There will be a selection of activities and excursions for the week leading up to the wedding. (August 11-16) Guests are welcome to join with us, or with other guides (friends of Kathy) for any of these events. We will update with costs for each tour as we get closer. Some of the options will include Vespa Tours around the city, a Cooking Class, the A-O Show at the Saigon Opera House, a trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels and War Remnants Museum, and choices of a day trip or overnight trip to the Mekong River Delta (overnight would allow for a morning floating market experience).

We recommend arriving to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) by Sunday August 10th to enjoy these options.

After reviewing the options, please click this forms link https://forms.gle/247EPZ1mQM7XjUrK8

to let us know which activities you are interested in.

Don't worry about rain...We do everything Rain or Shine in Vietnam, and you will be provided ponchos if it does!

VESPA CITY TOUR - THE INSIDER SAIGON

8:00 am - 12:00 pm (4 hours)

$79 / person

A vespa tour guide will meet you in the lobby at the hotel at 7:50AM and brief you about the itinerary. Each of you will have your own driver riding a vintage vespa, which were imported from Italy in the 1960s. A bird cafe will be the first stop, so you can enjoy Vietnamese coffee and see how local people train their birds. Then you will stop at the Thich Quang Duc Monument to learn a bit about Vietnamese history. The flower market will be next stop, where you can see how the local people live and work. Next you will head to Chinatown (also known as Cho Lon) to visit a Chinese temple, the herbal medicine street and Van Phat Pagoda, where there are 10.000 Buddha statues. After that, they will drive you to District 2 for a beautiful city view, and finally head to the center to visit the Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Central Post Office and Reunification Palace.

LUNCH & BEN THANH MARKET

12-12:30 pm - 3:00 pm

$20-30/person for lunch

Kathy will arrange lunch for us with a Vietnamese set menu or a la carte at a restaurant near Ben Thanh market around 12-12:30PM. After lunch, you can take your time to walk around one of the biggest markets in Saigon, or the van will take you back to the hotel to rest.

A O SHOW AT SAIGON OPERA HOUSE

5:45 - 7:15 pm

$51 / person

The show will update their show schedule 2 months in advance. Kathy will update the exact date in June, 2025. The day of the show might be any day during the wedding week

A O Show which is phonetically understood as the Ahhh! Ohhh! Show, has performed since Feb 2013. The show depicts the charming beauty and richness in culture of Vietnamese lives in the countryside and the country's urbanization in 60 minute length. The show is a mix of bamboo cirque, acrobatic acts, contemporary dance and theatrical visual art. Live music which echoes the Southern work songs, and scenic lighting design makes the A O Show, which performs at the historic Saigon Opera House, worth seeing when you visit Ho Chi Minh City.

Upon entering the theater, audiences will hear the noises as if they were in a village but all of a sudden got caught in the cacophony of the city. À Ố Show will take you to the serene and beautiful village of South Vietnam and then right back to the ruckus of the hasty city life. At some point, audience can fell the vibrant of the city at the same time breathe the breezy fresh air whip on the face of a farmer. Performances and technical skills presented in groups according to the nature of each scene.

We would likely eat dinner after the show nearby the Saigon Opera House.

See more at the website: https://www.luneproduction.com/ao-show

Or Youtube Chanel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHKWy_7KGNw

Cu Chi Tunnels & War Remnants Museum

8:30 am - 3:00 pm

$ coming soon

Important:

The War Remnants Museum contains explicit and disturbing images of the Vietnam War. If you have kids under 10 years old, please consider not participating in the Cu Chi Tunnels and War Remnants Museum activities, because the experience can be quite overwhelming, even for adults. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact Jake or Kathy.

The labyrinthine tunnels in Cu Chi, located just 60 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh City, stretch nearly all the way to the border with Cambodia. Built over a period of 25 years starting from 1948 during the war against the French, the tunnels were a vital communication network, connecting remote villages, and helped the Vietnamese soldiers evade the French army. These same tunnels later became hideouts for the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War. The tunnels were preserved after 1975, and are now a historical relic where visitors can explore the claustrophobic tunnels themselves, and clearly imagine the circumstances and environments in which the soldiers fought. Visiting the Cu Chi tunnels is a great way to develop a deeper understanding of Vietnam’s history.

