Tours in Southern Vietnam along the Mekong Delta to the Cambodian Border
Introduction
An authentic tour through villages, agricultural crops, floating markets, pagodas, and nature reserves among simple, friendly people who will be happy to show you their way of life and pamper you with a variety of delicacies.
The ideal season for traveling in Southern Vietnam is during our winter months, from late November to April. A wonderful opportunity to escape the rain and cold to a warm, cheap, and welcoming destination. Please note, this season is not suitable for traveling in Northern Vietnam as it is cold there during this period.
It is recommended to dedicate at least two full days to the Mekong Delta after a trip to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and before a vacation on the charming resort island of Phu Quoc.
Accommodation:
It is worth staying one night in the city of Can Tho and another night in the city of Chau Doc. Take advantage of the afternoon hours after finishing the boat trip and tours in the villages and floating markets to explore these cities, along the riverside promenade, across the bridges, and in their food markets. Near Chau Doc, do not miss a tour of Sam Mountain, which offers an impressive view of the river and nearby towns, and has an impressive pagoda built upon it.
The Victoria chain has excellent and recommended branches in both of these cities:
Victoria Can Tho Resort and Victoria Chau Doc
Another successful, modern, and luxurious hotel on the riverbank in Can Tho is: Vinpearl Hotel Can Tho
Map of Vietnam:
As seen on the map, Vietnam is a very long (and narrow) country, and the distance from north to south is about 2,500 km! Due to its size and the weather differences between the north and south, it is recommended to split your trip to Vietnam between the south and the north according to the appropriate seasons of the year.
Boat Tours on the Mekong River
An excellent starting point for a boat cruise on the Mekong is from the city of My Tho, located about 70 km southwest of Saigon, or from the city of Can Tho, located 100 km further west. Diverse day tours depart from them for boat cruises between villages and islands along the river.
♦ Recommended tours in the Mekong Delta from Can Tho City (Book on Viator):
Short video about a boat tour on the Mekong River:
During the tour, you visit bee farms for honey, where you can hold a honeycomb full of bees without protective gear, and the bees do not sting. You sample the honey and foods made from it.
You travel through a local market and visit a small factory for making coconut sweets, all using manual methods, of course, without automation.
Walk among fruit orchards and in a fruit market where you taste special and delicious tropical fruits.
Enjoy a typical meal at a local restaurant with local singers performing songs in Vietnamese in the background.
It is also nice to include a horse-drawn cart tour through the village streets.
Finally, row in typical rowboats through a narrow canal leading to the main river, where the ship waits to take travelers back to the city.
♦ Recommended tours in the Mekong Delta from Ho Chi Minh City (Book on Viator):
Cai Rang Floating Market
The #1 tourist attraction in the area is the Cai Rang Floating Market in the Mekong Delta, which is completely different from the touristy floating markets of Thailand.
The floating market in the Mekong Delta in Southern Vietnam is a one-of-a-kind market where boats and ships packed with fruits and vegetables produced by local farmers are offered for sale to wholesalers and stall owners from city and town markets in the region.
Short video about the floating market:
The Cai Rang Floating Market is located on the Can Tho River on the southwestern outskirts of Can Tho City. In this market, dozens of boats anchor in the river surrounded by buyers' boats, pulling up alongside sellers' boats as goods are transferred to them. The main activity in the floating market takes place early in the morning between 5:00 AM and 8:00 AM. Amidst all this bustle, tourist boats also sail through, some carrying dozens of tourists and others private with just a few. Tourists can buy fresh, sweet pineapple peeled on the spot from some of the boats.
On the way to the floating market, you can observe views of humble stilt houses standing on the riverbank and their impoverished residents.
Further along the river towards the west, about ten kilometers away, lies another floating market named Phong Dien, consisting mainly of rowboats—smaller than those at the Cai Rang Floating Market. Due to its distance from Can Tho City, it is less popular among tourists than the market in Cai Rang.
Cham - A Muslim Fishing Village near Chau Doc
In Southern Vietnam, near the Cambodian border on a river called Bassac, lies a special village of a Muslim minority called Cham.
Many of these residents' homes are floating houses on the river, and those adjacent to the river are built on stilts because the river overflows its banks by several meters during rainy periods.
The houses along the riverbank are connected by makeshift, shaky bridges built by the residents.
You can reach the site on a guided boat tour, sailing along the river close to the floating houses, passing by local fishermen's boats, and visiting a floating fish farm where residents raise fish in enclosures below.
Short video about Cham - Muslim fishing village:
It is recommended to step ashore and visit the Muslim village. You reach the village by walking across a stilt bridge. In the village, you can see women weaving mats and even purchase a mat or other handmade craft from them.
Near the main street in the village stands a magnificent mosque named Mubarak, its splendor contrasting sharply with the poverty and squalor in which its residents live.
Short video about the fishermen in the Muslim village:
Tra Su Forest Nature Reserve
A must-visit site for lovers of nature, landscapes, and wildlife. This reserve is located in Southern Vietnam near the Cambodian border, about 20 km southwest of Chau Doc City.
This is a forest reserve with water canals running through it, characterized by a variety of wildlife, mainly birds nesting among the forest branches. The tour of the forest begins with a motorboat ride, where in this part of the tour you start sailing through a field of beautiful lotus flowers. Afterwards, you enter the thick of the forest through water canals between dense trees, where you can see crowds of birds and their nests.
Short video about the Tra Su Reserve:
In the second part of the tour, you row slowly in a rowboat through special canals where the entire water surface is covered with delicate green vegetation, making the water underneath nearly invisible. You feel as though you are gliding through a pastoral landscape on an endless green magic carpet.
At the end of the tour, you reach the edge of the reserve and climb an observation tower higher than the treetops, allowing you to view the forest from above and see the numerous winged creatures hovering over the forest.
Temples
As mentioned, near Chau Doc it is recommended to tour Sam Mountain, which offers an impressive view of the river and nearby towns and has an impressive pagoda built upon it. From it, a beautiful view extends into the distance.
