Delta journeys built around the stay
Tours · Can Tho · Chau Doc
Can Tho and Chau Doc, 4 nights
Two bases on the same river, two nights at each. Can Tho for the floating market and an easy resort afternoon; Chau Doc for the border river, the Cham villages, Tra Su forest and Sam Mountain. One hotel change, about 120 km apart.
At a glance
- Length
- 5 days, 4 nights
- Group
- Private, your party only
- Starts
- Ho Chi Minh City
- Ends
- Saigon, Can Tho airport or Phnom Penh
- Pace
- Easy: two early mornings, three free afternoons
- Price
- On request, per trip
Who this journey is for
If you have four nights for the delta and this is your first visit, this is the shape we would suggest. Can Tho and Chau Doc sit on the same river, the Hau, about 120 km apart. They feel nothing alike. Can Tho is the delta's main city, with its floating market, riverside promenade and the most choice of hotels. Chau Doc is a border town with a mountain behind it, Cham communities across the river, and in the flood months a forest standing in water half an hour away.
Two nights at each gives each base one full day. The only long drive inside the trip is the morning transfer from Can Tho to Chau Doc, two and a half to three hours. Everything else is a short hop from the hotel.
The stays, and how to pair them
| Nights | Choice | Setting | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | Victoria Can Tho Resort | Garden resort, two pools, own boat to Cai Rang | Easy first visit |
| 1–2 | Legacy Mekong on Con Au (formerly Azerai) | Island reached only by boat | Seclusion; room type confirmed at quote |
| 1–2 | Nam Bo Boutique Hotel | Seven suites on Ninh Kieu pier | Walking the city in the evening |
| 3–4 | Victoria Chau Doc Hotel | Riverfront, outdoor pool | River trips from the door; leaving by boat |
| 3–4 | Victoria Nui Sam Lodge | Sam Mountain hillside, infinity pool | View and quiet; Tra Su in flood season |
A common pairing is a resort in Can Tho with the hill lodge at Chau Doc, which gives you a pool at both ends. Travellers who will leave by boat to Phnom Penh do better with the riverfront hotel at Chau Doc, because the hotel lists its own Phnom Penh speedboat, and the 07:00 Hang Chau boat was reported in 2024 to leave from its pier.
Every hotel named on this site is named as a public fact, read on the hotel's own pages or the operator's pages on the date shown under each section. Naming a hotel does not mean we hold a contract, an allocation or a special rate there. Room counts appear only where the hotel publishes them.
Sources: Victoria Can Tho Resort; Legacy Mekong, Can Tho, Autograph Collection (Marriott hotel page); Nam Bo Boutique Hotel, operator page approved 21 Aug 2026; Victoria Chau Doc Hotel; Victoria Nui Sam Lodge; Vietnam Coracle, Vietnam to Cambodia by boat, modified 29 Sep 2024 · checked .
Day by day
Day 1
Saigon to Can Tho
Pick-up in Saigon at about 08:00 and the expressway south: about 170 km, three to three and a half hours with traffic. Lunch on arrival, then the afternoon at your hotel.
Late in the day, either an hour on the Hau River as the light goes or a walk along the Ninh Kieu riverfront, where the night market opens after about 16:00. Dinner at your choice.
Day 2
Cai Rang floating market, an afternoon at the hotel
Cai Rang between 06:00 and 07:30
Boat at about 05:30, Cai Rang at about 06:10, while the market is busiest. It is smaller now than in the past and has more visitor boats than it once had, but in the first hour it still trades. The boat is back at the pier by about 09:30.
Breakfast and the middle of the day at the hotel. At about 15:00 an optional visit to the Binh Thuy ancient house, built in 1870, about 8 km from the centre. Otherwise the pool, and the evening free.
Day 3
Can Tho to Chau Doc along the Hau River
A relaxed start at about 09:00 and the road north-west along the river through Long Xuyen: about 120 km, two and a half to three hours with a stop. You reach Chau Doc for lunch.
If you stay on the riverfront, a private boat at about 15:30 takes you to the floating fish farms and across to the Cham village at Chau Giang, where the Mubarak mosque was first built in 1750. If you stay at the hill lodge, the afternoon is for the infinity pool, and the river trip moves to the morning of day 4.
