Saigon to Ha Tien, Mekong (can be done in reverse; Ha Tien to Saigon)

Get away  the busy Saigon Streets by visiting the colourful Cao Dai temple in Long An ,touring the Huynh Thuc village and seeing Rach Gam - Xoai Mit war monument to learn more about the history of Mekong and Vietnam.  Next we will  visit  the famous Vinh Trang Pagoda , tour Dong Tam snake farm ( the biggest snake farm in the country where they keep an over  thousand poisonous snakes to get venom for  the  medical use ) You can see the unique snake museum here and many animals unique to the Mekong Delta.  

In the afternoon,  we ride to  the beautiful & peaceful countryside roads of Thoi Son islet, tour  fruit plantation where you are welcomed by local farmers who allow us to pick and try fruit from their farm.  We then head to Phung islet to learn more about the Coconut Religion.  Get on the local ferry to explore the My Tho local market , stop for a cold beer at the river side.  We stay overnight in My Tho city

After breakfast,  we will tour the Coconut Candy factory where you can see the turning of Coconut into Candy in 30 minutes.  We then head to Hung Long tradition career village to understand the history and culture of the area , tour the well known Ap Bac battlefield to know more about the War of Vietnam.  

In the afternoon. We follow the beautiful countryside roads to enjoy the Mekong countryside area,  stop along the way to visit local farmers by visiting their fish farms,  frog farms . Finally we tour the Rung Tram forest in Long My village by boating and trekking.  The area is one vast swamp with a beautiful thick canopy of tall trees and vines.  It's one of the last natural forests left in Mekong Delta.  During the civil war, the Viet Cong had a base here called Xeo Quyt where the top brass of VC lived underground bunkers.  But don't mistake this for another Cu Chi tunnel.  It's very , very different.  We arrive Dong Thap around 5pm and stay overnight there.  

We start by touring the famous Sa Dec flower farm ,visit the traditional brick making village.  Then we ride on the village roads, cross nearly a thousand rivers,  get on and off many ferries to see and experience the local daily life,  including their rice paddies,  fruit plantations , floating villages and stilt houses along the rivers.  

In the afternoon,  we will visit a Cham village to learn more about how they keep their traditional clothes and culture alive.  Arrive Chau Doc around 2pm,  have a walking tour to see  the downtown,  stop for a cold beer at the river side, and have a dinner on the floating restaurant in one of  Mekong River. We stay overnight in Chau Doc.  

After breakfast,  we will tour the famous Sam mountain where you can visit many temples,  historical sites,  and viewpoints.  It's especially beautiful when you get on top of the mountain where you can see an amazing view of Vietnam and Cambodia 

We then ride along the border road to enjoy the beautiful nature of  the Mekong before we stop and visit the  Ba Chuc Skull and Crossbones Pagoda where 3157 were tortured and killed by Khmer Rouge in 1978 . 

In the afternoon,  we continue our day by visiting Tra Su  bird sanctuary where you can see a million of birds.  Check your balancing ability when you cross the monkey bridge.  It's amazing to watch the locals travelse these narrow catwalks with bicycle and heavy load balance between their shoulders and bamboo pole.  We will learn more about Cham architecture and Buddhist philosophy when we visit their colourful Pagoda.  

We arrive Ha Tien  around 4pm and end your amazing Mekong trip at your hotel in Ha Tien