Delta packages, every inclusion listed
Understand · Inclusions
What "all-inclusive" means here
"All-inclusive" is used loosely in delta packages. This page sets out our standard inclusions table line by line, explains what each line does and does not cover, and gives you a checklist for comparing any two quotes.
The problem with the word
In a beach resort, all-inclusive means the food and drink are paid for. In a Mekong Delta package it can mean almost anything. One quote calls itself all-inclusive and puts you on a shared coach with a guide for fifty. Another uses the same word and includes a private car, a guide on every boat and lunch every day. Both are honest by their own definition. Neither tells you what it means.
We avoid the problem by not leaning on the word. Every package on this site uses one standard table, with the same wording, and each package page adds only the lines specific to its route. If a line is not in the left-hand column, it is not included. That is the whole rule.
The standard table, line by line
| Line | What it covers | What it does not cover |
|---|---|---|
| Hotel nights at your chosen level | The room for the nights listed, double or twin, with breakfast | Early check-in, late checkout, minibar, laundry, room upgrades on the day |
| Private vehicle and driver | Every road leg in the itinerary, in an air-conditioned car or van sized to your party, used only by you | Extra driving in the free evenings or on free days |
| English-speaking guide | From the first pick-up to the end of the last guided day, including on the boats | Free evenings, and the island days on the six-day package |
| Named boat trips | Each boat trip in the day-by-day, shared or private as written on your quote | Extra hours on the water, or boats you add on the day |
| Named entrance tickets | The sites written in the day-by-day | Optional extras such as the Sam Mountain cable car |
| Named lunches | One lunch per full touring day, at a place chosen for the route | Drinks other than water; dinners |
| Bottled water | Drinking water in the vehicle | Drinks at meals |
Package-specific lines are added underneath on each package page: for example, the Ha Tien – Phu Quoc ferry ticket and the island transfers on the six-day package.
What the table never covers, and why
- Flights. Fares change daily, and travellers fly on to different places. A flight we book appears as a separate line at the fare of the day.
- Visas. Vietnam issues e-visas to every nationality through the Immigration Department's own portal, in the traveller's name. We do not apply on your behalf.
- Insurance. It depends on your health, your home country and your other travel.
- Dinners. Evenings are free in every town on our routes, and most people want to choose where to eat.
- Tips. At your discretion, given directly to the people who earned them.
- Optional extras. Priced as separate lines if you ask, never folded in.
Sources: Vietnam National Authority of Tourism — visa requirements · checked .
Shared and private, the line that matters most
Two lines in the table can be shared with other visitors or kept private to your party: the boats. The car and the guide are always private on our packages. The difference matters more than most quotes admit.
A shared boat to Cai Rang runs on a fixed plan with other travellers and is priced per seat; published figures for a shared ride in Can Tho have been around VND 80,000 to 100,000 per person. A private boat is priced per boat. A commercial guide published in May 2026 lists four-hour trips with a noodle workshop and an orchard at about VND 400,000 to 600,000, without saying whether that is per boat or per person. For a couple the shared boat is usually cheaper; the larger the party, the smaller the gap per head, and a private boat leaves when your guide says. Your quote shows which you have, line by line.
Sources: VnExpress — 48 hours in Can Tho, 27 Oct 2023; vietnamtourism.com (private publisher) — Can Tho floating market guide, 27 May 2026 · checked .
A checklist for comparing two quotes
- Is the car private, or a shared coach or minibus?
- Is the guide with you on the boats, or waiting on the bank?
- Is each boat trip shared or private, and for how long?
- Which hotel, which room category, for which nights? "Or similar" is not an answer.
- Which meals, exactly? "Meals as per itinerary" is not an answer either.
- Which entrance tickets are included, and which are optional?
- What time does the market boat leave? After 07:00 at Cai Rang means a thinner market.
- Are there shopping stops, and is anything sold on commission?
If a quote cannot answer these, ask for a line-by-line version. The pricing page shows how each line is costed, and the hotel levels page explains what the room line buys at each level.
Safety on the water
Boats are the heart of every delta package, so safety is not an extra. Can Tho's transport department requires passengers at tourist piers to wear life jackets, and the boats on our packages carry them for everyone aboard. Boarding a small boat from a wharf means one long step down; your guide helps, and if it is difficult for you, say so before you book.
Sources: Can Tho Department of Transport — letter 1781/SGTVT, 22 Aug 2019 · checked .
Where to go from here
Pick a package on the packages page; each one shows the standard table plus its own line. The places themselves are on the destination pages, and how to book explains the steps from the form to confirmation.
Common questions
Questions travellers ask most
Is anything paid locally on the trip?
Only what you choose: dinners, drinks, optional extras and tips. Everything in the left-hand column of the standard table is paid in advance as part of the package.
Why not include dinners and call it full board?
Because most travellers want to choose where and when to eat in the evening, and a set dinner would add cost for a meal many would skip.
Is the guide with us on Phu Quoc?
No. On the six-day package the guide's service ends at the Ha Tien ferry. The island days have transfers but no guide or touring.
Are there shopping stops?
No. Some workshops on the route sell what they make, such as coconut candy. Buying is your choice and nothing is added to your price.
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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.