Delta packages, every inclusion listed
Packages · Can Tho and Chau Doc
Can Tho – Chau Doc package, 3 days, 2 nights
One night on the Hau River at Can Tho and one at Chau Doc near the Cambodian border. An orchard islet on the way in, the floating market at dawn, Sam Mountain at sunset and the Tra Su melaleuca forest at opening time.
At a glance
- Length
- 3 days, 2 nights
- Party
- Your party only, 1–10
- Starts
- Central Ho Chi Minh City, 07:30
- Ends
- Central Ho Chi Minh City, early evening
- Hotel levels
- Standard · Superior · Deluxe
- Price
- On request
The traveller
Who this package is for
This package suits travellers who want to see that the delta is not one place. Can Tho is a river city of bridges and wharves. Chau Doc, about 120 km further up the Hau River by road, is border country: a hill covered in shrines rising out of flat rice land, Cham villages across the water, and a flooded forest that fills with water from September to November. Three days is the shortest package that reaches it without turning the trip into a car journey.
The cost of that reach is the last day. Chau Doc is about 235 km from Ho Chi Minh City, four and a half to five and a half hours by road, and the package drives it in one go after a morning in Tra Su. If that drive puts you off, the four-day package covers the same ground with more stops in between, and the six-day package carries on to Phu Quoc instead of driving back.
Sources: OSRM / OpenStreetMap road routing, queried 11 Oct 2026; Vietnam National Authority of Tourism — Chau Doc; Doanh nghiep Hoi nhap — Tra Su forest, 23 Oct 2024 · checked .
Day by day
Day 1
Ho Chi Minh City to An Binh islet, then Can Tho
Pick-up at 07:30 in central Ho Chi Minh City. The expressway takes you south across the Tien River to Vinh Long, about 136 km, in two and a half to three hours. From the Vinh Long riverfront a boat crosses to An Binh, an islet of more than 60 km² between the Tien and Co Chien rivers, covered in orchards and cut through by small canals. You walk the lanes between fruit gardens with your guide, and lunch, included, is at a garden restaurant on the islet.
Back on the mainland, a short stop at Van Thanh Mieu, a Confucian temple built between 1864 and 1866 on the Long Ho river, then on to Can Tho, about 41 km and under an hour. You reach the hotel in the late afternoon. The evening is free on the Ninh Kieu riverfront; dinner is not included.
Day 2
Cai Rang at dawn, then west to Chau Doc and Sam Mountain
Out at 05:30 for the boat from Ninh Kieu wharf to Cai Rang, 30 to 40 minutes downstream. The market is at its busiest until about 07:30 and is smaller than it once was, as most delta markets now are. This package keeps the boat trip to about two and a half hours so you are back for a late hotel breakfast and a 10:00 checkout.
The drive to Chau Doc is about 120 km, two to two and a half hours, with lunch on the way. In the late afternoon you go up Sam Mountain, about 284 m, by road. At its foot are the temple of Ba Chua Xu and the Tay An pagoda, dating from 1847; from the summit the rice plain runs flat in every direction. There is also a cable car of about 900 m on the mountain; it is optional and not included. Overnight in Chau Doc.
Day 3
Tra Su forest at opening time, then the drive back
Tra Su in its first hour
You leave at 06:00 for Tra Su, about 20 km and 30 to 40 minutes away. The forest opens at 06:30, and an independent guide names the first two hours as the best time to visit. A motorboat takes you into the main channel, then a rowed sampan slides through the duckweed under the melaleuca trees, where storks and egrets nest. We ask the hotel for an early breakfast or a packed one; which you get depends on the hotel.
Back in Chau Doc by about 09:30 to check out. The drive to Ho Chi Minh City is about 235 km and takes four and a half to five and a half hours with a lunch stop, which is included. Drop-off in central Ho Chi Minh City is in the early evening; we do not recommend an evening flight on this day.
Sources: Wikipedia (vi) — An Binh islet; Wikipedia (vi) — Van Thanh Mieu Vinh Long; VinWonders — Sam Mountain, 20 Sep 2025; Vietnam Coracle — Tra Su floating forest, modified 28 Jul 2026; vietnamtourism.com (private publisher) — Can Tho floating market guide, 27 May 2026; OSRM / OpenStreetMap road routing, queried 11 Oct 2026 · checked .
