TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. WHAT IS A TOUR AROUND THE MEKONG DELTA? WHAT WOULD YOU DO? WHERE WOULD YOU GO?
A tour around the Mekong Delta is a tour around the South West section of Vietnam itself aka Mekong Delta tour. This place is famous for its extensive river and stream systems, innumerable and boundless rice fields and plenty of traditional craft villages. When joining this tour, tourists will be able to experience numerous interesting activities and be able to witness the natural beauty of this region. Some interesting activities and tourists attractions in this tour of the Mekong Delta include:
- Floating market: Visit some floating markets like Cái Bè, Cái Răng, Phong Điền, where people shop and move goods on different kinds of boats. Tourists can try the busy lifestyle right above the water level and enjoy some fresh and delicious fruits.
- Visit traditional craft villages: The Mekong Delta has plenty of traditional craft villages participating in many different sectors of the economy. From coconut candy makers, rice paper wrapper makers to authentic ceramics craftsmen. Tourists can visit these villages and watch the craftsmen create, build, participate in the production process and buy some local goods and souvenirs.
- Travel by boat: Rowing your boat down the small streams, travelling through fruit gardens and enjoying the fresh clean air.
- Visit fruit garden: Visit many different gardens planting different kinds of fruits: longan garden, grapefruit garden, durian garden etc… Tourists can enjoy fresh fruits here and eat them right in the garden.
- Enjoy local delicacies: Taste some local dishes, specialty of Southern Vietnam like cá lóc nướng trui (grilled snakehead fish), lẩu mắm (fish and fish sauce hot pot), bánh xèo (sizzling pancake) and many many more delicious local dishes.
- Participate in visiting historical and cultural significant sites: Visit temples, village shrines, historical sites like Cù Lao An Bình, Vĩnh Tràng ancient temple.
- Communicate with the local people: Learn about their way of life, their custom, their culture unique to the people living right above the water.
2. WHAT KIND OF TOURS ARE AVAILABLE FOR TOURISTS VISITING THE MEKONG DELTA?
A tour around the Mekong Delta area usually takes anywhere between 1 and 3 days, depending on the travel plan and all the places that the tour will stop by for tourists to explore. These tours are a good way for tourists to learn and explore about everyday life and the culture of the people living in this area of Vietnam.
2.1. Tour The Mekong Delta In 1 Day - Mekong Delta Day Trip
A short tour around the Mekong Delta in just 1 day is a good choice for tourists who don’t have much time to explore more, people who are just passing by and want a more overall look into this area.
Below are some necessary information about the 1-day tour around the Mekong Delta aka Mekong Delta day trip:
- Cost: Around $78.65 for a child between 4 – 12 years old and $106.2 for one adult (this include food and drinks, a tour guide, and all kind of entry and return fees)
- The travel plan (8:00AM – 4:0PM): Mekong Delta day trip begin by picking people up at the hotel, start moving from Sài Gòn dock, enjoy a small breakfast on the ship, visit the nearby big floating market, row your own small boat on many small streams in the area, visit some traditional villages, enjoy your lunch full of local delicacies on the tour ship, visit Cao Đài shrine and return to the hotel.
- Standout features: Convenient for tourists since it goes to many destinations, allowing tourists to experience the daily life of the local people and enjoy some tasty local dishes in just 1 day.
2.2. Tour The Mekong Delta In 2 Days
If you have a bit more time and want to explore the culture, daily lives of the people of this place then please choose the 2 days Mekong Delta tour option.
Below are all the information needed about the 2 days tour around the Mekong Delta:
- Cost: $295.06 for a child aged 4-12, $432.78 for an adult ( including food and drink, accommodation, tour guide, entry fees and return fees).
- 1st day travel plan (8:00AM- 3:2PM): Similar to the 1 day tour Pick up at the hotel, start moving from Sài Gòn dock, enjoy a small breakfast on the ship, visit the nearby big floating market, row your own small boat on many small streams in the area, visit some traditional villages, enjoy your lunch full of local delicacies on the tour ship, visit Cao Đài shrine and finally move to The Island Lodge to rest, recover and prepare to enjoy a French style dinner.
- 2nd day travel plan (7:30AM – 5:0PM): Enjoy breakfast, cycle around Kỳ Lân island, visit cocoa plantation and Buddist temples. Finally, return to the hotel, have lunch and return to Ho Chi Minh city.
- Standout features: Longer trip, extra activities like cycling and rest at The Island Lodge. Tourists can enjoy romantic evening meals in combination with French style dinner.
2.3. 3 Days Tour Of The Mekong Delta
The 3 days Mekong Delta tour is perfect for people that want to thoroughly experience and explore the culture, the people of the Mekong Delta and also want to experience spending a night just floating on the river.
Below are some necessary information about the 3 days tour of the Mekong Delta:
- Cost: $649.18 for a child aged 4 – 12, $845.92 for an adult (including food and drink, room services, tour guide, entry and return fees).
- 1st day travel plan (8:00AM – 3:0PM): Start from Ho Chi Minh city, visit Cần Giuộc market, visit a couple of traditional craft villages, enjoy lunch on a boat, then visit a coconut candy making plant and rest at The Island Lodge.
- 2nd day travel plan (9:00AM – 7:0PM): Discover Cái Bè floating market, visit the Bassac Cruise ship, visit Chợ Lách channel and Mang Thít riverside village (Vĩnh Long province). Enjoy dinner under the moonlit sky and sleep on the cruise ship.
