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Every man and his dog runs a travel agent in Saigon offering tours to the Mekong Delta and there are all manner of options available from one-day tasters to week-long extravaganzas. With so many options on offer and the prices often so ridiculously cheap, it's easy to think, hey maybe I should just do a tour too... Before you sign on the dotted line, remember the Mekong Delta is really easy to travel independently -- and inexpensively. So, if you've got more than a couple of days up your sleeve and don't mind spending a little more than the cost of a package tour, read on. Most tours out of Saigon will take you to some of the following towns. You'll travel by minibus with a bunch of other travellers and tourists, you'll stay at prearranged guesthouses and eat at prearranged eateries. It will be easy, very cheap and you'll probably meet a bunch of other travellers. If you do it yourself, the journey will take longer, it will cost more, and it wo...

A guide to Mekong river cruises, including the best cruise lines and itineraries stopping at Angkor Wat, Ho Chi Minh City, Siem Reap and Phnom Penh  At 4,350 km (2,700 miles), the Mekong river is the longest in Southeast Asia. The Upper Mekong rises in China’s Tsinghai province and flows through the eastern part of the Tibet Autonomous Region and Yunnan province. The Lower Mekong forms part of the border between Burma (Myanmar) and Laos, and between Laos and Thailand. Vientiane, capital of Laos, and Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia, are both located directly on the banks of the river, which drains into the South China Sea to the south of Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon). The region’s popularity among long-haul travellers is increasing and, with it, the choice of itineraries and type and style of ship. River cruises travel between Siem Reap in northwest Cambodia, gateway to the Angkor region, and Ho Chi Minh City, or between ...

With so many choices available, it is rather hard to answer which one is "The Best Cruise" of Halong Bay. It really depends on what category of cruise you are looking at and what expectation you have for a cruise. Day Cruise: Emeraude tops the list Emeraude Cruise is the unique when it comes to day cruise. While most other cruise such as Image Day Cruise, Alova Day Cruise or Phoenix Day Cruise uses a different vessel (which is option smaller in scale and not as beautifully decorated), Emeraude uses the same vessel for both day cruise and overnight cruise. The food standard as well as the cruise program is the same, which makes Emeraude truly stand out from the rest. ** Note: the only disadvantage is that you will need to take a private car since there is no shuttle bus service available for Emeraude day cruise, which may make the cruise trip a bit pricey. Best Value Cruise: Glory Cruise is unbeatable At approximately $110 per person for 2 day 1 ...

Ben Thanh Market, needless to say, is a well-known icon for long-time dwellers in HCMC as well as visitors to the country’s most bustling hub. Located in the city downtown amid an abundance of tourist facilities, restaurants and shopping streets, Ben Thanh Market offers visitors all they need. At the market, ones can find almost all and everything, from everyday food to all kinds of souvenirs symbolic of all regions of the country. But there is another facet of the venue that is getting increasingly popular for the city’s citizenry as well as tourists: The night-time market. As the city lights up the night, shopkeepers set up tents on both sides of Ben Thanh Market to prepare for the second business shift of the day. The two streets in the East and West gates of Ben Thanh Market will be closed to traffic at around 6 p.m. to make way for the night vendors; major vehicles are not allowed to cross the streets except for motorbikes. Des...