Things to do in the Mekong Delta

The Mekong Delta is not one destination but a scatter of separate provinces south-west of Ho Chi Minh City, each built around a different arm of the river: My Tho and Ben Tre closest to the city, Cai Be and Vinh Long further on, Can Tho as the delta's main hub, and Chau Doc near the Cambodian border.

None of these towns is a district of Ho Chi Minh City, whatever the wording on some tour listings implies, and the Cai Rang floating market trades at Can Tho, not at My Tho, a mix-up that shows up constantly in marketing copy. The delta runs on the same two-season calendar as the city, dry roughly December to April and wet the rest of the year, with river life continuing regardless of season.

A single day trip only reaches the nearer provinces; Can Tho and Chau Doc call for an overnight.