The sampan is barely wide enough for two. Water-coconut fronds lean in from both banks until they almost brush the brim of your conical hat, and the canal is so still you can hear every stroke of the oar. That scene is less than two hours’ drive from Bui Vien Street.
It’s one stop on a Mekong Delta day trip to My Tho and Ben Tre, the closest stretch of the delta to Saigon and the easiest one to do in a day. Families and couples can go private, bigger groups get their own van, and the tour leaves every day. Here’s how the day actually runs, from pickup to the drive home, so you know what you’ll be doing, eating and how tired you’ll be by the end.
Quick answers
| Question | Answer |
| Where and when is pickup? | 195 De Tham Street, District 1 (Ben Thanh Ward), 8:00 am. Back around 5 to 5:30 pm |
| How far is it? | About 90 minutes’ drive to My Tho |
| Private or group? | Families and couples go private in a seven-seater, five guests max. Bigger groups travel in a 16- or 28-seat van |
| What will I do? | Boat on the Tien River, honey tea, a cart ride through village lanes, fruit and folk music, lunch, a sampan through a water-coconut canal, coconut candy, Vinh Trang Pagoda |
| Is there a floating market? | No. For Cai Rang floating market you need the two-day tour |
| Is lunch included? | Yes, along with the guide, photographer, boats, tickets and drinks |
| Is there shopping? | No shopping stop. You watch honey and coconut candy being made, buying is up to you |
| Can I book for tomorrow? | Yes. Book at least 24 hours ahead |
8 am: out of the city before it wakes up
Pickup is at 195 De Tham at 8 o’clock. Private guests ride in a seven-seat car with no more than five people, so it’s only your family or friends on board. Bigger groups get a 16- or 28-seat van with seats left free so nobody is squeezed. Either way there’s a guide who speaks English and Vietnamese, plus a photographer who stays with you all day, so your phone can stay in your pocket.
Pickup point: 195 De Tham Street, District 1 (Ben Thanh Ward)
The drive south to Tien Giang takes about an hour and a half. Around 9:15 there’s a short break at a rest stop with a garden, long enough to stretch your legs, grab a drink and take the first photos of the day.
10 am: on the water
At the My Tho pier you board a wooden boat. The Tien River is wide here and brown with silt, and the boat runs past four islets that locals call Dragon, Unicorn, Turtle and Phoenix.
Honey tea and rice paper on the islet
The first stop on the islet is a bee farm. The beekeeper lifts a frame out of the hive for you to look at, and if you’re brave you can hold it. Then you sit down to a glass of honey tea with kumquat, sweet without being sickly. Nobody pushes you to buy a jar. It’s a stop for tasting, not a sales pitch.
Next door, puffed rice cakes and rice paper are made by hand: batter spread on cloth over steam, peeled off, laid out to dry.
Village lanes, fruit and folk music
Close to noon comes the part many people end up liking most. You climb into a small motorized cart and bounce along village lanes barely wider than the cart itself, past orchards and tiled-roof houses. It stops at a hut in a garden where plates of seasonal fruit are waiting. While you eat, local musicians play đờn ca tài tử, the folk music of the south, and the sound carries through the trees. This is the moment the delta stops being a postcard.
Lunch under the fruit trees
Lunch is served under the trees, Mekong style: crispy fried elephant ear fish, a bowl of sour soup and fish braised in a clay pot. It’s included, and it’s the kind of meal people try to recreate when they get home.
The sampan ride
Around 1:45 you get the scene from the top of this article. Hats on, you step into a sampan and a local rower takes you down a narrow canal lined with water coconut. It’s quiet except for the oar. The photographer works hardest here, because this is the best shot of the day.
Back on land there’s a coconut candy workshop. You watch the candy being cooked, rolled and cut, and taste a piece while it’s still warm. Nearby, kids usually can’t be pulled away from the crocodile fishing and the feeding pond full of giant catfish.
Vinh Trang Pagoda, then home
The last stop, around 3:30, is Vinh Trang Pagoda in My Tho, about 170 years old and known for its Maitreya and reclining Buddha statues. After a day on boats it’s a good place to slow down before the drive back.
You leave around 4:30 and reach De Tham between 5 and 5:30 pm. A download link for the edited photos is sent to you after the trip.
The order can change with the tide, the weather and traffic, but you’ll do all of it.
