Mekong Delta

Vietnam's southernmost waterland plain: Can Tho's Cai Rang floating market, orchard canals, Tra Su Forest, and the coasts of Ha Tien and Phu Quoc.

The Mekong Delta (the "Nine Dragons" plain) is an alluvial plain formed where the Mekong splits into several distributaries before reaching the sea in southern Vietnam. Spanning over ten provinces and cities, its canals, water villages, rice paddies and orchards create a distinctive way of life. Trips usually start from Ho Chi Minh City: nearby My Tho and Ben Tre make good day trips, with rowboat rides through coconut-lined canals; Can Tho, the delta's main city, is known for the Cai Rang floating market, a wholesale boat market at dawn; around Chau Doc, Tra Su Forest is a photographers' favorite with its mangroves and duckweed-covered waterways, and there are Khmer and Cham villages nearby; Ha Tien on the western coast has a limestone shoreline and ferries to Phu Quoc; and Phu Quoc is Vietnam's largest island resort area, with a long beach, an over-sea cable car and pearl farms. We suggest 2–3 days in Can Tho and Chau Doc, 1 day in Ha Tien and 3–4 days on Phu Quoc, for 6–8 days in total; you can also continue by boat up the Mekong to Phnom Penh in Cambodia. The region is linked by long-distance buses and fast boats. Phu Quoc has many international flights and offers 30-day visa-free entry to most foreign visitors (subject to the latest policy).

Destinations

Itineraries