Gentle Mekong Delta trips, 1 to 3 days
Tours · Prices
How our prices are built
Every trip on this site says On request, because the figure depends mostly on how many of you there are and which vehicle and boat that needs. This page shows what a quote is made of, the costs you can check yourself, and how a cheaper quote for the same route is usually put together.
Why the pages say On request
A private trip is mostly fixed costs shared by the party: the vehicle and driver, the guide, the boat. Two travellers pay for the same car and guide as four. A price per person printed on a page would be right for one party size and wrong for every other, so we quote the whole trip for your group once we know who is coming.
What we can show here is the structure. A quote from us always lists the vehicle type, the guide, each boat and whether it is private or shared, each meal, each entrance, the hotel by name on two-day trips, and the child seats we have secured. If any of those lines is missing from a quote you are comparing ours with, ask the other company for it.
What a quote is made of
| Line | What it covers | Why it varies |
|---|---|---|
| Vehicle and driver | Air-conditioned car or minivan, fuel, tolls, the driver's time | Size of party and luggage; one day or two |
| Guide | English-speaking guide for the whole trip | One day or two; overnight allowance on two-day trips |
| Boats | Private sampan or covered boat, with life jackets | Size of boat; private or shared; early market hours |
| Meals | Lunch each day; breakfast at the hotel | Garden house or restaurant; cooking-day ingredients |
| Entrances | Old houses, workshops, orchards on the route | Number of people; small fees, listed on the quote |
| Hotel | Two-day trips only, named with room type | Room level; lift or ground floor; early check-in |
| Child seats | Requested for each child who needs one | Availability with the car company on your date |
Our trips include no shopping stops, and the small fees on the route, such as orchard entries, are listed on the quote.
Costs you can check yourself
These are published figures from other sources, with the date of the source. They are here so you can see the scale of the small costs on a delta day. They change; check before you go.
| Item | Published figure | Source date |
|---|---|---|
| Binh Thuy ancient house, Can Tho, adult entry | VND 15,000 | October 2023 |
| Hotels in central Ninh Kieu, Can Tho, per night | Typically VND 500,000–800,000 | October 2023 |
| Con Son islet half-day, per person | About VND 250,000, meals extra | October 2023 |
| Cai Rang market boat, simple, about 2 hours (source does not say per person or per boat) | Typically VND 200,000–300,000 | May 2026 (estimate by a private travel publisher) |
| Cai Rang private guided boat, 4–5 hours, per person | Typically VND 500,000–800,000 | May 2026 (estimate by a private travel publisher) |
| An Binh crossing from Vinh Long | About VND 4,000 | October 2023 |
| An Binh orchard entry, per person | Typically VND 30,000–50,000 | October 2023 |
| Thoi Son: shared boat from My Tho / private boat | VND 20,000–30,000 per person / VND 300,000–350,000 per boat | 2021 |
| Hu tieu My Tho, per bowl | Typically VND 20,000–40,000 | September 2023 |
| Bus Ho Chi Minh City–Can Tho, one way | Typically VND 170,000–260,000 | Undated listing, checked October 2026 |
These numbers also explain why a private trip costs what it does. The entrances and boats are a small part; the car, the driver and the guide for a whole day are most of it.
Sources: VnExpress — 48 hours in Cần Thơ, 27 Oct 2023; vietnamtourism.com (private publisher) — Cái Răng boat prices, 27 May 2026; Mia.vn — An Bình islet in fruit season, 10 Oct 2023; Mia.vn — fruit gardens of Vĩnh Long, 10 Oct 2023; Vietnambooking — Thới Sơn travel notes, 2021; Mia.vn — hủ tiếu Mỹ Tho, 25 Sep 2023; redBus Vietnam — Saigon to Cần Thơ buses · checked .
What moves the price, in order
- Party size. Two travellers carry the whole cost of the car and guide; six share it three ways.
- Vehicle. A seven-seat car becomes a 16-seat minivan above about four adults with luggage, or when child seats take up room.
- One day or two. A hotel night adds the room, the guide's overnight and a second day of car and driver.
- Hotel level and room needs. A lift, a ground-floor room or a guaranteed early check-in can narrow the choice of hotel.
- Season. Dates around the Lunar New Year (Tet) are priced for your exact dates, because hotels and transport for those weeks are quoted separately.
- Early boats. A 05:30 market boat costs more than a mid-morning one because the crew starts before dawn.
What is not included, and why
- Travel insurance. Your own policy from home covers you better than anything we could add.
- Dinners on two-day trips. Evenings are free on purpose; many families prefer room service or an early night.
- Drinks other than water and tea. Kept separate so the quote is not padded with things you may not want.
- Tips. For guides, drivers and boat crews, left to your choice.
- Pick-up outside central Ho Chi Minh City. Quoted separately, because it can add an hour each way.
How a cheaper quote for the same route is usually built
Quotes for a Ben Tre or Can Tho day can differ a great deal. When one is much cheaper, it is usually for one of these reasons. None of them is dishonest; they just make a different trip.
- Seats on a shared coach rather than a private car, with a fixed timetable and more stops.
- A 05:30 or 06:00 pick-up so the coach can fit more into the day.
- Shared boats used as transfers between stops, which means more boardings.
- A large group restaurant instead of a garden-house lunch, and no time set aside for rest.
- Shopping stops that pay commission to the operator.
- No child seats, or a quote that does not mention them.
If those things do not bother you, the cheaper trip may be the right one. If they do, compare quotes line by line.
Common questions
Questions travellers ask most
Why is your quote higher than a tour I found for the same route?
Usually because ours is private, starts at 08:00, includes a long rest and avoids commission stops. Compare the vehicle, the number of boat transfers, the pick-up time and whether child seats are listed. If the other trip suits you, it is a fair choice.
Do children pay less?
On a private trip most costs are shared, so a child changes the price mainly through meals, entrances and sometimes the size of the vehicle. The quote shows it.
Which currency do you quote in?
We quote in US dollars. Small costs on the ground are paid in Vietnamese dong by your guide and are already inside the quote.
Is the quote fixed once confirmed?
Yes, for the trip as confirmed in writing. If you change the date, the party size or the hotel, we re-price it in full and show you the difference.
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Tours · How to book
How to book
The steps from first message to a confirmed trip, including weather changes.
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Tours
Tours
All four trips side by side: hours in the car, boat boardings, rest.
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Example journey
Ben Tre orchards and coconut day
One day, 08:00 start: coconut workshop, sampan loop, orchard, garden-house lunch and rest.
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Example journey
Can Tho in 2 days
Two days in Can Tho with a riverside hotel and a choice of early or late market boat.
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About
About us
How we plan, why the ease table exists, and the trips we do not do well.
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Contact
Contact
How to reach us through the form and what to include in a first message.
View this journeyStart planning
Tell us who is travelling and how you like to move
A month, the number of travellers and the ages of any children or older travellers are enough to start. We reply by email with questions or a first day plan that shows the hours in the car, the boat boardings and the midday rest.