Things to do in Mekong Delta
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Mekong Delta
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Dry, coolest, best all round. Sa Dec flowers build to Tet on 6 February 2027; transport and hotels spike around Tet.
Hot dry season. Sarus cranes at Tram Chim into spring; Khmer New Year in mid April in the Khmer towns.
Rainy season and fruit peak: rambutan, durian, mangosteen and longan in the orchards. Ferries to Phu Quoc at their roughest.
Floating season, peaking in October: high water, forest by boat, richest bird life, mud and mosquitoes. Ok Om Bok in November.
What's on
- Tet Nguyen Dan 6 February 2027
Lunar New Year. Flower markets peak the week before; many small businesses close for the first days.
- Sa Dec Flower Festival season Weeks before Tet, January to early February
Flower village at full colour for the Tet trade; garden houses busiest and small entry fees apply.
- Chol Chnam Thmay Mid April
Khmer New Year in Tra Vinh, Soc Trang and other Khmer towns, with pagoda ceremonies and water blessings.
- Ba Chua Xu Festival 22nd to 27th day of the fourth lunar month, usually May
At Sam Mountain, Chau Doc. The south's largest folk pilgrimage; see the Chau Doc brief for the temple pick.
- Ok Om Bok 14th to 15th day of the tenth lunar month, usually late October to November
Khmer moon worship festival in Tra Vinh and Soc Trang, with ghe ngo boat races on the river in Soc Trang.
Best things to do in Mekong Delta
Nga Bay Floating Market
Historic seven river junction market, now quiet, showing honestly what the floating market system is becoming.
Long Xuyen Floating Market
Working local market on the Hau River with floating noodle boats and almost no tour groups at dawn.
Vinh Trang Pagoda
The delta gateway temple at My Tho, mixing Vietnamese, Chinese and European detail around three huge Buddhas.
Thoi Son Island
The classic My Tho islet circuit in one morning: orchards, honey tea, folk music and a sampan canal leg.
Sa Dec Flower Village
Huge working flower nursery on raised beds above flooded ground, at full colour in the weeks before Tet.
Huynh Thuy Le Ancient House
The 1895 Lover house in Sa Dec, French outside and Chinese inside, the delta's one literary pilgrimage.
Kien An Cung Pagoda
Fujian temple and trade hall from the 1920s with dense, colourful ceramic roof work in a compact site.
Where to stay in Mekong Delta
Can Tho, Ninh Kieu and Cai Khe
hub nights, floating market dawns, widest hotel range
Only delta city with an airport, full hotel range and dawn boat infrastructure for Cai Rang and Phong Dien.
My Tho and Thoi Son Island
first night from Ho Chi Minh City, short loop splurge
Ninety minutes from the city, gateway pagoda and islet circuit, and the delta's top boutique lodge on the island.
Ben Tre, city and Giong Trom
coconut circuit overnight, slow loop night
Staying over turns the rushed day tour into a place, with a city resort and a small riverside eco resort.
Cai Be and Vinh Long islets
mid delta night between My Tho and Can Tho
Garden lodges and islet homestays put you at the Cai Be market at dawn instead of on a bus at dawn.
Chau Doc riverfront
grand loop end, Sam Mountain, Phnom Penh boat
Riverfront hotels face the Hau River and the border country, with the fast boat leaving in the morning.
Think twice about
- Ho Chi Minh City as a delta base
Day tours spend seven to eight hours on the road and reach Cai Rang after the wholesale peak. Sleep in the delta instead.
- Ninh Kieu dinner cruise boats as a food choice
The river at dusk is lovely and the food on the big moored boats is consistently the weakest in Can Tho. Eat in town, walk the wharf free.
Best restaurants in Mekong Delta
Hu Tieu My Tho 43
Long running busy shop for My Tho's namesake chewy noodle soup, the correct first breakfast of a loop.
Hu Tieu Sa Te My Tho
Sate spiced counterpoint to classic My Tho hu tieu, richer and hotter, with beef sausage on the side.
