The Mekong Delta: Vietnam's Rice Bowl on Water

The Mekong Delta is where the Mekong River, having traveled 4,350 km from the Tibetan Plateau, finally meets the sea. The river fans out into 9 main branches and a labyrinth of canals, swamps, and islands, covering 40,000 square km of southern Vietnam. It produces 55% of Vietnam's rice, 60% of its aquaculture, and most of its fruit. 17 million people live here. The Vietnamese call it the "Nine-Dragon River Delta" (Cửu Long).

This is not the dramatic karst-and-rice-terrace Vietnam of postcards. This is flat, water-bound, endlessly green, and slow in a way the rest of the country isn't. The people are the warmest in Vietnam. The food is the sweetest. The water is the brownest. The boats are the most numerous.

Where to go

Mỹ Tho (closest, most touristy)

1.5 hours from Saigon. The standard day trip. Boat rides to 4 small islands (Unicorn, Dragon, Turtle, Phoenix), coconut candy workshops, a fruit orchard, a bee farm, lunch of elephant ear fish. It's a tour-bus experience but the boat through the channels is genuinely pleasant. Better than skipping it.

Bến Tre (the next town over, the "real" Mỹ Tho)

Same boat culture, fewer tour groups. Cycling through the orchards is the best activity. Homestays on the river. Sleep one night in a Mekong homestay — the experience of falling asleep to the river and waking up to roosters is a specific kind of peace.

Cần Thơ (floating markets)

The big one. Cai Rang floating market is at its best at sunrise: 300 boats clustered in the river, each selling one thing — pineapples, watermelons, sweet potatoes, limes — and advertising the product by hanging a sample from a tall bamboo pole (so you can see what's for sale from a distance). Get there by 6 a.m. Stay overnight in Cần Thơ for the early start.

Cái Răng (smaller floating market, west of Cần Thơ)

Less crowded than Cai Rang, more local. Go to both if you have two mornings.

Sóc Trăng (Khmer culture)

The Khmer (Cambodian) minority lives throughout the delta. Sóc Trăng has the most interesting Khmer temples and the best Khmer-style cooking, including the unique bánh pía (a flaky durian-paste pastry). Day trip from Cần Thơ or stay overnight.

Châu Đốc (the border area)

Near the Cambodian border, ethnically Khmer, religiously a mix of Buddhist and Muslim (the Cham). The floating houses on stilts, the fish farms, and the pilgrimage sites for the Bà Chúa Xứ temple. Off the typical route, very local.

What to do in the delta

Boat tour through the canals: Essential. Even a half-day boat ride will make sense of the landscape.
Cycling through orchards: Best way to see the villages. Many homestays rent bikes for free.
Floating market at sunrise: Non-negotiable if you're anywhere near Cần Thơ.
Cooking class with a local family: Several homestays offer this. The food you'll learn is different from Saigon and significantly different from Hà Nội.
Homestay on the river: Sleep in a wooden house on stilts, wake to boat noise, fish for dinner. $15-30/night.

Best food in the delta

The delta is Vietnam's sweet-tooth region. Coconut in everything, palm sugar, tropical fruit in every direction.

Cá kho tộ (caramel fish in a clay pot): Mekong version, made with snakehead fish, the local specialty. Any homestay will make it.
Hủ tiếu Nam Vang (Saigon-style noodle soup): The southern take on phở, with more toppings, sweeter broth, sometimes dried shrimp.
Bánh xèo (the southern version): Huge, crispy, coconut-milk batter, filled with mung bean, shrimp, pork. The Mekong version is the original and the best.
Fresh tropical fruit: Mango, dragonfruit, rambutan, mangosteen (when in season), longan, sapodilla. Eat in the orchards.

How long to stay

A day trip from Saigon is fine if you're short on time (Mỹ Tho, 1 day). For the real experience, 2-3 nights based in Bến Tre or Cần Thơ. A week if you want to go all the way to Châu Đốc and Sóc Trăng.

Getting there

Mỹ Tho: 1.5 hours by bus from Saigon. Bến Tre: 2 hours. Cần Thơ: 3.5 hours, or take a speedboat from Saigon (4 hours, scenic, $25).