Mekong Delta: My Tho & Ben Tre Day Trip with Sampan Ride

Quiet canals, orchard lunches and river life near Ho Chi Minh City

You’ll drift through shaded canals by sampan, taste fresh fruit in village gardens, watch coconut candy being made (and try stretching some yourself), and share lunch under orchard trees as local musicians play nearby. With hotel pickup and drop-off included, this Mekong Delta day trip lets you feel river life up close—and might leave you wishing for just one more hour on those quiet waters.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Mekong Delta full day exploration

• Depart Ho Chi Minh City at 8:00 AM
• Drive 1.5 hours to My Tho
• Visit Vinh Trang Pagoda
• Boat trip on Tien River to Qui Islet
• See fishing port and boat workshops
• Visit Dragon, Phoenix, and Unicorn Islets
• Walk in village and visit fruit garden
• Enjoy tropical fruit and folk music
• Visit bee house and see pythons
• Lunch in orchard garden
• Cruise Bao Dinh canal to Ben Tre
• See Garden – Pond – Cage model
• Visit coconut candy-making shop
• Rowing boat trip on small canal
• Electric car tour around island
• Return to bus and head back to Ho Chi Minh City

The Experience

I didn’t expect the Mekong Delta to smell so green. Maybe that sounds weird, but when we stepped out of the minivan in My Tho, it just hit me — sort of sweet and earthy, like wet leaves after rain. Our guide, Tuan, grinned and pointed at the tangled water coconut palms along the canal. “This is what we call ‘the land of coconuts’,” he said. I tried to say it in Vietnamese and totally failed; Tuan just laughed and waved us toward the boat.

The motorboat ride was louder than I thought (bring earplugs if you’re sensitive), but the breeze made up for it. We passed these floating fishing huts and kids waving from rickety docks. At one point, an old man in a conical hat paddled by with a boat full of bright fruit — dragonfruit, maybe? It’s hard to explain how peaceful it felt gliding through those narrow channels under a ceiling of green. The main keyword here is Mekong Delta day trip; honestly, it’s such a different world from Ho Chi Minh City’s chaos.

Lunch came right in the middle of an orchard — sticky rice, fried fish you wrap in leaves (I still think about that crispy skin), and some kind of honey tea that tasted faintly floral. There was this moment when local musicians started playing folk songs nearby; I couldn’t understand the words but somehow it fit perfectly with the lazy heat. Afterward we watched women making coconut candy by hand — they let us try stretching it, which is way harder than it looks. My hands were still sticky when we climbed into tiny sampans for the quietest part of the day: drifting down shaded canals so narrow you could touch both sides if you wanted.

By late afternoon my shirt was sticking to my back and I’d lost track of time completely. The drive back to Ho Chi Minh City felt longer somehow — maybe because I didn’t really want to leave that slow rhythm behind yet.

Top questions

Is hotel pickup included for this Mekong Delta day trip?

Yes, pickup and drop-off are included for hotels in central District 1 of Ho Chi Minh City.

What places do you visit on the My Tho & Ben Tre tour?

You visit Vinh Trang Pagoda, My Tho town, Ben Tre province, several river islands, an orchard garden, a bee house, and a coconut candy workshop.

How long does the full day tour last?

The tour departs around 8:00 AM and returns between 4:30–5:00 PM.

Is lunch provided on this Mekong Delta tour?

Yes, lunch is served in an orchard garden during the tour. Vegetarian options are available if requested at booking.

Are boat rides included in this experience?

Yes—motorboat rides on the Tien River plus hand-rowed sampan rides through small canals are included.

How many people are in each group?

The group size is capped at 20 travelers per tour.

Can infants join this day trip?

Infants can join but must sit on an adult’s lap; infant meals are not included.

Is there an English-speaking guide?

Yes—an English-speaking guide leads your group throughout the day.

What’s included

Your day includes hotel pickup and drop-off within District 1 in Ho Chi Minh City, all motorboat and hand-rowed sampan trips between My Tho and Ben Tre’s islands, entry to Vinh Trang Pagoda and local workshops (like coconut candy-making), bottled water to keep cool along the way, plus lunch served right inside an orchard garden—vegetarian choices too—before heading back by minivan in late afternoon.