Life along the Mekong Delta is extremely vibrant, diverse, and truly unique. This custom tailored tour will take you down the tremendous waterway to experience the expansive paddy fields and fabulous culture, the incredible wildlife and colorful floating markets. Spend your time drifting down secret canals that lead you to quiet villages. Look out over vast meadows filled with elegant birdlife. From unparalleled temples to friendly faces, you will find the beauty in Vietnam and the unforgettable...
Customizable Itinerary
Day 1
Before the Delta Canals
Welcome to Ho Chi Minh City, the commercial capital of Vietnam. The city hides its culture beneath the rising modern luxury. The skyline is active and vibrant. The city lights create a rush of endless energy. The banks of the Saigon River are lined with decadent restaurants that offer tremendous views of the graceful winding water. The streets are a whirr that displays the city’s constant movement. Your local guide meets you at the airport and escorts you to your accommodation for the evening.
Ben Thanh Market comprises one of the liveliest and most quintessentially Vietnamese areas of the city. Mint, garlic, and ginger blend together to form enticing aromas. Soft silk is displayed in flashes of color inside some of the market’s endless stalls. In the evening you will enjoy a dinner with your guide who, the next day, will take you through the incredible culture and scenery of the Mekong Delta.
The city boasts an endless selection of brilliant restaurants that offer traditional Vietnamese flavors or even fuse the traditional with the unique. Nha Hang Ngon is popular amongst the locals and is housed inside a restored French Colonial mansion. The restaurant serves a wide array of Vietnamese dishes that range from simple hand made spring rolls to the popular central Vietnamese dish of Cao Lau. The streets seem to brim no matter the time of day as you make your way back to the hotel to settle in for the night.
What's Included:
Day 2
The Edge of the River
Day 3
Like the Locals
Day 4
The Waterway to the Park
Day 5
Morning Chorus
Day 6
The Water’s End
Day 7
Distance of the Delta
Trip Highlights
- Discover the grandeur of the French Colonial architecture that continues to run along the historic boulevards of Ho Chi Minh City
- Experience the depths of the Mekong Delta on a five-day tour through the main and fragmented waterways
- Witness the brimming culture and tradition of the river floating markets
- Visit the tremendous wildlife and landscape of the Tram Chim National Park
- See the tremendous diverse cultures of Chau Doc, from ethnic Chinese to Cham villagers
- Look out over the fantastic panorama from Sam Mountain
Detailed Description
The scent of ginger and chili fill the air. Water gently guides you along the lush riverbanks. You see local fishermen casting nets in the early morning light. On this 7-day tour through the Mekong Delta you will find yourself in front of the exquisite cultures and vibrant landscapes of Vietnam. Whether you are a history enthusiast or an amateur anthropologist, a river ecologist or if you are just a fan of floating down a river, you will find the amazing lifestyle of the delta. From vivacious citrus orchards to encompassing floating markets, the Mekong is one long endless world for you to explore.
Your riverside journey begins in Ho Chi Minh City on the banks of the Saigon River. The city is the commercial capital of Vietnam and is known for its endless energetic neighborhoods. Your first day will give you time to relax and settle into the culture of the country. The people are gregarious and curious. The city seems to whir with excitement, from the French architecture to the hidden temples. That evening you will have dinner with your guide before setting out on the delta the following morning.
Venture through My Tho en route to Vinh Long. Once there you will climb aboard your boat and begin your exploration of the famed canals. Visit remarkable tropical fruit orchards and stunning cottage industries, local confectionaries and charming bonsai gardens. In the evening you settle into the town of Can Tho. The morning brings with it bustling floating markets to experience on your way to the village of Soc Trang and its exceptional temples and cultural life. The next day will take you along the Bassac River to Tam Nong and finally to the Tram Chim National Park and Wetlands Reserve.
The morning takes you out into the wildlife in search of the fabulous avifauna. In the afternoon you will come to Chau Doc and experience the collection of cultures, from ethnic Chinese to Khmer, along with the Cham Muslim villagers. Return to Ho Chi Minh City with the remainder of the day at your leisure to enjoy the fast-paced streets and bubbling markets. The next day you will have a private transfer to the airport to make the journey home.
