Mekong Delta 2-Day Tour: Cycling, Kayaking & Cooking Class

Cycle rice fields, cook lunch with a local family, then paddle through canals at dawn.

A two-day small-group tour from Ho Chi Minh City to the Mekong Delta with hotel pickup, cycling through villages, a hands-on Vietnamese cooking class, Mekong River cruise, kayaking, and overnight stay at a family homestay. The itinerary pairs morning activities—optional sunrise cycling, local market visits, kayaking through peaceful canals—with afternoon river exploration: boat rides, a sampan through small canals, visits to a bee farm and coconut candy factory, and fishing or farm work. All meals, transport, bicycles, kayaks and entrance fees are included.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — HCMC to Mekong Delta and Homestay

• Hotel pick-up in District 1
• Arrive at Family Tiny Garden Homestay
• Cycling through villages and rice fields
• Vietnamese cooking class
• Enjoy homemade lunch
• Visit Vinh Trang Pagoda
• Check in cruise and board Mekong river boat
• Boat ride on Tien river with traditional music
• Relax on hand-rowed sampan in canals
• Visit bee farm and enjoy honey tea
• Visit coconut candy factory
• Return to Family Tiny Garden Homestay
• Fishing, pickleball, volleyball, garden relaxation
• BBQ dinner and karaoke
• Overnight at Family Tiny Garden Homestay

Day 2 — Countryside Cycling and Kayaking Adventure

• Optional sunrise cycling through rice fields
• Visit local market and fruit gardens
• Enjoy Vietnamese coffee and breakfast
• Kayak through peaceful canals
• Experience rice planting and fish catching
• Relax with natural herbal foot soak
• Lunch at local restaurant
• Return to Ho Chi Minh City
• Tour ends

The Experience

The tour starts with pickup from your District 1 hotel between 7:30 and 8:00 am, then a 90-minute drive to Family Tiny Garden Homestay in My Tho. By mid-morning you're cycling through local villages and rice fields, then moving into the kitchen for a hands-on Vietnamese cooking class where you prepare a homemade lunch. This is not a demonstration—you're chopping, cooking and eating what you made, which changes how the afternoon tastes.

After lunch, the Mekong opens up. You board a cruise on the main river, then transfer to a hand-rowed sampan for narrow canals where the water narrows and the quiet deepens. A stop at a bee farm includes honey tea; the coconut candy factory shows how the region's signature sweet is made. You'll get instructions on rice planting and fish catching from people who do it daily, then return to the homestay for free time—fishing, pickleball, volleyball, or just sitting in the garden. Dinner is a BBQ at the homestay, with karaoke and overnight in an air-conditioned room with a private bathroom.

Day two starts at 6:00 am with optional sunrise cycling through rice fields, a local market visit, and Vietnamese coffee before breakfast. At 8:30 you kayak through canals surrounded by water and palms, then experience farm life up close: rice planting, freshwater fish catching, and a natural herbal foot soak. Lunch is at a local restaurant, and you're back in Ho Chi Minh City by 2:30 pm. An English-speaking guide is with you both days; the group stays under twelve people.

What’s included

• Hotel pickup and drop-off in District 1.
• air-conditioned transport both days.
• English-speaking guide.
• two nights at Family Tiny Garden Homestay with air conditioning and private bathroom.
• bicycles and kayaks.
• Mekong River cruise, sampan boat ride and rowing boat.
• Vietnamese cooking class.
• all entrance fees including Vinh Tràng Pagoda.
• breakfast on Day 2, two lunches and BBQ dinner on Day 1.
• bottled water.
• travel insurance.

Good to know

Moderate physical levelInfant seats availablePublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Vietnam To Travel

Is this one for you?Choose this two-day trip if you want to cycle, cook, and kayak back-to-back without switching hotels—you'll stay in a family homestay and move as a tight group of max 12, so activities flow without dead time between locations.

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Top questions

What's the Vinh Tràng Pagoda and why does the tour stop there?

Vinh Tràng Pagoda is the largest ancient temple in the Mekong Delta, visited on the afternoon of Day 1 as part of the river exploration sequence. It's a landmark stop that breaks up the boat rides and gives you a sense of the region's spiritual architecture.

Do I need to know how to cook to join the Vietnamese cooking class?

No. The cooking class is hands-on and designed for beginners; you'll prepare a homemade lunch with guidance and then eat what you've made. It's part of the morning at the homestay, before the river activities begin.

Is the kayaking suitable if I've never paddled before?

Yes. The kayaking happens on Day 2 through peaceful canals, and the tour requires at least a moderate level of physical fitness. The guide will give you instructions, and the canals are calm water, not a river current.

What happens if I don't want to do the optional sunrise cycling on Day 2?

The sunrise cycling on Day 2 is optional, so you can skip it and rest at the homestay. The main kayaking and farm activities start later in the morning, and you'll still have time for the local market, Vietnamese coffee and breakfast before heading out on the water.

Are dietary restrictions accommodated?

Yes. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and other dietary needs can be arranged if you indicate them when booking. All meals—breakfast, two lunches, dinner and BBQ—are included, so let the operator know your requirements in advance.

How far is the Mekong Delta from Ho Chi Minh City, and how long is the drive?

My Tho, where the homestay is located, is about 70 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh City. The drive takes roughly 90 minutes from your hotel pickup in District 1, and you're picked up and dropped off at your hotel both days.