You are planning your trip to Vietnam. You have 2 days and 1 night in the Mekong Delta. You will depart from Ho Chi Minh City. You did some research, and several destinations in the Mekong region are on your list: Can Tho, Vinh Long, Ben Tre, even Chau Doc. You've read a lot, and besides websites advertising tours, forums and blogs also have conflicting information. The touristic experience stands out. But some people also have truly local experiences. And the most difficult part is that you can't find complete information about transportation if you don't book a tour.
I want to make this clear. I live in the Mekong, I am a local. I create and run tours in Ben Tre. I'm writing this article because many people ask me questions related to this topic. There are 2 things I commit to in this article:
I will not try to convince you to buy my tours.
I am only sharing my personal perspective.
Can Tho is most famous for its floating market. There are 2 floating markets there. But almost everyone only knows about Cai Rang floating market. The other market, called Phong Dien, is far away and very very small, with only a few boats so it's not very impressive. Cai Rang floating market is very bustling in the early morning, people still conduct real trading there, not just set up for tourists as many people mistakenly believe. However, the truth is that a large number of tourists visit the market every day, especially during the peak season at the end of the year. Inevitably, you might feel the market is overwhelmed by tourists. In short, the market is still operating for real, it's very dynamic, and there are many tourists there. Can Tho is also a big city in the Mekong Delta, so you'll easily find standard hotels, homestays, restaurants... in the city and near the floating market. If you want to find non-touristic countryside experiences in Can Tho, you can do that by taking a bicycle or motorbike, finding green village areas around your homestay on Google Maps and wandering into them.
What about Vinh Long? Vinh Long is also known for its floating market. However, in recent years when the Mekong region's infrastructure has been upgraded with more bridges and highways, merchants choose trucks for transportation and trading instead of using boats as traditionally. So when you visit this floating market, you'll only see a few remaining boats with very little trading activity. Of course, if you cycle, ride a motorbike or take a boat into the villages around, the scenery is still beautiful, and the people are very friendly. You might encounter impressive canals densely lined with mangroves on both sides.
How about Ben Tre? This is the closest point to Ho Chi Minh City, which southern people still like to call Saigon. If you choose to take a tour around the 4 islands area, it's crowded there. Because most day trips to Mekong from Saigon concentrate there. When it gets too crowded there, a smaller flow of tour tourists will go further to the Ben Tre city area. Again, as long as you separate yourself from these areas, you'll encounter beautiful nature, canals shaded by coconut trees on both sides, peaceful countryside, and no other tourists in sight.
Chau Doc? Perhaps you've done quite a lot of research for this place to be in your mind. This is the farthest point from Saigon compared to the points mentioned above, it's right at the border with Cambodia. Actually, tourists know about it because there's a border gate there, people have to go through it when traveling from Vietnam to Cambodia and vice versa. This is an area rich in culture, especially the unique Cham culture. This region also has magnificent Palmyra palm fields, which you might encounter when visiting Angkor Wat in Cambodia. However, finding a good restaurant, a unique homestay with professional service here is quite difficult. And honestly, it's too far from Saigon for you to consider a 2-day-1-night trip there and back to Saigon.
So how should you use your 2 days and 1 night in the Mekong region if you're in Saigon? In Ben Tre, If you want a relaxing trip, wandering in the countryside, eating good food and have very quiet boat trip, avoiding tourist traps, contact me by whatsapp on this website (for this particular sentence, I allow myself to proudly introduce my services to you). If you really want to visit a floating market once in your life, go to Can Tho, then wonder around yourself on a bike to find non-touristic experience. If you go to Vinh Long, consider the floating market as just a brief stop and spend more time wandering into the villages. Actually, the Mekong is a vast region, and most of it hasn't been visited by tourists except for a few tiny spots on the map.
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