Taking a day trip to the Mekong Delta from Ho Chi Minh City
The famous Mekong Delta is a popular place to visit for travellers to Ho Chi Minh City. And why wouldn’t it be? It sounds like a unique destination, with a range of villages, forests and streams to explore.
After reading all about it, I was very keen to visit the Mekong Delta. My permitted stay of 45 days in Vietnam was about to expire, so I thought I’d take a day trip from Ho Chi Minh City. What could go wrong?
In this article, I’ll tell you all about my day trip to explore the Mekong Delta, sharing what my experience was like and the sort of things I got up to whilst on the tour. That way, if you’re considering a similar trip yourself, you have an idea of what to expect – and if you’re merely curious, hopefully it makes for an interesting read!
Ratings
Accessibility: 4/5 • Safety: 5/5 • Enjoyment: 3/5 • Value: 4/5 • Overall: 4/5
Where is the Mekong Delta?
The Mekong River is the longest river in South-East Asia, passing through China, Laos and Cambodia. Eventually it reaches Southern Vietnam, where it discharges into the South China Sea in a spectacular delta.
Conveniently, the Mekong Delta is only a couple of hours’ drive from Ho Chi Minh City, which is perfect for day-trippers. Its biggest city is Can Tho, which is great if you’re on a longer trip, but is too far to visit in a day.
Why bother visiting the Mekong Delta?
You may wonder: what is so special about the Mekong? It’s only a river, surely?
The Mekong Delta feels a world away from the bustle of Saigon. The region is home to dozens of villages centred around the river, which they rely on for transport, food, and livelihoods. There are floating markets to explore, rice paddies to observe and coconut groves to pass through: all beautiful and unique. And, of course, the culture of Vietnam shines through in every aspect, with shrines and temples to visit, and great cuisine to keep you going. If you want to get out of the city, heading out here is a good choice!
However, I should say that I didn’t like my visit to the Mekong Delta as much as I thought I would – more on that later…
Should you take a day or overnight trip?
Many people visit the Mekong Delta as a one-day trip from Ho Chi Minh City; however, it’s also possible to visit on a multi-day cruise along the river, or by staying on land nearby. You can even take a trip across the border into Cambodia.
There are advantages to both kinds of trips, so it’s really what appeals to you. On a one day trip, you’ll see much less of the delta, but it is easier to slot into a busy itinerary. A multi-day trip will let you see a lot more of the region and get away from the more touristy sights – but that can come at a cost.
Personally, I only had time for a day trip, as I needed to leave Vietnam to not go over my permitted stay. I looked at multi-day trips, particularly as an option for getting to Phnom Penh, the next stop on my itinerary, but the cost surprised me and put me off.
My trip to the Mekong Delta
I booked my trip to the Mekong Delta with Mobylette hostel in Saigon, where I was staying. It was a classic itinerary with a third-party operator and was so memorable that I can’t remember which tour operator we went with! The trip cost 650,000 VND ($25 / £20) per person.
Heading to the Mekong Delta
The morning of the trip, my sister, Lou, and I waited outside the hostel for around 20 mins before it arrived at 7:50 am. It was a motley group on the tour; half the group was from Mobylette, mainly consisting of solo travellers and couples in their twenties, and the other half was a big family on holiday. It wasn’t the blend I expected, but it wasn’t a problem.
After the final pick up, the bus headed towards the Mekong Delta. Our tour guide gave us an introduction to our day and the wider region; his brand of humour was very interesting…
After a break at the services at 9 am, we continued along the drive. What we could see of the scenery from the highway was limited, but still, we could see the landscape change from the city to rural rice fields and isolated houses.
Around 9:50 am, we arrived at a little tourist port in My Tho, ready to get on the river.
The first boat trip
Everyone in our tour group boarded a long wooden boat. This was my first time witnessing the Mekong River, and it didn’t quite match my expectations. The river was wide and slow-flowing, whilst the water was a muddy shade of brown and contained massive pieces of plant and rubbish. I certainly wouldn’t have wanted to get into it; it just looked dirty. Then again, as I watched one of the boatmen throw their cup into the river, no wonder it looked the way it did!
About fifteen minutes later, we got off the boat on the other side of the river. Here, there was a small coconut candy manufacturer. The workers showed us how to make coconut candy; the process was actually pretty interesting, with the husk and water being removed, then the coconut flesh being squeezed to get the milk which goes into the candy.
