The Mekong Delta

A Quick Guide to the Mekong Delta

Typically skipped off Vietnam itineraries, the Mekong Delta is often regarded as a vast wetland with not much to offer. Well, I’m here to convince you that it is certainly worth exploring! With nature reserves, ancient traditions and tropical islands, the Mekong Delta offers so much to see and do that you could spend weeks road tripping around. This travel guide to the Mekong Delta will help you to plan your own trip to explore the nature and culture of southern Vietnam.

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The Mekong Delta at a glance

Noted as the “agricultural powerhouse of Vietnam”, the Mekong Delta is a sprawling region that encompasses numerous different provinces and dominates the southern tip of Vietnam. As the Mekong River winds its way towards the ocean, it splits into smaller rivers that weave a network across the region capable of sustaining lush rice paddies and fruit plantations, as well as hosting traditional floating markets and creating the iconic floating forests.

How long to stay – The Mekong Delta could be explored on a number of small 2-3 day road trips, but I recommend spending a full week or more here to experience it all.

Best time of year – Nov to Mar is dry season, which can be an appealing time to visit due to the stable weather. However, a trip during the wetter summer months will be rewarded with waterfilled floating forests, lush greenery and ripening fruit which, in my opinion, makes this a better time of year to visit the Mekong Delta.

Places to see in the Mekong Delta

While there are hundreds of towns and sites you could visit in the Mekong Delta, I highly suggest including these destinations and attractions in your plans.

Vinh Long

Situated just 100km south of Ho Chi Minh City, the city of Vinh Long acts as a gateway to the Mekong Delta. The city is home to an ancient pottery village, bustling markets and countless temples, while the countryside surrounding Vinh Long is a patchwork of rice paddies and fruit orchards.

✍ How to Spend a Day in Vinh Long
✍️ Exploring Vinh Long Pottery Village

Can Tho

Can Tho city doesn’t have the best reputation, and I’ll admit, the city is rather dull to visit. However, as host to the largest floating market in the region, I do think it is worth an overnight visit. We took a private tour of the Cai Rang floating market which took us on a sunrise journey along the river to experience this still very active local tradition.

✍ Visiting the Cai Rang Floating Market in Can Tho

Chau Doc

Chau Doc is one of my favourite places in the Mekong Delta. Bordering Cambodia, the area is home to the Cham ethnic community and you will see lots of gold adorned temples in the countryside, reminiscent of the Cambodian style. The main attraction is the floating forest at Tra Su Cajuput nature park; a boat ride here will fulfil the iconic image of the Mekong Delta you might have in your head. Sam Mountain just outside the city is an important religious site with hundreds of intricate temples.

✍️ Visiting Tra Su Cajuput Forest in Chau Doc

Nam Du and Hon Son

While the island of Phu Quoc continues to charm travellers looking for a beach escape, I want to introduce you to the up-and-coming paradise islands of Nam Du and Hon Son. You won’t find luxury resorts here, but you will be treated to some of the best beaches in Vietnam. Nam Du and Hon Son are still very much undeveloped, presenting an abundance of untouched beauty to be explored. Sleep in local homestays, eat fresh fish every night and spend your days sipping coconuts on powdery, palm-lined beaches.

✍️ How to Visit Nam Du and Hon Son Islands

Other notable things to see and do in the Mekong Delta:

Ben Tre 📍 Popular for weekend trips thanks to its proximity to Saigon, I haven’t carved out time to take a trip to Ben Tre yet. I’ve been told you can expect a slower pace of life, with lots of fresh coconuts and iconic boat rides among the floating forests.

Tan Lap Floating Forest 📍 Tan Lap floating forest is much like the larger Tra Su Cajuput forest in Chau Doc with boat rides through the floating forests. Located closer to Saigon making it great for a weekend trip.

Sa Dec 📍 Home to a flower village, Sa Dec is a small but charming town outside Vinh Long. We didn’t stay overnight but passed through for lunch and a drive through the flower village, so called due to the abundance of plant nurseries, some with unique floating planters that can only be tended to via boat.

Cai Be Floating Market 📍 The Cai Be floating market is the little sister to the larger, commonly visited Cai Rang floating market. You can take day trips from Vinh Long, but be ready to leave in the dark to ensure you don’t miss the action (the floating market winds down before 7am).

How to get around the Mekong Delta

The Mekong Delta spans a vast area, and as such many of the attractions and things to do are spread out. For this reason, I recommend doing a motorbike trip to ease transport between the destinations and offer flexibility to explore the countryside.

By Motorbike

For a motorbike trip, you’ll want to loop around the Mekong Delta so that you start and end your trip in Saigon (there are no rental shops currently offering one-way motorbikes into the Mekong Delta).

I recommend renting a motorbike from Tigit Motorbikes. They offer new, reliable models that are taken care of and specifically rent motorbikes for road trips around the country (many cheap rental shops in the city do not approve travel outside of the city).

Daily rental 💰 Starting from $7

For more information on motorbiking in Vietnam, check out my Complete Guide to Motorbiking in Vietnam.

By Bus

It is possible to take buses as the region is well connected. I’ve always found the easiest way to book transport in advance is through Baolau*, a search engine that compares all travel options to find the best one for you. Also check out Vexere, another booking platform for buses in Vietnam (you cannot always pre-book online and might need to phone to reserve a seat).

Once you arrive at your destination you might want to arrange a motorbike, bicycle or driver via your accommodation to help you explore each destination.

By Plane

There is an international airport in Can Tho city, making it possible to fly directly into the Mekong Delta. The only downside to flying directly into the Mekong Delta is that there are no one-way motorbike rentals, whereas if you start in Saigon you can rent from one of the reputable companies like Tigit (see “by motorbike” for details) that offer multiday rentals for trips into the countryside.

If you are planning to only visit Phu Quoc Island, then you should fly directly into Phu Quoc international airport rather than taking the long journey over land and water to get there. However, a great trip would be to travel overland to Phu Quoc, seeing some of the sites before taking the ferry to Phu Quoc (via Ha Tien or Rach Gia).

Planning a Trip to the Mekong Delta

For more information on travelling the Mekong Delta, including recommendations on where to eat and sleep, check out my itineraries for the region:

✍️ 3 Day Road Trip in the Mekong Delta
✍️ 10 Day Mekong Delta Road Trip (coming soon)

Vietnam

Frances

Meet Frances; Scottish lass turned Vietnam expat, and creator of this space. She can be found sippin’ ice tea’s and writing about her adventures from her sunny base of Saigon, Vietnam’s southern metropolis. All with a healthy side of researching her next road trip. With 5 years of living, travelling and scooting around Asia under her belt – let Frances be your guide to travelling the region.