Mekong Delta 2-Day Tour: Cai Rang Floating Market Experience

Boats loaded with fruit, noodle factories, and your hands making pancakes in the Mekong Delta

A 2-day guided tour from Ho Chi Minh City into the Mekong Delta, with one night in a hotel in Can Tho, all boat trips on the Mekong and its coconut-lined canals, two lunches and breakfast included, and an English-speaking guide. You visit Cai Rang Floating Market at dawn, watch noodle-making at a factory, learn to cook Vietnamese pancakes at a riverside home, and meet local families in small workshops where they make coconut candy and regional specialties. Hotel pickup and drop-off in central Ho Chi Minh City are included. You choose between a 3-star or 5-star hotel for the overnight stay.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time at each

1. My Tho3h
2. Cai Rang Floating Market3h

Day 1: Travel to Mekong Delta and explore

• Depart from Ho Chi Minh City
• Visit Vinh Trang Pagoda
• Boat trip along Mekong River
• Cruise Ben Tre canals by sampan
• Visit coconut candy workshops
• Sample tropical fruits and honey tea
• Listen to traditional Southern folk music
• Lunch with Vietnamese cuisine
• Travel to Can Tho and check in hotel
• Free time to explore night market and riverside

Day 2: Cai Rang market and return to HCMC

• Visit Cai Rang Floating Market at 6am
• Observe rice noodle factory
• Visit local colorful market
• Return to hotel for breakfast and check-out
• Visit 10 Vo ancient house
• Make Vietnamese pancakes (bánh xèo)
• Enjoy local lunch
• Optional bike ride through countryside
• Travel back to Ho Chi Minh City

The experience

The tour departs Ho Chi Minh City around 7:45am and travels south through rice paddies and rural villages to reach the Mekong Delta. On the way, you stop at Vinh Trang Pagoda, then continue to My Tho for a boat trip along the Mekong River. A sampan takes you through the coconut-lined canals of Ben Tre, where you visit small local workshops to see how coconut candy and other regional specialties are made. You meet friendly local families, sample fresh tropical fruits and honey tea, and listen to traditional Southern folk music performed by villagers. After a Vietnamese lunch, the journey continues to Can Tho, where you check into your hotel and have the evening free to explore the night market, riverside promenade, or local cafes.

Day two starts early. At 6:00am you head to Cai Rang Floating Market, the largest in the Mekong Delta, to watch the lively morning trade as boats loaded with fruits and vegetables gather to sell their goods. After the market, you visit a rice noodle factory to observe the traditional noodle-making process and browse a colorful local market nearby. Back at the hotel, you have breakfast before heading to the 10 Vo ancient house, a beautiful riverside home that showcases local architecture and traditions. Here you try your hand at making Vietnamese pancakes (bánh xèo) and enjoy a tasty local lunch. An optional bike ride through the countryside is available if you want to explore the daily life of locals. In the afternoon, you travel back to Ho Chi Minh City, arriving at approximately 4:45pm.

The tour includes hotel pickup and drop-off in central District 1, an air-conditioned van for all transport, an experienced English-speaking guide, and all boat trips. You choose your hotel level at checkout: the 3-star option costs less, while the 5-star option offers more comfort. Meals are provided (two lunches and one breakfast at the hotel), and vegan food is available on request. If you book an odd number of guests and want a single room, a supplement applies (20 USD for 3-star, 50 USD for 5-star). You can bring luggage with you since this is an overnight tour.

What’s included

• Hotel pickup and drop-off in central Ho Chi Minh City.
• one night in a 3-star or 5-star hotel in Can Tho.
• all boat trips on the Mekong River and through Ben Tre's coconut canals.
• two lunches and one hotel breakfast.
• an experienced English-speaking guide.
• air-conditioned van transport throughout the tour.

Options for this experience

2 options

Overnight stay in a three-star hotelGuide in English · 07:45Join a small group for one night at a three-star hotel, either Van Phat Riverside Hotel or Senior Hotel Can Tho, or a similar option. Hotel pickup is included.

Overnight stay in a five-star hotelGuide in English · 07:45Small group join-in tour with one night in a five-star hotel, Muong Thanh Luxury Can Tho or TTC Can Tho, or an equivalent. Pickup included.

You see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates & prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 07:45

AgesAdult (9 and older) · Child (3 to 8 years) · Under 3: can't be included in the booking

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup is optional; you can also go straight to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Viet Nam Adventure Tours JSC

Is this one for you?Choose the 3-star hotel if you want to keep costs down and don't need luxury amenities. The 5-star option suits travelers who prefer more comfort after a full day of early starts and boat trips. Either way, the fixed itinerary and included guide mean you don't build the day yourself. The timing holds the floating market visit, the noodle factory, and the pancake-making lesson all inside two days without gaps.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (3 to 8 years). Under 3: they can't be included in the booking.

What is Cai Rang Floating Market like when you arrive at 6am?

Cai Rang Floating Market is the largest floating market in the Mekong Delta, and at 6am you arrive during the lively morning trade when boats loaded with fruits and vegetables gather to sell their goods. The market is most active in the early hours before the day heats up.

Do I have to make the Vietnamese pancakes, or is it optional?

Making Vietnamese pancakes (bánh xèo) at the 10 Vo ancient house is part of the scheduled tour experience on day two, not optional. You try your hand at making them and then enjoy them as part of your local lunch.

What's included in the meals on this 2-day tour?

The tour includes two lunches (one on each day) and one breakfast at your hotel on the morning of day two. Vegan food is available on request. You eat at local restaurants and at the riverside home where you cook pancakes.

Is the bike ride through the countryside included in the price?

The optional bike ride through the countryside on day two is not included in the standard tour price. It is offered as an optional activity after lunch if you want to explore the daily life of locals.

What time does the tour return to Ho Chi Minh City?

The tour departs Can Tho in the afternoon on day two and arrives back in Ho Chi Minh City at approximately 4:45pm. Hotel drop-off is in central District 1.

Can I choose which hotel I stay in, or is it assigned?

You choose your hotel level when you book: either a 3-star or 5-star hotel in Can Tho for the one-night stay. Both options are included in the tour price, though the 5-star option costs more.