Delta day trips from Ho Chi Minh City
Tours · 2 days, 1 night
Can Tho and Cai Rang at dawn, 2 days
The only trip on this site that reaches a floating market while it is still trading. You drive to Can Tho on day one, sleep by the river, and are on a boat before 06:00 to see Cai Rang at its busiest. About three hours on the road each way; join-in or private.
At a glance
- Length
- 2 days, 1 night
- Party
- Join-in group or private
- Starts
- Central Ho Chi Minh City
- Ends
- Central Ho Chi Minh City
- Road time
- About 3–3.5 h each way, direct
- Price
- On request
Who this trip is for
This is the trip for anyone for whom the words Mekong Delta mean boats trading on the water. Cai Rang, about 6 km from central Can Tho on the Hau River, is the main floating market in the delta that still works as a market. Its trading culture was recognised as national intangible heritage in 2016. It is also much smaller than it was, and a growing share of the boats around you will be carrying visitors rather than fruit. Go expecting a working wholesale market at reduced size, and you will not be disappointed.
The market is busiest from about 06:00 to 07:30 and thins out after 08:00. Can Tho is about 171 km from central Ho Chi Minh City by road, three hours or more each way. A day trip would either arrive at 09:00, when the boats are leaving, or leave the city in the middle of the night. A night in Can Tho is the sensible way to be on the river at first light.
Sources: Doanh nghiệp Hội nhập — Cái Răng heritage and decline, 20 Oct 2020; vietnamtourism.com (private publisher) — Cái Răng guide, 27 May 2026; OSRM / OpenStreetMap route model, queried 11 Oct 2026 · checked .
Join-in or private on this route
| Join-in | Private | |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 departure | 07:30–08:00 from the central wards | From your hotel, at a time you choose |
| Day 1 route | Usually via the Ben Tre side for boats and lunch, then on to Can Tho mid-afternoon | Via Ben Tre or Cai Be, or straight to Can Tho by the expressway |
| Hotel | A Can Tho hotel chosen for the group, twin share | Named on your quote; you can ask for a riverside room |
| Day 2 boat | Breakfast at 06:00, boat at about 06:30–07:00 | Boat from about 05:30 to reach the busiest hour |
| Day 2 return | Leaves Can Tho at about 12:00; back about 18:00 | Leaves when you choose; Binh Thuy house can be added |
| Who is on the boat | The group, on a shared boat | Your party, on your own boat |
One published join-in schedule leaves the city at 07:30 (its listing page says 08:00), reaches Ben Tre at about 10:00, leaves for Can Tho at about 15:00, boards the Cai Rang boat at 06:30 to 07:00 after a 06:00 breakfast, and gets back to the city at about 18:00. Note that 06:30 to 07:00 is already late in the market's busiest window. On a private trip we start earlier.
Sources: TheSinhTourist — Ben Tre, Can Tho, Cai Rang 2 days (join-in); TheSinhTourist — Mekong tour listing; vietnamtourism.com (private publisher) — Cái Răng guide, 27 May 2026 · checked .
The two days
Day 1
Ho Chi Minh City to the Ben Tre side and on to Can Tho
Collection is at 07:30 to 08:00 in the central wards. The vehicle takes the Trung Luong expressway and crosses the Tien River to the Ben Tre side by one of the two Rach Mieu bridges. The morning is spent in boats: a motorboat along the river and its canals, a honey farm with fruit and tea, a coconut-candy workshop, a ride through the village lanes and a hand-rowed boat on a small creek. Lunch is at a riverside restaurant.
In the middle of the afternoon the vehicle heads for Can Tho over the My Thuan 2 bridge and the My Thuan–Can Tho expressway, and you check in during the early evening. The evening is free: the Ninh Kieu riverfront and its pedestrian bridge are a short walk from most central hotels, and the night market opens after about 16:00. Dinner is included on join-in departures; on a private trip the guide can suggest places, such as for duck stewed in fermented tofu, a Can Tho evening dish.
Day 2
Cai Rang floating market at dawn, then back to Ho Chi Minh City
Cai Rang between 06:00 and 07:30, the only hour of the trip that cannot move
On a private trip you leave the hotel at about 05:30 to 05:45; on a join-in trip breakfast is at 06:00 and the boat leaves at about 06:30 to 07:00. The boat from the Ninh Kieu wharf takes about 30 to 40 minutes to reach Cai Rang. Trading boats anchor in the river with a sample of what they sell hung from a tall pole: a pumpkin, a bunch of bananas, a pineapple. Smaller boats sell noodle soup to the traders, and you can eat breakfast on the water the way they do.
