SMILE TOURIST

MEKONG DELTA FULL DAY

The sprawling city of My Tho, located on the banks of the Upper Mekong River, is one the closest cities in the mighty Mekong Delta to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and can be reached by road in just one hour and 30 minutes.Those on a tight schedule can take a day tour to My Tho. Enjoy the scenic journey along the National Highway, bordered by green rice fields. On arrival, take a leisurely boat trip around the four beautiful islands known as Dragon, Unicorn, Phoenix and Tortoise islands. Enjoy a rowing boat ride in the shadows of the water-coconut palms along the tiny canals of Ben Tre Province. Visit the picturesque orchards and sample the freshly picked fruit at the invitation of friendly local farmers. Spend some time in the villages to learn about the daily lives of the inhabitants, listen to their traditional folk music.

Pick up at your hotel at 8:00am, a smooth one-and-half-hour bus ride through rice field scenery along National Highway 1 brings you to the beautiful rural district of Trung Luong.

Take a motor boat to enter My Tho city through Bao Dinh natural canal. Then pay a visit to My Tho's colorful street fruit market alongside the canal to soak up the lively atmosphere and watch the locals trade their produce.

Take a leisurely cruise on the Tien River to Tortoise island. En route, view the fishing port, the traditional stilt houses and boat building workshops, and the other three evocatively-named islands - Dragon, Phoenix and Unicorn islands. Enjoy a sumptuous lunch served right in the heart of the orchard to the accompaniment of

Southern Vietnamese folk music performed by the islanders.

After visiting the coconut candy mill, take an amazing rowing boat trip along the small canal. Then continue to Ben Tre province, "the country of coconuts", to see a typical agricultural model known as "Garden - Pond - Cage". Enjoy a relaxing cup of honey tea before returning to My Tho via Tan Thach natural canal, cruising under the shadows of water coconut palms. Return to Ho Chi Minh City.