La Serena Retreat

Attend a traditional 45-minute water puppet show featuring Vietnamese art. Water puppetry is deeply rooted in Vietnamese culture, especially in rural areas. The performance takes place on a water pool stage. Skilled puppeteers use long bamboo rods and strings to control the puppets from beneath the water's surface. A traditional Vietnamese orchestra accompanies the show with its music. The puppets depict stories from the songs, portraying scenes of everyday life in the Vietnamese countryside.

Travel to Cu Chi from your hotel by bus, which takes about one and a half hours. On arrival, watch a short video on how the tunnels were built and how people lived during wartime. Explore the tunnel systems featuring living areas with kitchens and bedrooms, as well as storage, weapons factories, field hospitals, and command centers. Notice the hidden trap doors and traps used for security. Enjoy tea and cassava, which were common wartime foods. There will be an opportunity to relax or to try shooting a real gun. Return to Ho Chi Minh City at the end of the trip.

Start at the designated meeting point. Visit the Independence Palace, a key site from the Vietnam War. Head to the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Central Post Office (exterior visit only due to restoration). View French colonial architecture and learn about the city's history. Then, go to the War Remnants Museum to see exhibits, including photographs, military artifacts, and stories from the Vietnam War. Enjoy a lunch at a local restaurant. Visit Thien Hau Pagoda, a 19th-century pagoda dedicated to the goddess of seafarers, in Chinatown. Walk through Cho Lon (Big Market), Vietnam’s largest wholesale market. Take a Saigon River water taxi ride and see Ho Chi Minh City's changing skyline. End the tour with a return ride to the meeting point.

Get picked up from the hotel early in the morning and head to Vung Tau. Upon arriving at Vung Tau, spend some leisure time at Thuy Van Beach (Back Beach), which stretches for almost 10 km with fine sands and clear waves. Have an authentic Vietnamese lunch at a local restaurant. In the afternoon, visit several landmarks: the Jesus Christ Statue, Thang Tam Temple (Whale Temple), Bach Dinh (known as Villa Blanche or White Palace), and Cape Nghinh Phong. Take a short break in between. Return to Ho Chi Minh City in the early evening, depending on traffic. The trip ends upon arrival.

Visit the Cu Chi Tunnels about 70 km northwest of Ho Chi Minh City, and learn about an important part of Vietnamese history. These tunnels serve as a historical site from the war period. The network spans 250 km underground and includes various structures. You will see trenches, docks, and battle zones. The tunnels also house dining areas, sleeping quarters, meeting rooms, and living spaces. Additionally, there are facilities for military medicine, food storage, drinking water wells, and the Hoang Cam kitchen. This complex gives a detailed look at the resourcefulness and strategies used in a long-term historical conflict.

Start the day with a pickup at the meeting point and drive to the Cu Chi Tunnels, taking a 90-minute trip through the Vietnamese countryside. Watch a documentary about the tunnels and their role in the Vietnam War. Visit the Cu Chi Tunnel system and crawl through the tunnels, see living quarters, weapon factories, and command bunkers. Spot hidden trapdoors and booby traps used during the war. Taste cassava and hot tea, foods of Vietnamese guerrilla fighters. Have lunch at a local restaurant with authentic Vietnamese cuisine. Head to the Mekong Delta and board a boat on the Tien River, passing four islands. Row a sampan through narrow, tree-lined canals. Visit a honey farm and coconut candy workshop. Sample honey tea, tropical fruits, and Mekong sweets. Enjoy live folk music, a traditional Southern Vietnamese performance. Return to Ho Chi Minh City to end the tour.