Mekong River Tour in Vietnam - Day Trip to the Delta

Southern Vietnam is home to the Mekong Delta. A vast network of rivers lined with mangroves and floating villages. If you’re short on time but still like to visit, the Mekong Delta day tour from Ho Chi Minh City is an unforgettable option. Taking a tour to the Mekong Delta is an easy day trip from Ho Chi Minh City, and couldn’t be cheaper.

Many tour companies offer a similar itinerary to the Mekong Delta in southern Vietnam. There’s more than just seeing the Mekong Delta on this southern Vietnam your itinerary.

Temples and local treats are also part of this tour. Before reading on, if you’re looking for a quiet, relaxed and time spent away from other tourists, this probably isn’t the tour for you.

There is little time to sit and relax other than the bus and there are many tourists doing the same tour. Many companies also offer an overnight tour of the Mekong Delta, which may help reduce the number of tourists you encounter.

But this post will focus on a day tour to Vietnam’s Mekong Delta. Keep reading for a rundown on what to expect by visiting Vietnam’s Mekong Delta on a day trip from Ho Chi Minh City.

How to book a day trip to the Mekong Delta in Vietnam

You can even have a quick paddle down the Mekong River, be ready for your driver to hand over the paddle! — My local guide paddling through the narrow delta of the Mekong River, south of Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.

During my time in Ho Chi Minh City, I stayed at Long Hostel. The helpful staff there had no issues organizing everything for the tour, including payment and pick up. As you walk around Ho Chi Minh City, you will see many tourism offices offering tours either the same or similar to the one detailed below.

If you notice Hai Travels as a tour company to go with, they are the tour company I visited the Mekong Delta through. I also took a day trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels with Hai Travels, and recommend them as a good tour company in the area.

How much does a day trip to Vietnam’s Mekong Delta cost?

The boat trip down the Mekong River was short but very scenic — The sides of the fast flowing Mekong River are lined with thick shrubs

All up, including entrance fees, tips and lunch, the tour to Mekong Delta set me back about 205,000 Dong ($8.80 USD). That sounds like a big number, but it isn’t really that expensive at all. Before diving into the specifics of what cost what, I do believe this is a case of you get what you pay for in a certain way.

It can be quite rushed to see everything at the time, and a bus full of 25-30 tourists doesn’t make for a very “local” experience, but I think it was worth it none the less. Plus, it was cheap and so easy to organize.

The tour to the Mekong Delta itself costs 185,000. This includes your tour guide (who will most likely make funny/terrible jokes the whole day), transport to and from the Mekong Delta and lunch at one of the small islands you will visit.

This is just a ferry to the islands throughout the Mekong Delta. Read on for more informaiton! — Upon arriving at the pier, you will be taken into a boat for a short ride across the Mekong River.

The one thing not covered is tipping. Tipping of your tour guide and the bus driver isn’t expected, but very appreciated. The one time you will have to tip is on the little boat ride through the Mekong Delta. My boat driver stopped and pretty much demanded a tip to continuing to paddle. We were expecting to tip 20,000 Dong anyways but was a little taken back but the sudden and slightly forceful indication to pay the lady paddling upstream.

What to expect from the day tour to the Mekong Delta?

There isn't too much to see at Vinh Trang Temple, but it is a welcome stretch after being on the bus for so long. — Outside Vinh Trang Temple, this golden temple is flanked in all directions by lush greenery.

After your pick up from your hostel or hotel, it takes around 3 hours of driving to get to the Mekong Delta “start point”. There is one rest stop along the way, at Vinh Trang Temple, where you can have a walk around the complex. Monks go about their daily ritual and there are three different styles of Buddha on display here – you can’t miss them, they are huge! There’s also some tasty coconut ice cream here!

A lady sorting and packaging peanut snacks for tasters and sale. — Candies are also a complimentary treat on the Vietnamese Islands

The second stop along the tour was the starting point for the Mekong Delta tour. And soon after we set off on a ferry across the Mekong River. There are four islands in close proximity, and three of them you will be visiting today. Chau Thanh Island is the first stop.