Starting Price
$2,100 per person (excluding international flights)
Your Zicasso trip is fully customizable, and this sample itinerary is a starting place for your travel plans. Actual costs are dynamic, and your selection of accommodations and activities, your season of travel, and other such variables will bring this budget guideline up or down. Throughout your planning experience with your Zicasso specialist, your itinerary is designed around your budget. You can book your trip when you are satisfied with every detail. Planning your trip with a Zicasso travel specialist is a free service.
What's Included
- Accommodations
- In-country transportation
- Some or all activities and tours
- Expert trip planning
- 24x7 support during your trip
Your final trip cost will vary based on your selected accommodations, activities, meals, and other trip elements that you opt to include.
Reviews of Zicasso's Referral Service
4.85 stars based on 630 reviews.
The trip was well organized by Zicasso's travel company. We had nice hotel accommodations we liked the guides a lot.
Reviewed By Guillermina M.
Amazing! Zicasso's travel agent worked with my son and me to plan the perfect trip in celebration of his college graduation. She arranged for friendly and knowledgeable tour guides and went out of her way to ensure we were happy.
Reviewed By Jennifer S.
We had an amazing, nearly three-week trip throughout Southeast Asia. Zicasso's tour operators did an incredible job planning all of the details of the trip. In general, I am not easily impressed and I tend to be pretty upfront with my criticism. In this case, I was truly impressed. I really don't have any criticism about the whole experience.
This was a very complicated trip, with eight cities/locations and six internal flights. We had great communication in the months and weeks leading up to the trip. They were receptive to all of our requests and they gave very good advice when we had questions.
All of the guides were great. The hotels were amazing and all of the details of the activities, transfers, and internal flights were well thought out and well coordinated. I was so impressed by their attention to detail. They were also willing to be flexible and able to make changes, even during the trip. I was able to reach them throughout the trip by WhatsApp and they responded quickly every time. I would recommend them wholeheartedly.
Reviewed By Jeffrey W.
We traveled to Vietnam and Cambodia from May 8 to 22, 2025. This was my fifth trip through Zicasso. As expected, the itinerary was excellent and exactly what we were looking for. I did double my budget from what I initially sent to Zicasso.
All of the lodging selections were outstanding. Along with the tours of the Ho Chi Minh complex, Hue Imperial City, the Angkor Wat complex, and numerous other temples and pagodas, we experienced a cable car ride to a mountain summit, a walk through an ethnic village, a water puppet show, a Cambodian circus, a Vietnamese cooking class, an evening lantern boat ride in Hoi An, and dinner in one of the top 50 restaurants in Asia. The water puppets are an ancient Vietnamese art (11th century) and the show was extraordinary.
Reviewed By Marcia H.
Zicasso's travel specialist arranged a wonderful trip and was extremely responsive to our interest in all art forms, culture, cuisine, and the American war in Vietnam. She was very receptive to revisions, even during the trip.
Reviewed By Marlene H.
Zicasso’s travel agency worked patiently with us over several months to organize a perfect four-country tour through Indochina, doing exactly what we asked, including a Khmer cooking class with a local chef.
We were met on arrival in each county by an experienced English-speaking guide who was well-versed in the history, geography, and culture of each location, and they were just delightful people too. They took us to rural villages and through urban mazes to get a close look at the daily life of the citizens. We chatted with farmers in the field and had meals in local homes. Our agency booked amazing hotels for each stop, from an eco-lodge in the mountains of Vietnam to a spectacular seaside resort in Thailand.
We had contact names and numbers for agency representatives in each country. They were incredibly responsive, even after hours, when we had a small medical issue. They gave us a completely seamless experience from arrival to departure, with no wasted time. Vacation time is very precious, so we prefer to work with professionals who know the area intimately and take the time to understand our objectives rather than pushing a canned itinerary.
Reviewed By David H.