Mekong Delta has a lot of beauty – spots with sleepy villages, beautiful fields, amazing fruit orchards and coconut trees along a small canal as well as attractive colorful floating markets.
Lonely Planet – the largest travel guide book rated Mekong Delta as one of the Best Value Destinations for 2012. Taking one day trip to discover Mekong Delta is a choice that you have never regretted in your Vietnam tours.
Mekong Delta floating market
Tourists can easily take a bus to the Mekong Delta from Ho Chi Minh City at any tourism agencies in the backpacker area of District 1 such as Bui Vien, Pham Ngu Lao, or De Tham street or in District 10 (at a bus station on Le Hong Phong street). Tourists can also book a tour with the Paradise Travel package at the price from 650000 VND for a one – day trip per one person. This tour includes transportations, meals and drinks.
Moreover, tourists can take a motorbike tour in 1.5 hours to discover the life of local people. Just wearing simple clothes and sandals and bringing sun cream, hats, overcoats and insect repellent to have an easy boat trip.
The first destination of one day trip to Mekong Delta is Tien Giang which is about 70 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh City. Tien Giang is an amazing province has rich aquatic supply including freshwater fish, brackish fish, and saltwater fish. In Tien Giang, tourists have opportunity to enjoy Broken Rice (Cơm Tấm) and My Tho styled noodle (Hủ Tiếu Mỹ Tho) for breakfast. After enjoying the breakfast time with the special foods, visitors will get on a wooden boat to cruise around the Tien River from Ba Muoi Thang Tu Wharf. Visiting Cai Be Floating Market and Tan Phong Island, tourists can enjoy special fruits (Vinh Kim star-apple, rambutan, Trung Luong plum, sweet mango, Cai Be guava, and thick-skinned orange), vegetable, and other products as well as experience the life of Mekong River Delta community.
Mekong Delta daily activities
Visiting My Tho – the quiet capital and the traditional gateway of Tien Giang province is very interesting trip. My Tho is admired of four islets named after four legendary animals of Dragon (Long), Unicorn (Lân), Turtle (Quy) and Phoenix (Phượng). My Tho is also famous for the fishing ports and immense of fruit gardens of Pineapple (Dứa), Papaya (Đu Đủ), Rambutan (Chôm Chôm), Longan (Nhãn), Dragon fruit (Thanh Long)…
A garden in Mekong Delta
Docking at Thoi Son Islet, tourists have enough time to enjoy the fresh fruits and listen the traditional music of southern Viet Nam (Đờn Ca Tài Từ) performed by the famous local artists. Đờn Ca Tài Tử is the southern folk music which was acknowledged as the UNESSCO intangible cultural heritage of humanity earlier this year. In order to visit floating markets, tourists continue on to Can Tho on their whirlwind Mekong Delta tour to catch a glimpse of the famous river.
A Vietnamese traditional music show
Drifting under the shades of coconut trees along a small canal by getting on a small boat with two local paddlers to is a highlight of one day trip. It is unforgettable to experience the bustling atmosphere of hundreds of boats hustling in a small channel with the sound of paddles beating the water surface. Tourists only have to pay the price of 15 000VND per on person plus tips if any. Finishing the small boat trip, tourists will be back to the big boat to visit venues that raise bees and make coconut candies. Tourist can eat freshly made coconut candies and enjoy hot lemonade with honey.
Discover Mekong delta on boat
Dressing up like a local person to catch fish in a muddy canal is a not-to-be-missed activity. The interesting is tourists can eat the traditional foods from the fish tourist caught. After having the local style meal, tourists are ready to head to Phoenix islet which has a man-made stone cave room of amateur folk music. In the sunset, tourists turn back to the city.
A one day trip by boat and bus or motorbike or even bike is the great experience to discover the daily life and the unique culture of Mekong Delta‘s local people. Let enjoy your tour with the floating markets, sailing on the river, spending a while in fruit orchards, tasting local cuisine and listening Đờn Ca Tài Tử.
