The Mekong Delta region, in Vietnamese ‘Đồng bằng sông Cửu Long’ literally means in English “9-dragon delta”, is an administrative region of southern Vietnam covering a significant part of the Mekong River Delta. 2 days in Mekong Delta is a better idea to discover not only the culture, the customs but also the life of the inhabitants. The best ways to explore the Mekong delta in 2 days are to take one of our Mekong daily tours or to take a cruise on Mekong river.
Here are our tips for your Mekong trip with our Southern Vietnam tour .
Sunrise in Mekong delta
Best Things to Do for 2 Days in Mekong Delta:
- Take a boat ride to 4 islands to enjoy delicious fruits and honey tea
- Wander around floating markets to understand local lifestyle and cuisine
- Go bicycle following route of Ho Chi Minh City – Ben Tre – An Binh Island
- Visit Cai Be floating market and cycle to enjoy seasonable fruits
Best Time to Visit Mekong Delta
This destination welcomes you at any time of the year, each season it will offer you different types of pleasure and satisfaction. However, the best time to travel to the Mekong Delta is the floating season from September to December.
1. Floating season (September – December): The Mekong Delta has a pleasant climate with a very low probability of rain. You can go fishing by our traditional wooden boats, discover the pristine nature and spend time in the orchards.
2. Rainy Season (May – October): This is not a bad choice if you are traveling to Cai Be during the rainy seasons, as the rains are short and do not affect your trip.
3. Dry season (January – April): It is hot and dry during this period, however, it is the harvest period so you can enjoy agricultural activities with the locals.
Our advice is that you travel to Mekong Delta in the floating or dry season to admire its beauty.
What to Do in the Mekong Delta?
1. Take a small boat to discover a floating market
When coming to Mekong, you cannot miss a boat trip along Mekong river
This is the must of the Mekong Delta, we come to observe a real floating market and it is often early in the morning. Guaranteed atmosphere when the granny in front of you comes to fill his boat of potatoes or when you order a Vietnamese bread to a lady who makes the sandwiches on his boat!
2. Walk in the arroyos in boat
Another essential thing, we avoid the big arms of the Mekong and we ride on a small boat with a rower to walk in the small channels of the Mekong. A very photogenic activity I must admit!
3. Visit historical sites to fulfill the knowledge of the local culture
Vinh Trang Pagoda
Vinh Trang pagoda, Mekong
Built-in 1849 amidst splendid trees, Vinh Trang is the largest pagoda in the province of Tien Giang. A perfect harmony between the Asian and European architectural styles gives it a beauty without equal. The pagoda houses many precious wooden statues, especially those of 18 Arhats, made in 1907 and representing the peak of the sculpture of the Mekong Delta.
Old house of Binh Thuy
This ancient place is one of the few French houses still intact in the South. It has become a favorite destination for many tourists. Its architecture shows both Eastern and Western influences, while retaining the characteristics of the Southern Mount.
This house is also home to precious and rare objects, many centuries old: bed of planks with feet in console, dresser for the tea service, sofa, transverse panels gilded, table and chairs of the Chinese dynasty.
Kien An Cung Pagoda
Here is a cultural project with unique and Chinese architecture. There is a chance to visit Dong Thap and Kien An Cung pagoda to admire the achievements of ancient beauty on your 2 days in Mekong Delta.
Former home of Huynh Thuy Le
This is the place that Huynh Thuy Le spent his life, a cultural space that has been chosen as a must-see destination for any tourist visiting Dong Thap Province.
This house was built in 1895 in Sa Dec, reflecting the harmonious combination of Eastern and Western architecture. In 2013, it was ranked in the Top 100 “Most Impressive Destinations of Vietnam” by the UNESCO Association of Vietnam.
4. Discover the Unique Gastronomy of Mekong Delta
Grilled snails with peppers
This is a tasty must-try food when coming to Mekong
Can Tho is for those inexpensive but delicious dishes like grilled snails with pepper. You’ll fall in love with this typical flavor, a mix of sweet, salty and spicy. Fresh local snails are grilled on coals. They can be cooked in water before grilling. During cooking, fish brine is mixed with pepper and chopped garlic.
Grilled fish
It is a specialty of Dong Thap: The fish is grilled in the authentic style of southern farmers. A bamboo stick is placed in the fish before it is roasted in the coal flame and then wrapped in a fresh lotus leaf. The scent of grilled fish mixed with the pleasant smell of the lotus leaf is something that delta tourists never forget.
Siamese fish soup of mud carp and sesbania sesban
The fish is sweet and the flowers are fresh and slightly bitter, creating a wonderful taste to try on your trip to Vietnam.
Suggested Itineraries for 2 Days in Mekong Delta
Itinerary 1: From Mekong Delta to Cai Rang Floating Market
Day 1: Ho Chi Minh City – My Tho – Ben Tre – Can Tho (4-island Tour)
Start from Ho Chi Minh City and depart for My Tho. After visiting Vinh Trang Pagoda, take a boat ride along the river viewing the stilt houses and the fruit plantations along the river bank. Proceed to Tortoise island and have lunch in the local restaurant. Enjoy a boat ride under the shadow of the water coconut trees to visit a family business which epitomizes the idyllic rural lifestyle. Then enjoy the seasonal delicious fruits & honey tea while listening to traditional music. Take a rowboat ride along the creeks. After taking a delightful walk through the fruit plantation and village, proceed to Can Tho.
Day 2: Can Tho – Ho Chi Minh City (Floating Market Experience)
Take an early morning boat trip to visit the Cai Rang Floating Market, a wholesale market of fruit and vegetable at its busiest time of the day. Keep cruising through the small channel system and visit a rice noodle making village. Break for lunch. Return to Ho Chi Minh City.
Admiring a capujut forest in Mekong is an ideal activity to experience
Itinerary 2: Mekong Cycling 2-Day Tour (Ho Chi Minh City – Ben Tre – Cai Be – My Tho)
Day 1: Ho Chi Minh City – Ben Tre – An Binh Island (30 – 45 km)
After 2 hours driving from Ho Chi Minh City, we start biking from a small ferry to Cai Mon and Cho Lach. Ride through village amongst coconut gardens, nurseries, ornamental gardens, and fruit orchards. Lunch en route. We continue our cycling on dirt track to Binh Hoa Phuoc village. Relax on boat and see activities of local along the Dong Phu canals to An Binh Island. Overnight in An Binh.
Day 2: An Binh Island – Cai Be – My Tho – Ho Chi Minh City (25 – 40 km)
After breakfast, take a boat tour to visit Cai Be floating market. Then, we get back to the bikes to mingle with locals on bicycle through fruit gardens of rambutan, durian and other seasonal fruits in Mekong Delta. Share rooms with locals on bike, scooter on little ferries from Cai Be to My Tho. Stop for lunch at My Tho city.
Drive back to Ho Chi Minh City for departure.
Hopefully, our information with suggested itineraries for 2 days in Mekong Delta met with your expectations!
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