Hu Tieu Ba Sam
Sa Dec's celebrated hu tieu stall, praised for years as both the cheapest and best bowl of its kind.
Sa Dec Market
Working riverside market for grazing: fruit, banh snacks, sweet soups and lotus tea to take home.
Ben Tre Night Market
Modest local night market built on coconut: candy, coconut ice cream, grills and sweet soups.
Outdoor things to do in Mekong Delta
Tram Chim National Park
Ramsar flooded plain by boat, lotus and wild rice grassland, with sarus cranes returning in the dry months.
Xeo Quyt Relic Site
Flooded melaleuca forest war base explored by boat and raised path, shaded, quiet and atmospheric.
Gao Giong Ecotourism Area
Easiest Dong Thap wetland: melaleuca forest by small boat and a watchtower for the dusk bird return.
Ben Tre Coconut Canal Sampan and Cycling Circuit
The slow Ben Tre day: sampan under water coconut, workshops, then cycling car free orchard paths.
Mekong Eyes Cruise
Small wooden cruise boat linking Cai Be and Can Tho overnight, with sampan trips and a dawn market call.
Hang Chau Fast Boat Chau Doc to Phnom Penh
Five hour upriver border crossing to Phnom Penh, the delta's great exit, with river formalities en route.
Best hotels in Mekong Delta
The Island Lodge
Twelve room boutique lodge with pool and spa on Thoi Son Island, the northern delta's one true splurge.
Victoria Chau Doc Hotel
Grand riverfront hotel in Chau Doc, the comfortable pick for Sam Mountain and the Phnom Penh boat.
Mekong Lodge
Garden bungalow eco resort on the Tien River with its own boats for Cai Be market at dawn.
Ben Tre Riverside Resort
Four star riverside resort with pool, Ben Tre's most complete facilities and practical family base.
Mango Home Riverside
Small eco resort on the Ben Tre River with pool, free bicycles and a well liked garden kitchen.
Homestay Mekong Can Tho
Family homestay in the orchards whose hosts run a small sunrise boat to the floating market.
Is Mekong Delta expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | ₫600,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | ₫1,400,000 a person |
| Splurge | ₫3,800,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Tram Chim National Park: a few days ahead
- Ben Tre Coconut Canal Sampan and Cycling Circuit: a few days ahead
- Mekong Eyes Cruise: weeks ahead
- Hang Chau Fast Boat Chau Doc to Phnom Penh: a few days ahead
- The Island Lodge: weeks ahead
- Victoria Chau Doc Hotel: weeks ahead
- Mekong Lodge: a few days ahead
- Ben Tre Riverside Resort: a few days ahead
- Tet week rooms in Can Tho and Chau Doc need booking months ahead.
- Mekong Eyes and other overnight cruises need weeks, and months around Tet.
- Phu Quoc ferries need days in peak season and can cancel in rough rainy season weather.
Is Mekong Delta safe?
- Road travel is the main risk: reputable buses, seatbelts, and think hard before renting a motorbike without the right licence and cover.
- Ask for life jackets on small boats, especially for children, and skip overloaded boats or rough weather sailings.
- Dengue peaks with the rains; cover up and use repellent at dawn and dusk on the water. Emergency numbers: police 113, ambulance 115, fire 114.
Mekong Delta travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Pier side boat prices that rise after boarding; agree price, route and duration first and pay at the end.
- Day circuit stops that are really sales stops; a hotel booked small boat or a homestay boat usually fixes a fairer price.
- Touts reselling bus and ferry tickets at a markup; buy from the company office, hotel or operator.
Getting around Mekong Delta: public transport and more
- Futa buses link Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho, Chau Doc and Rach Gia through the day; book a day ahead, weeks ahead at Tet.
- Private car with driver is the sane way to chain Sa Dec, Cao Lanh and Tram Chim in one day.
- Ferries run Rach Gia to Phu Quoc in about two and a half hours and Ha Tien to Phu Quoc in about one and a half to two hours.
Who Mekong Delta suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Mekong Delta your trip
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