[Day 1] SAIGON - CAI LAY - CAN THO
Meals: lunch | Accommodation: Hotel
8.00am We depart from your hotel and make our way through Saigon traffic. We exit the bustling metropolis and enter the Mekong delta and its rural sceneries. At about 9.30am, we reach Cai Lay town and visit its market. We discover a colorful array of products, and stop by the fruits area to buy some for our dessert later today.
We then hop on a boat and transfer to our cycling playground. It is a narrow lane of about 12 kilometers going along waterways and traditional houses. Many “hellos” on the way, some stops for pictures, at crafting and rice processing workshops; and to visit a family. Our hosts will show us how to bake their local cake and give us a bite of it. We take the time to wander around and try catching fishes in the very traditional way, using the “vo ca”.
We then get back on the waters of the mighty River and cruise at easy pace along the rice fields and other agricultural scenes. We reach a local home about 1pm to enjoy a home-made lunch (and the fruits we bought earlier). Follow a digestive stroll around and the visit of carpenters in their workshop. It’s time to say farewell to our hosts and hop on car ahead to Can Tho.
Then, spend the evening at your leisure seeing the town by foot or rickshaw, or find a quiet place for a cocktail by the river.
[Day 2] CAN THO - CAI RANG FLOATING MARKET - SAIGON
Meals: breakfast and lunch
After an early breakfast, we start a boat cruise to head to the bustling Cai Rang floating market – the largest and most colorful in the Mekong delta. Feel free to take photographs, talk or bargain while our boat glides slowly through the market mayhem. There are fantastic photo opportunities amidst the huge variety of agricultural bounty on sale here. Farming boats big and small trade seasonal fruits and an array of other goods in a chorus of sights and smells that you won’t soon forget.
We then spend some time in the surroundings to visit a local fish market, a noodle workshop. Next, we take a leisurely stroll through the farms and houses of a nearby village to see fragrant tropical fruit orchards, cross over quiet streams on monkey bridges, and pause for a cup of tea with friendly locals. Last stop of this morning is an ancient Khmer pagoda.
We then make the short drive back to Can Tho for a relaxing lunch, and we start the drive back to your hotel in Saigon around 5pm.