9D8N South Vietnam Family Adventure

Upon arrival in Ho Chi Minh City, be met by the guide and transfer by private car to the hotel for check-in. This afternoon and evening are free at leisure.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City has some great activities available for a family holiday- sure to keep both kids and parents entertained.

This morning, join the Discovery Challenge Tour of Ben Thanh Market, a fun, interactive experience best suited for families or small to mid-sized groups. Upon reaching the entrance of this sprawling market, divide into small teams and receive the challenging ‘itinerary’ packet and a basic phrase book. Spend the next hours completing the various challenges found in the book. Communicate with locals to answer riddles and purchase various items on the checklist. Share a laugh with local vendors while trying to bargain for items in Vietnamese. Learn about exotic fruits and other unusual items while trying to translate the shopping list. Snap photos of typical market scenes and solve puzzles about Vietnamese culture.

After the time limit has expired, regroup at the market entrance and go to a coffee shop to sit down for a drink and swap stories of the treasure hunt, share new knowledge then tally up the results to determine the winner, bringing this unique Vietnam adventure to an end.

Continue to a local workshop for a fun time with friends or family by joining a private ceramic making class together. Within this 2.5 hours, be able to get through the entire process, from a lump of clay to creating a personal ceramic product using the traditional way of hand-building with a hand wheel. Once the desired shape is created, followed by trimming and fine tuning and painting. After this fun and meaningful visit, return to the hotel.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

HCMC to Cai Be (100km): 2 hours

This morning, leave bustling Ho Chi Minh for the 2.5-hour drive to the delta town of Cai Be.

The brilliant colours and bustling markets of the Mekong Delta will delight kids as well as adults.

Arrive in Cai Be at noon, then board the Bassac. A welcome drink will be given on arrival followed by an introduction to the ship and crew. Depart towards Cho Lach on the Tien Giang River and enjoy lunch on the upper deck while en route. Rest on the deck while the ship branches into the Cho Lach Canal for 30 minutes through the traffic of sand and rice barges, past fruit drying facilities and around wooden ship building yards.

Visit of a village on the banks of river Mang Thít, where you can and appreciate the way of life here in the Delta. Then, go on a visit of the orchard or rice fields nearby.

Back on board the Bassac a complimentary drink will be served, so why not sit back and enjoy the sunset overlooking the Mekong’s magical waterways.

Dinner will be served whilst the Bassac cruises the Mang Thit River towards the Bassac’s anchorage for the night, downstream from the little market of Tra On. 

Overnight aboard the Bassac Cruise. 

A delicious breakfast will be served from 06:30 whilst the boat cruises towards Can Tho. Upon arrival check out of the cabin and transfer onto a local boat to visit the Cai Rang floating market the nearby arroyos and gardens.

Cruise through the floating market which bustles with wholesalers on big boats. Here, during the early morning market hours, larger sized boats anchor and create lanes that smaller boats weave in and out of. The main items sold here are fruit and vegetables and every boat has a long upright pole at its bow from which samples of the goods for sale are hung. The waterway becomes a maze of boats packed with mango, bananas, papaya, pineapple, and even floating pho vendors.

Return to land and have lunch in Can Tho.

This afternoon, spend time cycling around the quiet laneways and dirt paths of Can Tho. Biking is the perfect way to discover the countryside with the family. The roads are flat and the sites are amazing: cottage industries, small farms harvesting or planting rice, hidden temples and lots of friendly locals along the way.

Overnight in Can Tho.

HCMC to Can Tho (180 km): 4 hours

After breakfast, it’s time to resume the drive back to Ho Chi Minh City. The journey takes 4-hours.

Upon reaching Ho Chi Minh City be transferred to the hotel. Spend the rest of the day at leisure.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

Early this morning, transfer to the airport for a short flight to Dalat, in South Vietnam’s Central Highlands. Dalat was a popular hill station retreat during French Colonial times and since then has been a popular destination for domestic tourists. Dalat is known as the ‘City of Eternal Spring’ for its cool temperate climate and is also renowned for its rich variety of agricultural produce including coffee, vegetables and flowers as well as the surrounding mountains, waterfalls and pine forests. Upon arrival, be met by the guide and driver and be transferred to the hotel for check-in and a short rest.

Today enjoy discovering the fresh air and countryside outside Dalat on foot. Start the hike through hilly pine trees by crossing the trails that are made by local people here. See the Tiger Waterfall with the imposing beauty. Visit the Phoenix waterfall flowing slowly through old big trees. This river is the main source that supplies water for coffee and vegetable farms in this area. After crossing the hill, stop to visit Lieng Tro a minority village for a first-hand look at their daily activities. Enjoy a picnic lunch on the top of the hill with the fantastic view of a gushing river in the beautiful valley.  After lunch, follow the trails down the hill and enjoy the adventurous feeling of  crossing the hanging bridges. A hilly path routes back to the trailhead. 

(Please note: The trekking route and distance may be adjusted depending on weather conditions as well as the age of the children and fitness and energy levels.)

Return to the hotel. Spend dinner and the rest of this evening at leisure.

Overnight in Dalat

Dalat to Nha Trang (120km): 2.5 hourDalat to Nha Trang (120km): 3.5 hours

This morning enjoy a cycling excursion to discover more of the scenic Dalat countryside. After breakfast, be picked up by private vehicle and guide at 9 am and transfer to the starting bike point.

Begin cycling with approx. 7 km on the road and enjoy the fantastic view of Xuan Huong Lake and Victory Lake. Flower and vegetable farms in two sides of the road brings one back to nature. Continues to bike through the hilly pine forest to the top of the mountain and see the poetic scene of endless green forest near the Valley of Love. Then, have a picnic lunch here with breads, typical fresh fruits and veggies from Dalat.

(Please note: The cycling route and distance may be adjusted depending on weather conditions as well as the age of the children and fitness and energy levels.)

After lunch, bike back to the starting point and then transfer approx. 3.5 hours by road to Nha Trang city, located on the coast.

Spend the rest of the day and evening at leisure.

Overnight in Nha Trang

Spend the morning and early afternoon at leisure.

Late this afternoon at approx. 4pm enjoy discovering the ‘streets and eats’ of Nha Trang by cyclo. Be met by the local guide and the cyclo drivers at the hotel and be driven to Nha Trang city centre. Along the way, stop for a chance to take a few photos at the beach square.

While exploring the city on cyclo, watch how a typical day comes to an end with throngs of school children and workers head home after their day has finished. Stops will be made at the outside of the Nha Trang Cathedral and the Ponagar Temple as well as at the main harbour. Walk across the bridge over the Cai River with the colourful fishing boats below. Watch sunset as it arrives over this laid-back city by the beach.

Continue exploring by cyclo and make various stops to sample some of Nha Trang’s renowned street food and local specialities including ‘banh can’ (a grilled round rice cake), nem nuong (Nha Trang style fresh spring rolls), grilled sea shells, and stop at a long time popular local BBQ eatery. Finish by enjoying a Vietnamese coffee or fruit dessert sitting on the sidewalk with the locals, while watching the world pass by. 

Return to the hotel by cyclo and spend the rest of the evening at leisure.

Overnight in Nha Trang.

This morning fly from Nha Trang to Ho Chi Minh City and catch the onward flight.