Mekong Delta from Saigon: Day Trip or Overnight? How to Choose

The Mekong Delta is the easiest big escape from Ho Chi Minh City: a green maze of rivers, canals, orchards and villages that feels a world away from Saigon's traffic. The first question almost everyone asks is whether to visit on a day trip or stay overnight. The honest answer depends on what you want to see, and in particular on whether a floating market is on your list.

The day trip: My Tho and Ben Tre

The classic day trip heads to My Tho and across the river to Ben Tre, roughly 1.5 to 2 hours from central Saigon by road. A typical day includes a boat ride on the Tien River, a paddle through narrow coconut-palm canals in a small sampan, fruit orchards, honey tea, coconut candy workshops and a lunch of local specialities such as elephant ear fish. You are back in the city by late afternoon.

• Best for: first-time visitors, families with young children, travellers short on time.

• Trade-off: you will not see a real working floating market, and popular stops can feel busy around midday.

• Tip: leave Saigon early and choose a private or small-group trip to avoid the big tour boats.

If you want the day to feel more special, a fully private version with your own boat and driver is very different from the large coach tours. This private Mekong Delta day tour is a good example of the format: private boat, sampan ride, a traditional folk music performance and lunch, at your own pace.

The overnight trip: Can Tho and the floating markets

Can Tho is the delta's largest city, about 3.5 to 4 hours from Saigon. Staying overnight lets you be on the water at dawn for Cai Rang floating market, when traders sell fruit and vegetables from their boats. The market is smaller than it used to be, but it is still lively in the early morning and fades by mid-morning, which is why a day trip from Saigon cannot really reach it in time.

• Best for: travellers who want the floating market, slower river life and a night in the countryside.

• Where to stay: riverside hotels in Can Tho, island resorts nearby, or a family homestay in Ben Tre or Vinh Long for a more local feel.

• Extend it: continue to Chau Doc near the Cambodian border, or back to Saigon via a different route.

How to get there

Buses run to My Tho, Ben Tre and Can Tho, but they do not reach the small canals and orchards where the delta is at its best. Most visitors either join a tour or hire a car with a driver, which makes it easy to combine stops and leave at dawn. For a full comparison of travel options in Vietnam, see our guide to flights, trains, sleeper buses or a private driver. Families and small groups often find a private car the simplest choice; COA-LIMO has a practical overview of Mekong Delta trips by private car if you want to see what a door-to-door day looks like.

When to go

• December to April: dry season, sunny and easy on the roads and rivers.

• May to November: wet season with short tropical downpours; the countryside is at its greenest.

• September to November: high-water season, when parts of the delta flood and river life looks very different.

Our verdict

If you have one free day in Saigon, the My Tho and Ben Tre day trip is absolutely worth it. If the floating market is your priority, or you simply want to slow down, give the delta at least one night in Can Tho. Either way, finish back in the city with a bowl of something good from our list of what to eat in Saigon.