Delta journeys built around the stay
Destinations
Where the stays are, and what is around them
Three bases in the delta have the stays our journeys are built on: Can Tho, Chau Doc with Sam Mountain, and Cai Be. A fourth page covers the two places most travellers combine with them, Saigon and Phu Quoc.
The places at a glance
| Place | Stays there | From Saigon by road | Nights | Good months |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Can Tho | Victoria Can Tho Resort; islet resort on Con Au; Nam Bo Boutique Hotel | About 170 km, 3–3.5 h | 2 | December–April |
| Chau Doc and Sam Mountain | Victoria Chau Doc Hotel; Victoria Nui Sam Lodge | About 235 km, 4.5–5.5 h | 2–3 | September–February |
| Cai Be | Mekong Lodge (with a caveat) | About 108 km, 2–2.5 h | 1 | December–April |
| Saigon and Phu Quoc | Your choice; quoted on request | — | Before and after | December–April |
Distances are by road from central Ho Chi Minh City; times are our estimates including traffic. Months are our judgement for a stay-led trip, explained on the when-to-go page.
Sources: OSRM road routing on OpenStreetMap · checked .
Why only these places
A destination page on this site exists where there is a stay we would build a journey on. That rules out many towns that are interesting to visit, such as My Tho, Ben Tre, Vinh Long, Sa Dec, Soc Trang and Tra Vinh. We still take you to several of them, as half days from Can Tho or as stops on the road, and the comparison of stays lists how far each one is from the nearest stay.
Can Tho is the easiest base: closest to Saigon, three stays to choose from, the floating market thirty minutes away by boat. Chau Doc takes longer to reach and repays it with the border river, the Cham villages, Tra Su forest in the flood months and a lodge with a view. Cai Be has one lodge and an important caveat, and works well as the first night out of Saigon on a longer route.
How the places join up
The delta's main road now runs on expressway from Ho Chi Minh City to Can Tho, crossing the Tien River on the My Thuan 2 bridge, opened at the end of 2023. From Can Tho, an ordinary road follows the Hau River north-west through Long Xuyen to Chau Doc, about 120 km. Cai Be sits just off the expressway on the Saigon side, about 71 km before Can Tho.
Leaving the delta, you can drive back to Saigon, fly from Can Tho, take the boat from Chau Doc to Phnom Penh, or go on to Phu Quoc by fast boat from Ha Tien or by air from Can Tho. Our five-night journey uses that last route.
Inside each base, distances are short. In Can Tho, Cai Rang is thirty to forty minutes by boat from the centre and the Binh Thuy ancient house about 8 km by road. At Chau Doc, the hill lodge is about 6 km from the riverfront hotel and Tra Su about thirty to forty minutes away. Once you have arrived, almost every outing on our journeys is under an hour each way, which is what leaves the afternoons free.
Sources: Sai Gon Giai Phong, delta expressways, 20 Jan 2026; OSRM road routing on OpenStreetMap; Hang Chau Tourist (operator); VinWonders, boats to Phu Quoc, 19 Jul 2025; FlightsFrom, Can Tho–Phu Quoc (schedule aggregator); VnExpress, 48 hours in Can Tho, 27 Oct 2023; Vietnam Coracle, Tra Su, modified 28 Jul 2026 · checked .
A note on place names
Vietnam merged its provinces in 2025. Cai Be and My Tho, formerly in Tien Giang, are now in Dong Thap province. Chau Doc, Ha Tien, Rach Gia and Phu Quoc are all in An Giang province, which absorbed the former Kien Giang. Soc Trang is now part of Can Tho city, and Ben Tre and Tra Vinh are part of Vinh Long province. We use the town names travellers know, and the current province names where it matters.
Sources: Bao Dai bieu Nhan dan, Resolution 202/2025/QH15, 12 Jun 2025 · checked .
Common questions
Questions travellers ask most
Which delta base is closest to Saigon?
Cai Be, at about 108 km. But Can Tho, at about 170 km on the expressway, has more stays to choose from and is where most of our journeys begin.
Is Chau Doc worth the extra drive?
With at least two nights, yes. With one night, the drive costs more than the visit gives back.
Why is there no page for Ben Tre or My Tho?
Neither has a stay we would build a journey around. We visit them on the way to Cai Be or Can Tho.
Can we reach Phu Quoc without returning to Saigon?
Yes, by fast boat from Ha Tien or by air from Can Tho.
Related
Read next
Destinations · Mekong Delta
Can Tho
The delta's main river city: three high-end stays and Cai Rang at dawn.
View this journey
Destinations · Mekong Delta
Chau Doc and Sam Mountain
Border town on the Hau River: riverfront hotel, hill lodge, Tra Su and Cham villages.
View this journey
Destinations · Mekong Delta
Cai Be
Tien River town near Saigon: one lodge to check first, canals and workshops.
View this journey
Destinations · Combining
Saigon and Phu Quoc
How a delta stay joins Saigon and Phu Quoc: roads, fast boats and flights.
View this journey
Planning · Where to stay
Where to stay
Six high-end delta stays compared: setting, rooms, boats, season, nights, when not to choose.
View this journey
Journeys
Tours
Four stay-led journeys of two to five nights, compared side by side.
View this journeyStart planning
Tell us about the delta trip you have in mind
A month, how many are travelling and the nights you have are enough to start. We reply by email with questions or a first draft that names every hotel and room category.