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Vietnam to Cambodia - Friendly floating markets

Along the Mekong to Cambodia

Route: Ho Chi Minh City - Mekong Delta - Phnom Penh

Between Cambodia and Vietnam lies the vast Mekong River delta with its picturesque waterways and exotic natural scenery. During this Mekong River tour from Vietnam to Cambodia, you'll get a real glimpse of behind-the-scenes Vietnam. Everywhere you look you'll see locals doing laundry, plucking chickens and working the land. The people in this area are very friendly and they're sure to wave to you as you pass.

During this journey from Vietnam to Cambodia, you'll travel straight through the delta to Cambodia. You'll sail through small and broad canals and past villages and islands. You'll also visit some really authentic floating markets and traditional villages by rowing boat. You'll spend one night in a comfortable hotel in Can Tho and one night in a floating hotel at the Cambodian border in Chau Doc. Finally you'll travel into Phnom Penh bt speedboat.

Feeling inspired? You can build your own Cambodia and Indochina holiday using our range of bite-sized Cambodia trips. Alternatively, if you'd rather leave the planning to us, you can choose from our selection of suggested Cambodia holidays.

Duration	3 days/ 2 nights departs Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays	Accommodation	Two nights in basic, yet comfortable hotels in the Mekong Delta. Comfort Level 2-3 (see accommodation).
Price	£186 per person - based on 2 people sharing	Includes	Transport by bus and boat, accommodation, excursions as described with English speaking guide, speedboat to Phnom Penh
Transport	Air conditioned minibus, speedboat	Excludes	All meals, drinks

Day 1: Ho Chi Minh City - Cai Be - Vinh Long

Today marks the beginning of your trip from Vietnam to Cambodia. An air conditioned bus will take you from Ho Chi Minh City to the town of Cai Be. Here you'll board a boat to sail through the Mekong Delta in a small group. On the way, you'll visit a very popular floating market where traders sell their fresh fruit and vegetables from their boats. It's a really colourful and memorable experience and is sure to be a real highlight of your travels from Vietnam to Cambodia.

Next, you'll continue on in smaller boats through a maze of small and broad shadow-filled canals. Along the way, you'll get a glimpse of the daily life on the Mekong. You'll sail through villages and past hardworking farmers in the many rice paddies that line the Mekong Delta. After some time, you'll arrive at one of the many An Binh islands (Vinh Long) in the Mekong Delta. After lunch, you'll go sight-seeing across the island on foot or by bike, visiting several family businesses that cultivate Vietnam's most important exports - rice.

In the afternoon you'll sail for approximately 3 hours until you reach Can Tho just as the sun will begin to set. In the event of unforeseen circumstances, such as low water levels, this part of the trip will be conducted by minibus. You'll spend the night in a comfortable, modern hotel in the centre of Can Tho.

Day 2: Can Tho - Chau Doc

On day two of your mekong River tour from Vietnam to Cambodia, you'll travel by boat to Cai Rang floating market. Here, hundreds of boats and peddlers come together here and many different types of fruit are sold. Larger boats have a pole on their boats with their selection of fruit speared on it. In order to get close to the action, you'll hop onto a bamboo rowing boat.

Rice farmers in the Mekong Delta have transformed Vietnam into the second largest rice exporter in the world (Thailand is number one). Today, you'll visit a rice husking mill and a rice noodle factory. Near the border with Cambodia you'll find a Muslim Cham village with a mosque and an Arabic school. Finally, you'll head to Chau Doc overland arriving around sunset. The hotel here is simple, but you'll have a room with air conditioning.

Day 3: Chau Doc - Phnom Penh

Today it's time to leave Chau Doc and travel into Cambodia by speedboat. Once you reach the Cambodian border, the boat will stop to arrange your visa, which is approximately 25 USD per person. You'll arrive at the Phnom Penh harbour in the early afternoon around midday where your Vietnam to Cambodia trip comes to an end. It's easy to arrange a transfer to your hotel with one of the many tuk-tuks waiting at the harbour.

From here you can continue on your Cambodia journey with our Passage through Cambodia module which will take you through Cambodia to Thailand and includes highlights such as the mystical Angkor Wat and the Killing Fields.

Vietnam to Cambodia tour - Accommodation (click to enlarge)

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