There is a small coconut factory and shop on display here – along with quite a few taste testings if you feel like it (including rum).

My first encounter with snake/scorpion wine was at this stop – I later found out many of the alcohol percentages are watered down, so it doesn’t preserve the dead creatures inside and they can still decompose, so it may be worthwhile passing on that. If you do decide on a taste, it is a little bit spicy.

This drink is complimentary, if you can stomach it. — Snake and scorpion wine is available for tasting at the Mekong Delta – it might not be the safest drink to have if the alcohol isn’t strong enough to preserve the animals.

Back on the boat and headed to Phung Island. This is where lunch will be served. If you have any dietary restrictions, you should organize it with your guide at the start of the day. Vegetarian meals are available on request. Phong Island was a pretty unique place.

There was a small temple and pond area, but there was an amusement park. Fitted with rope swings and BMX bike balance beams that fell into the water, it did look like a lot of fun!

These bees are shown on a rack and don't really more much at all. — A rack of bees on display after a honey tasting during the Mekong Delta day tour.

The final island the Mekong Delta day tour visited is known as Unicorn Island. First up here was a quick honey tasting (which was sweet and delicious). We then headed to the part I was looking forward to all day – and the part of the day that saved the Mekong tour for me.

The small, long tail boat ride through the Mekong Delta. All up, the short boat ride lasted around 15 minutes.

But it was pretty much the only part of the day where there weren’t tourists in every direction. There were quite a few moments where all I could see was the lady paddling in front of me. Four visitors loaded into the long and narrow wooden boats and set off along the murky brown river – due to heavy rains the water turns brown in the wet season.

While there are plenty of others on the tour to the Mekong Delta, you can get a lot of quiet time on these small boats — My local boat driver paddles down the narrow water alleys of the Mekong Delta

The Mekong River offshoot snakes its way through arches of bamboo stalks and mangroves. You’re even allowed to paddle for a little if you’d like to. Almost at the end is where our driver stopped and wanted a tip before reaching the end of the trip.

As we boarded back onto the boat headed towards the mainland, those on the overnight Mekong Delta cruise separated and the bus headed back through the chaotic streets towards Ho Chi Minh City.

**So, is the day tour the Mekong Delta really worth the time and money?**

These are the style of boats you ride the narrow alleys of the Mekong Delta in — Overgrown sections of the shoreline around the Delta make for some unique views

In all honesty, yes and no. It depends on what you’re after. Are you wanting a relaxed and one on one session with a guide? Then this tour probably isn’t for you.

However, if you’re running short on time and/or cash, this is a great way to see the Mekong Delta close up. Even though it was an exhausting day, there was a lot to try and experience – not many people can say they paddled a boat along the Mekong River in Vietnam, can they?!

Personally, I enjoyed the day tour to the Mekong Delta. I didn’t go into the tour expecting a quiet and personalized tour for so cheap – the tour to Vietnam’s Mekong Delta cost 185,000 Vietnamese Dong (around $8 USD). All up, it is a long, but fun day trip from Ho Chi Minh City!

How do I book a tour to Vietnam’s Mekong Delta?

Getting the front seat gives the best angles for photographing the boat driver paddling down the Mekong — Taking the short long-tail boat ride down the Mekong Delta is the highlight of the day trip!

If you’re looking to book a spot on a tour to the Mekong Delta, there are a few ways you can go about it:

You can book in person – there are many tourist tour booking stores dotted around Ho Chi Minh City. They are all are similar with their itineraries and price!
You can book at your accommodation in Ho Chi Minh City. This is what I personally did and it worked out great. You pay your reception/staff member, and they take care of everything else. All you need to do then is turn up.

Looking for a great hostel in Ho Chi Minh City?

Long Hostel is where I stayed in Ho Chi Minh City, and it was a budget-friendly, clean and comfy hostel with friendly and helpful staff. Check out Long Hostel on Booking.com here!

Have you visited (or will visit) the Mekong Delta in Vietnam? I’d love to hear your experiences, or answer any questions you’ve got about the tour! Drop me a comment below and I’ll get right back to you!

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