3 Days Saigon to Mekong Delta by Public Bus (Budget Itinerary)

Why Do the Mekong Delta by Public Bus Instead of a Private Car

Most visitors to the Mekong Delta book a private car or a seat on an organized coach that handles every connection. This itinerary takes the other route: it strings together public buses and local shuttles between Ho Chi Minh City, My Tho, Ben Tre and Can Tho, with short boat hops filling in where the road stops.

It is the budget-conscious version of the same three destinations covered in our classic private-car Mekong itinerary — if you would rather have a driver handle the whole route door to door, that version is the better fit, since duplicating the same stops under two different logistics would only add confusion.

A common misconception is worth clearing up first: traveling the delta by public bus is not difficult in the sense of being risky or obscure — the routes are well established and used daily by Vietnamese passengers — but it does demand more flexibility than a private tour. Connections are shared, stops are not arranged around a single traveler, and plans sometimes shift by an hour or a town.

None of that means a guide is required from start to finish; it simply means building slack into each day. For a broader comparison of the two approaches, see our guide to group tours versus private tours in southern Vietnam and our note on choosing a Mekong Delta departure point.

This route also deliberately skips Cu Chi. Cu Chi sits north-west of Ho Chi Minh City, on a different axis from the southern road toward the delta, so pairing it with My Tho, Ben Tre and Can Tho would mean backtracking across the city rather than following one direction out. Travelers who want both usually treat them as separate outings; our Cu Chi Tunnels and Mekong Delta day trip guide covers that combination for those with a car or driver.

For general background on getting around this corridor without a private vehicle, our guide to getting to the Mekong Delta and coast by bus, van and boat is a useful companion to this itinerary, and our budget travel in Ho Chi Minh City guide covers the city side of keeping costs down before you leave.

Day 1: Ho Chi Minh City to My Tho and Ben Tre

Start the day from Ho Chi Minh City, where public buses toward the delta depart from stations serving the southbound routes rather than from the central tourist districts. Once in My Tho, the town itself is compact enough to explore on foot along the river, and it works as a base for short boat trips out onto the channels around the Mekong’s upper arms.

From My Tho, a local shuttle or a short onward bus connects across the river to Ben Tre, the province best known for its coconut groves and its network of narrow canals lined with brick kilns and orchard homesteads. Ben Tre is small enough that a rowing boat through its canals fills an afternoon without needing to arrange transport beyond the boat itself — if you would rather have this piece organized for you locally, the tuk-tuk and rowing-boat combination through Ben Tre’s canals covers exactly this kind of short, self-contained excursion.

Overnight in Ben Tre or My Tho, depending on which connection worked out that day — part of the flexibility this route asks for is not fixing the exact stop in advance. For a side-by-side look at how My Tho and Can Tho compare as delta bases, see My Tho versus Can Tho for the Mekong Delta.

Day 2: Ben Tre to Can Tho

The second day is the longest overland stretch of the trip, moving from Ben Tre toward Can Tho, the delta’s main city and the usual base for exploring its waterways further west. Public bus and shuttle connections along this corridor typically route through or near Vinh Long, giving a chance to break the journey and see its orchards en route, or to continue straight through toward Can Tho if the connection lines up.

Can Tho itself has a proper riverside promenade and a market district that rewards an evening spent simply walking rather than sightseeing on a schedule. Travelers who want a full day of countryside cycling around Can Tho without arranging bikes and routes themselves can look at the guided cycling route through the Can Tho countryside, which runs as a stand-alone local booking rather than part of a multi-day private package.

Settle into Can Tho for the night — this is the base for the highlight of Day 3, and arriving the evening before matters more here than on a private-car itinerary, since the next morning starts early and depends on being in the right place at the right time without a driver waiting outside.

Day 3: Cai Rang Floating Market and Back to Ho Chi Minh City

Can Tho’s reason for an overnight stay is the Cai Rang floating market, which trades at dawn and is reached by a short boat ride from the city rather than by road. Local boat operators run this route independently of any private tour booking, so it fits naturally into a public-transport itinerary; for the full picture of how the market works and how to time the visit, see our dedicated Cai Rang floating market sunrise guide.

After the market, the return to Ho Chi Minh City is by public bus along the same corridor used on the way out. Travelers who prefer to extend the delta side of the trip rather than heading straight back can look at our two-day Mekong Delta itinerary focused on Can Tho and Cai Rang for ideas on stretching this leg further, or our note on choosing a two-day tour over a single day trip for how the timing trade-offs compare.

For travelers who want one more organized activity before or after this loop rather than assembling it entirely by bus, the My Tho and Ben Tre full-day tour and the evening fireflies excursion from My Tho and Ben Tre both run as local bookings that slot into a bus-based trip without requiring a driver for the rest of the route.

Practical Notes for Traveling the Delta by Public Bus

Stage	Mode	What to expect
Ho Chi Minh City to My Tho	Public bus	Departs from a southbound bus station, not the central districts
---	---	---
My Tho to Ben Tre	Local shuttle or short bus	Short river crossing built into the route
---	---	---
Ben Tre canals	Rowing boat	Local, short, no advance private booking required
---	---	---
Ben Tre to Can Tho	Public bus, often via Vinh Long	Longest overland stretch of the trip
---	---	---
Can Tho to Cai Rang market	Small boat	Departs at dawn from Can Tho’s riverside
---	---	---
Can Tho to Ho Chi Minh City	Public bus	Same southbound corridor, reverse direction

This table intentionally leaves out ticket prices, departure times and trip durations, since all three change often enough on public routes that a fixed number here would go stale fast. Check current schedules locally, at the bus station or through your accommodation, once you are in the delta.

Before setting out, it is worth reading how the city side of getting around works, since the route starts and ends in Ho Chi Minh City: see getting around Saigon for the basics of reaching the bus stations from central districts.

FAQ: Public Bus Travel Between Saigon, My Tho, Ben Tre and Can Tho

Is it hard to reach the Mekong Delta by public bus from Ho Chi Minh City?

It is straightforward on paper — regular coaches run from Ho Chi Minh City toward My Tho, Ben Tre and Can Tho — but it asks more patience than a private car, since seats, stops and connections are shared with local passengers rather than arranged around one traveler.

Do I need to book a private guide for this route?

No. This itinerary is built around public buses, local minibuses and short boat transfers that anyone can use independently, without hiring a driver or a guide for the whole three days.

Is this itinerary the same as the classic private-car Mekong Delta trip?

It covers similar ground — Ho Chi Minh City, My Tho, Ben Tre and Can Tho — but the logistics are different: everything moves by public transport and local boats instead of a chauffeured vehicle, which changes the pace of each day.

Can I still do a floating market and canal boat trip without a private tour?

Yes. Short rowing-boat and canal trips around Ben Tre, and the boat rides out to the Cai Rang floating market near Can Tho, are sold locally in small groups and do not require a private car to reach the departure points.

Does this route include the Cu Chi Tunnels?

No. Cu Chi lies north-west of Ho Chi Minh City and is not on the southern bus corridor toward the Mekong Delta, so it sits outside this itinerary.

How much flexibility does traveling by public bus actually cost me?

Mainly predictability. Public transport in the delta covers the same towns as a private tour, but connections between My Tho, Ben Tre and Can Tho take more waiting and more improvising than a route planned door to door.

Is three days enough to see My Tho, Ben Tre and Can Tho by public transport?

It is enough for a first look at each town and its waterways, though a public-transport pace generally covers fewer stops per day than a private itinerary covering the same three destinations.