Phu Quoc Island Travel

Welcome to Ho Chi Minh City, the biggest city in Vietnam. Upon arrival, you will be picked up by your professional guide and experienced driver at the airport and then be transferred to a downtown hotel. The rest of the day is free for you.

► Free-time Activities Recommended Upon Arrival
If you are still energetic after arriving, there is a hell of a lot of fun you can explore on your own. Maybe appreciate the nearby French-style building complex that tells about Vietnam's colonial past. Send postcards to friends in Central Post Office, a work of the designer of Eiffel Tower. Then move to the city's Catholic center - Notre Dame Cathedral, which is modeled after Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris and also called “Red Church”. The magnificent Opera House and City Hall next to the church are also so renowned that they both are well worth visiting. If you’re a bookworm, enjoy a wander through the Book Street northeast from the church. Take your time to look for a discounted book in English, let a street artist draw a portrait of you, have a cup of Vietnamese egg coffee and sample Vietnamese baguette, which has a finer texture than its French counterpart. During your exploring, you may also try a specially-designed Vietnamese cyclo, on which you sit in the front while the driver pedals in the back - this offers you a wide view and saves your efforts; nowadays, this kind of tricycle is rarely for locals’ daily use, but mostly for sightseeing.

► Tips on Taxis
Grab, a taxi hailing app, is widely used in Vietnam and you can either book a taxi on it or hail a taxi on the road. Vinasun, which owns cars in white, and Mailinh with cars in green are two most popular taxi companies. Taxi fare starts at ₫12,000 (about $0.5) and increases by ₫13,000 (about $0.5) with every kilometer. Before getting on a taxi, you need to confirm the destination with the driver and make sure taxi fare’s being charged according to the meter.

Accommodation: Hotel Nikko Saigon (5 stars) or Liberty Central Saigon Riverside Hotel (4 stars)

After breakfast, we’ll drive for around 2 hours to Ben Tre for a fancy cruise on Mekong River, which is a must-do in Ho Chi Minh City. Along the scenic Ham Luong River, a tributary, you can catch sight of rural idyll, lush tropical islands and calm waters. Besides, we’ll take you to visit a candy factory, an orchard garden and a brick workshop onshore.

As there are too many tributaries in Mekong Delta, some canals cannot be entered by large ships. We’ve arranged you a smaller long-tail boat to have an in-depth exploration, away from the noisy areas commercially polluted. We will paddle along the river lined with water coconuts and widely covered with thriving water hyacinths, pass by stilted houses interspersed with churches on both sides, and see locals being busy with old occupations like fishing and fruit or rice farming, earning only about ₫37,000 or $150 a month. You will also have a tour via Xe Loi rickshaw or a bicycle to admire the rural pastoral scenery with endless farmlands and village life. Then pay a visit to a local family to delve into the local life. Today's lunch will be arranged at a riverside restaurant, which will be a special experience. You'll have fried elephant ear fish, a local favorite, served upright over vegetables; tear off a slice, wrap it in rice paper, then dip in some sauce and have a feast for the tongue! By the way, you can try fruits sprinkled with salt or pepper, just as a Vietnamese traditionally does. Then take the cruise back to Ben Tre and your driver will escort you on a 2-hour ride to Can Tho. Upon arrival, you will check in at the hotel and stay for one night.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Victoria Can Tho Resort - Superior Room (4 stars) or Victoria Can Tho Resort - Deluxe Room (4 stars)

Cai Rang Floating Market awaits you this morning! There’s no better place to represent the aquatic life of Vietnamese in Mekong Delta than this floating market. To catch its peak time being around 7-8 a.m., we’ve arranged a private motorboat for you to leave at 6 a.m. to kick off your market trip, unlike many other travel agencies that arrange public shuttle boats to leave at 4 a.m. You'll be dazzled by variegated boats selling everything from fruits and vegetables, like jackfruit, pitahaya and cabbages, to such traditional Vietnamese food as spring rolls, coffee and tropical fruit smoothie. Amid gentle lapping of waves, tender sun rays and boatmen’s hawking their wares around, sip a cup of Vietnamese coffee at your own expense if you like and have some laid-back moments. Although the floating market has scaled down since nearby land markets started to develop, you can still picture the glory of its past.

Then return to the hotel to enjoy the breakfast. Afterwards, you will be escorted to Rach Gia by a 2 hours' ride and there take a speed boat to Phu Quoc Island. Upon arrival, you will check into the hotel.

