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A rower guides tourists in conical hats through a narrow water palm channel on the Mekong Delta.

Day trip from Saigon

Both in one day, with the timings on it

This is the combination every agency in Pham Ngu Lao sells. We run it too, for people who truly have one day, and we put the real clock on it so you can decide.

Overview

Read this before you book

Cu Chi is north-west of Saigon. The delta is south-west. There is no fast road between them, so the day becomes a triangle: city to tunnels, tunnels to My Tho across the western edge of the city, My Tho back to the city. Each leg is between an hour and a half and two hours. That is four to five hours sitting in a van out of an eleven-hour day, and both places get less time than they deserve.

Our honest advice is to book the two-day version, Cu Chi and the delta done in two, which gives each half a proper day and adds a night in the delta. Or pick one and keep your afternoon for the city. If you really do have only one free day and want both, this is how to do it with the least waste, and our guides have made the triangle hundreds of times.

A shaded courtyard café with wooden tables, potted plants, and a small Buddha statue beside a narrow pond in Ho Chi Minh.
A wooden boat rests along a muddy Mekong Delta riverbank lined with palm trees and nipa palms.
Morning: the tunnels · Afternoon: the delta
Length
About 11 hours
Pick-up
06:45
Back
Around 18:30, later in rain
In the vehicle
4 to 5 hours
At Cu Chi
About 1.5 hours
In the delta
About 3 hours

Day by day

How the day runs

Day 1

Saigon to Cu Chi, across to the delta, and back

Having seen both, if one day is all you have

06:45 — pick-up from hotels in District 1, 3 or Binh Thanh; we keep the route tight so the last person is in the van by quarter past seven. 08:30 — Ben Duoc, where the tunnels are quieter than at Ben Dinh. A walk through the site, the optional crawl section, and tea and cassava. We leave at ten.

10:00 to 12:00 — the long leg, around the western ring roads to the expressway south. Your guide uses the time to connect the two halves of the day: the delta was as much a part of the war as Cu Chi. A short stop halfway.

12:00 — lunch in an orchard on the Ben Tre side of the river, then our boat across the Tien, a coconut workshop and a sampan through a small channel. The delta half is cut to the part that is worth it; there is no stall circuit and no singing.

15:30 — back in the van. 17:00 to 18:30 — the return, the leg most exposed to rush-hour traffic. On a clear evening we are at your hotel by half past six; in heavy rain it can be seven or later.

MealsLunch; tea and cassava; fruitTravel4 to 5 hours in three legsOn footAbout 2.5 km across both sites
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Price

Price

OptionPer person (USD)
Shared, maximum 12from 75
Private, 2 peoplefrom 140
Private, 4 peoplefrom 100
Per person in US dollars. Shared price is per seat on the set departure; private prices include your own vehicle and guide. Children under 12 pay 70%.

This costs little more than the two separate days combined, but it still costs more than choosing one. The two-day version with a night in the delta is priced as a private trip and is on its own page.

Included

What is included

What the price includes

  • Hotel pick-up and drop-off in District 1, 3 or Binh Thanh
  • Vehicle all day
  • Guide throughout
  • Ben Duoc entrance
  • Boat and sampan in the delta
  • Orchard lunch
  • Water all day

What it does not include

  • Firing range at Cu Chi
  • Drinks with lunch
  • Tips
  • Travel insurance

Practical

Making a long day bearable

Eat breakfast before you leave, even if it is early. Bring something to do in the van; the middle leg is suburban and not scenic. Dress for dust in the morning and sun in the afternoon. The van is air-conditioned and we stop whenever someone needs to.

Our suggestion

If you have two free days, book the two-day version: Cu Chi and the Mekong over two days, with a night in the delta. The price difference is smaller than you might think, and you do not spend the evening recovering.

Handmade tank models crafted from bullet casings displayed on a red cloth near the Cu Chi Tunnels.
Ben Duoc before the heat
A pastel sunset sky glows over the wide Mekong River with cargo boats drifting near the delta shoreline.
The Tien river crossing
A green pomelo fruit with carved Chinese characters hangs from a tree in the Mekong Delta.
Lunch in an orchard
Small wooden houses and coconut palms line the eroding riverbank along the Mekong Delta's Song Tien river.
The quiet side of the river

Not for everyone

Who this does not suit

Almost everyone who has two days. It does not suit families with young children, anyone prone to carsickness, travellers who arrived on a long-haul flight the night before, or anyone who wants to linger. We sell it because some people only have one day and want both, and we would rather they did it with us than on a forty-seat coach. But if you are uncertain, choose one.

Common questions

Questions travellers ask most

Is it worth doing both in one day?

Only if you truly have one day. With two days, the two-day version is better in every way.

How much of the day is in the vehicle?

Four to five hours, in three legs of roughly an hour and a half to two hours each.

Why not use the speedboat?

The river does not connect Cu Chi and My Tho conveniently. The road triangle is the only practical route.

What time will I really be back?

Around half past six on a normal day. Heavy rain or a Friday evening can push it past seven.

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Tours

Tours

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A rower guides tourists in conical hats through a narrow water palm channel on the Mekong Delta.

Start planning

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