Local Life on the Mekong

Bite-sized trip

Location:
Mekong Delta
Duration:
3 days / 2 nights (flexible)
Price:
From £ 485.- per adult (excluding flights)
From £ 305, - per child (up to 11 years)

Escape the buzz of horns and bright lights of the city and head off on a memorable family adventure to the heart of the Mekong Delta - a myriad of waterways that is home to rural communities, bustling floating markets and traditional handicraft villages. You'll sail the canals, wave to children as you cycle along tiny paths through the grasslands and witness a very different way of life unfold all around you.

Day 1 – Ho Chi Minh City to Mekong Delta

Today, you’ll travel by road from Ho Chi Minh City to Cai Be, your entry point to the Mekong Delta. You’ll soon find yourself amongst a jumble of rice paddies, waterways and quaint villages as you make your way by boat to your home for the night, a charming eco lodge committed to sustainable and responsible tourism. You’ll find a lovely outdoor pool down by the riverside and each of the thatched bungalows are made from eco-friendly materials.

After a delicious lunch served on the waterfront, your guide will take you for an afternoon cycle along winding lanes and across bamboo canal bridges to Tan Phong island. Here, you’ll discover vast orchards, drift along on small wooden boats and meet the locals who call the Delta their home. Rest assured, nobody will be bored with fascinating sights and sounds around every bend! You’ll return back to your eco lodge for the evening for a refreshing swim, dinner (included), and a drink or two down at the riverside bar.

Day 2 – Cai Be floating market & Can Tho

It’s an early start the next morning as you head out by sampan boat to the animated and colourful Cai Be floating market. You’ll delve right into the thick of it, with dozens of boats gathered all around you – merchants bartering with one another to buy and sell the huge array of fresh produce grown across the region. It’ll certainly be a little different to the supermarket back home!

You’ll return to your lodge for check out before taking a boat to the pier and continuing by road to Vinh Long and then Can Tho, where you will spend your second night in the Delta. Your hotel will be perfectly located in the heart of town and will provide the ideal base from which to head out to the floating markets early the next morning. The rest of the afternoon is yours to explore at leisure and don’t miss out on the night market, held along the illuminated waterfront.

Day 3 – Depart the Mekong Delta

This morning, you’ll hop aboard a sampan boat to be whisked off to the largest floating market in the entire Delta – Cai Rang. Not only is it the biggest but it is also by far the most popular, and for good reason! The market is a hive of activity and you’ll be right in amongst it, interacting with locals as you weave your way through the mass of boats, each trading in locally grown produce and homemade handicrafts.

Finally, it’s time to leave the traditional ways of life by the water behind and return back to Ho Chi Minh City, arriving in the afternoon.

You may also like to consider heading on to the idyllic, tropical island of Phu Quoc next, easily reached by air from Can Tho and the perfect place to spend some quality family time at the end of your adventures.

Wherever you go next, we’ll be sure to arrange all domestic travel in advance so you needn’t worry about a thing.