VFTA-24: HO CHI MINH CITY – CU CHI TUNNELS – SIEM REAP OVERLAND

 

ABF at hotel.
Leave Ho Chi Minh City for Cu Chi tunnels.
On your way, you will pass by paddy fields. Here you will have the opportunity to meet villagers and witness how rice paper is made. Explore the amazing labyrinth of tunnels used by the guerrillas during the war. 
Lunch will be served at a local restaurant. 
Transfer back to Ho Chi Minh City and proceed for a half day city tour. Visit the War museum, Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral, General Post Office, Ben Thanh market and other shopping center if time permits. 
Enjoy dinner at one of the best local restaurants. 
Overnight at hotel in Ho Chi Minh city.

Enjoy breakfast at hotel.
We drive to Angkor Thom that was the masterpiece of King Jayavarman VII. Following the occupation of Angkor by the Chams from 1177 to 1181, the new king decided to build an impregnable fortress at the heart of his empire. 
We begin to visit Bayon Temple. At the exact center of Angkor Thom, this is an eccentric expression of the creative genius and inflated ego of Cambodia’s most celebrated king.
We continue to visit Terrace of the Leper King. Along the Terrace of Elephants, originally used as a viewing gallery for the king to preside over parades, performances and traditional sports. At the southern end lies the Baphuon, once of the most beautiful temples at Angkor, dating from the reign of Uditayavarman 1 in the 11th century.
Visit the picturesque Ta Prohm that had nearly disappeared into the jungle and remains overgrown, an oddly haunting and exotic scene. The magnificent roots of a tree, pushing between the huge stone blocks of the temple in a sort of embrace, evoke feelings that you may remember forever.
We journey out to the mother of all temples, Angkor Wat. Believed to be the world's largest religious building, this temple is the perfect fusion of symbolism and symmetry and a source of pride and strength to all Khmers. 
Dinner with Apsara Dance show at local restaurant.
For those travelers thirsting for cultural highlights of Cambodia, no visit to Cambodia is complete without attending at least one traditional Khmer dance performance, often referred to as 'Apsara Dance' after one of the most popular Classical dance pieces. Traditional Khmer dance better described as 'dance-drama' in that the dances are not merely dance but also meant to convey a story or message.