Private, group, or a big joined tour?
Search “Mekong Delta day trip” and you’ll find plenty of joined tours. They usually run on set days, need a minimum number of people, pick up from 6:30 am at shared meeting points, and put a few dozen strangers on one bus and one boat.
A private tour works differently. It runs every day, picks you up at 8 at De Tham, and the car holds only your group of up to five. With the photographer along all day, you go home with a full set of photos and never have to hand your phone to a stranger. Want longer in the fruit garden or a shorter stop somewhere else? Tell the guide.
Travelling as a company, an extended family or a big group of friends? Book a group tour. You get a 16- or 28-seat van to yourselves, the same itinerary and the same guide for everyone, without strangers mixed in.
One day or two?
If you have a single free day in Saigon, My Tho and Ben Tre are the sensible choice. It’s close, you’re back the same evening, and you still get the river, the sampan, the fruit gardens and the music. It’s an easy day with small kids or grandparents too.
The one thing a day trip can’t give you is a floating market. Markets like Cai Rang in Can Tho trade at first light, so you need to sleep in the delta the night before. If that’s on your list, the two-day Mekong tour is the better fit. And if you have two separate days in Saigon, pair this trip with the half-day Cu Chi Tunnels tour, which leaves from the same pickup point.
What’s included
According to the full-day Mekong tour page, almost everything in the day is covered, from the car, boat, sampan and cart to lunch and entrance fees. Prices depend on group size and date, so check the latest there or ask us on WhatsApp.
| Item | Details |
| Times | Pickup 8:00 at 195 De Tham, back around 17:00 – 17:30 |
| Transport | Private: air-conditioned seven-seater, five guests max. Group: 16- or 28-seat van. Wooden boat, sampan, village cart |
| Included | English/Vietnamese guide, photographer and edited photos, entrance fees, lunch, honey tea, rice paper, fruit, water, cold towels |
| Not included | Personal purchases, alcohol outside the menu, tips, VAT if you need an invoice |
| Booking | At least 24 hours ahead, so booking today for tomorrow works |
| Cancellation | More than 48 hours before: full refund. 24 to 48 hours: 50% fee. Within 24 hours: 100% fee |
What to bring
Light clothes that dry fast, because you’ll get splashed on the boats. Sandals with a back strap or sneakers help on the jetties. Hats are provided on the sampan, but bring sunscreen, as the midday sun on the water is much stronger than in the city. If you get carsick, take something before you leave. It’s 90 minutes each way.
FAQ
Where does the Mekong Delta day trip go?
My Tho in Tien Giang and Ben Tre: a boat on the Tien River, a bee farm and rice paper workshop on the islet, a village cart ride to a fruit garden with folk music, lunch, a sampan through a water-coconut canal, a coconut candy workshop and Vinh Trang Pagoda.
How long is the day?
Pickup is at 8:00 and you’re back around 5 to 5:30 pm. The drive is about 90 minutes each way.
Is lunch included?
Yes. Lunch is a Mekong meal with elephant ear fish, sour soup and clay pot fish, served under the fruit trees.
Does the day trip include a floating market?
No. Floating markets trade at dawn, so you need the two-day tour to see Cai Rang.
Is it a private tour or a joined group?
Your choice. Families and couples get a private seven-seater with up to five guests. Bigger groups get their own 16- or 28-seat van. You’re never mixed with strangers.
Are there shopping stops?
No. You watch honey, rice paper and coconut candy being made and can taste them. Buying anything is completely up to you.
Can I book today for tomorrow?
Yes. The tour runs daily and needs 24 hours’ notice.
What is the cancellation policy?
Cancel more than 48 hours before for a full refund. Between 24 and 48 hours there’s a 50% fee, and within 24 hours the fee is 100%.
Got one free day in Saigon and want to spend it on the river? Send us your date and group size, and The Rice Tour will hold your spot.
Contact
- The Rice Travel group: 180 Bui Vien Street, Ben Thanh Ward, Ho Chi Minh City
- The Rice Tour: 195 De Tham Bui Vien Street, Ben Thanh Ward, Ho Chi Minh City
- Tour pickup: 195 De Tham Street, Ben Thanh Ward, Ho Chi Minh City
- Email: daiviettherice@gmail.com
- Phone/Zalo/WhatsApp: +84 962 333 621
- Website: thericetour.com
