My Tho · Ben Tre · Can Tho · From Ho Chi Minh City
Drift into the Mekong Delta
Palm-roofed canals, island orchards and markets on the water, a couple of hours from Saigon.
Choose a day on the near edge or a night deeper in, where the boats still trade at sunrise.
How far each tour goesMy Tho and Ben Tre, or Can Tho and beyond, before you book
Floating markets, honestlyWhich tours reach one while the boats are still trading
Free cancellationUp to 24 hours before on the day and two-day tours
Secure checkoutBook on GetYourGuide, with a mobile voucher
Mekong tours
Choose your Mekong Delta tour
In the centre, the classic day to My Tho and Ben Tre: islands, a sampan and coconut candy, back by
5 pm. On the left, the Cu Chi tunnels and the delta in one long day. On the right, two days with a night in Can Tho
and Cai Rang floating market at 6 am.
The day trip most people mean: a motorboat between the My Tho islands, honey tea at a bee farm, coconut candy in Ben Tre and a sampan through the palm canals.
What's included
Pickup 7 to 8 am from hotels in Districts 1, 3 and 4; about two hours by road to My Tho, back 4:30 to 5 pm
Motorboat past Dragon, Phoenix and Turtle islands; a bee farm with honey tea on Unicorn Island
A coconut candy workshop in Ben Tre, a sampan through the canals, a tuk-tuk or electric-car ride and some cycling
Vietnamese lunch (vegan on request), tropical fruit and folk music in an orchard garden
Not suitable for wheelchair users; free cancellation up to 24 hours before
Mekong Delta tours differ less in what you see on the boat than in how deep into the delta they go:
the near edge in a day, or Can Tho and its floating market with a night on the way. Lengths, inclusions and limits are
taken from each listing.
Option
Starts from
Best for
Length
Notes
My Tho & Ben Tre: Islands, Sampans & Coconut Village
Hotel pickup, Districts 1, 3 and 4
A first look at the delta: My Tho's islands, Ben Tre's canals and an orchard lunch, back the same afternoon
The day tours and two-day tours here cancel free up to 24 hours before on GetYourGuide; check
the three-day trip's terms on its listing. The Can Tho sunrise tour starts at 5:30 am at the pier, and the speedboat day
does not take large bags, per their listings.
What you actually book
A day reaches the doorstep, a night reaches the market.
The Mekong runs about 4,350 km from the Tibetan Plateau and splits into the branches that gave the delta its
Vietnamese name, Cửu Long, the Nine Dragons. Ho Chi Minh City is not part of it: the delta begins south-west of
the city, and a day tour drives about two hours to reach its near edge at My Tho, then crosses to the coconut
country of Ben Tre. That is the delta most visitors see, and it is a lovely day of islands, sampans and orchards.
The floating market in the photographs is somewhere else. Cai Rang, the largest one still working, lies
on the Hau River at Can Tho, about three hours from the city, and its trading is largely over by about 8 am.
Cai Be, the market closer to Saigon, has all but disappeared. So if the market is the point, book a tour that sleeps
in Can Tho, or start there on a sunrise boat.
9
Dragons in the delta's Vietnamese name, Cửu Long, after the branches
the river splits into before it reaches the sea.
My ThoBen TreCan ThoCai RangVinh LongChau DocThu Thua
The delta from above: river branches, islands, canals and rice.
01
Pick the depth
One day covers My Tho and Ben Tre at the delta's near edge. Two days reach Can Tho and Cai Rang. Three days go on to Chau Doc by the Cambodian border.
02
Mind the clock
Floating markets trade at dawn. A tour leaving Saigon at 7 or 8 am arrives after the trading; one that sleeps in Can Tho is on the water at 6 am.
03
Pick the crowd
The island circuit at My Tho is busy. For fewer coaches choose the Ben Tre tour with brick kilns and a home lunch, or the speedboat day to Thu Thua.
04
Who should skip a day tour?
Anyone set on a floating market: stay a night. Anyone short on time who also wants Cu Chi: take the combined day rather than two trips.
The day
A day on the water in four moves
Most Mekong Delta day tours from Ho Chi Minh City follow the same shape. Here is what happens between
the hotel door and the drive home.
01
Pickup and the road south
A minivan or bus collects you between 7 and 8 am and drives about two hours through rice fields to My Tho. Some tours stop at Vinh Trang Pagoda on the way.
Bring a hat and cash
02
Islands by motorboat
A boat crosses the broad brown river between Dragon, Phoenix, Turtle and Unicorn islands, with a stop at a bee farm for honey tea.
Around 10 am
03
Sampans and coconut candy
In Ben Tre a rower takes you down a narrow canal under water coconut palms, then a workshop shows how coconut candy is cooked and wrapped.
The quiet part of the day
04
Orchard lunch, then home
Lunch, tropical fruit and southern folk music in a garden, perhaps a bike or tuk-tuk ride, then the drive back to the city by about 5 pm.
Getting there, who can come, sample plans and what to bring.
