The coconut capital, on the Ham Luong river, 85 km from Ho Chi Minh City. People come for the canals lined with nipa palms, explored by rowing boat, and for the coconut-candy workshops.
Photo by Shutterstock
Photo by Balon Greyjoy on Wikimedia Commons
Photo by Getty Images on Unsplash+
Photo by Bùi Thụy Đào Nguyên on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo by Bùi Thụy Đào Nguyên on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo by Balon Greyjoy on Wikimedia Commons
Photo by Balon Greyjoy on Wikimedia Commons
Photo by Magicknight94 on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo by thanhluu on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 3.0
Photo by S5A-0043 on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0
Photo by Magicknight94 on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo by Bùi Thụy Đào Nguyên on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo by Bùi Thụy Đào Nguyên on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo by Fumikas Sagisavas on Wikimedia Commons
The former province of Ben Tre sits on three islands, Bao, Minh and An Hoa, cut out by the arms of the Mekong. Coconut palms cover about 80,000 ha here, nearly half of Vietnam's total, and feed some 200 products, from candy to mats. Since July 1, 2025, Ben Tre has been part of a new Vinh Long province, and the former town on the Ham Luong forms five wards.
Photo by Balon Greyjoy on Wikimedia Commons
Rowing boats glide through canals lined with nipa and coconut palms, a few minutes from town. Day trips from Ho Chi Minh City often add cycling through the villages and a coconut-candy workshop.
Photo by Bùi Thụy Đào Nguyên on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
Born in the 1930s in Mo Cay, keo dua is still made in family workshops in Mo Cay and Chau Thanh, where you can watch it being cooked. TasteAtlas ranked it in 2024 among the world's 70 best sweets.
Photo by Bùi Thụy Đào Nguyên on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
On this Mekong islet facing My Tho, Nguyen Thanh Nam, the 'Coconut Monk', founded a religion in 1963 that had some 4,000 followers before it was banned in 1975. Its towers and painted columns remain; the islet is a stop on boat trips from My Tho.
Photo by thanhluu on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 3.0
To the west, the villages of Cho Lach grow flowers, bonsai and fruit trees; Cai Mon durian has had a geographical indication since 2020, like the da xanh pomelo since 2018. In orchards open to visitors, entry includes fruit tasting.
Photo by Magicknight94 on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
The town lines the Ham Luong and the Ben Tre river, with hotels and cafés along the banks. In Dong Khoi park, the 7.3 m monument to the January 1960 uprising, the 'Mother of the Coconut Land', was rebuilt in stone in 2023.
Salt season: in the dry season, seawater pushes up the river's arms. In 2024, 4‰ salinity reached 62.4 km from the mouth on the Ham Luong; in 2020 some 95,000 Ben Tre households lacked fresh water and even tap water turned brackish. The 2025-2026 season stayed well below those records.
A villa with a pool among the coconut palms, palm-thatched homestay cabins, and a farm under flowering arbors.
Photo: La Villa de Coco Ben Tre
White buildings around a pool among the coconut palms, with a restaurant serving local dishes and barbecue, and bikes to borrow.
≈ $72 a night
Photo: Ecoco Homestay Mekong
Wood and palm-thatch cabins under the coconut palms, with a restaurant, bar and garden; hiking, fishing or cycling nearby.
≈ $16 a night
Photo: Coco Happy Farm
A farm under flowering arbors, with a Vietnamese restaurant, pool table and bikes to borrow; vegetarian or vegan meals on request.
≈ $52 a night
Booking affiliate links · average nightly price checked in October 2026
Bus · 1.5 to 2 hours
85 km from Mien Tay bus station, via My Tho and the Rach Mieu bridge. On 12Go, about a dozen buses a day from €9 (Thao Chau), or a taxi from €37 per vehicle.
Buses and times on 12Go Affiliate linkRach Mieu 1 and 2
The Rach Mieu bridge, opened in 2009, and Rach Mieu 2, inaugurated on August 19, 2025, 4 km upstream, cross the Mekong toward My Tho; Rach Mieu 2 is open to motorbikes.
Taxi · about 3 hours
On 12Go, only private taxis cover the 127 km, around €114 per vehicle.
Times and prices checked on October 11, 2026 on 12Go: check again before you travel.
December to April is the dry season: 29 to 33 °C in the afternoon and barely any rain in February. The monsoon runs from May to October, peaking in September and October with more than 300 mm a month. Salt pushes up the river's arms in the dry season, peaking in February and March.
| 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airhigh / low | ||||||||||||
| Rainmm | ||||||||||||
| Daysof rain | 4 | 2 | 4 | 12 | 25 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 27 | 17 | 10 |
| Mekonglevel | High | High | Falling | Falling | Low | Low | Low | Low | Rising | High | High | High |
| Our take | Ideal | Ideal | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Difficult | Difficult | Fair | Good |
| Month | Low – high | mm | River |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan (current month) | 24 | High | |
| Feb (current month) | 9 | High | |
| Mar (current month) | 24 | Falling | |
| Apr (current month) | 70 | Falling | |
| May (current month) | 211 | Low | |
| Jun (current month) | 264 | Low | |
| Jul (current month) | 259 | Low | |
| Aug (current month) | 273 | Low | |
| Sep (current month) | 312 | Rising | |
| Oct (current month) | 314 | High | |
| Nov (current month) | 145 | High | |
| Dec (current month) | 73 | High |
4 tours to book in Ben Tre
Affiliate links GetYourGuide · Prices checked October 11, 2026
from$20
Availabilityfrom$46
Availabilityfrom$46
Availabilityfrom$62
AvailabilitySources: climate, Open-Meteo (ERA5 archive, 1991-2020 averages); administrative changes, National Assembly resolutions (2025); coconut palms, VnEconomy (2024) and Tuoi Tre (2025); coconut candy, Vietnam National Authority of Tourism; geographical indications, Thoi bao Tai chinh (2021); Coconut Monk, Wikipedia; Cho Lach, Dai bieu Nhan dan (2026) and VnExpress (2026); Dong Khoi monument, Nhan Dan (2023); saltwater intrusion, VnExpress (2020), Nhan Dan (2024 and 2026) and SGGP (2026); Vam Ho, SGGP; bridges, Tap chi Cong Thuong and Dai bieu Nhan dan (2025); buses, VnExpress (2026); safety, FCDO; transport, 12Go (checked October 11, 2026); activities, GetYourGuide (checked October 11, 2026); floating markets, Al Jazeera (February 2025). Updated on October 12, 2026 by Pierre-Marie Coupry.
Photo by Monika Guzikowska on Unsplash
Photo by Quang Nguyen Vinh on Pexels
Photo by Leonid Danilov on Pexels