We had a longer break at the manufacturer so we could browse the candy. It wouldn’t be a group tour in South-East Asia if there isn’t an opportunity to sell something to the tourists!
Heading upstream
Next to the coconut candy shop, there was another smallish port. Around 10:30 am, our tour group split in half and boarded smaller motorboats, to head up a tributary of the Mekong. During this stretch, the river was much smaller and the scenery much closer to us, which lead to lovelier surroundings.
Fifteen minutes later, we got off the boat in another tourist complex. There was a big pond of possibly the saddest catfish I’d ever seen, and another enclosure containing miserable crocodiles. Crocodile products were on sale by the candy in the last shop, so the whole setup just seemed cruel.
Fortunately, we didn’t dwell here too long and instead queued up for yet another boat ride. This one was on a rowing boat, with four tourists to a boat. The stream we headed along this time was thin and surrounded by coconut trees, which made the area feel tranquil. This of course was the place for getting our photos on the Mekong Delta!
Lunch
Around 11:30 am, once our tour group was back after the rowing trip, we headed on a bicycle trip. Why? I have absolutely no idea. The route we took was along a concrete track and although the surrounding trees were nice, there were no picturesque views or interesting stories. The bike ride abruptly ended ten minutes later when the track joined a busy road – proving how close we were to the city life!
Lunch was afterwards, which proved a welcome break from all the sightseeing. We had elephant fish rolled in rice paper, pork, morning glory, soup, fried spring rolls and rice, with a piece of watermelon to follow. The spread was standard for a Vietnamese tour but I liked the addition of elephant fish, which I hadn’t tried before.
Unicorn Island
After lunch, at around 12:20 pm, we headed back on the small motorboat to the coconut candy shop. We then immediately boarded the big boat to power across the Mekong River, towards Unicorn Island.
Contrary to its name, Unicorn Island does not feature unicorns or have anything mystical about it. The island featured lush tropical plants and the odd building.
The first place we were brought to was a shop selling honey. We were served tea with honey and given royal jelly from bees on the island to try. Of course, the workers tried hard to sell these products to us…
Around 1 pm, we headed on buggies for a five minute drive across the island. We stopped for fruit and more tea, where a group of singers performed for us. I can’t lie, the experience felt really odd against the rest of the tour.
After this, we headed back to the big boat to sail across to the eastern side of the Mekong, where we had first embarked onto the river.
Vinh Trang Pagoda
Our final stop on the tour was Vinh Trang Pagoda, a five minute drive away from the port. This pagoda was stunning, with a traditional courtyard and shrines. Outside, there was a large reclining Buddha and a giant happy Buddha, among other shrines. It was a nice stop and not too busy with tourists either.
At around 2:10 pm, we got on the bus to go back to Ho Chi Minh, arriving back at our hostel two hours later.
Would I recommend a day trip to the Mekong Delta?
I enjoyed my day trip to the Mekong Delta. However, it wasn’t what I expected. The places we visited were so touristy, and at times it felt like we were being shuttled from one tourist trap to another in hopes of making some sales or getting tips. I definitely didn’t enjoy that aspect of it.
If I were going back to the Mekong Delta, I would probably give this trip a miss. There has got to be some authentic day trips out there which show you the real side to the river and are not so focussed on souvenir shops!
How would I rate my trip?
Here’s how I would rate my time on the Mekong Delta:
- Accessibility: 4/5 – the day trip was not strenuous or difficult; as long as you’re fine getting on and off boats, you wouldn’t have a problem visiting the Mekong Delta.
- Safety: 5/5 – the Mekong Delta generally feels safe.
- Enjoyment: 3/5 – I was disappointed with my day trip along the Mekong, and to be honest the delta itself wasn’t up to my expectations. I didn’t expect it to be so dirty! I would consider any tour to the Mekong carefully to make sure you’re getting what you want from the experience.
- Value: 4/5 – I thought the cost of the tour was reasonable for what we got.
Overall score: 4/5
If you’ve already visited, let me know if you agree with these ratings! Just to note, the ratings are my personal opinion based on my visit, so you might have a completely different experience.
Conclusion
I enjoyed my trip to the Mekong Delta, although I’m not sure I would be rushing back again. That being said, I’m glad I visited it once.
For any future visitors to South Vietnam, I would consider which tour you take to the region carefully, so that you get an authentic experience and see the true Mekong.
Is visiting the Mekong Delta on your bucket list? Do you have any questions? Let me know in the comments!
