Located in South Vietnam, the Mekong Delta is considered to be a must-see area for a genuine visit to this lovely country. The mighty 4,909-kilometer-long Mekong River starts in the Tibetan Plateau in China, runs through six countries, and ends at the Mekong Delta where it discharges silt into the East Sea, forming a continuously expanding sediment bank in southwestern Vietnam. It takes 3 hours to get there by car from Ho Chi Minh City.
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Itinerary
How to get around
How to get there
Food & Drinking
Best hotels & Hostels
15 best things to do
Practical information
Best time to visit
Although the floating markets in Mekong Delta are only a tourist attraction for us, for the residents it is a way of life and entrepreneurship. A floating market is a collection of market people who use the rivers to distribute and sell local goods. The delta is full of rivers and the land here is perfect for agriculture. Farmers and growers load their goods directly onto boats next to them to sell and ship them to the big cities. A floating market is therefore a place where dozens or sometimes more than a hundred boats come together. It is impressive to see and for that reason one of the best things to do in the Mekong Delta. The largest and most famous floating market is the Cai Rang floating market, near Can Tho. Other floating markets to visit include Cai Be, Long Xuyen, Phong Dien, and Tra On.
The best way to explore the Mekong Delta is zigzagging through the canals with a boat trip. In the shade of coconut trees you have a beautiful view of lush orchards, rice fields and local houses. On the way you can, for example, visit a floating market or stop at various places to visit a local factory, village or fruit orchard. Various boat trips are possible. On the larger rivers, motorized sloops are used to cover greater distances. In the smaller side canals you can enjoy a traditional sampan rowing boat that is propelled by the locals while paddling.
The Mekong Delta is as flat as a pancake. In addition, there are countless roads through the countryside connecting all the villages, small local factories, rice fields and fruit orchards. In addition, you will hardly find any traffic on these rural roads. This complete combination makes this area the best place for cycling in Vietnam.
Bicycles can be borrowed for free at most accommodations located in the countryside. You can go on your own or with a guide. Either way, you will enjoy the beautiful landscapes, friendly people and quiet roads. Because of the many rivers and canals, it can happen that you have to sail with a pound or have to use bridges made by the local population.
In addition to the villages and countryside, you will also find vegetation and nature that are unique to this region. The Tra Su Indigo Forest is one of these places. Here you will find a forest that is completely flooded, with many rare species of faunas, some of which are on the endangered list. A motor boat makes it possible to sail through this forest. Along the way you can take beautiful photos and spot birds.
Spending a day in a homestay in the Mekong Delta is the best option to relax and enjoy a peaceful life, and you will also learn more about the local culture.
The big advantage of a homestay is that it is a more personal experience. Stay with a local family where you learn more or their culture. You do not have to worry about the lack of comfort, because some homestays have a lot of luxury and sometimes even a swimming pool.
Tram Chim National Park is a biological treasure house with no less than a quarter of the bird population in Vietnam. This makes it one of the best national parks in Vietnam.
Bird spotting in general is already one of the best things to do in the Mekong Delta, because you find a lot of rare birds here and there are huge areas of reserves for them to live. The park is located in Dong Thap province, close to the cities of Chau Doc and Long Xuyen. The area is a submerged in-land ecosystem that you explore by boat.
The Mekong Delta provides 70% of the fruit consumed in all of Vietnam, and there are numerous fruit orchards spread across the various provinces that make up the Delta. When exploring the area by bike or boat, you can stop at a fruit orchard and pick your own fruit to eat.
Sam Mountain is more of a hill than a mountain, with dozens of pagodas, tombs and even a temple on the way to the top. The views from the hill are beautiful, with rice fields, pole villages and beautiful greenery. This pilgrimage site is located in An Giang province near Chau Doc and the Cambodian border.
The Bang Lang stork garden is one of the best stork sanctuaries in the Mekong Delta. It is surrounded by immense rice fields and the Can Tho canals. Again, a boat trip through the nature reserve is the best way to spot the birds and explore the reserve.
One of the best things to do in the Mekong Delta is to visit the many different temples and pagodas. The Vinh Trang Pagoda is the most famous in this region, built in 1849. The pagoda brings together Chinese, Vietnamese, Khmer and European architecture and features various Buddha statues. The temple is located in Tien Giang province, only 5 km from My Tho.
The Mekong Delta has an airport in the city of Can Tho. There are daily flights from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, among others.
Although there are 12 provinces that are part of the Mekong Delta, the usual route for most tourists to reach this destination is from Ho Chi Minh City to Can Tho. It takes approximately three hours to reach the Mekong Delta by bus.
The most popular way to discover the Mekong Delta is by tour. This is a good option if you don’t have much time.
No Train
Boat – Some delta cities have boat connections between them, although road improvement and building bridges reduce water travel. It is still the best way to explore the small waterways and floating markets in the Mekong.
Bus – It is easy to travel by public transport and the bus connections are excellent. Every city has a main bus station for both buses and minibuses.
Bicycle, motorcycle and car – The most flexible transport option is a private car, a bicycle or a rented motorcycle. Riding a bike or motorbike around the delta is fun, especially along the maze of country roads. The delta is fairly flat, but be prepared for toll roads and ferries, although these are gradually being replaced by new bridges. Ferries are cheap and frequent.
Day 1: My Tho – Mo Cay (L,D)
Upon arrival, you will board your Mango Cruise boat at Chuong Duong Pier and head to An Hoa River. Enjoy your welcome drink and peaceful scenery while crew members board your luggage. The cruise will take you to Phong Nam village in Giong Trom, where you will take a rowing sampan boat through the small canals, which are covered green by the water coconut plants.
Stop at a local house to taste the tropical fruits and chat with the farmer. Visit the rice noodle factory before starting your bike trip around the village. Return to your boat and enjoy lunch onboard. After lunch continue your cycling trip to My Long to visit Mr Sau Tuong, a former Vietcong soldier who survived two years fighting the Khmer Rouge in Phnom Penh. Now he and his wife live on making rice paper which is the most famous specialty of My Long village. Have a chat with him and enjoy the crispy rice paper made by his wife, and see how it is made.
Continue to visit the nearby house of Mr Hung, who is a famous sticky rice maker in the village. You can also feed his stock of catfish and walk through his fruit garden before getting back on the boat and continuing to cruise to Mo cay district on Ham Luong river. Arrive Vam nuoc Trong cannals in late afternoon and enjoy the sunset.
Relax and prepare for the cooking demonstration and dinner onboard .
Overnight will be spent onboard at Vam Nuoc Trong cannals.
Day 2: Vam Nuoc Trong - Cho Thom (Mo Cay) (B,L)
In the morning, breakfast will be served on board before starting to explore Mo cay wet market. Then continue to visit at the coconut processing workshop where you can see how the locals utilize every bit of the coconut. Then take the biking trip long the cannals to Thom market to explore more of the local life style. Stop for a visit at the sugar factory where the local produce sugar from the sugar cans in the traditional way. After that get back to the cruise, refresh and prepare to check out for your onwards trip to Can Tho or head back to Saigon.
