Mekong Delta Day Trip or Overnight: Ben Tre (Bến Tre) or Can Tho (Cần Thơ)

At 5am on the Can Tho riverfront, tour boats start their engines while the sky is still gray. Half an hour later they are nosing between wholesale boats with samples of their produce hung from tall poles. The scene still exists, only thinner than in the photos, and the easiest way to catch it is to sleep in Can Tho the night before.

Day trip or overnight: Ben Tre vs Can Tho #

Most one-day tours from Ho Chi Minh City head to My Tho, then cross the Tien River to its islets. This is the Mekong Delta of narrow canals, water palms and family orchards, not of markets on the water. Cai Be (Cái Bè), the floating market closer to the city that day tours used to visit, no longer operates (VOV, November 2024) and is now only re-created for festivals.

For a floating market that still trades, the usual choice is Cai Rang in Can Tho. According to the Cai Rang ward government, cited by VOV in April 2026, about 200 trading households remain, far fewer than a decade ago, because produce now moves by road.

We still think one early morning here is worth the alarm clock, as long as you are on the water before 7am and treat it as a river outing rather than the crowded market of decade-old photos. If you must choose: photographers and early risers, Can Tho with a night there; families with young children or older parents, a My Tho and Ben Tre day trip.

What a group day tour from Ho Chi Minh City includes #

The common itinerary starts with a motorboat from the tourist wharf in My Tho across the Tien River to Thoi Son (Thới Sơn) Islet, locally called cồn Lân (Unicorn Islet) and now part of Dong Thap (Đồng Tháp) province; many tours add Phung (Phụng) Islet on the former Ben Tre side. On the islet you switch to a xuồng ba lá, a small wooden sampan paddled by two rowers, for 15-30 minutes through the palm canals. Then come an orchard with fruit and honey tea, đờn ca tài tử (southern folk music), a horse-cart ride and a stop to watch kẹo dừa (coconut candy) being made.

Since the provincial mergers of July 1, 2025, My Tho has also been part of Dong Thap and Ben Tre part of Vinh Long (Vĩnh Long), so the same trip may be sold as "My Tho - Vinh Long - Thoi Son".

Photo: Esin Üstün

When comparing tours, look past the headline price. Ask which islets you visit, where you are picked up, what time you get back to the city, whether boats, sampans, lunch and entrance fees are included, and how long the stops at specialty shops last. Book with a licensed travel company and check who receives the money before paying a deposit.

The sampan fee is normally built into the tour price. Under a schedule reported by Bao Dong Thap in July 2026, the rate per trip at Thoi Son was to rise from VND15,000 to VND30,000 on October 1, 2026, then to VND50,000 within 12 months. Some rowers hint for extra money; tipping is up to you.

Photo: Liftold

Going independently: buses, the expressway and boat piers #

Buses to the delta leave from Mien Tay (Miền Tây) Bus Station on the western side of Ho Chi Minh City. On the Can Tho route, one operator's regular fare was VND160,000, rising to VND220,000 over the September 2 holiday (Tuoi Tre, August 2026). For My Tho, a car with a driver booked through your hotel is the simplest alternative to a tour.

An expressway has linked Ho Chi Minh City with Trung Luong (Trung Lương), My Thuan (Mỹ Thuận) and Can Tho since late 2023; at its opening, officials put the city-to-Can Tho drive at just over two hours in clear traffic. Buses take longer. The Ho Chi Minh City - Trung Luong - My Thuan section is being widened, with completion planned for December 2028, and the Dong Tam (Đồng Tâm) junction on the expressway link is a known bottleneck. Leave slack for the return on weekends and holidays.

If you plan to ride a motorbike, note that expressways are off-limits and that you need a license that Vietnam recognizes.

In My Tho, buy boat tickets at the tourist wharf, where prices are posted. In Can Tho, boats to the market leave from Ninh Kieu Wharf and other managed piers such as An Binh. Since February 22, 2026, Cai Rang ward has suspended passenger pick-ups at the pier beside the floating market because of overcharging; as of October 23, 2026, we had found no notice that it has reopened. Over Tet 2026, Tuoi Tre reported aggressive touting by motorbike taxi drivers at the foot of Cai Rang Bridge; if that happens, head back to the main wharf.

A night in Can Tho for the Cai Rang floating market #

• Day 1: leave Ho Chi Minh City in the morning or around midday, reach Can Tho in the afternoon, stay near Ninh Kieu Wharf and spend the evening on the riverfront.
• Day 2: be at the wharf around 5am, stay on the market until about 7am, have hủ tiếu (rice noodle soup) or bún on a boat or floating platform, check out around midday and head back in the afternoon.

Staying near the wharf means you can walk to the boat in the dark. One night is enough for the market; with an extra day, add orchards and river islets in Binh Thuy (Bình Thủy) or Phong Dien (Phong Điền). On the market, each boat usually sells one kind of produce and hangs a sample from a tall pole (cây bẹo) so buyers can spot it from a distance. Ask the price before ordering food from a boat, and ask before taking close-up photos of vendors.

Photo: Christophe95

From September to around November, high tides can peak right when the boats leave; on September 26, 2026, the tide at the Can Tho gauge reached 2 m at 5am and flooded the area around Ninh Kieu Wharf (Tuoi Tre). Ask the operator for a dry, safe boarding point. Do not wade through a flooded wharf; postpone the trip if there is no safe access.

The floating season: where to see it #

The delta's floating season, when rivers and canals spill over low-lying fields, runs from about August to November. It is most visible upstream around Hong Ngu (Hồng Ngự), Tan Chau (Tân Châu) and Chau Doc (Châu Đốc), much farther from Ho Chi Minh City than My Tho or Can Tho. The 2026 upstream flood is below the long-term average and receding (Thanh Nien, October 18, 2026). To see flooded fields, plan a separate two- or three-day trip upstream; a My Tho day tour will not take you there. If you are traveling at the end of the year, check what December weather looks like across Vietnam.

Safety on the water: life jackets, sun and mosquitoes #

Keep your life jacket on and fastened for the whole ride, even in a small sampan. At the My Tho marina, boats do not leave until every passenger is wearing one (Bao Dong Thap, July 2026). At An Binh pier in Can Tho, staff remind passengers not to remove their life jackets while the boat is moving, not to sit on the bow or stern and not to let hands or feet hang over the side (Can Tho City Police, September 2026). Step into the middle of a sampan and take the rower's hand; small children need a life jacket in their size and an adult right beside them.

There is little shade on the river, so wear a wide-brimmed hat and sunscreen and carry water. In orchards and palm canals, use a repellent with at least 20% DEET or one with picaridin; our advice on mosquitoes and dengue explains when to see a doctor.

FAQ: Mekong Delta day trip #