The same route at three hotel levels
The two nights are the only lines that change with the level. Can Tho has a wide range of hotels at all three levels. Chau Doc is a small town and the choice is narrower, especially at the upper level.
| Level | Can Tho | Chau Doc |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | Compact double or twin, private shower room, central Ninh Kieu; window may face a side street | Plain town-centre hotel near the market and the riverfront; rooms vary in size |
| Superior | Larger room with newer fittings near the riverfront; views from upper floors in some | Larger room in a hotel on or close to the riverfront, some with a view over the Hau River |
| Deluxe | The larger rooms in the city with a river or garden view and a pool | One of the few hotels overlooking the river with a pool, or a lodge on the slopes of Sam Mountain |
In Chau Doc the Deluxe choice is small, so on busy dates, such as the Ba Chua Xu festival in the fourth lunar month, your quote may offer Superior there and Deluxe in Can Tho. Mixing levels is allowed and each night is priced on its own line. See the hotel levels page.
We describe the three levels by the room and the location, not by hotel name or star rating. Your written quote names the hotel and room category for each night once we have checked availability for your dates.
Price
| Party | Standard | Superior | Deluxe |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 traveller, own room | On request | On request | On request |
| 2 travellers sharing a room | On request | On request | On request |
| 3–4 travellers | On request | On request | On request |
| 5–7 travellers | On request | On request | On request |
| 8–10 travellers | On request | On request | On request |
| Single supplement, per room | On request | On request | On request |
The largest single line on this package is the car and driver for three long days, which is why the per-person price drops quickly once three or four people share it. Next comes the hotel level, then the boats: the Cai Rang boat and the Tra Su boats can be shared or private. The pricing page lists the published fees for Tra Su and the market boats with the dates we read them. When you are ready, how to book explains the steps.
Included and not included
What the price includes
- Hotel nights as listed, at the level you choose (Standard, Superior or Deluxe), double or twin room, breakfast daily
- Private air-conditioned vehicle and driver for every road leg, sized to your party and used by your party only
- English-speaking guide from the first pick-up to the end of the last guided day
- Every boat trip named in the day-by-day, on a shared or a private boat as written on your quote
- Entrance tickets for every site named in the day-by-day
- The lunches named in the day-by-day, one per full touring day
- Bottled drinking water in the vehicle
- This package: boats to An Binh islet, Cai Rang and inside Tra Su forest; Tra Su entrance; Van Thanh Mieu
What it does not include
- International flights, and domestic flights unless added as a separate line on your quote
- Vietnam visa or e-visa, and travel insurance
- Dinners, drinks other than water, and any meal not named in the day-by-day
- Tips for the guide, the driver and boat crews
- Optional extras: cable cars, massages, extra boat hours, early check-in, late check-out
- Anything not written in the left-hand column
The standard table is the same on every package page. The extra line is what this route adds. The Sam Mountain cable car is optional and is not included; the road to the summit is.
Gallery
Who this package is not for
- Anyone who wants to avoid one long drive; day three ends with about five hours on the road
- Travellers who want an evening flight on the last day; the drop-off is in the early evening
- Light sleepers who dislike two early mornings in a row: 05:30 for Cai Rang, 06:00 for Tra Su
- Visitors in April and May hoping for Tra Su at its greenest; water is low and the heat is at its peak
- Anyone wanting to cross into Cambodia; this package returns to Ho Chi Minh City
Common questions
Questions travellers ask most
When is Tra Su forest at its fullest?
September to November, when the floodwater is high. The forest is open all year from 06:30 to 18:30 (published July 2026); outside the high-water months, ask on site which boat routes are running.
Can we take the Sam Mountain cable car?
Yes, as an optional extra paid on the day. The package includes the road to the summit.
Can we end in Can Tho and fly out from there?
The route ends in Ho Chi Minh City. Can Tho airport lists domestic routes; if you want to fly from there, we can drop you on day three and remove the last road leg, shown on your quote.
Is the festival at Sam Mountain a problem?
During the Ba Chua Xu festival, from the 23rd to the 27th day of the fourth lunar month, Chau Doc is very crowded and rooms are scarce. We tell you when your dates fall in that window.
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Ask for a line-by-line package quote
A package, a month and how many are travelling are enough to start. We reply by email with every line of the standard table priced for your dates, at the hotel level you choose or at all three.