There are always must-see locations when touring different countries. For Vietnam, the Mekong Delta is a recurring name in all the guide books and blogs on what to experience. However, located 120km away means that it isn’t always easy to access.
We, personally, were in Vietnam without a vehicle or enough time to take an overnight stay, meaning organizing a personal day-trip would be a logistical nightmare. The obvious solution was to go on a tour. Expectedly, there are countless travel agents out there offering a myriad of options at varying price tags. As we only went once, we can only recount our experiences with the agent we went with. If anything, we hope that at least we can provide some information to aid you in choosing the tour best suited to you.
We booked our tour through VietFun Travel. Please note we are not sponsored by them in any way. This is only meant to outline what to expect in order to help anyone who may be looking to plan their own trip to the Mekong Delta or to take a tour with any company.
With VietFun Travel, Two options were available for the group tour, the standard (US$30), and the deluxe (US$35). The only difference was for the food received at lunch, which will be discussed later.
There were options to be picked up from a couple of locations, one of which was the ticket office. The day is broken down and detailed on the website, and the tour followed the schedule reliably. Communication with the staff was not a problem, but there were some points that we think are necessary to mention.
Food – the standard versus the deluxe
This is applicable to the VietFun Tour that we took, though similar situations might occur for other tour companies. Lunch was the only point in the tour where the two groups differed. The standard meal consisted of rice, some meat, and some soup, whereas the deluxe meal also included a whole fried fish (1 between 4 people), fresh rice rolls for wrapping, fried spring rolls, stir-fried vegetables, and for some bizarre reason, French fries. Because of this, we highly recommend spending the extra US$5 per person for the deluxe meal, as the additions by far made the meal much more special.
For this tour, breakfast is important
Though food is provided throughout, such as samples of the coconut candy and a selection of fruit, it is hardly enough even as a snack. The first proper meal you’re provided is lunch, which did not happen for us until around 1pm.
The floating markets start very early
If you would like to take the tour to view the floating markets, it is recommended that you arrive early. By 10:30am when we had arrived, the markets were long over with little to no trace left save the very occasional boat.
Sun protection!
It is exceptionally hot all year round. Though the larger boats are covered and there is a breeze when it runs, the smaller row boats that take you to lunch is not covered at all. This means full exposure to the Southeast Asian sun for around 15 minutes, which can be unbearable for some people. A Vietnamese conical hat was provided, though we recommend that you bring a light jacket to cover your arms and legs, or at the very least apply generous amounts of sunscreen prior to boarding.
Splash zone
A mild warning is that those in the front may be gently surprised by a constant light shower of speckles sprayed during the motorized boats. You won’t be drenched, or even damp, though it may be bothersome to a sensitive soul. If you’re one of those, we suggest a seat further back; as the view of the river is virtually 360°, where you sit will hardly be a problem.
Make sure you keep up
As per usual with many tours, time is of the essence. As it takes 2 hours to drive to the Mekong Delta and close to 3 hours to return, it left not too long in the middle for the tour itself. There were many stops along the way, and at each one we stayed only for around 10-15 minutes before we had to move on again. Despite this, we did not feel rushed or too tired by the end of the day, and there was plenty of time to buy souvenirs as we liked. However, as is common with tours, it is important to keep up with the guide to avoid getting separated.
Returning home
We arrived back at Ho Chi Minh just before 7pm, as traffic was light. The guide mentioned that the latest they tend to arrive is 7.30pm during heavy traffic. We found that the estimations he gave for time were reliable, so we give this information with confidence that it will the case for most people.
We highly enjoyed the tour, and would recommend it to those looking for a means of getting to the Mekong Delta without arranging everything yourself. Though it might not be suited for those who would also like to experience the floating markets, the tour covered a wide range of activities and traditional Vietnamese culture that we would otherwise not have been able to experience.
VietFun Travel
vietfuntravel.com
