The Mekong Delta: rivers, floating markets and orchards

Why go

After the rush of Saigon, the delta feels like another country. Life moves along the water: boats loaded with pineapples and pumpkins, children cycling home along canal paths, families selling fruit from their gardens. Travellers come for the floating markets, homestays, orchards, coconut workshops and some of the best fruit in Asia.

Can Tho and the floating markets

Can Tho is the largest city in the delta and the best base. Its riverfront is pleasant in the evening, and the Ninh Kieu night market is good for local snacks. The main reason to stay is Cai Rang floating market, best reached by boat at dawn, when wholesalers hang samples of their produce from tall poles. The market is smaller than in the past as roads replace rivers, so treat it as part of a morning on the water rather than the whole trip. Phong Dien market, further out, is quieter.

Ben Tre and My Tho

Ben Tre, the land of coconuts, is closest to Saigon and full of shady canals lined with water palms. Rowing boat rides, coconut candy workshops and cycling along tiny lanes are the highlights. My Tho, across the river, is the stop for many one day tours; it is easy but busy.

Homestays and cycling

The best way to understand the delta is to stay with a family. Vinh Long and the islands around it, and the area around Ben Tre, have homestays in garden houses where you eat home cooked food and wake to birds and boat engines. Cycling the flat lanes between orchards and rice fields is easy and rewarding.

Further afield

Chau Doc, near the Cambodian border, has the Sam Mountain temples, Cham villages and the Tra Su cajuput forest, where you glide by boat through green duckweed in the rainy season. Boats run from Chau Doc to Phnom Penh, a scenic way to continue into Cambodia. Soc Trang has colourful Khmer pagodas, including the Bat Pagoda.

Food

Try banh xeo pancakes stuffed with shrimp and bean sprouts, hu tieu noodle soup, grilled snakehead fish, elephant ear fish and fresh tropical fruit from the orchards: rambutan, mangosteen, durian, longan and pomelo, each in its season.

When to go

The dry season from December to April is easiest. In the flood season, roughly August to November, rivers rise high and some areas flood, but the landscape is at its most lush and some forests, such as Tra Su, look their best.

Getting there

Buses from Ho Chi Minh City reach Can Tho in around three to four hours, and Ben Tre in about two. Can Tho also has a small airport with domestic flights. Many travellers join a two day tour from Saigon, which handles boats and homestays; choose one that avoids the busiest stops if you want a quieter experience.

Travel tips

The delta is hot and humid all year, so carry water, a hat and sun cream on boat trips. Mosquitoes are common at dusk; bring repellent and wear long sleeves in the evening. Cash is needed for boats, markets and homestays, as cards are rarely accepted outside the cities. Bring small notes. Life starts early, so plan to rise at dawn and rest in the heat of the afternoon. Homestay hosts often speak little English, but a smile, a few words of Vietnamese and an appetite will carry you a long way.