Mekong Delta day trip from Ho Chi Minh City: My Tho & Ben Tre
Drift past coconut groves and taste honey tea on a traditional Mekong boat ride
A full-day guided tour from Ho Chi Minh City to My Tho and Ben Tre in the Mekong Delta, traveling by air-conditioned van, motorboat and rowing boat to islands, honey farms, coconut workshops and fruit orchards. The tour includes hotel pickup, lunch at a local restaurant, mineral water, and an English-speaking guide who leads stops at Dragon Island, Unicorn Island, Turtle Island and Phoenix Island, with tastings of honey wine, rice wine and tropical fruits while traditional Southern music plays. Children from age 1 are welcome. The tour runs 10 to 11 hours and returns to Ho Chi Minh City around 5:30pm.
Options for this experience
4 optionsStep-by-step itinerary
Explore Mekong Delta from Ho Chi Minh City
- Pick up at hotel in Ho Chi Minh City
- Travel to My Tho by air-conditioned vehicle
- Motor excursion to Dragon, Unicorn, Turtle, Phoenix Islands
- Visit bee farm and taste honey and local wines
- Boat cruise to Ben Tre and visit coconut candy workshop
- Travel by small motor boat along green canals
- Lunch at local restaurant in Ben Tre
- Sample tropical fruits and listen to Southern folk music
- Return to My Tho by local boat
- Bus back to Ho Chi Minh City with optional stop at Vinh Trang pagoda
- Mekong Delta 1h
- My Tho 30m
What’s included
- Hotel pickup in central Ho Chi Minh City.
- motorboat and rowing boat rides across the Mekong and through Ben Tre's canals.
- visits to Dragon Island, Unicorn Island, Turtle Island and Phoenix Island.
- entry to a bee-keeping farm with tastings of honey wine, rice wine and banana wine.
- a coconut candy workshop.
- a fruit orchard with tropical fruit sampling.
- lunch at a local restaurant.
- traditional Southern folk music.
- mineral water.
- and an English-speaking guide for the full day.
Times
- Every day 07:30
Before you book
Operated by VN Lotus Travel
Prices and times updated 4 days ago
Traveler reviews
The experience
The day starts with a 2-hour drive south from Ho Chi Minh City in an air-conditioned van, giving you time to watch the landscape shift from the city to the rural roads where locals go about their daily life. Once you reach My Tho, you board a motorboat for the first excursion across the Mekong, stopping at four islands (Dragon, Unicorn, Turtle and Phoenix), each one a different slice of delta life. At Unicorn Island, you visit a bee-keeping farm, taste honey wine, rice wine and banana wine, then move on to Ben Tre province by motorboat.
In Ben Tre, you transfer to a smaller motorboat and travel the narrow green canals, passing a coconut candy workshop where you can see how the local sweet is made. Lunch happens at a local restaurant (a set menu meal included with your ticket), and afterward you're taken to an orchard garden on Unicorn Island to sample whatever tropical fruits are in season while a guide plays traditional Southern folk music. The afternoon winds down with a boat ride back to My Tho, then the drive home, arriving around 5:30pm (if time allows, the route includes a stop at Vinh Trang pagoda).
The tour uses three different boats: a larger motorboat for the main delta crossing, a smaller motorboat for the canal sections, and a rowing boat for the quieter stretches. Your guide speaks English throughout and handles all the logistics. You just show up at your hotel for pickup. Mineral water is provided, and the inclusions cover entry to the islands, the honey farm, the orchards and the music performance, so there are no surprise fees once you're on the water.
Is this one for you?Choose the VIP or Small Group option if you want a better lunch and smaller crowds on the boats. The Big Group option with basic lunch suits travelers who prioritize cost and don't mind a fuller boat. All options include the same islands, guide and activities: only the group size and meal change.
Compare the 12 alternatives
Top questions
Can children come?
Yes. Ticket types: Child (3 to 8 years); Infant (1 to 2 years): free.
How long is the drive from Ho Chi Minh City to My Tho?
The van journey takes about 2 hours each way on an air-conditioned vehicle, so you spend roughly 4 hours in transit total. The rest of the day is on the water and at the island stops.
What islands do you actually visit on the motorboat?
The motorboat excursion stops at Dragon Island, Unicorn Island, Turtle Island and Phoenix Island. Unicorn Island is where you spend time at the bee-keeping farm and later at the fruit orchard.
Is lunch included, and what kind of food is it?
Lunch is a set menu meal served at a local restaurant in Ben Tre and is included with the tour. The specific dishes depend on the day's availability and the season.
What happens during the canal section in Ben Tre?
After lunch, you transfer to a smaller motorboat and travel along the narrow green canals, passing a coconut candy workshop and stopping at an orchard garden where you taste tropical fruits while listening to traditional Southern music.
What's included in the price, and what costs extra?
The tour includes hotel pickup in central Ho Chi Minh City, all boat rides, entry to the islands and attractions, lunch, mineral water, honey and fruit tastings, and an English-speaking guide. Tips for the guide and driver are optional depending on your preference.
Mekong Delta day trip from Ho Chi Minh City: My Tho & Ben Tre
10h–11h · EN
from US$ 13 per person
Next, you choose your date and number of travelers and see the final price.