Tours out of Ho Chi Minh City and across Vietnam
Day trip from Saigon
Flowers, lotus and the merchant’s house at Sa Dec
Three hours from Saigon, Sa Dec is a small river town that grows flowers for half the country and still has the house where Marguerite Duras set her best-known love story.
Overview
A long day, and why we still sell it
Sa Dec is not on the usual delta circuit, and that is most of its appeal. The flower village of Tan Quy Dong runs for kilometres along the river, with beds raised on bricks above the flood line and narrow paths between them. Nearby is the Huynh Thuy Le house, a Chinese-Vietnamese merchant’s home with a French façade and a carved wooden interior, whose son was the lover in Marguerite Duras’s novel.
It is three hours each way, which makes this the longest delta day we run apart from the Cu Chi combination. We say so upfront. For people interested in gardens, photography or the colonial delta it is a better day than anything nearer; for everyone else, the shorter trips will do.
- Length
- About 12 hours
- Pick-up
- 06:30
- Back
- Around 18:30 to 19:00
- In the vehicle
- About 6 hours
- On foot
- 3 km at an easy pace
- Group
- 12 at most
Day by day
How the day runs
Day 1
Saigon to Sa Dec and back
The flower village in the fortnight before Tet
06:30 — early collection, as the drive is three hours. Breakfast can be packed by most hotels if you ask the night before; we stop for coffee after the first hour and a half.
09:30 — Sa Dec. First the flower village, walked slowly with the growers at work: marigolds, chrysanthemums, bougainvillea trained into shapes, bonsai. Before Tet the whole district is loaded onto boats and lorries for the markets upriver. 11:00 — the Huynh Thuy Le house, followed by the town’s market and the Kien An Cung assembly hall, built by the Fujian Chinese community.
12:30 — lunch in town, delta dishes including the local hu tieu noodle soup. 13:45 — out to the lotus ponds. From about May to September they flower pink and white, and families harvest the seeds by boat; outside those months we visit a pond-side farm to see the plant used for tea, seeds and cooking.
15:30 — departure for Saigon. 18:30 to 19:00 — back at your hotel. Friday evenings can be slower.
Price
Price
| Option | Per person (USD) |
|---|---|
| Shared, maximum 12 | from 79 |
| Private, 2 people | from 150 |
| Private, 4 people | from 105 |
Most of the price is the vehicle and driver for twelve hours. With a private car you can leave later, stay for the late afternoon light in the flower gardens, or turn the day into an overnight in Sa Dec.
Included
What is included
What the price includes
- Hotel transfers in District 1, 3 or Binh Thanh
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Guide throughout
- Entrance to the Huynh Thuy Le house
- Lunch, lotus tea and fruit
- A short boat on the lotus ponds when in season
What it does not include
- Breakfast
- Drinks with lunch
- Plants or seeds you buy
- Tips
- Travel insurance
Practical
Seasons: flowers or lotus
The flower village grows all year, but it peaks in December and January as growers prepare for Tet; the fortnight before the new year is the most colourful and the busiest. The lotus ponds flower from roughly May to September, best in June, July and August. The rest of the year both are quieter but still worth the visit.
There is little shade in the flower fields, and from March to May the middle of the day is hard work. That is why we do the gardens in the morning and keep the afternoon for the lotus, where you can sit under a roof over the water.
Not for everyone
Who this does not suit
Six hours in a vehicle is a lot for young children and for anyone who gets carsick; we suggest the My Tho and Ben Tre day instead. Visitors who want boats and canals rather than gardens and old houses will be happier at Cai Be. And if you are coming for lotus in January, the ponds will be mostly green leaves, so check the season before you book.
Common questions
Questions travellers ask most
Do I need to have read The Lover?
No. Your guide tells the story of the house and the family. If you have read it, the visit is more moving.
When are the lotus in bloom?
Roughly May to September, best in June, July and August.
Can we stay overnight in Sa Dec?
Yes, on a private version. A night there lets you see the flower village at dawn and continue to Can Tho the next day.
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