Mekong Delta Tour: How to Plan One from Ho Chi Minh City
A Mekong Delta tour from Ho Chi Minh City is either a long day trip to My Tho and Ben Tre, about two hours each way by road, or an overnight trip to Can Tho for the Cai Rang floating market at dawn. Go between December and April for dry weather, and choose overnight if the floating market is the reason you are going.
The delta is the flat, river-cut south-west of Vietnam, where the Mekong splits into a fan of channels before it reaches the sea. Most of it is farmland, orchards and coconut groves laced with canals, and the way to see it is by boat, from a wide river ferry down to a hand-rowed sampan in a channel barely wider than the boat.
Mekong Delta tour from Ho Chi Minh: where do tours go?
Three areas cover almost every tour sold in Saigon.
My Tho and Ben Tre. The closest part of the delta, on either side of the Tien River. Ben Tre is the coconut province: coconut workshops, candy mills, orchards and small canals through the palms. This is where almost every day tour goes, because it fits into a day with time on the water.
Can Tho. The largest city in the delta, roughly three to four hours from Saigon by road. It is the base for Cai Rang, the best-known floating market still trading, where boats sell produce wholesale from first light. Seeing it properly means sleeping in Can Tho.
Chau Doc and the upper delta. Near the Cambodian border, a long day’s travel from Saigon. It suits travellers heading on to Phnom Penh by river, and those who want the delta with very few other visitors. Our Cambodia tours guide picks up the route across the border, and the Southeast Asia travel guide links every country we cover.
Ho Chi Minh City at dusk, the starting point for almost every Mekong Delta trip.
Mekong Delta day tour or overnight?
| Day tour (My Tho, Ben Tre) | Overnight (Can Tho) | |
|---|---|---|
| Time on the road | About 4 hours return | About 6 to 8 hours return, split over two days |
| Floating market | Usually not, or a small one | Cai Rang at sunrise |
| Boats | River crossing, canal boat, rowing boat | The same, plus an early market boat |
| Best for | A first look, short stays in Saigon | Travellers who want the market and a slower pace |
A day tour gives you a good taste of delta life: a cart or bicycle ride through the villages, a boat along the main river, a smaller boat into the canals and lunch at a farmhouse. What it rarely includes is a real floating market, because those are busiest soon after dawn, long before a day tour from Saigon arrives.
If Cai Rang is the point, stay a night in Can Tho and be on the water by about 6am. The market thins out by mid-morning.
Mekong Delta boat tour: what you actually do
The boat part of a delta trip is usually several boats in one day. You cross or travel along the main river in a motorboat, change to a smaller boat for the canals, and often finish in a hand-rowed sampan through the narrowest channels, where the palms meet overhead.
The stops along the way are working businesses: a coconut candy mill, a brick kiln, a family making rice paper or sleeping mats, an orchard serving fruit and honey tea. Some are set up for tour groups and some feel very local. Either way, the canals themselves are the highlight.
On JetlyGo’s packages, the Mekong day goes to Ben Tre: a cart ride on the village paths at Phong Nam, the Nam Khiem handicraft village with its brick kiln and coconut workshop, a boat along the An Hoa River and into the Cai Son canal through the coconut groves, a candy mill, then a rowing boat to a farmhouse for lunch (paid locally, not in the package price) and a look at mat weaving, before a stop at Nhon Thanh market and the drive back.
When is the best time for a Mekong Delta tour?
December to April is the dry season, with sunny days and easy roads. March and April are the hottest months. May to November is the rainy season, with heavy but usually short afternoon downpours, and the upper delta floods from roughly September to November, when water levels and the landscape change completely.
The wet months are not a reason to stay away. The orchards are at their fullest in the early rainy season, and the canals are high. Plan boat time for the morning, when the rain is least likely.
What to wear and bring on a Mekong Delta tour
Light, quick-drying clothes and shoes you can slip off: you will step on and off boats several times, sometimes onto a muddy bank. A hat and sunscreen matter more than you expect, because there is little shade on the water. Bring insect repellent for the evening, cash in small notes for drinks and snacks, and a rain layer between May and November.
Mekong Delta tours worth booking
JetlyGo sells the delta as part of private, guided trips with hotels and transfers included, rather than as a standalone day tour.
- Saigon, Cu Chi and Mekong Delta tour: four days and three nights from Ho Chi Minh City, with a city day, a cyclo tour of Cholon, the Cu Chi Tunnels and the Ben Tre boat day, with a private guide.
- Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh 13 day tour: the whole country north to south, from Mai Chau and Ninh Binh to a Ha Long Bay cruise, Hue and Hoi An, ending with Saigon, Cu Chi and the same Ben Tre day.
- Vietnam tour packages, 4 to 14 days: every multi-day trip we list, each priced at three hotel standards, if you want the delta as part of a longer route.
Travelling north afterwards? Our central Vietnam guide covers Hue, Da Nang and Hoi An, and the Vietnam tours guide runs the length of the country.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Mekong Delta tour?
The best one matches your time. With one free day in Saigon, a Ben Tre trip with several boat changes and a farmhouse lunch is the right choice. With two days, go to Can Tho for Cai Rang at sunrise. With three or more, the upper delta around Chau Doc is the quietest version of all.
How much does a Mekong Delta tour cost?
It depends on group size and whether you share a coach or take a private guide. Shared day trips from Saigon are the cheapest option; private trips cost more per person but go at your pace and fall in price as your group grows. Multi-day packages also include hotels, so compare them per day, not per trip.
Can you do a Can Tho Mekong Delta tour in one day?
You can, but you will spend six to eight hours on the road and arrive after the floating market’s busiest hours. Can Tho is far better as an overnight trip, sleeping in the city and taking a boat to Cai Rang at about 6am, then returning to Saigon in the afternoon.
What should I expect on a Mekong Delta tour?
Expect several boats, a lot of greenery and stops at small family businesses: coconut candy, rice paper, fruit and honey tea. It is a gentle day rather than a dramatic one. The canals are the highlight, so a trip with more time in small boats is better than one with more workshop stops.
Decide first whether you want Cai Rang at dawn, because that one choice settles day trip against overnight.