Tours out of Ho Chi Minh City and across Vietnam
Southern Vietnam
West through the delta to the Cambodian border
Past Can Tho the delta changes. The people are Khmer, Cham and Vietnamese, the land flattens into rice to the horizon, and a single hill looks over two countries.
Overview
The delta beyond the day trips
This is the route for people who want to see where the delta ends up rather than where it starts. The first night is in Can Tho for the floating market at dawn. The second is in Chau Doc, where the Hau river arrives from Cambodia, where fish are farmed in cages under floating houses, and where a Cham Muslim village faces a town full of Buddhist pagodas across the water.
It is a lot of road, and we say so: roughly twelve hours across three days. We break it with long stops and keep the drives to the middle of the day, so that the mornings and the late afternoons, the two good times in the delta, are spent outside.
- Length
- 3 days, 2 nights
- Saigon to Can Tho
- 3 to 3.5 hours
- Can Tho to Chau Doc
- About 3 hours
- Chau Doc to Saigon
- 5.5 to 6 hours
- Style
- Private, with guide
Nights
Where you sleep
Day by day
Day by day
Day 1
South to Can Tho
The orchard island at the end of the afternoon
Pick-up at 07:30 and three to three and a half hours on the expressway across both Mekong branches. Lunch in Can Tho, then the Binh Thuy old house and a late afternoon on an orchard island by bicycle or on foot.
You are at the hotel by about 16:30, with the riverfront and the night market for the evening. Sleep early.
Day 2
Cai Rang at dawn, west to Chau Doc
Sunset from Sam mountain over the border fields
The boat leaves at 05:30 for Cai Rang. The market is smaller than it was a decade ago, since roads now carry much of what the boats used to, but at six it is still trading and still worth the early start. We come back through the small canals and are at the hotel for breakfast by 09:00.
We leave Can Tho at about 10:30 and drive around three hours west through Long Xuyen, with lunch on the way. In Chau Doc, after a rest, we drive up Sam mountain at about 16:30. It is only around 230 metres high but it is the only hill for a long way, and from the top the rice fields run flat into Cambodia. On the way down we stop at Ba Chua Xu temple, one of the busiest pilgrimage sites in the south.
Day 3
The river at Chau Doc, Tra Su forest, back to Saigon
The boat through the duckweed at Tra Su
At 07:00 a small boat takes you to the floating fish farms, where a hatch in the floor of a house opens onto a cage of fish below, and across to Chau Giang, the Cham village, with its mosque and stilt houses. Dress modestly and ask before photographing people.
At 09:00 we drive about forty-five minutes to Tra Su, a flooded cajuput forest where a small boat pushes through a surface of green duckweed. It is at its best from September to November, when the water is high; in the driest months the smaller channels can close. We leave the area after lunch, around 12:30, and reach Saigon in the evening, usually between 18:30 and 19:00.
Price
Price
| Travellers | Tier 1 — simple | Tier 2 — comfortable | Tier 3 — the good ones |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 travelling | from 345 | from 430 | from 655 |
| 4 travelling | from 285 | from 355 | from 540 |
| 6 travelling | from 255 | from 320 | from 485 |
Most of this price is the car and guide for three long days, which is why it drops sharply for four or six travellers. Chau Doc has one riverside hotel of real quality and several simple ones; the tier you choose makes more difference there than in Can Tho. The high-water months are the popular ones and it is worth booking them early.
Included
What is included
What the price includes
- Private car and driver for three days
- English-speaking guide throughout
- Private boats at Can Tho, Chau Doc and Tra Su
- Two nights in hotels at your chosen tier, with breakfast
- Three lunches, entrance fees and drinking water
What it does not include
- Dinners, so you can choose where to eat
- Drinks, tips and personal spending
- Travel insurance and visas
- The river boat to Phnom Penh, which we can add as an alternative ending
Practical
When to go, and a different ending
September to November is the flood season and the reason most photographers come: the fields around Chau Doc are under water, Tra Su is full, and the light over the water is soft. December to April is dry and easier for walking, with Tra Su lower. May to August is hot, with afternoon rain.
If you are going on to Cambodia, do not drive back to Saigon. The boat to Phnom Penh leaves Chau Doc in the morning and takes five to seven hours, with border formalities on the water. We check your visa against that particular gate before we book anything.
Not for everyone
Who this does not suit
Skip this if long drives wear you out: even with the stops, the last day has close to six hours in the car. It is also the wrong trip if you want beaches, nightlife or hotels with much style; Chau Doc is a modest border town and it goes to bed early.
If you have two weeks for the whole of Vietnam, two nights in the delta at Can Tho is usually the right amount, and Chau Doc belongs on a longer trip or on the way to Cambodia.
Common questions
Questions travellers ask most
Is Tra Su forest worth it in the dry season?
It is pleasant, but the water is lower and the duckweed thinner. From September to November it is at its best; outside those months we may shorten it and give you more time on the river at Chau Doc.
Can we end the trip in Phnom Penh?
Yes. Replace the drive back with the morning boat from Chau Doc, five to seven hours. We confirm the visa arrangements for that border gate at booking.
How much time is spent driving?
About twelve hours across the three days, with the longest stretch on the last afternoon.
Related
Read next
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The delta base: Cai Rang, canals and a real night market.
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Mekong Delta
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Fish farms, Sam Mountain and the boat to Cambodia.
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Southern Vietnam
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Canals, floating markets and orchards — done properly.
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Example journey
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Sleep in Can Tho, be on the water at half past five, back in Saigon mid-afternoon.
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Example journey
Chau Doc to Ha Tien
The border road from Chau Doc to Ha Tien, and the limestone coast beyond.
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Tours
Tours
Day trips, regional routes and full-length itineraries.
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