7 Days in the Mekong Delta: Floating Markets, Homestays & Eco-Tours

Why the Mekong works as a seven-day circuit

Most Mekong trips are two or three days—a float through a famous market, lunch at a roadside restaurant, back to Saigon. This itinerary gives you time to stay put, eat breakfast at dawn with a local family, and understand why people actually live here instead of just touring through. You'll hit the major towns but skip the worst of the tour-bus crowds by timing your visits and staying in homestays instead of hotels.

The loop is designed to move south then west, finishing in Chau Doc near the Cambodian border before returning to Long Xuyen (or Saigon if you extend). Minibus rides between stops are 1.5 to 3 hours—manageable, rarely full, cheap.

Day 1 — My Tho: Arrival and intro

Fly into Saigon, grab a minibus from the airport or central station to My Tho (about 70 km south, 90 minutes). Check into a guesthouse in the town center—nothing fancy needed. My Tho is the unofficial gateway to the Mekong, sitting on the My Tho River's western bank.

Walk the waterfront in the late afternoon. The promenade is quiet by 5 p.m., lined with plastic chairs and makeshift coffee stalls. Grab a Vietnamese coffee and watch the cargo boats pass. Eat "banh mi" at one of the bakeries near the market (avoid the tourist-trap restaurants near the dock).

That evening, have dinner at a family-run restaurant serving "com tam"—broken-rice bowls with grilled pork or fish. My Tho's specialty is river crab (cua song), usually steamed or made into soup. If you see it on a menu, order it. Around 50,000 VND per person.

Day 2 — Ben Tre: Coconut islands and family homestay

Take an early minibus from My Tho to Ben Tre (about 45 km, 1 hour). Ben Tre is famous for coconut candy, coconut oil, and coconut everything—a running joke is that locals are born from coconuts. But the real reason to come is the homestay experience.

Book ahead with a homestay like Mekong Eyes or Mekong Delta Eco-tours (basic, family-run, 250,000–400,000 VND per night including meals). You'll be assigned to a local family—usually someone whose parents or grandparents are farmers or boat captains.

Spend the day biking through the orchards and narrow canals around the homestay. Your host will guide you or rent a bike for 50,000 VND. Stop at a small orchard (mango, papaya, guava) and eat fruit straight off the tree. Many orchards sell juice squeezed in front of you—10,000–15,000 VND.

For lunch, the family cooks. Expect fresh spring rolls, stir-fried vegetables, river fish, and rice. Dinner is similar. You eat what they eat. This is the point of staying here—no menu, no foreigners-only dishes.

In the evening, paddle a wooden rowboat through the canals at sunset. Bring a light jacket; it cools down fast on the water.

Image by Army Specialist Fourth Class Dennis Kurpius via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA)

Day 3 — Vinh Long: Homestay, orchards, and "bun rieu"

Minibus to Vinh Long (about 40 km from Ben Tre, 1 hour). Vinh Long is quieter than Ben Tre, and the homestays here are equally good for the same price.

Stay with an orchard family (many homestays sit on islands within Vinh Long province). Spend the morning kayaking through orchards—guides paddle you through fruit gardens where you can pick mangoes or passion fruit. Eat lunch at the family's house: typically "bun rieu"—a crab and tomato noodle soup that's lighter than pho and specific to this region.

In the afternoon, skip the organized group tours and rent a bicycle to explore the small island roads. Stop at a local market (if open) or a family's fruit stand. Buy coconut candy from local vendors (Ben Tre and Vinh Long both make it; the Ben Tre version is more famous, but Vinh Long's is fresher).

Talk to your host. Most homestay owners have stories—maybe their grandparent was a river merchant, or they switched from fishing to tourism. These conversations matter more than any guidebook.

Day 4 — Can Tho: Cai Rang floating market at dawn

Minibus to Can Tho (about 50 km from Vinh Long, 1.5 hours). Can Tho is the Mekong's largest city and the most touristy stop, but it's unavoidable—Cai Rang is the region's busiest floating market.

Book a boat tour the night before (through your hotel or a local agency). Tours leave at 5 a.m. to beat crowds. Aim for a small private boat (2–4 people) rather than a large group boat. Cost: 300,000–500,000 VND per boat for 2–3 hours.