Day 4
Tra Su forest and Sam Mountain
Tra Su in the first hour after opening
Leave at about 06:00 for Tra Su, roughly thirty to forty minutes by road, to arrive as it opens at 06:30. A motorboat and then a rowed sampan take you through the melaleuca forest. From September to November it stands in floodwater; in the dry months the channels are lower.
Afternoon at the foot of Sam Mountain: the temple of Ba Chua Xu, Tay An pagoda from 1847, and the tomb of Thoai Ngoc Hau from 1822, then up the mountain by road or cable car for the view over the plain toward Cambodia at the end of the day.
Day 5
Leaving the delta
By road to Saigon, about 235 km, four and a half to five and a half hours, leaving at about 10:00. Or about three hours to Can Tho airport for a domestic flight.
Or by boat to Phnom Penh: the Hang Chau boat leaves at 07:00 and arrives at about 13:30. Its published fare for June 2026 to June 2027 is 1,640,000 VND a person. You need your Cambodian visa arranged; we check the rules for your passport.
Sources: OSRM road routing on OpenStreetMap; vietnamtourism.com (private publisher), Cai Rang guide, 27 May 2026; VnExpress, 48 hours in Can Tho, 27 Oct 2023; Mia.vn, mosques of An Giang, 9 Jul 2026; Vietnam Coracle, Tra Su, modified 28 Jul 2026; VinWonders, Sam Mountain, 20 Sep 2025; Hang Chau Tourist (operator) · checked .
Price
| Party | Room level on the quote | Price per trip |
|---|---|---|
| Private, 2 travellers | Entry category at both stays | On request |
| Private, 2 travellers | Suite or villa at one or both stays | On request |
| Private, 3–4 travellers | Two rooms at each stay | On request |
| Private, 5–8 travellers | Several rooms; larger vehicle | On request |
The pairing of stays moves this price more than anything else, followed by the season and the way you leave on day 5. The pricing page shows published rates and fares; how to book explains confirmation.
What the price includes
- 2 nights in Can Tho and 2 nights in Chau Doc, room categories as quoted, breakfast daily
- Lunch on days 1 and 3, dinners on days 2 and 4
- Private car and driver throughout
- Private boat to Cai Rang with an English-speaking guide on day 2
- Private boat on the Chau Doc river with a guide on day 3 or 4
- Tra Su entrance, motorboat and sampan; guide for Sam Mountain
What it does not include
- International flights, and domestic flights unless added
- Vietnam and Cambodia visas
- Travel insurance
- Phnom Penh boat fare unless added
- Cable car tickets, drinks, other meals and hotel extras
- Tips for the driver, guides and boat crews
Gallery
Who this journey is NOT for
- Travellers who want to stay in one place. This journey has one hotel change; the two-night Can Tho journey has none.
- Anyone hoping to add Ben Tre or My Tho as well. They are on the other side of Can Tho from Chau Doc; add them to the five-night journey instead.
- Visitors who dislike early starts: two mornings begin before 06:00.
- Travellers who need the boat to Phnom Penh but cannot arrange a Cambodian visa in time.
- Travel in March and April if heat is a real problem; the days are dry but hot, and outings stay short.
Common questions
Questions travellers ask most
Should we do Can Tho or Chau Doc first?
Can Tho first if you start in Saigon, because it is closer. If you will leave by boat to Phnom Penh, Can Tho first is also the only order that works, since the boat leaves from Chau Doc.
Can we add a fifth night?
Yes. Give the extra night to the stay you expect to enjoy most. At the hill lodge it buys a full free day; at the islet resort it buys quiet.
Is the drive between Can Tho and Chau Doc interesting?
It is mostly a rural road along the river through Long Xuyen. We can stop where you want, but there is no need to plan a visit on it.
Which Chau Doc stay suits this journey?
The riverfront hotel if you will leave by boat or want river trips from the door; the hill lodge if you want a pool with a view and quiet nights.
Related
Read next
Tours · Pricing
Pricing
How quotes are built, published supplier rates, and what moves the price.
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Tours · How to book
How to book
The booking steps, from the enquiry form to a written confirmation.
View this journey
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
Example journey
Can Tho river resort, 2 nights
Two nights at one Can Tho resort: Cai Rang at dawn, free afternoons, private car.
View this journey
Example journey
Chau Doc, hills and river, 3 nights
One night on the Chau Doc river, two at the Sam Mountain lodge, Tra Su at dawn.
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.