★ Deeply Relax at the Beach Hotel We Handpicked!
In order to let you enjoy the tropical islands and beaches of Vietnam, we’ve arranged a hotel beside the sea, which offers everything you would expect - sands, swimming pool, Jacuzzi, traditional cuisine and cocktails - and things you haven’t expected. Take Salinda Resort for example, here you can follow the hotel staff to admire their special wall painting exhibitions to learn about Vietnamese broken ceramic art, or attend their Vietnamese coffee making and traditional food cooking classes! If it’s not Tuesday, head to the nearby OCSEN Beach Bar & Club to enjoy a great firework show.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Salinda Resort Phu Quoc Island (5 stars) or Eden Resort (4 stars)

Today is a free day for you to explore the island at your own pace. You may stretch out in the morning in a yoga class held by the hotel. Then you can play beach volleyball, snorkel, swim, or grab your beach gear and take a half-hour taxi ride to the famous Sao Beach, to soak up the sun on its white sands or take water activities like jet boating and paragliding. Some boatmen may invite you to take a canoe trip to nearby pristine islands and fish for a seafood lunch – why not give it a try? But be sure to haggle over the price.

Otherwise you can get an awe-inspiring experience of Phu Quoc Cable Car, the world's longest sea-crossing cable car, and explore the Sun World Hon Thom Nature Park, a water park. Sitting in the cable car, marvel at the panoramic view of the turquoise sea, coast line and fishing villages all around this 8 kilometers (5 miles) trip offers you. After around 20 minutes, disembark the cable car, arrive at the Hon Thom Island and hail a taxi to get to the nature park. It’s recommended that you bring water socks. When the dusk arrives, return to the main island and sip Lunam Coffee in Sunset Town that shines with the rays of the setting sun. Hang out here until it gets 9:30 p.m. to see a spectacular firework show, which take place every day.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Salinda Resort Phu Quoc Island (5 stars) or Eden Resort (4 stars)

Today, continue to explore this picturesque island freely. You may stroll along the beach to take in the wonderful seascape while enjoying the sea breeze, or rent a motorcycle to explore the nearby attractions. Car charter service on Grab costs about ₫1,400,000-4,000,000 ($28-160) for 10 hours, while renting a motorcycle is cheaper at about ₫175,000 ($7) a day. Always be sure that you wearing a helmet when riding a motorcycle or you’ll be fined. A translation app will be necessary as most locals can hardly communicate in English.

You may want to take advantage of this cool morning to see animals when they are full of vitality at Vinpearl Safari Park, Vietnam's largest wildlife park. Take a bus in the safari park to see roaming Bengal tigers, white lions and rhinos, visit special areas for primates, birds and amphibians, and feed giraffes and pet lemurs in person. After that, head to central area of the island to visit Dinh Cau Rock Temple where the sea goddess Mazu is worshipped. After watching a stunning sunset over the sea, mingle in local life in Phu Quoc Night Market, the largest night market on the island, to sample local seafood.

If you're a history buff, travel to the south corner of the island to learn about Vietnamese modern tragic history at the Phu Quoc Prison History Museum, which once held prisoners of Vietnam War. Get an insight into the life of prisoners recreated by life-size mannequins and an escape tunnel.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Salinda Resort Phu Quoc Island (5 stars) or Eden Resort (4 stars)

This morning is still free for you to enjoy a relaxing time at the beach. In the afternoon, your driver will escort you to the airport for your flight to Ho Chi Minh City. Upon arrival, your local driver will pick you up and transfer you to the hotel for check-in.

► Free Morning Activities Recommended on Phu Quoc Island
Soaking up fresh sea breezes, enjoy last hours lying on the fine white sands of Long Beach just outside your hotel. Around noon, head to nearby Vietnamese restaurant Ban Xeo Cuai 3 for some delectable dishes like crispy banh xeo (Vietnamese pancake) and Bun cha (Vietnamese barbecued rice noodle), and a cool passion fruit smoothie; it costs ₫200,000-300,000 (about $8-12) per person to get full.

► Activities Recommended upon Arrival in Ho Chi Minh City
If you're still energetic after check-in, book a one-hour Water Puppet Show to enjoy the Vietnam's 900-year-old national treasure. Puppets in pool are manipulated by puppeteers behind a curtain to act out the aquatic life of Vietnamese rice farmers or legends. After the show, experience the bustling nightlife in Bui Vien Walking Street, Ho Chi Minh City's famous bar street.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Hotel Nikko Saigon (5 stars) or Liberty Central Saigon Riverside Hotel (4 stars)

Say farewell to your 7 days Vietnam holiday tour today. According to your flight schedule, your driver will pick you up at the hotel and transfer you to the airport for your flight to the next destination.

► Activities Recommended for Later Departure
Take a 10-minute walk or taxi ride, depending on your chosen hotel, to the bustling Chinatown to explore Vietnam's 70-year-old wholesale market - An Dong Market. Fish some good stuff out of an array of Vietnamese specialties, including Vietnamese coffee beans, cashews, and Vietnamese national dress Ao Dai. Then grab your chance to have a last taste of Vietnamese street food in the food court here.

After southern Vietnam, if you want to extend your trip to other cities in northern and central Vietnam, such as Hanoi, Hue, Da Nang and Hoi An, or other Asian countries, please contact us to customize this private itinerary for you.

Meals: Breakfast