Planning a trip to Vinh Long? This guide shares everything you need to know about getting there, where to stay and how to spend one day in Vinh Long.
Situated halfway between Saigon and Can Tho, Vinh Long acts as a gateway to the Mekong Delta. Its location makes it perfect for breaking up a trip through the Mekong Delta, so that’s exactly what we did. This local town is very much off the Vietnam tourist trail, and as such, we weren’t entirely sure what the town had to offer in the way of things to do. But we were pleasantly surprised by our day in Vinh Long and found plenty of things to keep us entertained; from nature to culture, Vinh Long has a little bit of it all.
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Planning a Trip to Vinh Long
This mini guide shares everything you need to know to plan your trip to Vinh Long, including where to stay and how to get there. Click here to jump to things to do.
How to get to Vinh Long
The location of Vinh Long means the city is something of a gateway to the Mekong Delta, and as such, it is well-serviced with bus links all over. The most common routes to Vinh Long are from Ho Chi Minh City or nearby Can Tho city. The best place to book buses online is Vexere.
💰 180k from Ho Chi Minh City
💰 50k from Can Tho
We drove the 2.5hr trip from Ho Chi Minh City to Vinh Long by motorbike as part of a road trip, which, once out of the city was a pleasant drive through the countryside. You can find the motorbike route detailed in our Mekong Delta itinerary.
Where to stay in Vinh Long
There are lots of accommodation options* in Vinh Long, including lots of beautiful eco homestays. I cannot recommend staying at Mekong Pottery Homestay* as we did; the property is amazing, as is the host Yenni who took us on a tour of the unique pottery factories of Vinh Long.
If you have another night to spend in Vinh Long, I recommend staying on An Binh island, just across the river from Vinh Long city. The island is lush, covered in orchards and farms, and lots of cute homestays like Mekong Riverside Homestay*, where we stayed on a previous trip through Vinh Long. The homestay also offers sunrise boat trips to the Cai Be Floating Market, similar to the Cai Rang Floating Market in Can Tho but less touristy.
Things To Do: How to Spend a Day in Vinh Long
I recommend exploring Vinh Long by motorbike, as some of the sites mentioned here are outside of the city and are too far to cycle to alongside seeing the other sites. If you aren’t on a road trip like us, I recommend renting a motorbike from your accommodation*.
Tour the Pottery Villages
Vinh Long holds an ancient tradition of pottery making, and the town is dotted with factories handmaking ceramics. Learning all about how the artisans turn sand from the Mekong River into rich red pots is the perfect introduction to Vinh Long, and one of the best things to do here!
Hidden off the main streets, these pottery factories are impossible to explore without a guide. We stayed at The Mekong Pottery Homestay* and booked a tour where our host, Yenni, showed us the whole process from sand to pots. The highlight was definitely getting up close to the traditional pottery kilns which you’ll see lining the rivers and roads of Vinh Long, billowing streams of smoke into the sky as they fire the ceramics.
Read more ✍️ Exploring Vinh Long Pottery village with Mekong Pottery Homestay
Explore the Vinh Long Central Market
After our morning exploring the pottery factories, we were ready for a snack. So we jumped on the motorbike and headed into the city centre, venturing into the bustling central market to find some street snacks and drinks. To the left of the market, you’ll find a lane full of street vendors rather than people selling fresh produce. Aside from needing some refreshments, this market was bustling and a photographer’s heaven.
Chợ Long Châu📍 Nguyễn Huệ, Phường 2, Vĩnh Long, Vietnam
Explore the countryside around Vinh Long
The countryside around Vinh Long is a maze of rice fields, palm-lined canals and nature parks. It’s worth spending an afternoon driving out of town to soak up the views, and there are 2 nature parks nearby Vinh Long that I recommend checking out:
1️⃣ Nông trại Ông Bà Tư
Nông trại Ông Bà Tư is a farm where during the flowering season, around June time, you’ll find fields of sunflowers and ponds filled with water lilies. Even if you visit during the off-season, which we accidentally did, you’ll be treated to a beautiful drive through the countryside and fields of lush green rice at the farm.
2️⃣ Xẻo Quýt
Alternatively, you could visit Xẻo Quýt nature reserve, which we visited as part of our 3-Day Mekong Delta road trip (pictures below). At Xẻo Quýt you’ll find a forest with lilypad ponds at the heart of it. The wooden walkways that weave through the ponds offer a tranquil place to soak up some nature.
Stop by the Temple of the Emerald Buddha
On your way back into Vinh Long, stop by the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, a Buddhist temple complex on the outskirts of the city. The pagoda is fairly typical on the inside but hosts a beautiful central tower on the top. There are a number of other pagodas in Vinh Long, which you can find detailed in my friend Sam’s blog post.
Watch the sunset behind the pottery kilns
Round off your day in Vinh Long watching the sunset behind the pottery kilns. It took us a little bit of hunting to find the perfect spot, but if you head down street ĐT 907, running adjacent to Rach Cai Tay river, you’ll find a few areas with access to the river where you can watch the sunset from.
📍 ĐT 907, Vinh Long
⏰ 5:30pm or earlier to watch the sunset
There you have it – how to spend a day exploring Vinh Long. This is the perfect first stop if you’re travelling to Mekong Delta with lots of things to do from exploring the pottery village to temples to nature.
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Planning a Trip to the Mekong Delta?
For more information on planning a trip to the Mekong Delta, and other destinations in Vietnam, be sure to check out my Ultimate Vietnam Travel Guide which includes everything you need to know for travelling around the country.
✍️ Exploring Vinh Long Pottery Village
✍️ A Quick Guide to the Mekong Delta
✍️ Ultimate 10-Day Mekong Delta Itinerary
For a more detailed guide to visiting Vinh Long, check out my friend Sam’s blog post all about her 4-day stay in the city.
