Mekong Delta tour from Ho Chi Minh City: sampan rides and pagoda

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/22

Duration9h

GroupUp to 25

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

A sampan glides through the delta's canals while locals go about their day on the water.

A full-day guided tour of the Mekong Delta from Ho Chi Minh City takes you by air-conditioned van to Vinh Tràng Pagoda, then by motor boat and sampan through the waterways of My Tho, where you watch fruit orchards, listen to local music and eat Vietnamese lunch. Hotel pickup from central District 1 and an English-speaking guide are included; you choose between a regular group (up to 26 people), a small group (up to 12) or a private limousine option.

Step-by-step itinerary

Mekong Delta guided tour from Ho Chi Minh City

Pick up from Ho Chi Minh City
Visit Vinh Trang Pagoda
Take motorboat ride in Mekong Delta
Enjoy sampan ride through canals
Visit tropical fruit orchards
Watch local music performance
Sample local food and drinks
Return to Ho Chi Minh City

The Experience

The day starts with pickup from your central Ho Chi Minh City hotel around 7:30am and a drive south to Vinh Tràng Pagoda in Tien Giang. The temple, built in the late 19th century, blends Vietnamese and Chinese architecture and sits as one of the largest pagodas in the country. After time to walk the grounds, you head to My Tho, where the water-based part of the tour begins.

In My Tho, you board a motor boat and then transfer to a sampan—a narrow wooden boat that moves quietly through the delta's canals. From the sampan, you pass tropical fruit orchards where you can see how locals live and work on the water. The guide points out the daily rhythms of delta life while you listen to traditional music and sample local food and drinks. This stretch is unhurried; the sampan's pace lets you take in the landscape and the people who depend on these waterways.

Lunch of Vietnamese cuisine is served during the tour (vegan options are available), along with bottled water and fresh tropical fruits. The full day runs until around 5:00pm, when you're dropped at the VN Adventure Tours office before heading back to your hotel. The tour suits all fitness levels and welcomes children from age 3 when accompanied by an adult.

What’s included

Hotel pickup from central District 1.
air-conditioned van transport.
English-speaking guide.
entry to Vinh Tràng Pagoda.
motor boat and sampan rides through My Tho.
visits to tropical fruit orchards.
local music performance.
Vietnamese lunch with vegan options.
bottled water and fresh tropical fruits.
drop-off at the tour office.

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 small-group option if you want fewer than a dozen people and more time to ask questions; the regular group works well if you're traveling solo or with one other person and don't mind a larger tour; the limousine option suits families or friends who want privacy and flexibility during the day.