Private 2–5 day Mekong Delta routes
Tours · Pricing
What a delta route costs, and why
Our routes say On request because a private route's price depends mostly on two things we only learn from you: how many are travelling and on which dates. This page shows how a quote is built, line by line, and the published local prices we can state now.
Why the routes say On request
On a private route, most of the cost is shared by the party: one car, one driver, one guide and one boat cost the same whether two people use them or six. A per-person figure on the page would be right for one party size and wrong for every other. The hotel rate is the second variable. In the delta's towns it changes with the season and rises sharply around the Lunar New Year, when Vietnamese families travel home.
So we quote after you send a date and a party size, and the quote is per person with every line visible. We do not sell the same route at three hotel levels or as a fixed package with a published price. Every route uses 3–4 star hotels in town centres, and the quote names each one.
What a quote is made of
| Line on the quote | How it is counted | What moves it |
|---|---|---|
| Car and driver | Per day, by vehicle size | Party size (4-seat car, 7-seat car, 16-seat van); one-way routes still pay for the car's empty drive back |
| English-speaking guide | Per day, including travel days | Number of days; a guide who stays overnight needs a room too |
| Hotels | Per room per night, named | Date, room type, single or shared |
| Boats | Per boat, not per person | Private boat to Cai Rang, islet sampans, Tra Su boats |
| Entrance fees | Per person, at the published rate | The places on your itinerary |
| Lunches | Per person, as listed day by day | Dietary needs rarely change it |
| Speedboat to Phnom Penh | Per person, the operator's fare | Five-day route only |
| Options | Each on its own line | Car back from Chau Doc, arrival car in Phnom Penh, extra nights |
You see each of these lines, so you can remove one and see what it saves. If you would rather skip the guide on the long drive home from Chau Doc, the quote shows the difference before you decide.
The levers, largest first
- Party size. Two travellers sharing a car and guide pay much less per person than one traveller alone. Above four, a larger vehicle is needed and the curve flattens.
- Dates. The weeks around the Lunar New Year and Vietnamese public holidays raise hotel rates and fill rooms early.
- Number of days. Each extra day is a day of car and guide plus a night. Adding a night is usually better value than adding a stop, because it keeps the mornings.
- One way or return. Routes ending in Chau Doc include the car's return to Ho Chi Minh City even if you are not in it; the four-day option to ride back costs less than you might expect for that reason.
- Room choice. Single rooms, family rooms and river-view rooms each add to the hotel line.
Local prices we can publish
These are third-party prices from published sources, with the date we read them. They change, sometimes without notice; treat them as a guide and confirm before you travel.
| Item | Published figure | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| Speedboat Chau Doc → Phnom Penh | VND 1,640,000 per passenger | Operator, fares June 2026 to June 2027 |
| Speedboat Phnom Penh → Chau Doc | VND 1,580,000 per passenger | Operator, fares June 2026 to June 2027 |
| Cai Rang boat, 2-hour basic skiff | about VND 200,000–300,000 per boat | Private guide site, May 2026 |
| Cai Rang private guided boat, 4–5 h | about VND 500,000–800,000 | Private guide site, May 2026 |
| Binh Thuy ancient house | VND 15,000 per adult | VnExpress, Oct 2023 |
| Tra Su forest entrance | VND 120,000 (check on site) | Vietnam Coracle, 2025–2026 |
| Public bus Ho Chi Minh City → Can Tho | about VND 170,000–260,000 | redBus, undated |
| Cambodian visa on arrival | widely reported as USD 30; not stated by the embassies | Secondary sources |
Sources: Hang Chau Tourist — daily schedule and fares June 2026 to June 2027; vietnamtourism.com (a private publisher, not the state agency) — Cai Rang guide, 27 May 2026; VnExpress — 48 hours in Can Tho, 27 Oct 2023; Vietnam Coracle — Tra Su forest, modified 28 Jul 2026; redBus Vietnam — Saigon to Can Tho buses; Wikipedia — Visa policy of Cambodia (fee only, unconfirmed) · checked .
Not included, and why
- Travel insurance. We do not sell it. A policy bought in your own country covers you on the way to Vietnam as well, which ours could not.
- Visas. Vietnam's e-visa is a personal application on the official portal. Cambodia's visa on arrival is paid in cash at the border on the five-day route.
- Dinners. Evenings in Can Tho and Chau Doc are the time to eat where you like. A set dinner chosen for you usually means a restaurant that takes groups.
- Tips. Your choice, and only if the guide, driver and boat crew earned them.
How a cheaper quote for the same route is usually built
If another quote for a route that looks the same is a quarter cheaper, it is usually one of these. None is wrong in itself, but you should know which one you are buying.
- A shared boat to Cai Rang that leaves at 08:00, when the trading hour is over
- No guide on driving days, or a guide only for the boat legs
- Hotels described by star rating rather than by name
- Stops at shops or workshops that pay the driver or the guide a commission
- One night fewer, with the missing morning quietly dropped from the itinerary
- A seat on a public bus or a shared van instead of a private car
Plan your trip
Want to see the lines for your dates?
Send the route, your dates and how many are travelling. The quote shows every line separately.
Common questions
Questions travellers ask most
Why is your quote higher than another one for the same route?
Usually because of the list above: our boat leaves for Cai Rang at 05:30, the guide is with you every day, the hotels are named and nobody earns a commission from your shopping. Ask the other company which of those lines it includes.
Is the price per person or per group?
Per person, for your party size. If your party changes, we requote; the per-person figure moves because the car, guide and boats are shared differently.
Do you charge more for single travellers?
A single traveller carries the whole car, guide and boat cost alone, and a single room. The quote shows that honestly rather than hiding it in a supplement.
Are the published local prices included in our route?
Entrance fees and boats on the itinerary are included, and so is the speedboat ticket on the five-day route. The visa fee and anything you buy yourself are not.
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Plan · Getting across
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About
About
Who plans these routes, how they are built, and the trips we do not do well.
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Tell us about the route you have in mind
The day you leave Ho Chi Minh City, how many are travelling and where you go afterwards are enough to start. We reply by email with questions or a priced route that names every hotel.