After the market most boats call at a rice-noodle workshop or an orchard, then return to Ninh Kieu at about 10:30. On a private trip you can add the Binh Thuy ancient house, built in 1870 (opening hours published in 2023 were 08:00 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 18:00; check locally), before lunch. The vehicle leaves Can Tho at about 12:00 and reaches the central wards at about 17:00 to 18:00, depending on traffic and on rest stops.
Sources: TheSinhTourist — Ben Tre, Can Tho, Cai Rang 2 days (join-in); vietnamtourism.com (private publisher) — Cái Răng guide, 27 May 2026; Báo Văn Hóa — floating-market culture and the cây bẹo pole, 29 Jan 2022; VnExpress — 48 hours in Cần Thơ, 27 Oct 2023 · checked .
Price
| Party | How you travel | Price per person |
|---|---|---|
| Join-in, 2 sharing a room | Shared vehicle, guide and boats; group hotel | On request |
| Join-in, 1 traveller | As above, with a single room | On request |
| Private, 2 travellers | Car, own guide, own boats, named hotel | On request |
| Private, 3–4 travellers | Car or small minivan, own guide and boats | On request |
| Private, 5–8 travellers | Minivan, own guide and boats | On request |
What moves this price most is the hotel and whether you share the boat. Both are explained on the pricing page; confirmation steps are on how to book.
What the price includes
- Collection and return in the central wards, or from your hotel on a private trip
- Air-conditioned vehicle for both days
- English-speaking guide for both days
- One night in central Can Tho, breakfast included
- Boats on day 1 and the Cai Rang boat on day 2, with life jackets
- Meals as listed: lunch and dinner on day 1, breakfast and lunch on day 2
- Bottled water
What it does not include
- Single-room supplement, unless booked as a single traveller
- Drinks other than water
- Binh Thuy house entry (a small fee at the door) and other extras on a private trip
- Tips for the guide, driver and boat crew
- Travel insurance
Photos from the route
Who this trip is not for
- Anyone who will not get up at 05:00 to 05:30 — the market is the reason for the night
- Travellers expecting hundreds of boats: Cai Rang is much smaller than at its peak
- People who dislike long road days — about 6 to 7 hours in the vehicle across the two days
- Join-in travellers who want the boat at the very start of trading; the join-in boat leaves at 06:30 to 07:00
- Anyone wanting three days or more in the delta — this site sells day trips and this one-night trip only
Read more
The Can Tho destination page covers the city, Cai Rang's decline, boat prices on the ground and what to do with a free evening. For the hottest and wettest months, see when to go.
Common questions
Questions travellers ask most
Can we do Cai Rang as a day trip from Ho Chi Minh City?
Only by leaving the city at about 02:00 to 02:30, which few people enjoy. Arriving at 09:00 means seeing the market as it empties. That is why this trip includes a night.
How many boats will be at Cai Rang?
We do not give a number because published estimates disagree widely. Expect a working market much smaller than in older photographs, with tourist boats mixed in.
Which hotel do we stay in?
On a join-in trip, a central Can Tho hotel chosen for the group; on a private trip, the hotel named on your quote. Both are near the Ninh Kieu riverfront unless you ask otherwise.
Can we end in Can Tho instead of going back?
Yes on a private trip. Can Tho has an airport with domestic flights, and long-distance buses. Tell us your onward plan and we price the trip one way.
Related
Read next
Tours · Prices
Pricing
Why prices are on request, published market prices, and what moves a delta day-trip quote.
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Tours · Booking
How to book
The steps from first form to pick-up: what we need, what the confirmation states, payment, changes and rain.
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Destinations · Can Tho
Can Tho
Can Tho: Cai Rang today, the Ninh Kieu riverfront, Binh Thuy house, boat prices and one night minimum.
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Planning
Join-in or private
Join-in against private for each route: pick-up, group, road time, what changes in the day.
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Planning
When to go
Dry season, wet season, the hottest and wettest months, king tides, fruit and holidays on delta day trips.
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Example journey
Cai Be day trip
A quieter river day with family workshops and orchards; honest about the faded floating market.
View this journeyStart planning
Tell us which trip and which day
The trip, the date, how many of you and whether you lean to join-in or private are enough to start. We reply by email with a price per person, the pick-up window and what is included.