After the tunnel, the van will take you back to Saigon and have lunch near the War Remnant Museum, then you have an hour and half to walk around the museum to learn more Vietnamese history. Going back to hotel around 3 pm

6:30 pm - 7:15 pm

$10 / person

Daily show

It will be flexible change with A O show when we get exact date in June 2025

You don’t have to be a child to be entertained by water puppets. Vietnam’s water puppetry opens a window into local culture and is a fully realized art form enjoyed by young and old. Watch scenes of village life on an ever-changing stage, learn about festivals and traditions, and get to know quirky characters inspired by Vietnamese personalities. Here’s a brief introduction to Vietnam’s wonderful water puppets.

OPTION 1 MEKONG DELTA:

DAY TRIP TO MEKONG DELTA

8:30 am - 4:30 pm

$: coming soon

One of the most productive agricultural regions in the world, the Mekong Delta is a vast, maze-like flood plain interwoven by tributaries and distributaries of the massive Mekong River. The Mekong River is the twelfth largest river in the world, and beginning in China, its course runs through Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia before finally reaching the sea in Vietnam’s southern. The region is known for its natural beauty, unique culture, and delicious, fresh food.

Starting from the hotel at 8:30AM, the van will take you to Cai Be Province (one of 12 provinces in Mekong Delta and less tourists), which is around 2.5 hours from the hotel. From the harbor, a big boat will take you to the small island so you can explore the village. Some activities you can participate in during the tour include: making your own bracelet out of water hyacinth, riding a bicycle around the village, making food called "Banh La Mit" for a snack, watching local people weave mats, and rowing small boats, etc. Have lunch at the local restaurant and visit the handcraft shop for shopping, listen to Southern folk music called "Don ca tai tu" before going back at 2:30PM.

OPTION 2 MEKONG DELTA:

2 DAYS 1 NIGHT IN MEKONG DELTA

Aug 13 - 14, 2025

$: coming soon

Day 1 (Wed): This is the same as the day trip to Mekong Delta. We will all go in one big group and then split off from there.

Instead of going back to the hotel, the second van will go to Can Tho City, around 2.5 hours drive. Everyone will check in at the hotel and have a free evening for eating dinner and walking around the night market.

Day 2 (Thurs): Early morning floating market. The guide will meet you at the lobby at 5:30AM and walk you to the harbor to get on the big boat and take an hour to go to main floating market where you can see how people in Mekong Delta live and run the market on the river. The tour guide will show you the way people sell their products, how to make rice paper and eat breakfast & coffee on the boat. Going back to the hotel around 10-10:30am, shower and get ready to go back to Saigon. The drive is around 5 hours. Lunch will be served at the restaurant half way back.

DAYTIME COOKING CLASS

For those who not stay overnight at Mekong Delta

Details are coming soon

UNSEEN SAIGON BY NIGHT WITH THE XO GIRLS

5:30 pm - 9:30 pm

$58 / person

The “Saigon by Night” tour is one of the most fun things to do in Vietnam at night and offers a completely different experience than our day tours. Meeting and greeting at the hotel, XO team will lead us to the night wholesale market in D6 in Chinatown, it will take 15 mins through crazy and bustling road in Saigon. Then they will take us to one of the oldest apartment in Saigon in D10, also the place where founder of XO Tours used to live, visiting local house is the greatest thing for you to understand how the local people live in Saigon. Banh Xeo and Bo La Lot are famous and delicious food for dinner. Driving through flower market, zig zag alleys to come to D4 to enjoy dessert before saying goodbye with team at the hotel.

Please look at "Wedding schedule" field to see more detail!!

10:00am - 1:00pm

Bruch at hotel for out-of-town guests and family

This farewell meal will also take place at the Caravelle Hotel Saigon.

Please click this forms link https://forms.gle/247EPZ1mQM7XjUrK8 to let us know which activities you are interested in.