From Ho Chi Minh City: about two hours by road to My Tho and about three to Can Tho; every tour on this page handles the transport.
Pickup: most day tours collect from hotels in Districts 1, 3 and 4; staying elsewhere, use the listed meeting point in District 1.
By river: the speedboat day leaves from the city's central pier, Bach Dang, and skips the road.
Already in Can Tho: the sunrise boat tour meets at Ben Pha Xom Chai pier at 5:30 am.
Children: the classic My Tho day and the four-islands day list children under 5 as free when accompanied by adults.
Wheelchairs: the classic day, the four-islands day, the speedboat day, the Can Tho sunrise tour and the three-day trip say they are not suitable for wheelchair users. Boats and pier steps are part of every tour.
Pregnancy and back problems: the Can Tho sunrise tour says it is not suitable.
Diets: vegan or vegetarian meals are offered on request on most listings; the Ben Tre home lunch also offers gluten-free.
One day: the My Tho and Ben Tre tour, back in Saigon for dinner.
One day, two sights: Cu Chi tunnels in the morning, the delta in the afternoon, back around 7 pm.
Two days: My Tho and Ben Tre, a night in Can Tho, Cai Rang at 6 am, back the next afternoon.
Three days: on to Chau Doc and the Tra Su forest, then back to the city or across to Phnom Penh.
A hat, sunglasses and sunscreen: much of the day is on open water.
Shoes that grip on wet steps, and clothes that cover shoulders and knees for pagodas.
Insect repellent and a light rain layer, especially from May to November.
Your passport on overnight tours, and some cash for drinks and small purchases at the workshops.
2 hTo My ThoBy road from Ho Chi Minh City.
3 hTo Can ThoWhere Cai Rang floating market trades.
8 amMarket overTrading at Cai Rang is largely done by then.
4,350 kmThe MekongFrom the Tibetan Plateau to the South China Sea.
24 hFree cancellationOn the day and two-day tours here.
All yearTours runDry season roughly December to April.
The start
Your hotel in Saigon
District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Most tours come to you. The classic day and the four-islands day collect from hotels in Districts 1, 3 and 4
between 7 and 8 am; the Cu Chi combination and the two-day Cai Rang tour use a meeting point on Ly Tu Trong Street,
near Ben Thanh Market, for anyone staying outside the pickup area. Check the pickup time on your voucher the evening
before.
The speedboat day boards at Bach Dang pier after a short van ride
The three-day Chau Doc trip meets on Tran Hung Dao Street, District 1
The Can Tho sunrise tour starts at a pier in Can Tho itself
Mario is undoubtedly the best guide I've had in a long time.
★★★★★
Great tour. Learned a lot about the wars that Vietnam has been involved in.
★★★★★
This was a trip well worth doing, encompassing many different activities.
★★★★★
Well worth doing when in Can Tho.
★★★★★
Huy maintained the promise of showing us authentic Mekong villages and people, not places staged.
★★★★★
Best way to see it without tourists. We didn't see any tourists besides our group!
★★★★★
An unforgettable day in the Mekong Delta with Ronald! We planted rice with our feet in the mud, fished like locals.
★★★★★
I really recommend this tour. It is super funny, interesting and a good way to see how people live.
★★★★★
Really enjoyed the Mekong Delta tour with James. The itinerary was great, with ample time.
The far delta
On to Chau Doc
Every tour above stays within a few hours of Saigon. This one keeps going: three days across the delta
to the Cambodian border, with the option of carrying on to Phnom Penh.
3 Days to Chau Doc, with an Optional Exit to Phnom Penh
Meeting point in District 1 · 3 days · GetYourGuide
The deep delta: Cai Be's orchards on day one, Cai Rang and a Khmer pagoda in Can Tho on day two, then the Tra Su forest and the floating village at Chau Doc near the Cambodian border, with the choice of returning to Ho Chi Minh City or carrying on to Phnom Penh, per the listing.
Search for a Mekong Delta tour and the pictures look alike: a woman in a conical hat rowing under palm
fronds, boats heaped with watermelons, a bowl of noodles on the water. All of it is real. What the results rarely say is
that those scenes sit in different places, at different hours, and that a day trip from Ho Chi Minh City can reach only
some of them. Here is how to read the options.
Where the delta begins
Ho Chi Minh City is not in the Mekong Delta. The delta starts south-west of the city, and the day tours spend about two
hours on the road to reach My Tho, a river town on one of the Mekong's branches. From there a motorboat crosses to the
islands, Dragon, Phoenix, Turtle and Unicorn, and on to Ben Tre, the coconut province across the water. Since 2025 those
places sit in newly merged provinces, My Tho in Dong Thap and Ben Tre in Vinh Long, but the tours and the towns keep
their names. This near edge of the delta is what most visitors see, and it delivers what the word promises: brown water,
palm canals, orchards, bees and the sweet smell of coconut candy.
The sampan ride through Ben Tre's palm canals is the quiet heart of the classic day.
