The Mekong Delta in 3 days from Ho Chi Minh City

A day tour from Saigon, from $15 in a group, covers My Tho and Ben Tre, but much of the day is spent in a minivan. With three days on your own, you sleep in a homestay among Ben Tre's coconut palms, then in Can Tho, the delta's big city, for its floating market at dawn. Buses and boats are all you need; the ride back to Saigon takes 3.5 hours, or you can head on to Cambodia.

By Pierre-Marie Coupry · updated October 12, 2026 · sources

Not to scale. Ho Chi Minh City is not on the Mekong: you reach the river at My Tho. Day 3 is spent in Can Tho before heading back.

Two travelers in a rowing boat under a large fishing net raised above a delta canal — Photo by Getty Images on Unsplash+ · Unsplash+ License

The Rach Mieu 2 cable-stayed bridge over the Mekong — Photo by S5A-0043 on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0

The bow of a boat on the brown river, facing a bank of nipa palms — Photo by Balon Greyjoy on Wikimedia Commons

The tiered tower and columns of the former Coconut Monk sanctuary on Con Phung — Photo by Bùi Thụy Đào Nguyên on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

The facade of Binh Thuy Ancient House, with its arches and double staircase among bonsai planters — Photo by Daaé on Wikimedia Commons

See all 5 photos

Length: 3 days, 2 nights
In a day: day tour from Saigon, from $15
Start: Mien Tay bus station
Getting around: bus, car with driver and boats
Return: 3.5 hours by bus from Can Tho
Best time: December to April, dry season

The Mekong Delta in 3 days, day by day

Times are indicative, checked in October 2026: buses run often, but confirm the day before.

Women wrapping coconut candy in a workshop on Con Phung — Photo by Bùi Thụy Đào Nguyên on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

Day 1: Ho Chi Minh City – Ben Tre

≈ 85 km, 1.5 to 2 hours by bus

Morning

Leave from Mien Tay bus station

At 395 Kinh Duong Vuong, in the west of the city. 12Go lists nearly a hundred daily trips to Ben Tre, from $8, by bus or minivan; some minivans leave from District 5.
On the way

My Tho and the Rach Mieu bridge

The bus reaches the Mekong at My Tho, 72 km from Ho Chi Minh City, and crosses it on the Rach Mieu bridge. A second bridge, Rach Mieu 2, opened in August 2025, 4 km upstream.
Afternoon

The coconut canals

By rowing boat, an hour to an hour and a half through canals lined with nipa palms, from $20 with a boatman. The coconut candy workshops are on Con Phung island.
Evening

A night in a homestay

Ben Tre has plenty of guesthouses among the orchards and coconut groves: our picks are on the Ben Tre page.

The Can Tho cable-stayed bridge silhouetted at sunset above the Hau River — Photo by Văn Long Bùi on Pexels

Day 2: Ben Tre – Can Tho

110 to 130 km, 2.5 to 3 hours by road

Morning

One last trip on the water

Three hours by boat on the river and through the mangroves, coconut juice included, from $46.
Midday

The road to Can Tho

On 12Go, only cars with a driver link the two towns directly, for about $128 per vehicle. You enter Can Tho over the 2.75 km cable-stayed bridge across the Hau River.
Evening

Ninh Kieu waterfront

The city's waterfront, where the Can Tho River meets the Hau. This is where you book tomorrow's dawn boat.

A vendor in a conical hat on his boat loaded with coconuts and drinks, in front of houseboats, at the Can Tho floating market — Photo by Vietnam Tri Duong Photographer on Pexels

Day 3: Cai Rang – Ho Chi Minh City

Back in 3.5 hours by bus

5:30 am

Cai Rang floating market

Half an hour by boat from Ninh Kieu. The market is busiest from 5:30 to 7:30 am and quiet by 9. It is shrinking: about 210 boats in 2025, against more than 500 in 2010.
Morning

Back to town

A boat for 2 to 6 people costs 400,000 to 600,000 VND for the market alone, about 2 hours, more with stops in the canals.
Midday

Bus to Ho Chi Minh City

More than a hundred departures a day, including FUTA (Phuong Trang) from 91B Nguyen Van Linh, roughly every hour. Allow 3.5 hours on the expressway. For Cambodia, take the bus to Chau Doc instead, 3 hours away.

Map of the Mekong Delta in 3 days

Road distances, rounded. Base map: Natural Earth.

How much does a 3-day Mekong Delta trip cost?

