Things to do in Vinh Long
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Vinh Long
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Dry season: lower humidity, calmer rivers, reliable boats and the best cycling conditions on An Binh.
Tet, the Lunar New Year, brings flowers and peak family travel, with busy transport and some closures.
Fruit season: rambutan, mangosteen, durian, mango and longan at their best, with heat and afternoon showers.
Rainy season in the south, roughly May to November: short heavy showers, lush gardens and more mosquitoes.
Flood and high water season: full canals and green landscapes, but low lanes and gardens can flood.
What's on
- Tet Nguyen Dan late January or February, lunar calendar
Lunar New Year: flowers, busy markets and family travel, with some businesses closed for several days.
- Van Thanh Mieu Festival third lunar month, usually April
The town's main traditional ceremony at Van Thanh Mieu, honouring Confucius and Phan Thanh Gian.
Best things to do in Vinh Long
Vinh Long Market
The town's working central market by the river, best in the morning for fruit, river fish and everyday delta life.
Vinh Long Night Market
The town's evening food market near the centre, the easiest place to graze on snacks and noodles after dark.
Van Thanh Mieu
One of only three Confucian temples of literature in the south, built in the 1860s in quiet, shaded grounds.
Vinh Long Provincial Museum
A small provincial museum in the town centre that gives useful context on delta history and revolutionary years.
Tien Chau Pagoda
An Binh's oldest pagoda, founded in the 1740s on the riverbank opposite town and reached by the An Binh ferry.
Cai Cuong Ancient House
An 1885 merchant house mixing European and southern Vietnamese styles, set by a canal among island orchards.
Chùa Phật Ngọc Xá Lợi Vĩnh Long
A large modern pagoda near the My Thuan bridge approach, one of the biggest Buddhist sites in the province.
An Binh Island
The orchard island opposite town, crossed by lanes and canals and best explored slowly by bicycle and ferry.
Where to stay in Vinh Long
Town centre riverfront
transport, early departures and practical base
Walkable to the market, the An Binh ferry and bus connections, with the town's top hotel on the river.
An Binh Island
orchard homestays and slow mornings
Ferry across the Co Chien River for garden lanes, canals and homestay dinners, with early nights.
Binh Hoa Phuoc
quiet resort style retreat
The island commune east of An Binh holding the one small eco resort with a pool near Vinh Long.
Best restaurants in Vinh Long
Le Longanier
A colonial style villa restaurant in a Cai Be garden, the most refined Mekong set lunch on Vinh Long boat tours.
Mr Kiet's Ancient House
Lunch in a historic Cai Be house on boat tour routes, serving elephant ear fish and garden set menus.
Nhà hàng Đức Phát Hoàng Gia
A large local restaurant for group style Mekong dishes, river fish hotpots and celebrations south of the centre.
Hủ Tiếu Phượng
A long hours town noodle shop for hu tieu, the clear broth noodle soup that is the delta breakfast staple.
Outdoor things to do in Vinh Long
Cai Be Floating Market
Once a major wholesale river market in Tien Giang, now shrunk to a handful of boats, best seen around 6am by boat.
Tra On Floating Market
Vinh Long province's own wholesale floating market on the Hau River, busiest from 5am and still largely local.
Mang Thit Brick Kilns
Hundreds of red brick kilns line the canals of Mang Thit, a century old craft landscape best seen from a boat.
Vinh Sang Eco-Tourism Area
A family run island ecotourism garden on An Binh with orchards, folk games and river activities for a half day.
Hoang Hao Ecotourism Area
A green garden ecotourism site in Long Ho with fishing ponds, monkey bridges and rustic delta activities.
Best hotels in Vinh Long
Sai Gon Vinh Long Hotel
The town's top hotel by local standards, a dated four star with river views in the centre, not true luxury.
Riverside Park Eco Resort
A small 10 bungalow eco resort with a pool on Binh Hoa Phuoc, the most resort like stay near Vinh Long.
Út Trinh Homestay
A long running An Binh homestay known for garden rooms, home cooking and evening traditional music by lamplight.
Mekong Riverside Homestay
A friendly family homestay right on the Mekong bank on An Binh, with set menu dinners and free bicycles.
Nam Thanh Homestay
A simple, great value An Binh homestay with hammocks, home cooked dinners and free bikes for island lanes.
Is Vinh Long expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | ₫450,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | ₫900,000 a person |
| Splurge | ₫1,800,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Cai Be Floating Market: a few days ahead
- Tra On Floating Market: a few days ahead
- Riverside Park Eco Resort: a few days ahead
- Út Trinh Homestay: a few days ahead
- Mekong Riverside Homestay: a few days ahead
- Le Longanier: a few days ahead
- Book island homestays a few days ahead in the dry season and around Tet.
- Book a private boat the day before for a dawn floating market start.
- Book Ho Chi Minh City to Vinh Long buses ahead on weekends and holidays.
Is Vinh Long safe?
- Petty crime is the main crime risk; violent crime against visitors is rare, and road traffic is the main danger.
- Road traffic is the main risk: do not self ride a motorbike unless experienced and licensed, and wear a helmet.
- Use boats that carry life jackets, board carefully at slippery jetties, and note that some island landings are tidal.
- Heat peaks March to May, dengue risk rises in the rainy season, and you should drink treated water, not tap water.
Vinh Long travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Cai Be floating market is a shadow of its old scale, whatever old tour photographs promise.
- A rushed day trip stop gives you a pier and a workshop queue; overnight on An Binh for the real place.
- Most of town is dark by about 10pm, and cards are rarely accepted outside the bigger hotels.
Getting around Vinh Long: public transport and more
- Vinh Long is about 135 km and roughly 3 hours by bus from Ho Chi Minh City, and about 40 to 60 minutes by road from Can Tho.
- Walk the town centre, take the frequent An Binh ferry for the island, and borrow homestay bicycles on the islands.
- Agree any boat price, duration and route before you board, and carry cash in small notes.
- There is no railway station, and the nearest airport is Can Tho.
Who Vinh Long suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Vinh Long your trip
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