Mekong Delta Boat Tour: Row Sampans, Cook Khot Cakes Ho Chi Minh City

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.83 (2,579 reviews) 90% rated it 5 stars

Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/15

Duration9h

GroupUp to 25

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Row a sampan under coconut trees, then cook Vietnamese pancakes with a local chef.

A full-day Mekong Delta boat tour from Ho Chi Minh City combines motorboat travel through islands and canals with hands-on activities: you row a sampan, cook khot cakes with instruction, visit a honey farm and coconut candy workshop, and eat Vietnamese lunch at a local restaurant. Pickup from central Ho Chi Minh City hotels and an English-speaking guide are included; the tour runs about nine hours and returns by late afternoon.

Step-by-step itinerary

Mekong Delta boat and local village visit

Depart 8AM from Kim Travel office
Travel 2 hours to My Tho
Ride motorboat through Dragon, Phoenix, Turtle Islands
Visit Unicorn Island honey farm
Taste honey, rice, and banana wine
Walk village and row coconut canal
Visit coconut candy workshop in Ben Tre
Travel small motorboat along green canals
Have lunch at local Vietnamese restaurant
Enjoy tropical fruits at orchard garden
Listen to traditional folk music
Return by boat to My Tho
Bus back to Ho Chi Minh City
Optional visit to Vinh Trang Pagoda

The Experience

The day starts with a two-hour minivan ride from Ho Chi Minh City to My Tho, where you board a motorboat to cruise Dragon Island, Phoenix Island and Turtle Island. At Unicorn Island you walk through a natural beekeeping farm, taste honey wine and rice wine, then row a sampan along narrow coconut canals under the green canopy of water coconut trees — this is where the pace drops and the labyrinthine network of the Delta opens up. The motorboat then carries you into Ben Tre province to a handmade coconut candy workshop, where you see how the sweets are made by hand.

The cooking happens next: you work with a local chef to make khot cakes, the Vietnamese mini savory pancakes, learning the technique before eating what you've made. Lunch follows at a local restaurant with a set menu of traditional Vietnamese dishes (vegan options available), and you'll taste tropical fruits from a nearby orchard garden. A traditional music performance rounds out the afternoon before the motorboat takes you back to My Tho and the bus returns you to central Ho Chi Minh City by around 4:30 to 5:00 PM.

The tour includes an experienced English-speaking guide, all transport by air-conditioned minivan and motorboat, travel insurance, and pickup from hotels in Districts 1, 3 or 4. Children under five ride free; all ages are welcome when accompanied by an adult. Four purchase options are available: a join-in tour with up to 25 people, a small group capped at 12, a luxury group option, or a private tour for your party alone. The luxury option adds a visit to Vinh Trang Pagoda, an ancient 19th-century architectural site.

What’s included

Pickup from central Ho Chi Minh City hotels (Districts 1, 3, 4).
khot cake cooking with a local chef.
sampan rowing along coconut canals.
motorboat travel through Dragon Island, Phoenix Island, Turtle Island and Unicorn Island.
honey farm visit with tastings of honey wine, rice wine and banana wine.
coconut candy workshop.
tuk tuk or electric car ride through the coconut village.
cycling around the coconut garden.
Vietnamese lunch with set menu (vegan available).
tropical fruit tasting.
traditional music performance.
wheat cake, honey tea, coconut candy, mineral water and wet tissues.
English-speaking guide.
travel insurance.
return to Ho Chi Minh City by late afternoon.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearbyNot for heart conditions

Operated by KIM TRAVEL

Is this one for you?Choose the small group or private option if you want a slower pace and more time at each stop; the join-in tour with up to 25 people moves faster through the same sites. Add the luxury group option if Vinh Trang Pagoda matters to your visit — it's not on the standard itinerary.