Mekong Delta Tour: Longtail Boat & Vinh Trang Pagoda

The Mekong Delta supplies more than half of Vietnam's rice and fish, and you see how from the water.

A private Mekong Delta tour from My Tho combines a longtail boat cruise through the river's network of distributaries with a visit to Vinh Trang Pagoda, a 19th-century Buddhist temple on the banks of the Bao Dinh canal. The tour includes an English-speaking guide, lunch at a local restaurant, and pickup from your hotel or cruise port. The delta region revolves around water and agriculture: floating markets, fruit orchards, and the vast rice fields that feed millions across Vietnam.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time at each

1. Mekong Delta3h
2. Vinh Tràng Pagoda45m · entry included

Explore Mekong Delta and Vinh Trang Temple

• Travel from cruise port to Mekong Delta
• Discover Mekong Delta's waterways and agriculture
• Visit Vinh Trang Temple near My Tho

The experience

The Mekong River starts in the Himalayas and flows through China, Myanmar, Thailand and Cambodia before reaching Vietnam, which is why the waters run murky by the time they reach the delta. That same journey means the region has absorbed influences from across Southeast Asia, and the result is visible in the temples, the crops, the way people live on and around the water. My Tho sits two hours from Ho Chi Minh City as an inland port on the river itself, and from there the longtail boat takes you into the network of distributaries: the nine mouths where the river spreads out before meeting the sea.

Vinh Trang Pagoda stands on a 2-hectare block filled with fruit trees in the village of My Hoa, completed in 1850 after decades of construction by the monk Thich Tu Lam and his successors. The temple is one of the best-known in the region, and the guide walks you through its grounds and explains the history. Lunch happens at a local restaurant, not a tourist setup, so you eat what people in the delta actually cook and sell to each other.

The boat ride itself is the heart of the day. A longtail is narrow and low, built to navigate the shallow canals and tight turns where bigger vessels can't go. You drift past the agricultural industries that sustain the region: fruit orchards, vegetable plots, and the rice fields so vast that locals say cranes can stretch their wings as they fly across them. The guide is with you the whole time, speaking English, and can answer questions about what you're seeing as it passes.

What’s included

• Professional English-speaking guide.
• longtail boat cruise through the Mekong Delta distributaries.
• visit to Vinh Trang Pagoda.
• lunch at a local restaurant.
• bottled water.
• air-conditioned vehicle for ground transport.
• hotel or cruise port pickup and drop-off.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day10 departure times: the first at 06:30, the last at 11:00

Book up to4h before

AgesAdult (12 to 85 years) · Child (5 to 11 years) · Infant (under 5): free

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Easy physical levelNot for pregnant travelersNot for back problems

Operated by Maximus Travel Vietnam

Is this one for you?The tour runs seven to fifteen hours depending on which sites and activities you choose, so confirm the length when you book to make sure it fits the rest of your day, especially if you're arriving from or returning to a cruise ship on a fixed schedule.

Traveler reviews

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (5 to 11 years); Infant (under 5): free.

What is Vinh Trang Pagoda and why is it important to the Mekong Delta?

Vinh Trang Pagoda is a Buddhist temple completed in 1850 on the banks of the Bao Dinh canal near My Tho, and it's one of the best-known temples in the delta region. It was built over decades by the monk Thich Tu Lam and stands on a 2-hectare block filled with fruit trees in the village of My Hoa.

How does the Mekong River get so murky by the time it reaches Vietnam?

The Mekong starts in the Himalayas and passes through China, Myanmar, Thailand and Cambodia before reaching Vietnam, so it has traveled thousands of miles and absorbed sediment and water from multiple countries before it enters the delta.

What will I see during the longtail boat cruise?

The boat takes you through the network of distributaries where the river spreads into nine mouths before reaching the sea. You pass fruit orchards, vegetable plots, and the vast rice fields that produce more than half of Vietnam's rice crop, along with floating markets and the agricultural industries that sustain the region.

Is lunch included, and where do we eat?

Lunch is included at a local restaurant in the area, not a tourist-oriented venue, so you eat the food people in the delta cook and sell to each other.

Does the tour include pickup from my hotel or cruise port?

Yes, pickup and drop-off are included from your hotel or cruise port. An English-speaking guide is with you for the entire tour.