Ben Tre motorbike tour with sailboat cruise and Mekong lunch

Ride through villages, sail the Mekong, eat what locals eat

A half-day tour of Ben Tre in the Mekong Delta combines motorbike riding through rural villages, a sailboat cruise on a quiet canal, market wandering with fruit tasting, and a four- to five-course lunch cooked at a local home. An English-speaking guide and driver pick you up in Ben Tre, handle the motorbike, and lead you through weaving villages and backstreets away from the main tourist routes. The sailboat journey and home-cooked meal are the centerpieces; the pace is flexible and suited to families with children.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Ben Tre's villages and Mekong

• Ride motorbike through countryside villages
• Visit mat-weaving family
• Sail on Mekong tributary by sailboat
• Explore Ben Tre markets and backstreets
• Taste local fruits and drinks
• Enjoy home-cooked lunch and relax in hammock

The Experience

The morning starts on a motorbike with an experienced driver who knows the back roads. You'll zigzag through the green countryside of the delta, passing coconut palms and canals, stopping at a family mat-weaving workshop to see how they work and live. The route avoids the main tourist trails—the villages are small and quiet, and the stops are unplanned enough that the day feels like discovery rather than a checklist.

After the villages, you transfer to a sailboat on a winding tributary of the Mekong. The boat is small and unhurried; you'll drift past settlements where farmers work the fields and children play, surrounded by coconut and tropical fruit trees. There's no schedule pushing you forward—the tide and the river set the pace. This is the part most travelers remember: the quiet water, the absence of engines, the sense of moving through a landscape that hasn't changed much in decades.

The market stop in Ben Tre city comes next. You'll walk through the stalls and backstreets, see fishing boats on the river, and pause for spontaneous fruit tasting and drinks—whatever is fresh and available that day. The guide will introduce you to what's in season and how locals eat it, so the tasting feels like a conversation rather than a transaction. The activities here can shift based on what's happening; that flexibility is built in.

Lunch is the final piece: four to five Mekong dishes cooked at a local home, eaten while you relax in a hammock. Coconut juice and Kamquat come with it. The meal is abundant and made from what grows around you—this is how the delta eats, and you're eating it in the place it comes from. The whole tour runs about four and a half hours from pickup to drop-off.

What’s included

• Motorbike ride with an experienced driver and safety helmet.
• sailboat cruise on a quiet Mekong tributary.
• market wandering and local fruit tasting.
• four to five home-cooked Mekong dishes with coconut juice and Kamquat.
• visit to a mat-weaving village.
• pickup and drop-off in Ben Tre.
• English-speaking guide throughout.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Mekong ZigZag

Is this one for you?Book this tour if you're traveling with a small group or family and want to move at a relaxed pace through the delta without rushing between stops. The motorbike, sailboat, and home-cooked meal mean you're doing something different at each stage, so the half-day doesn't feel thin—it feels complete.

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Top questions

What's the motorbike ride actually like—is it on highways or village roads?

The motorbike ride stays on village roads and backstreets through the Mekong countryside, zigzagging past coconut palms and canals. You're riding with an experienced driver, not driving yourself, and the route avoids main tourist destinations—the villages are small and quiet, with stops at places like family mat-weaving workshops where you can walk around and see how locals live.

Do I ride the sailboat myself or does someone else sail it?

The sailboat is sailed by the guide and crew; you're a passenger on a small, quiet boat drifting along a winding tributary of the Mekong. The pace is set by the tide and the river, not by a schedule, so the journey feels unhurried.

What kind of food is in the lunch, and where do we eat it?

Lunch is four to five Mekong dishes cooked at a local home—the menu changes based on what's in season and available that day. You eat in a hammock at the home, with coconut juice and Kamquat included, so the meal is part of the experience of being in the delta itself.

Is the fruit tasting at the market included, or do I pay extra for it?

The fruit tasting at the market is included in the tour price. You'll pause at the stalls for spontaneous local fruit and drink experiences, and the guide will explain what you're tasting and how locals eat it.

Can children do this tour, and is it safe for them?

Yes, the tour is suitable for all physical fitness levels and designed to be flexible for families with children. Infants must sit on an adult's lap during the motorbike ride. The guide can adjust activities based on what works for kids, and the pace is relaxed enough that younger travelers can enjoy it.

How long is the whole tour, and what time does it start?

The tour runs about four and a half hours from pickup to drop-off in Ben Tre. The guide will confirm the start time when you book; pickup is included in the price.