Port: Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City)
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Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City)
Ho Chi Minh is Vietnam's largest and most famous city. During the 14th century this city was known as Prey Nokor and was nothing more than a trading post. By the 18th century, the Lords of Hue, under the Nguyens, had established control of the trade in Prey Nokor and renamed the city Saigon. After the Vietnam War, the new communist regime changed the official name of the city of Saigon to Ho Chi Minh and began to rebuild its economic and social structure.
The following Shore Excursions are available for this port on this cruise, and may be reserved beginning 180 days before the cruise begins.
Explore everyday life on the Mekong Delta during this picturesque visit to Cai Be, and a boat ride on the Mekong River.
Depart the pier in Ho Chi Minh City for the 2-hour drive to Cai Be. Along the way, you will pass through miles of flat rice fields, small villages and highways bustling with bicycles and oxcarts riding to and from the market. You will have numerous photo opportunities to capture life in the country, including rice threshing and milling, vegetables drying on the flat, hot roadside and children caring for their water buffalo. Upon arrival at Cai Be, located in the heart of the Mekong Delta, you will see the century-old floating market, where people living along the canals exchange goods from their boats and display their wares on long bamboo poles protruding from the boat. Across the way is a French-built church that provides a scenic background for more photo opportunities.
Next, you will embark a private boat for the highlight of the day: a chance to discover the day-to-day life of the friendly locals living along the Mekong River. Your trip will take you through a maze of canals, past many boats, and on to one of the many islands in the Delta to visit the traditional homes of fruit farmers and fishermen. You will stroll in a mandarin orchard, and visit an ancient teakwood house located within the orchard. You will be treated warmly by locals offering tea and garden fruits, then see where they make coconut candies and rice paper. After sampling some local fare, you will take the boat back to town, and rejoin your coach for the 2-hour return drive to the pier and ship.
Please note: This tour is limited to 6 guests per group. Lunch will be served at a local restaurant. The drive from Ho Chi Minh City to
Cai Be is approximately 2 hours in each direction.
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Terms & Conditions:
Free Unlimited Shore Excursions are for full fare guests only, capacity controlled and subject to availability. Requested excursions may not be available at time of booking. Supplement will apply on Regent Choice excursions (indicated by the 
above) and excludes Private Arrangements and all Adventures Ashore programs. In order to ensure quality guides and sufficient transportation, we must provide the tour operator with passenger counts at least 36 hours in advance. Therefore no refunds will be given within 36 hours of tour departure for cancellations or no-shows. Please pay special attention to scheduling and tour lengths when booking your shore excursions. In many cases, it is not possible to participate in more than one tour per day in a given port. Tours operate rain or shine. Tours require minimum participation levels to operate so please sign up as early as possible. Tours may be cancelled if minimum participation levels are not met. Prices, Itineraries and General Information shore excursion prices are subject to change to meet unexpected cost increases or currency fluctuations. Please consult the Destination Services Desk onboard for information. During local or national holidays, access to certain facilities (such as museums or archaeological sites) may be limited or denied. In such instances, adjustments will be made to minimize inconvenience to guests. Some tours have limited availability. Tours are generally available for reserving 180 days prior to the beginning of a cruise. Please sign up early to avoid disappointment. Regent Seven Seas Cruises reserves the right to require guests to complete a liability waiver for select shore excursions. For more information, please visit the Destination Services Desk onboard.