Delta journeys built around the stay
Tours · Can Tho
Can Tho river resort, 2 nights
Two nights at one resort on the Hau River, private from Saigon and back. One early boat to Cai Rang floating market, one afternoon at an old merchant's house, and the rest of the time at the hotel you chose it for.
At a glance
- Length
- 3 days, 2 nights
- Group
- Private, your party only
- Starts
- Ho Chi Minh City
- Ends
- Ho Chi Minh City or Can Tho airport
- Pace
- Easy: one 05:30 start, two free afternoons
- Price
- On request, per trip
Who this journey is for
This is the shortest trip we plan, and it is short on purpose. It suits travellers who have two nights to give the delta, want to see the river at the hour it is busiest, and want the rest of the time to be easy. There is one base, so you unpack once. There is one early start, so you are not tired by the second day. And there is no attempt to fit in Chau Doc, Ben Tre and Can Tho in the same two nights, which is how short delta trips usually go wrong.
The hotel is the decision that shapes everything else. You choose between three stays in Can Tho, and the days bend around that choice. The comparison of stays sets out the differences in detail; the short version is below.
Choose your Can Tho stay
| Stay | Why choose it | What to accept |
|---|---|---|
| Victoria Can Tho Resort | Gardens, two pools, the hotel's own boat to Cai Rang at 06:00 | On the city side of the river; no private pools |
| Legacy Mekong on Con Au (formerly Azerai) | An island reached only by boat; villas with private pools | Every trip out is by boat; room type confirmed at quote |
| Nam Bo Boutique Hotel | Seven suites on Ninh Kieu pier, on foot from the river walk and night market | No pool listed; breakfast is extra |
For a first trip with afternoons at the hotel, we usually suggest one of the two resorts. Nam Bo suits travellers who would rather spend the evening walking the riverfront than sitting by a pool.
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 · checked .
Day by day
Day 1
Saigon to Can Tho, afternoon at the resort
Your driver collects you from your Saigon hotel at about 08:00. The road leaves the city on the expressway to Trung Luong, continues to My Thuan, crosses the Tien River on the My Thuan 2 bridge and runs on to Can Tho. It is about 170 km. With traffic leaving the city, plan on three to three and a half hours; we stop once at a service area if you want a break.
You arrive around lunchtime and check in. The afternoon is free. At about 16:30, when the heat eases, there are two good ways to spend it: on the water, for a quiet hour along the Hau River as the light goes, or on foot along the Ninh Kieu riverfront, where the night market opens after about 16:00. Dinner is at the hotel or in town, at your choice.
Day 2
Cai Rang at first light, Binh Thuy in the afternoon
On the water at Cai Rang between 06:00 and 07:30
The boat leaves at about 05:30. Cai Rang floating market is about 6 km downriver from the centre, thirty to forty minutes by boat, and it is fullest between about 06:00 and 07:30. Be prepared for a smaller market than the photographs you may have seen. Trade has moved to roads and trucks in recent years, and a growing share of the boats now carry visitors. It is still worth the early start, but it is not the market of twenty years ago.
You are back by about 09:30 for breakfast and a long midday at the hotel. At about 14:30 the car takes you to the Binh Thuy ancient house, about 8 km away: a house built in 1870 by the Duong family, mixing Vietnamese and French styles, used as a set for the 1992 film The Lover. Published hours (2023) show it reopening at 14:00 after a midday closure; we check them for your date. Back at the hotel by about 16:30, with the evening free. If you dine out, ask for vit nau chao, duck stewed in fermented tofu, a Can Tho speciality.
Day 3
A slow morning, back to Saigon or on by air
No early start. Breakfast at your own pace and the morning at the hotel. We leave after an early lunch, at about 12:30, and reach central Saigon in the middle of the afternoon.
If you are flying on from Can Tho, the airport is about 9 km from the centre, twenty minutes or so by car, and we time the transfer to your flight. Domestic routes from Can Tho change by season; we check them for your date.
Price
| Party | Room level on the quote | Price per trip |
|---|---|---|
| Private, 2 travellers | Entry room category at your chosen stay | On request |
| Private, 2 travellers | Suite or pool villa where the stay has one | On request |
| Private, 3–4 travellers | Two rooms, or a family-size room where one exists | On request |
| Private, 5–8 travellers | Several rooms; larger vehicle | On request |
Three things move this price most: which stay you choose, the room category, and whether you travel in the November to May high season. The pricing page shows the hotels' and boat operators' own published figures. When you are ready, how to book sets out the steps.
What the price includes
- 2 nights at your chosen Can Tho stay, in the room category named on the quote
- Breakfast daily (at Nam Bo, where breakfast is not in the room rate, we add it)
- Lunch on days 1 and 3, dinner on day 2
- Private car and driver from Saigon and back, or to Can Tho airport
- Private boat to Cai Rang with an English-speaking guide on day 2
- Binh Thuy ancient house entry and the guide's time there
What it does not include
- International and domestic flights
- Vietnam visa or e-visa
- Travel insurance
- Other meals, drinks, spa and hotel extras
- Tips for the driver, guide and boat crew
- Early check-in or late checkout charges if the hotel applies them
Gallery
Who this journey is NOT for
- Travellers who want to see several delta towns. This journey stays in one place by design; the four-night Can Tho and Chau Doc journey covers more ground.
- Anyone who will not get up at 05:15 on day 2. Cai Rang thins out after about 08:00.
- Travellers expecting a large, traditional floating market. Cai Rang survives, but much smaller than at its peak.
- Those who want a guide every hour. Two afternoons here are deliberately unguided.
- Travel in September or October if an outdoor plan cannot move. These are the wettest months, and late-day rain is common.
Common questions
Questions travellers ask most
Can we do this as one night?
You can, but we would not plan it. One night means a three-hour drive in, a 05:30 start and a three-hour drive out within about twenty-four hours, with no time at the hotel you paid for.
Which of the three stays is quietest?
The islet resort, because it sits on Con Au with the river between it and the city. The trade-off is that every trip out starts with a boat.
Can we stay a third night?
Yes, and at the islet resort we often suggest it. The extra day can be spent at the hotel, or on a half day to Vinh Long or Sa Dec, both within about an hour by road.
Is Cai Rang still worth the early start?
We think so, if you go knowing it is smaller than it was and has more visitor boats than it once did. Between 06:00 and 07:30 it is still a working market.
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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.