How much does a 3-day Mekong Delta trip cost?
Item	Price per personPer person	Good to know
Bus Ho Chi Minh City – Ben Tre per person, on 12Go	$8 to $10	per person, on 12Go
Rowing boat in the canals per person, 1 to 1.5 hours	from $20	per person, 1 to 1.5 hours
Car with driver Ben Tre – Can Tho per vehicle, on 12Go	≈ $128	per vehicle, on 12Go
Boat to Cai Rang $15 to $23, per boat for 2 to 6 people	400,000 to 600,000 VND	$15 to $23, per boat for 2 to 6 people
Bus Can Tho – Ho Chi Minh City $6 to $9 per person	150,000 to 240,000 VND	$6 to $9 per person

Buses and times on 12Go Affiliate link

Excluding nights and meals. Prices checked October 11 and 12, 2026 on 12Go, GetYourGuide and with bus companies. Exchange rate of October 12, 2026: $1 ≈ 25,900 VND.

The Mekong Delta season by season

Mekong Delta in 3 days by month
	J (current month)	F (current month)	M (current month)	A (current month)	M (current month)	J (current month)	J (current month)	A (current month)	S (current month)	O (current month)	N (current month)	D (current month)
Dry skies for boat trips	ideal	ideal	ideal	ideal	possible	possible	possible	possible	possible		possible	ideal
Orchards full of fruit				possible	possible	ideal	ideal	ideal	possible

Dry skies for boat trips

January (current month) : ideal
February (current month) : ideal
March (current month) : ideal
April (current month) : ideal
May (current month) : possible
June (current month) : possible
July (current month) : possible
August (current month) : possible
September (current month) : possible
October (current month) : –
November (current month) : possible
December (current month) : ideal

Orchards full of fruit

January (current month) : –
February (current month) : –
March (current month) : –
April (current month) : possible
May (current month) : possible
June (current month) : ideal
July (current month) : ideal
August (current month) : ideal
September (current month) : possible
October (current month) : –
November (current month) : –
December (current month) : –

December to April

The dry season: 29 to 33°C in the afternoon, almost no rain in February. Tet, on February 6, 2027, fills buses and pushes up fares in the days before.

May to November

Showers almost every day, often in the afternoon, and fruit from June to August. In October, the wettest month, king tides flood some of Can Tho's streets at rush hour.

Climate: Open-Meteo, 1991-2020 averages for Can Tho and Ben Tre. Fruit: VnExpress (January 2026). Best time to visit the Mekong Delta, month by month

Other ways to see the Mekong Delta

3 days on your own

Our pick

3 days · bus, car and boats

Right for you if

You want to sleep in the delta and see Cai Rang at dawn, at your own pace.

Not for you if

You'd rather not organize transport: you book the buses, car and boats yourself.

This guide

Day tour from Saigon

Fastest

9 to 10 h · from $15 in a group

Right for you if

You only have a day: tours go to My Tho and Ben Tre, with a boat ride, traditional music and lunch.

Not for you if

You want time on the water: much of the day is spent in a minivan, on a busy circuit. The "less touristy" version, with bikes and a brickworks, starts at $62.

See the tour on GetYourGuide Affiliate link

Two days with a night in Can Tho

All arranged

2 days · group tours available

Right for you if

You want Cai Rang at dawn without organizing anything: My Tho and Ben Tre on day 1, the market the next morning.

Not for you if

You want to choose your stops and your homestay.

Our Can Tho guide

On to Phnom Penh via Chau Doc

To Cambodia

2 to 3 days · speedboat 1,640,000 VND

Right for you if

You're continuing to Cambodia: bus to Chau Doc, then the 7 am speedboat, arriving in Phnom Penh around 1:30 pm.

Not for you if

You're short on time: plan at least one night in Chau Doc, and a Cambodian visa on arrival, about $37.

See the tour on GetYourGuide Affiliate link

Questions about the Mekong Delta from Ho Chi Minh City

Do you need to book the bus in advance?

Usually not: more than a hundred buses link Ho Chi Minh City and Can Tho every day. Around Tet, yes: in 2026, Mien Tay station handled more than 60,000 passengers a day at its peak, and fares to the delta could rise by 40%.

Does the Cai Be floating market still exist?

No. It disappeared in 2021, and a bridge is being built at its old site. Some tours still advertise it: for a real floating market, go to Cai Rang, near Can Tho.

Do US citizens need a visa for Vietnam?

Yes. Apply for an e-Visa on the official portal, evisa.gov.vn: $25 for a single entry, up to 90 days.

Sources: buses and cars, 12Go and FUTA (October 2026); expressways and bridges, Vietnamese press (Bao Chinh Phu, Tuoi Tre); Cai Rang, Bao Can Tho (October 2025) and Tuoi Tre (September 2026); Tet, Vietnamese government and press (2026); Chau Doc – Phnom Penh boat, Hang Chau (fares June 2026 to June 2027); tours, GetYourGuide (October 12, 2026) and Wikivoyage; climate, Open-Meteo (ERA5 archive, 1991-2020 averages); exchange rate, ExchangeRate-API (October 12, 2026). Updated October 12, 2026 by Pierre-Marie Coupry.