Mekong Delta by Public Ferry: 3-Day Independent Route and Costs (2026)

A Futa Bus ticket from Ho Chi Minh City's Mien Tay station to My Tho costs about 120,000 VND and takes 2.5 hours; buses leave roughly every 30 minutes from early morning. From My Tho's bus station, a local bus to Cai Be is 30,000 VND and takes 45 minutes, dropping you near the Cai Be ferry pier.

If you want to skip the local bus waiting or explore side roads, motorbike rental runs 150,000–200,000 VND per day, typically with a passport deposit rather than a cash hold. However, for the main ferry crossings on this three-day route you do not need your own bike; you can walk on and off. Bring a stack of 5,000, 10,000, and 20,000 VND notes. Ferry fares are often 5,000–20,000 VND and ticket sellers on local buses rarely carry change for 200,000 or 500,000 notes.

For the final leg, an express bus from Ben Tre to HCMC costs about 150,000 VND and takes 3 hours, with departures from the main Ben Tre bus station. In total, budget around 300,000 VND for the three bus legs (plus another 150,000–200,000 VND per day if you rent a motorbike). Keep small bills separate, and don't expect change at ferry kiosks or on rural buses.

With Rach Mieu 2 and My Thuan 2 open, the Mekong Delta's public ferry map has shrunk, but three crossings remain useful for a 2026 independent route. The Cai Be–Cai Mon ferry on the Co Chien River still costs 5,000 VND per person and is the fastest way from Cai Be's floating market to the fruit-orchard villages around Cai Mon. However, My Thuan 2 has reshaped traffic, so confirm at the dock or with your homestay host that the boat is running in 2026 before relying on it.

A more dependable crossing is the Vinh Long–Binh Minh ferry, also on the Co Chien River, which brings motorbikes and foot passengers into Vinh Long's riverfront every 15–30 minutes from about 05:00 to 20:00. Expect longer queues Saturday and Sunday morning. South of there, the Ham Luong ferry connects An Binh islet with Ben Tre for 15,000 VND per person, useful for reaching coconut candy workshops and mat weaving villages before the express bus back to HCMC. Carry small notes; change for a 20,000 VND note is not always available.

Cai Mon homestays charge 350,000–500,000 VND per person per night including dinner, and most sit within a 10-minute walk or bicycle ride of the Cai Be–Cai Mon ferry landing. Book directly by phone or through your Futa bus or local xe om contact; English is limited but workable for arranging a bed, dinner, and a 5,000 VND ferry crossing the next morning.

Vinh Long options cluster along the An Binh riverfront near the Vinh Long ferry terminal and run about 400,000 VND per person including breakfast. Ask whether the quoted price includes the meal before paying, because some owners quote room-only rates. A two-hour small-boat tour of Binh Hoa Phuoc islet costs 200,000 VND per person and usually leaves from the homestay's own jetty.

Keep small bills (50,000 VND and under) for homestay owners, as change is often short in the delta, and bring a rain poncho for the walk from the ferry. Most homestays accept cash only.

Cai Be floating market is busiest before 9am—fruit-laden wooden boats cluster near the Tien River confluence, and wholesale trading tapers off by mid-morning. From My Tho, the 45-minute local bus to Cai Be (30,000 VND) drops you a short walk from the dock, where a sampan ride through the market costs 150,000–200,000 VND per hour.

After the Cai Be–Cai Mon ferry (5,000 VND) and the cross-river hop to Vinh Long, the 2-hour Binh Hoa Phuoc islet tour is the standout. Boats thread narrow canals past brick kilns, orchards, and fish farms for 200,000 VND per person. Agree on the price in VND and the full route before you step aboard—touts at the Vinh Long riverfront sometimes quote in US dollars.

Ben Tre justifies the detour with its coconut candy workshops around Mo Cay and Giong Trom, where you can watch grating, pressing, and caramelizing before buying bricks of durian, pandan, or ginger candy (20,000–30,000 VND). A 20-minute stop at a mat weaving village—Nhon Thanh and An Thanh both run handlooms—fits easily before the 3-hour, ~150,000 VND express bus back to Ho Chi Minh City.

Ferries on the Co Chien and Ham Luong still run every 15–30 minutes from 5 am to 8 pm, but weekend queues at Vinh Long–Binh Minh can stretch a 15-minute hop to over an hour. Reconfirm each crossing the evening before with your homestay host or the ferry ticket office; schedules shift seasonally and during Tet, when some smaller boats pause for days. Do not rely on guidebooks published before 2024: they often list ferries that were replaced by Rach Mieu 2 and My Thuan 2 bridges, leaving you standing at a closed terminal. Before departure, check the provincial tourism board website or call the Cai Be tourist office to confirm the Cai Be–Cai Mon ferry is still operating in 2026—the My Thuan 2 bridge has already rerouted some traffic.

Bring a lightweight rain poncho even on clear mornings; Mekong showers arrive within ten minutes and can soak a backpack before you reach shelter. If you rent a motorbike (150,000–200,000 VND/day), do so only with a licence valid for Vietnam and a helmet that fits; police checkpoints on Delta roads are frequent, and an illegal ride can end your day. Keep 5,000 and 10,000 VND notes separate for ferry fares: ticket sellers rarely have change for a 500,000 note before 7 am.