Chocolate Factory (Cai Be - Vinh Long) - Kayaking or biking, cooking class, sampan boat trip

Overview

You can’t be unhappy in the middle of a big, beautiful river’ – Jim Harrison

If you are seeking a typical tour to understand the life of the Mekong river, this is it. To the Vietnamese, the region is known as Cuu Long, “Nine Dragons”, a reference to the nine tributaries of the Mekong River. Being a world afloat, Mekong Delta is a water world where boats, houses, and markets float upon the numerous rivers, canals, and streams that traverse the landscape like channels.

Meanwhile, a quick stop at Kimmy Chocolate, the Southern’s largest handcrafted chocolate manufacturer, located in Tien Giang, where provides stable cocoa raw material, shall be an interesting experience.

Highlights

Day-visitor tends to see little of upstream Cai Be, 130 km far from HCMC, Tien Giang branch of the Mekong River upon disgorging from our van and embarking on a boat trip. The trip locally tends to be a more relaxed and enjoyable once you have a chance to experience the life of Delta families both on land and on water.

a glance at Floating Market shall be captured during the trip as you might see a few boats bargaining the essential goods for life on the river. Take a rowing boat trip on a canal underwater coconut leaves and mangroves and take a cooking class, then enjoying lunch of what you have just cooked, taking a rest or row a kayak or a bicycle around the village will make the life so peaceful.

This daily tour shall pass you the Chocolate manufacturer, to have a glance at how the Mekong and Vietnamese people cultivate the cocoa plants.

Tour details:

At 7:30, our tour guide will pick you up for the ‘Cai Be – Vinh Long 1-day trip with Chocolate drop’ tour. Several beautiful villages and green rice fields are on both sides of the vehicle’s windows during a 2,5-hour van drive. Arriving in Tien Giang province, we shall pass the Kimmy Chocolate Manufacture as a rest stop. They manufacture handcrafted chocolate here. Cocoa trees are carefully planted and taken care of by local farmers of Chợ Gạo Cooperative in Mekong Delta following Japanese UTZ standards.

Upon arriving in Cai Be, we will board on boat to eye-witness some of the Mekong Delta’s most breathtaking scenery: Mekong life on a boat. You will learn about how the Delta is the agricultural heart of southern Vietnam; how the Delta is also one of the most important fishing regions in all of Vietnam, and more importantly, you will know how life on a boat is.

Next, you will land on the local village to see how local people make some traditional products like Pop rice cake, rice wine, rice paper, and sticky, toffee-like coconut candy. Heading back to the water once more to cross a large river to a beautiful island and then we will take a skinny sampan boat through fruit orchards and mangroves, water coconut leaves. This is the moment that you can marvel at the beauty of this part of Vietnam. At the simpleness. And at the silence.

You will then be led to a local orchard garden where you could enjoy some tropical season fruits, listening to traditional folk songs performed by local artists. Crossing over a Monkey Bridge, you will then visit a bee farm and have a taste of honey tea, honey wine. It’s just how things are here, in a place where tourism is swiftly becoming an important industry of its own.

Lunch is served at a local leaf-roof restaurant nearby where they will bring you out delicious fresh spring rolls, whole grilled fish, curries, rice, fresh fruit, and more. You will then take a rest or take KAYAK for a while or ride a Bike Cycle around the village.

After a half-hour rest, you are to walk around the village, traveling on the river back the ferry, transit to the bus back home, arriving in Saigon at around 18:00. Tour ends with sweet memories.