The floating market problem
Floating markets are wholesale markets, and they trade at dawn. Cai Rang, the largest one still working, lies on the
Hau River at Can Tho, about three hours from Saigon, and reporting from 2025 describes trade largely over by about 8 am,
with roughly a third of the boats it had in 2011. Cai Be, the market closest to the city, has all but disappeared since
the early 2020s. A tour that leaves your hotel at 7 or 8 am arrives long after the trading at Cai Rang is done. The answer is a
night in Can Tho: the two-day tour is on the water at 6 am, and the sunrise boat from Can Tho starts at 5:30.
The honest small print: if a one-day listing from Ho Chi Minh City promises a floating
market, read the itinerary closely for the time and the place. On the tours on this page, the market appears only on
the overnight trips and the Can Tho sunrise tour.
Busy islands or quiet canals
The My Tho island circuit is popular, and at midday you will share the jetties and the honey-tea tables with other
groups. It is still a good day, especially with a small group. If crowds bother you, two tours on this page take other
routes: the less-touristy Ben Tre tour visits a brick factory, cycles village lanes and serves a five-course lunch in a
home, and the speedboat day skips the road entirely, running from the city pier to the market and Cao Dai temple at Thu
Thua. For a slower pace still, the two-day homestay tour swaps the hotel for a garden farm, a cooking class and a morning
in a kayak.
Floating markets trade at dawn; the overnight tours are on the water while they do.
Which option, and when
If you have one day, take the classic My Tho and Ben Tre tour and enjoy it for what it is. If you also want the Cu
Chi tunnels and have only one free day, the combined tour does both, at the cost of a long day. If the floating market is
the reason you came, book the two-day Cai Rang tour, or travel to Can Tho yourself and join the sunrise boat. With three
days, the Chau Doc trip shows the far delta and can drop you in Phnom Penh. Our
guide to how many days lays out each plan.
Fruit and honey tea in an orchard: a stop on nearly every day tour.
Straight answers to what people ask most about Mekong Delta tours.
Is a Mekong Delta tour worth it?
Yes, if you know what a day trip covers. From Ho Chi Minh City it reaches the near edge of the delta, the islands of My Tho and the coconut canals of Ben Tre: boats, orchards and workshops, a gentle and pretty day. If a floating market is the reason you want to go, plan a night in Can Tho; our tour guide explains why.
What is the best day tour of the Mekong Delta?
For a first visit, the My Tho and Ben Tre day: islands by motorboat, a sampan through the palm canals, coconut candy and lunch in an orchard, back by 5 pm. For fewer coaches, the Ben Tre tour with brick kilns and a home lunch; for no coach at all, the speedboat day.
How long do you need in the Mekong Delta?
One day shows you My Tho and Ben Tre. Two days, with a night in Can Tho, add the Cai Rang floating market at sunrise. Three days reach Chau Doc near the Cambodian border. How many days sets the options side by side.
How much does a one-day Mekong Delta tour cost?
Prices change with the date, the group size and the season, so this site does not print them; the figure at checkout is the one that counts. What moves it is whether the group is small or private, whether Cu Chi is added and whether you travel by coach or speedboat.
Can you see a floating market on a day trip from Ho Chi Minh City?
Rarely in trading hours. Cai Rang, the largest working floating market, is in Can Tho, about three hours from the city, and its trade is largely over by about 8 am. The closer Cai Be market has all but disappeared. The floating markets guide has the details.
How should I dress for the Mekong Delta?
Light, breathable clothes, a hat, sunscreen and shoes that grip on wet boat steps. Cover shoulders and knees for pagodas such as Vinh Trang, and carry insect repellent for early starts. When to go covers seasons and clothing.
Is it safe to swim in the Mekong Delta?
It is not a swimming river. The water is brown with silt, the currents are strong and the channels are busy with boats, and none of the tours on this page includes a swim. Enjoy the water from the sampan.
What is the best time of year to visit the Mekong Delta?
The dry months, roughly December to April, give the most sunshine. The rainy season, roughly May to November, brings short heavy showers, usually in the afternoon, and the upper delta floods around September to November. Tours run all year.
Is Ho Chi Minh City in the Mekong Delta?
No. Ho Chi Minh City belongs to Vietnam's Southeast region; the delta begins south-west of it. The day tours on this page drive about two hours to reach My Tho, at the delta's near edge.
Does the Mekong have crocodiles?
Not in a way you will meet on a tour. The wild Siamese crocodile is critically endangered and close to gone from Vietnam's wild; in the delta, crocodiles are kept on farms. The river facts guide covers the wildlife you will see.
What happens if my plans change?
The day tours and two-day tours on this page cancel free up to 24 hours before on GetYourGuide. For the three-day Chau Doc trip, check the terms on the listing before you book.
Ready to book
A sampan is waiting under the palms.
The classic My Tho and Ben Tre day, the Cu Chi combination and two days with Cai Rang at sunrise, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Two sights, one day
10 to 11 hoursEnglish or FrenchFree cancellation
