Mekong Delta: Sampan Row, Coconut Candy & Vinh Trang Pagoda

Summary

Rowing Mekong canals tasting fruit and coconut candy with folk music

You’ll float through lush Mekong Delta canals by sampan, taste honey wine on Unicorn Island, watch coconut candy being made in Ben Tre, share lunch with locals, and wander Vinh Trang Pagoda’s peaceful courtyards. Expect laughter with your guide, tropical fruit everywhere you look (and taste), plus moments that linger long after you’re back in Ho Chi Minh City.

What’s the experience like?

First thing I noticed was the air — thick, warm, almost sweet with something green I couldn’t place. We’d just left Ho Chi Minh City behind (it’s always louder than I remember), and suddenly it was all banana trees and water everywhere. Our guide, Huy, kept grinning at my surprise. He pointed out the way the river splits around My Tho — “like a dragon’s tail,” he said — and honestly, it did kind of look that way when the sun hit it right.

The motorboat ride was loud enough to drown out my thoughts for a bit. We passed Dragon Island, Phoenix Island… I lost track after Turtle Island because Huy handed me this tiny cup of honey wine at Unicorn Island. It tasted like flowers and something sharp underneath. There was a beekeeping farm there; you could hear the bees if you listened past the chatter. Someone poured us rice wine too (stronger than I expected), and then we walked under coconut palms where everything smelled like wet earth and sugar.

I tried making sense of how they turn coconuts into candy at Ben Tre — sticky fingers for sure. The women working there laughed when I tried to say “kẹo dừa” (I probably butchered it). Then came the part with the sampan: four of us squeezed in while a woman rowed quietly under those low green arches of water coconut trees. It felt slow in the best way. Just water slapping wood, someone’s radio faint in the distance. Lunch was simple but perfect — bánh khọt pancakes crisp on the outside, soft inside — and I still think about that chili dip.

After eating more fruit than I thought possible (mangoes so ripe they almost fell apart in my hands) we listened to folk music in a garden while chickens strutted around us like they owned the place. On the way back, we stopped at Vinh Trang Pagoda — all gold Buddhas and tiled dragons watching from every corner. The air smelled faintly of incense and old stone. By then my shirt was sticking to my back but nobody seemed to mind. Sometimes you just let yourself drift a little, you know?

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Mekong Delta exploration and local culture

• 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
• Continue motorboat to Ben Tre province
• Visit handmade coconut candy workshop
• Travel small motorboat along green canals
• 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

Top questions

How long is the Mekong Delta day tour from Ho Chi Minh City?

The tour lasts about 8-9 hours including transfers; expect to return around 4:30-5:00 PM.

Is lunch included on this Mekong Delta day trip?

Yes, a Vietnamese set menu lunch is included at a local restaurant; vegan options are available.

Does this tour include hotel pickup in Ho Chi Minh City?

Pickup is included for hotels in Districts 1, 3, and 4; otherwise meet at Kim Travel office.

What activities are included on Unicorn Island?

You’ll visit a beekeeping farm, taste honey wine and rice wine, walk through villages, and row along coconut canals.

Do we visit Vinh Trang Pagoda on every tour option?

The visit to Vinh Trang Pagoda is included only in the luxury option.

Is transportation by bus or minivan air-conditioned?

Yes, transportation from Ho Chi Minh City is by air-conditioned minivan or tourist bus.

Are children allowed on this Mekong Delta day trip?

Yes; children must be accompanied by an adult. Children under 5 join free but parents cover any extra costs during the tour.

Is public transport available near the meeting point?

Yes; public transportation options are available nearby Kim Travel office if not using hotel pickup.

What’s included

Your day includes pickup from central Ho Chi Minh City hotels or meeting point transfer by air-conditioned vehicle, all boat rides (motorboat plus hand-rowed sampan), cycling around coconut gardens if you want it, tasting honey tea and coconut candy fresh from local makers, traditional bánh khọt pancakes cooked alongside a local chef for lunch (with vegan food available), entry to Vinh Trang Pagoda if booked as luxury option, seasonal tropical fruits served at an orchard garden with live folk music performance afterwards—and drop-off back in District 1 when it’s all done.