon, you continue your temple visits to Preah Khan. Built by the King Jayavarman VII, Preah Khan is, like Ta Prohm, a place of towered enclosures and shoulder hugging corridors. Unlike Ta Prohm, however, the temple of Prea Khan is in a reasonable state of preservation and ongoing restoration efforts should maintain and even improve this situation. Neak Pean, a fountain built in the middle of a pool (representing the paradisiacal Himalayan mountain-lake), Ta Som and Banteay Samre, built in the third quarter of the 12th century. It consists of a central temple with four wings preceded by a hall and accompanied by two libraries, the southern example remarkably well preserved. Two concentric walls enclose the ensemble. 

Day 4: Siem reap – Saigon (B, L, D)
Breakfast at hotel.
MorningVisit the floating village of Chong Khneas, located 10 kilometers south of Siem Reap. Take a traditional wooden boat for a ride on the Tonle Sap Lake, the "Great Lake" of Cambodia, one of the largest in Asia. Transfer to the airport for flight to Saigon. Pick up at Tan Son Nhat airport, transfer to hotel, check in, relax. Dinner at local restaurant.

Day 5: Saigon city – Cuchi tunnel (B, L)
Breakfast at hotel, we then  take city tour of dynamic Ho Chi Minh City, still called Saigon by many locals, visit to  Reunification Palace, then visit War Museum, Notre Dame Cathedral. General Post Office. Afternoon, drive to visit the Cuchi Tunnels. At the height of the Vietnam war, the tunnel system stretched from the outskirts of Saigon  all the way to the Cambodian border of over 250 kilometers of tunnels. The tunnel system, built over 25 years starting in the 1940s, let the Viet Minh and, later, the Viet Cong, control a huge rural area. It was an underground city with living areas, kitchens, storage, weapons factories, field hospitals, command centers. In places, it was several  stories deep and housed up to 10,000 people who virtually lived underground for years.... getting married, giving birth, going to school. The ground here is hard clay, which made this whole thing possible. But even so, the planning and construction was incredible. People dug all this with hand tools, filling reed baskets and dumping the dirt into bomb craters. They installed large vents so they could hear approaching helicopters, smaller vents for air and baffled vents to dissipate cooking smoke. There were also hidden  trap doors and gruesomely effective bamboo-stake booby traps. Today, the trees and bushes have grown back. And since 1988, two sections of tunnels have been open for visitors.

Day 6: Saigon – Mekong delta – Caibe floating market (B, L)
Breakfast at the hotel. Depart for Cai Be, stop for photos at Tan An town over the flat rice fields. Arrive to Cai Be, start the motorized boat to visit the Cai Be floating market, see how river life goes on, experience how people exchanging goods, fruit and many other commodities on their vessels. Visitors then roam into the small villages to visit the orchard, fruit plantation. Keep cruising to Vinh Long through small canals to enjoy the charm of the Upper Mekong Delta. Visit some hand made family business products such as the coconut candy mill, the crispy rice popcorn. Arrive in Binh Hoa Phuoc village the green pearl of Vinh Long town where you can indulge yourself into the nature. Have lunch with fresh river food served in the heart of the garden. Take a nice walk through the bonsai garden. Meet the car/van in Vinh Long. Back to HCMC.

Day 7: Saigon – Phan thiet – Muine  beach (B)
Transfer to Muine The scenic 200km drive north on Highway One passes through the bustling city of Bien Hoa before cutting through dense rubber plantations. Closer to Phan Thiet the terrain changes to arid semi-desert with cactus plants and strange looking dragon fruit trees. Arrive in Muine and check into resort. The rest of day is free to relax on the sandy beach. Overnight in Muine.

Day 8: Muine relaxation (B)
A full day at leisure in the resort or on the beach.
For the more active, golf is available nearby. Overnight in Muine.

Day 9: Muine relaxation (B)
A full day at leisure in the resort or on the beach.
For the more active, golf is available nearby. Overnight in Muine.

Day 10: Muine – Saigon departure (B)
Transfer back to HCM city. The tour ends.

Accommodation Options

Tour includes:
• All accommodation with daily breakfast at selected hotel
• All tours & transfers in private air-conditioned vehicle
• Private English  speaking guide  during guided time
• Meals as indicated in the itinerary at local restaurant with local foods (B = breakfast; L = Lunch; D = Dinner)
• Boat cruise as stated
• Flight Ticket Siem reap - Saigon
• Entrance fees and permits for all sights visited
• Mineral water & towel
• Government taxes & Service charges

Tour excludes:
• International flights that not mentioned above
• International departure tax
• Vietnam visa arrangement (upon request visa on arrival at 15 USD, not including stamping fee at 25 USD)
• Cambodia Visa (available at the airport at 20 USD/person)
• Meals not indicated in the itinerary
• Surcharge on 24,31 December and Lunar New Year
• Personal travel insurance (Compulsory)
• Personal expenses such as Telephone and Laundry bills
• Tips and gratuities