Mekong Delta Tours from Ho Chi Minh City: 6 Options Compared (2026)
By TravelguidestipUpdated 6 min readHow we earn
Hotel buttons open Stay22 (Booking.com, Agoda and others) and tour buttons open GetYourGuide. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
A Mekong Delta tour from Ho Chi Minh City runs from 1 day to 4 days, and the main trade-off is road time: My Tho and Ben Tre are roughly 1.5-2 hours each way, while Can Tho is around 3-3.5 hours. One-day trips suit tight schedules. The famous Cai Rang floating market needs an overnight. Below are six formats, with listed prices and an honest look at who should skip the delta.
| Tour | Duration | From (as listed) | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small-group My Tho and Ben Tre day trip | 1 day | – | First-timers, tight schedules |
| Private Ben Tre day trip | 9 hours | USD 340 (per group of up to 10) | Families, groups wanting quieter canals |
| Private SUV or van day trip | 10 hours | USD 230 (per group of up to 12) | Groups who want their own pace |
| Can Tho and Cai Rang floating market | 2 days, 1 night | USD 142 (per person) | Floating-market seekers |
| Ben Tre, Can Tho and market | 3 days | – | Slower travellers |
| Tra Vinh, Ben Tre and Can Tho | 4 days | – | Repeat visitors, off-route travellers |
Prices are what each page listed in October 2026 and change by season. Several are per group, not per person. Where a source quoted only a local or non-USD price, the cell is blank rather than converted.
How far is the Mekong Delta from Ho Chi Minh City?
The nearest parts of the delta sit about 70-90 km southwest of the city. According to GoWithGuide, My Tho or Ben Tre takes roughly 1.5-2 hours each way, depending on traffic, and Can Tho around 3-3.5 hours.
A typical day trip leaves between 7:00 and 8:00 am and returns between 5:30 and 7:00 pm, with about four hours on the road.
For the wider plan, the Ho Chi Minh City travel guide covers the city base, and day trips from Ho Chi Minh City compares the delta with other options.
The 6 best Mekong Delta tours
1. Small-group My Tho and Ben Tre day trip — the classic
This is the standard first visit. BestPrice Travel lists a full-day small-group version with a maximum of 10 passengers, hotel pickup between 8:00 and 8:30 am, and a drop-off back in the city at about 5:00 pm.
The day covers a 1.5-hour drive, a rowing sampan through small canals, a fruit orchard island, a coconut candy demonstration, a tuk tuk ride through a village, lunch at a riverside restaurant, and Vinh Trang Pagoda.
Included: lunch, air-conditioned minivan, fruit and tea, an English-speaking guide and entrance fees.
Suits: first-timers who want a set itinerary and a small group. Downside: the stops are fixed and the itinerary can change with the weather. The page listed GBP 37 per person; no USD figure was shown.
Check availability on GetYourGuide →
2. Private Ben Tre day trip — quieter canals
GoWithGuide lists a nine-hour “off-the-beaten-track” Ben Tre tour from USD 340 per group, for up to 10 people. Ben Tre is described by several guides as quieter and more rural than My Tho, which makes a private car and guide a reasonable way to avoid the biggest tour groups.
Suits: families or small groups splitting the cost. Downside: the per-group price is poor value for a solo traveller or couple.
Check availability on GetYourGuide →
3. Private SUV or van day trip — your own pace
The same operator lists a 10-hour private SUV or van day trip from USD 230 per group, for up to 12 people. It is the most flexible one-day format because the group decides how long to stay at each stop.
Suits: groups with children or anyone who dislikes 20-30 person coaches, which GoWithGuide says are common on cheaper departures. Downside: you still spend about four hours in a vehicle.
Check availability on GetYourGuide →
4. Can Tho and Cai Rang floating market — the overnight
This is the format that actually reaches the floating market. IDC Travel lists a two-day, one-night tour from USD 142 per person.
Day 1 runs through My Tho and Ben Tre, with Vinh Trang Pagoda, boat trips past stilt houses and fruit gardens, lunch on Tortoise Island and a family business visit, then on to Can Tho for the night. Day 2 is an early boat ride to Cai Rang, followed by canals to a rice noodle town for lunch and the return to the city.
Included: transport, lunch on Day 1, breakfast and lunch on Day 2, guides and entrance fees. Day 1 supper is extra.
According to the Vietnam Tourism guide, Cai Rang trades from dawn to about 9 am and is best before 7 am. Suits: anyone whose main goal is the floating market. Downside: a very early start, and the page gives no group size.
Check availability on GetYourGuide →
5. Three days with Ben Tre, Can Tho and the market — slower travel
The Vietnam Tourism guide sketches a three-day route that adds Ben Tre for coconut country, cycling and a canal boat trip before Can Tho and the market. It puts a package at about VND 1,800,000-2,400,000 per person.
That is a planning range, not one operator’s quote. Suits: travellers who want the delta to be the point of the trip. Downside: three days is a big block of a short Vietnam itinerary.
Check availability on GetYourGuide →
6. Four days with Tra Vinh — off the usual loop
The same guide adds Tra Vinh, with Ang Pagoda and its fruit bats, between Ben Tre and Can Tho. It lists roughly VND 2,500,000-3,200,000 per person for this four-day version.
Suits: repeat visitors. Downside: long transfers (Tra Vinh to Can Tho is about 2.5 hours), and most visitors do not need this much delta.
When a Mekong Delta day trip is not worth it
Skip the one-day version if your main goal is a real floating market. GoWithGuide says a day trip from the city does not realistically include Cai Rang, which works best at sunrise.
Skip it if you dislike long drives. About four hours of the day is spent on the road.
Think twice about the cheapest group departures too. The same source notes that the cheapest bookings tend to be the busiest, and some reviewers call the day trip a “tourist conveyor belt”. The sampan is rowed by local operators, so do not expect an untouched village.
Instead, consider a 2-day overnight, a private Ben Tre trip, or spending the day in the city. The best Ho Chi Minh City tours page lists other full-day options, and the Vietnam itinerary for 7 days shows where a delta overnight fits.
Where to stay
Most day tours collect you from your hotel in Ho Chi Minh City, so a central base keeps pickups simple. Check the pickup zone before booking. On overnight tours, the Can Tho night is part of the package.
Related guides: Cu Chi tunnels tours.
Find your Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam hotel on the map
Live prices from Booking, Airbnb and more — move the map or change dates to compare stays across Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a Mekong Delta tour take from Ho Chi Minh City?
Day trips run 9-10 hours, leaving around 7:00-8:30 am and returning in late afternoon or early evening. Overnight tours run 2-4 days. My Tho or Ben Tre is roughly 1.5-2 hours each way by road, and Can Tho about 3-3.5 hours.
Can you see the Cai Rang floating market on a day trip?
Not realistically. Cai Rang trades from dawn to about 9 am and is best before 7 am, so it needs a night near Can Tho. Day trips focus on My Tho and Ben Tre instead.
Is a private Mekong Delta tour worth it?
For groups, it can be. Listed private day trips start at USD 230 per group of up to 12 or USD 340 per group of up to 10, which splits well across a family. For one or two people, a small group is usually cheaper per head.
When is the best time for a Mekong Delta tour?
The Vietnam Tourism guide gives November to April as the dry season, best for boat travel. May to October is less crowded, with fuller canals and usually short afternoon rain.
What is not included in a typical day tour?
On the listings opened, lunch, transport, entrance fees and a guide were included. Tips, drinks and unlisted meals were not. Inclusions differ by operator, so check each listing.