At Cai Rang, you'll see wooden boats stacked with fruit, vegetables, and live fish. Wholesale traders haggle in the pre-dawn dark. Vendors tie long poles to their boats displaying their goods—a visual shorthand for what they're selling. It's crowded, loud, and a little chaotic, but real.

Have breakfast at a small boat restaurant (they exist within the market)—rice soup or "pho" for 20,000–30,000 VND. Coffee made on the boat tastes better than it has any right to.

Return to shore by 8 a.m. Spend the afternoon at Ninh Kieu Quay, a riverfront park where locals exercise and families gather. Eat lunch at one of the restaurants facing the river. Can Tho's signature dish is "hu tieu Can Tho"—a pork and crab clear soup (different from the southern "hu tieu" of other provinces).

Day 5 — Can Tho: Cot Co and agricultural villages

Instead of doing a second Cai Rang tour, explore the quieter northern banks of the Hau River. Hire a local boat (through your hotel) for a half-day eco-tour to Cot Co—a smaller, less-touristed floating market about 20 km upstream.

Alternatively, cycle to the agricultural villages around Can Tho (Phong Dien, Thot Not). Ask your hotel to arrange a bike and map. You'll pass rice fields, duck farms, and aquaculture ponds. Stop at a family farm for lunch. Many will cook if you ask in advance (negotiate the price: 150,000–250,000 VND per person for a meal cooked by the farmer's wife).

Return to Can Tho by late afternoon. Dinner at a street stall on Hai Ba Trung Street (the main night-market area): grilled fish, stir-fried greens, rice, and "bia hoi"—fresh draught beer (10,000–15,000 VND per glass).

Image by Atnastr via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA)

Day 6 — Chau Doc: Sam Mountain and hill-tribe homestays

Minibus to Chau Doc (about 120 km from Can Tho, 2–2.5 hours). Chau Doc sits on the Hau River, near the Cambodian border, and feels like the Mekong's edge—more laid-back, less touristed.

In the morning, climb Sam Mountain (Nui Sam), a 230-meter hill with temples and shrines near the summit. It's a 45-minute walk from town. The views over the river delta and Cambodia are worth the sweat. Cost: free. Bring water.

Descend and have lunch at a riverside restaurant. Try "banh canh"—a thick, savory tapioca-based soup popular in the southwest. Order it with crab or shrimp (40,000–50,000 VND).

In the afternoon, book a homestay tour to one of the Cham Muslim or ethnic-minority villages around Chau Doc (usually included in a Chau Doc package tour, 300,000–500,000 VND per person for a half-day). You'll visit fishing villages on stilts, meet families, and eat at their homes. These homestays are simpler than those in Ben Tre or Vinh Long—fewer tourists, more genuine.

Spend the evening walking the Chau Doc riverfront. It's quieter than Can Tho, with fewer motorbikes and fewer touts. Dinner at a local fish "restaurant"—often just a family cooking in front of their house. Ask your host for a recommendation.

Day 7 — Long Xuyen: Return or extend

If you're heading back to Saigon, take a minibus from Chau Doc to Long Xuyen (about 45 km, 1 hour), then a longer minibus from Long Xuyen to Saigon (about 180 km, 3–3.5 hours). Long Xuyen itself is unremarkable—it's a transport hub—so you can skip it if you prefer a direct option.

Alternatively, from Chau Doc, you can cross into Cambodia (Ha Tien is 90 km away, or take a boat to Kampong Cham directly from Chau Doc). Many travelers extend the trip here rather than return to Saigon.

If you stay in Long Xuyen anyway, eat "ca kho to"—a clay-pot fish stew—at a local restaurant. It's a southern specialty and pairs well with rice and greens.

Practical notes

Book homestays 1–2 weeks ahead via Airbnb, Mekong Eyes, or Mekong Homestay Network. Minibuses run all day between towns; buy tickets at your hotel or at the local station the morning of travel. Bring cash (VND) and a light rain jacket; the Mekong's weather is hot and humid year-round, but rain is common April–October. Don't attempt this in the dry season (November–March) unless you're fine with lower water levels and less spectacular scenery.