A low, water-laced plain of rivers, canals, orchards and rice fields where daily life still moves by boat
Below Ho Chi Minh City the land flattens into a maze of rivers, distributaries and hand-dug canals. Much of the delta lies barely a metre above sea level, and water shapes everything: houses stand on stilts along the banks, farms are reached by footbridge or sampan, and goods still travel to market by boat. Rice paddies, coconut groves, fruit orchards and fish ponds cover much of the land, and the region produces a large share of Vietnam's rice and much of its fish and shrimp.
For travellers the delta is less about single sights than about being on the water. Small rowing boats slip down narrow channels shaded by nipa palms, larger boats work the broad river arms, and in Can Tho the wholesale floating market at Cai Rang gathers boats piled with mangoes, pineapples and watermelons before dawn. Further west, the flooded cajuput forest of Tra Su in An Giang offers a green, quiet contrast to the busy rivers.
People have lived in the delta since at least the 4th century BC. In the first centuries AD it was the heartland of Funan, a trading state whose port at Oc Eo linked the region with India and China, and later it was part of the Khmer world; the delta is still home to the largest Khmer population outside Cambodia, mostly in Tra Vinh and Soc Trang. Vietnamese settlers moved south from the 17th century, and by the mid-18th century the Nguyen lords controlled the whole delta down to Ca Mau.
The French took control of the region in the 1860s, governing it as part of the colony of Cochinchina. Today the delta faces serious pressures: land subsidence, falling sediment supply, coastal erosion and saltwater intrusion threaten farms and towns, and restoration of mangroves and coastal forests is part of the response. Road and bridge building has also reduced the role of floating markets, several of which now survive largely through tourism.
Life follows the river and the harvest. Breakfast is often noodle soup bought from a boat, fruit stalls change with the season, and family-run homestays let visitors share meals of fish, fresh herbs and rice. The delta is also the home of don ca tai tu, the southern amateur music tradition recognised by UNESCO, and of Khmer Theravada pagodas with their own festivals. Many people still make a living from rice, fruit and aquaculture, and changes in water and salinity are a daily concern for farmers.
Most visitors base themselves in Can Tho or another river town and take boats out early in the morning, when markets are busiest and the light is soft. Day trips from Ho Chi Minh City are common but rushed; staying a night or two allows time for a sampan ride along small canals, cycling between villages, visiting orchards, rice-paper and coconut-candy workshops, and simply watching river traffic from a quay. Further west, An Giang offers flooded forests, Khmer and Cham villages and the hills along the Cambodian border.
The drier months from December to April bring easier travel and clear mornings. The wet season, from about May to November, brings heavy showers and higher water, and the landscape is at its greenest. Floating markets run year-round but are quieter at Lunar New Year.
Checked against the sources on 29 October 2026. Opening times and fees can change — confirm before you go.
General guidance from our specialists, not official information.
Ho Chi Minh City is the usual gateway, a few hours' drive from Can Tho. From the delta, ferries run from Rach Gia and Ha Tien to Phu Quoc island, and a ferry from Soc Trang serves the Con Dao islands. Ben Tre, My Tho, Vinh Long, Chau Doc and Tra Su forest are popular stops within the region.
Vietnam's most populous city and economic engine, still widely called Saigon. Visitors come for its French colonial buildings, museums of the 20th-century wars, markets, Chinatown temples and above all its street food and restless energy.
ExploreAn extensive network of hand-dug tunnels about 70 kilometres north-west of central Ho Chi Minh City, used as shelters, supply routes and command posts during the wars against France and the United States. Two sections, Ben Dinh and Ben Duoc, are open to visitors as a historical relic site and memorial.
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Vietnam · 11 nights4★ HotelVietnam · 7 nights4★ ResortThis guide was researched from the sources below and reviewed by our team on 29 October 2026. Facts under “Verified information” link to the page they were checked on; travel tips are general guidance. Photos are credited on each image. The ambient recording’s author and licence are shown in the sound player.
