3-Day Mekong Delta Tour from Ho Chi Minh City: Cai Rang Market
My Tho, Cai Rang and Sam Mountain in one journey, not rushed across a single afternoon
A 3-day guided tour of the Mekong Delta from Ho Chi Minh City that takes you by motorboat through the region's waterways, includes hand-rowed sampan rides beneath water-coconut trees, and stops at traditional workshops, the Cai Rang floating market, and Tra Su bird sanctuary. You stay overnight in Can Tho and Chau Doc, with meals and boat trips included throughout.
Options for this experience
3 optionsStep-by-step itinerary
Day 1: Travel to My Tho and Can Tho
- Pick up from hotels at 8:30 a.m.
- Drive 1.5 hours to My Tho with rest stop
- Cruise Mekong River by motorboat
- Ride hand-rowed sampan under water-coconut trees
- Visit coconut candy, rice paper, rice wine workshops
- Enjoy folk music and fresh fruit at local home
- Explore Vinh Trang Pagoda
- Have 5-course Vietnamese lunch riverside
- Drive 2 hours to Can Tho
- Check in accommodation and dinner at homestay or leisure
Day 2: Explore Can Tho and Tra Su Sanctuary
- Breakfast at accommodation
- Boat trip to Cai Rang floating market
- Walk on country road and visit flea market
- Visit noodle factory and tropical fruit gardens
- Boat trip in Tra Su Bird Sanctuary
- Drive to Chau Doc with lunch en route
- Climb Sam Mountain for views
- Check in hotel and evening at leisure
Day 3: Visit Chau Doc and return to Ho Chi Minh
- Breakfast at hotel
- Visit Ba Chua Xu temple
- Visit Thoai Ngoc Hau Tomb
- Drive back to Ho Chi Minh City
- Stop at local village for lunch
- Return to pickup point and end tour
What’s included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off in Ho Chi Minh City.
- all motorboat and hand-rowed sampan trips.
- 2 breakfasts, 3 lunches and 1 dinner.
- one night at a 3-star hotel and one night at a homestay or 3-star hotel (your choice).
- an English-speaking guide throughout.
- bottled water and snacks including fresh fruit and honey tea.
- a bicycle ride.
- and air-conditioned transport by car or minivan.
Times
- Every day 08:00
Before you book
Operated by Asiana Link Travel
Prices and times updated 2 days ago
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The experience
The tour leaves Ho Chi Minh City at 8:30 a.m. and covers a 1.5-hour drive to My Tho, where the Mekong Delta opens up. You cruise the river by motorboat, drift on a hand-rowed sampan under shady trees, and visit traditional workshops where locals produce coconut candy, rice paper or rice wine. At Vinh Trang Pagoda (a 19th-century structure blending Asian and European styles). You eat a five-course Vietnamese set menu at a riverside restaurant. The first night is in Can Tho, either at a 3-star hotel or a homestay with dinner included.
Day two starts early with breakfast, then a motorboat trip to Cai Rang floating market, the largest in the delta, where colorful boats loaded with fruits and vegetables gather for daily trade. You walk quiet country roads to see how residents live, visit a flea market and noodle factory, and pass tropical fruit gardens. The afternoon moves to Tra Su bird sanctuary, a cajuput forest about 10 kilometers from the Cambodia border that holds 106 colonies of water birds, bats and rare animals. A boat trip floats you through one of the delta's most striking landscapes. You drive to Chau Doc for the night, stopping for lunch on the way.
The final morning includes breakfast at your hotel and a visit to Ba Chua Xu temple at the foot of Sam Mountain, built in 1820. You also see Thoai Ngoc Hau Tomb, a Nguyen Dynasty mausoleum honoring a regional official known for land reclamation and canal construction. The drive back to Ho Chi Minh City includes a lunch stop at a local village. All boat trips, meals (2 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 1 dinner), accommodations, an English-speaking guide, and hotel pickup and drop-off are included.
Is this one for you?Book the private tour option if you want the flexibility to choose your own pace and accommodation type. The small-group version works better if you prefer to share costs and meet other travelers. Either way, three days lets you move beyond the floating market into the bird sanctuary and border towns that day trips skip.
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Top questions
Can children come?
Yes. Ticket types: Child (5 to 11 years); Infant (under 5): free.
What is the Cai Rang floating market like when you arrive?
Cai Rang is the largest floating market in the delta, where colorful boats carrying juicy fruits and vegetables gather each day for trade. You arrive by motorboat early in the morning when the market is most active, then walk nearby country roads to see daily life along the waterways.
Can I choose where to stay overnight in Can Tho?
Yes. You can book either a 3-star hotel or a homestay option. If you choose the homestay, dinner is included and served by your host. Hotel guests have a free evening.
What happens at Tra Su bird sanctuary?
Tra Su is a national reserve and cajuput forest near the Cambodia border that protects 106 colonies of water birds, bats and rare animals. You take a boat trip floating through the forest, one of the delta's most beautiful landscapes.
How much driving is involved on the first day?
The drive from Ho Chi Minh City to My Tho takes 1.5 hours, with a short rest stop. After lunch at Vinh Trang Pagoda, you drive another 2 hours to Can Tho for the night.
What traditional workshops do you visit?
You visit workshops where locals produce coconut candy, rice paper or rice wine, and also see a noodle factory and tropical fruit gardens growing papaya, mango and pineapple.
Is Sam Mountain included on the final day?
Yes. You climb Sam Mountain in Chau Doc on the morning of day three and enjoy views into Cambodia, then visit Ba Chua Xu temple at its foot and Thoai Ngoc Hau Tomb before driving back to Ho Chi Minh City.
3-Day Mekong Delta Tour from Ho Chi Minh City: Cai Rang Market
3d · EN
from US$ 467 per person
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