- 3rd day travel plan (6:30AM – 4:3PM): Enjoy breakfast, shop at Cái Răng floating market, visit a rice vermicelli making shop, lunch at a famous local restaurant, then take a trip back to Ho Chi Minh city.
- Standout features: 3 days is more than enough to explore thoroughly the entire Mekong Delta. Other than that, with this tour, tourists can experience the life and meals being served while on a cruise ship.
2.4. Touring The Mekong Delta By Yourself
If you or your group are looking for a private experience then perhaps you can set up the tour yourself. There are some things you want to pay attention to:
- Cost: Depends on the demand of each tourist.
- Travel plan: Flexible based on your own demand, all activities like visiting floating markets, cycling, boat rowing on small streams, visiting traditional craft villages and enjoying the delicious local delicacies.
- Standout features: Tourists can freely change the schedule depending on personal demands.
2.5. A TOUR AROUND THE MEKONG DELTA BY BOAT ONLY
If you want to experience the luxury lifestyle, to have a trip with class and comfort, no need to worry about the travel time, a tour by boat is what you are looking for.
- Cost: $236 – $275 USD per person per night.
- Travel plan: Board the tour boat, explore the streams, channels and the riverside villages of the Mekong Delta. Activities you can participate in include: visiting the floating market, enjoying different high quality dishes on the boat, visiting different farms and villages. Beside those, tourists aboard can relax by the pool on the boat, enjoy a cocktail by the bar or play minigolf to kill the time and make some new friends…
- Standout features: Experience a luxury trip with high service quality. Tourists can relax aboard, watch the scenery and dine with the most well made and tastiest dishes.
Each tour has their own strengths and weaknesses, each will have its own unique experiences, tourists should choose the most suitable options that fit your timetable, your demands and needs.
3. WHERE SHOULD YOU BOOK YOUR TOUR AROUND THE MEKONG DELTA?
You can book your tour to explore the Mekong Delta in many ways including both online and in person.
3.1. Book A Tour Around The Mekong Delta Online
To book a tour online, you can simply access the website of many reputable tour providers such as:
- TripAdvisor: You have more than enough choices about your preferred tour on this website, you can also check the comments and review to see the feedback of past customers.
- Klook: Klook has a friendly interface, allowing you to easily book your favorite tour. This tour provider also regularly gives out discounts and other bonuses so you can get your wanted trip with a much lower price than usual. However, the information about the trips and its travel plans might not be as detailed as other websites dedicated to selling travel tours.
- GetYourGuide: GetYourGuide has a simple but effective user interface, it has many options for customers to choose. You can easily compare the price between tours from different providers and choose the one most suitable for your needs and demands.
3.2. Book A Tour Around The Mekong Delta Offline
You can book a tour directly at:
- Hotel: All hotels, motels, homestays etc… usually have a connection to many tour providers. Therefore, if you want to participate in a tour around the Mekong Delta, simply contact the front desk or the service number of your hotel/motel to receive assistance.
- Local tour provider office: There are many tour providers or travel agencies in the Mekong Delta area, you can contact directly at any of these offices and book a tour according to your needs and demands.
4. WHAT SHOULD YOU PAY ATTENTION TO WHEN BOOKING A TOUR OR ON A TRIP TO EXPLORE THE MEKONG DELTA?
These are some things you should pay attention to when you are travelling to explore the Mekong Delta to make sure you have the smoothest experiences:
- Don’t pick a tour that is too crowded: To ensure the quality of your trip, you should carefully ask for the maximum number of participants in your tour. If it is too much, the amount of tourists can negatively affect the quality of your trip and cause discomfort.
- Choose a reputable tour provider/ travel agency: Carefully consider your choice and choose a reputable travel agency to receive the best service and the best price, without having to worry about any negative impacts.
- Bring with you your own personal usage items: If you are staying in a homestay, you should bring your own toothpaste, toothbrush, soap or hand sanitizer.
- Bring insect repellent: The Mekong Delta has plenty of mosquitoes and other insects, therefore bringing your own insect repellent is a good way to increase comfort during the trip.
- Comfortable clothes: You should bring comfortable, light clothes and shoes suitable for travel and anti water. Bring along a raincoat or simply an umbrella just in case there is a sudden rain.
- Protect your own personal belongings: Always carry and carefully preserve your personal belongings with some value like phone, camera, money or personal items.
- Respect local culture and traditional customs: Wear polite but comfortable clothes when visiting religious buildings like temples, shrines and respect the local traditional customs, avoid offending the locals.
- Communication: Try to learn a few basic sentences in Vietnamese to easily communicate with the locals, it can help in dealing with unforeseen situations.
- Always bring cash: You need to bring cash with you since a lot of places in the Mekong Delta do not accept credit, debit cards or the place you are at simply do not have an ATM. Don’t forget to exchange your original currency for VND before coming to Vietnam for a smoother experience.
- Purchase an eSIM: an eSIM is something you absolutely need to ensure a smoother communication with your tour guide, your friends and families, even your country’s Embassies or Consulates during an emergency. It will also provide you with 24/7 access to the internet. Contact your tour provider/ travel agency in order to get one.
- Food and drink: Always carry at least a bottle of water with you, especially during outdoor activities to avoid dehydration. You should also carry some snacks or some light meals with you in case of emergency.
By following some of the notices above, you will have a much smoother experience when travelling to explore the beautiful Mekong Delta of Southern Vietnam.