2 days
Ho Chi Minh, Mekong
Trade the city pace for orchard paths, palm-shaded canals and an evening around a family kitchen. This two-day Mekong journey takes you from Ho Chi Minh City into the Cho Gao river area and on to Tam Hiep Island, with time to meet craftspeople, try local food-making and settle into a homestay for the night.
The overnight stay is the heart of the trip: cook dinner with your hosts, wake up on the island and set out again by bicycle for a local market and honey-farm visit. With one breakfast, two lunches and one dinner included, there is time to enjoy the food as well as the river scenery.
Travel by local wooden boat through the Cua Dai and Cua Tieu river area, stopping at Giao Hoa to see sticky rice cakes wrapped in banana leaves and at Long Thanh to learn how coconut shells become activated charcoal. These working places give the journey a connection to everyday livelihoods before you reach the island.
On Tam Hiep, cycle between gardens and local homes. Pick la sam creeper leaves, help turn them into herbal jelly and taste the result. After lunch there is hammock time and a look at coconut-leaf broom making, followed by a small rowing boat through narrower, nipa-lined canals.
Walk to Ut Trinh Homestay, check in and freshen up before joining the family in the kitchen. Cooking and dinner give you time to ask about the ingredients and the routines of island life. Your room arrangement and facilities will be confirmed for your stay.
After breakfast, return to the orchard paths by bicycle. Visit a local market for lunch ingredients, watch fabric scraps being woven into carpets and stop at a honeybee farm for honey tea with lime. Back at the homestay, help prepare lunch before saying goodbye and taking the boat back to Hoa Dinh. The programme finishes at Cho Gao; let us know if you need an onward transfer.
Build a longer journey with our Southern Vietnam tours, or add time in the city with Ho Chi Minh City tours.
Since 2009, Vietpower Travel has helped thousands of travellers from around the world explore Vietnam and Indochina. We understand that planning a holiday far from home means placing your trust in the people arranging it.
Vietpower Travel holds International Tour Operator Licence 01-711/2015/TCDL-GPLHQT under Vietnam’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, giving you the reassurance of an established, licensed local travel company.
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Staying in close contact with these partners keeps our recommendations current as services change and new experiences become available. Throughout your holiday, our team coordinates your itinerary and provides support when you need it.
Before you book, your quotation clearly explains what is included, any shared arrangements and items priced separately, so you know what to expect.
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This programme focuses on Tam Hiep Island. Its market visit is a local land-based market on day two. For a floating-market journey, tell us your plans and we can suggest a different Mekong itinerary.
The published itinerary ends at Cho Gao after the return boat journey. Tell us your next destination so we can confirm and quote any onward transfer before booking.
One breakfast, two lunches and one dinner are included. Lunch and dinner on day one, then breakfast and lunch on day two, are part of the programme. Cooking with the family is included; the dishes depend on the day’s ingredients.
You stay one night at Ut Trinh Homestay on Tam Hiep Island. This is a local homestay experience. Ask us to confirm your room arrangement, bathroom facilities and any cooling or accessibility needs for your dates.
There are village rides along orchard paths on both days, with stops for local activities. Tell us your cycling confidence and the ages of children before booking. We will check the route, bicycle suitability and any available alternative with the local team.
The itinerary combines a local wooden boat for the river journeys and a smaller rowing boat for the palm-lined canals. Boarding arrangements and the sequence of stops are confirmed around local river conditions.
A school stop is optional and depends on opening hours and permission. Schools are normally closed at weekends and on public holidays. Your guide will confirm whether a visit is appropriate on the day.
Please send dietary requirements and any walking, cycling or boat-boarding needs before booking. The local team must confirm what can be arranged at the homestay and meal stops for your party.
Bring comfortable clothes, shoes suitable for walking and cycling, sun protection, insect repellent, a rain layer and an overnight bag. Keep a small waterproof bag handy for valuables during the boat sections.
Highlights
| By Day | Transfer | Destinations | Activities | Meals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Ho Chi Minh City, Cho Gao, Tam Hiep Island | Ho Chi Minh City – Cho Gao – Giao Hoa – Long Thanh – Tam Hiep homestay | L, D | |
| Day 2 | Tam Hiep Island, Hoa Dinh, Cho Gao | Tam Hiep cycling, market and honey farm – Hoa Dinh – Cho Gao finish | B, L |
Meals: lunch and dinner. Overnight: Ut Trinh Homestay.
At 08:00, meet your private guide and driver in your hotel lobby in Ho Chi Minh City. Travel to the Cho Gao area and transfer to a local wooden boat for the journey towards Tam Hiep Island.
Cross the Cua Dai and Cua Tieu river area and visit Giao Hoa village to see sticky rice cakes wrapped in banana leaves. Continue by boat to Long Thanh village, where a local workshop makes activated charcoal from coconut hard shells.
On Tam Hiep Island, cycle along village paths through orchards to a la sam garden. Pick leaves and help make and taste the local herbal jelly. Continue to a home among the orchards for lunch, relax in a hammock and see how coconut leaves are used to make brooms.
Take a smaller rowing boat into the palm-shaded canals, then walk to Ut Trinh Homestay. Check in and freshen up before helping the family cook local dishes. Enjoy dinner and stay overnight at the homestay.
Meals: breakfast and lunch.
Have breakfast at the homestay before a bicycle ride along orchard paths. Visit the local market to choose ingredients for lunch and a workshop where fabric scraps are woven into carpets.
A local primary-school stop may be possible when the school is open and permission has been arranged. Schools are closed at weekends and on public holidays, so your guide will confirm access on the day.
Continue to a honeybee farm to learn about longan honey and taste honey tea with lime. Return to the homestay to help prepare and enjoy lunch with the family.
After lunch, check out and say goodbye to your hosts. Take the boat back to Hoa Dinh ferry station. The tour ends at Cho Gao. Please arrange any onward transfer with us in advance.
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Customize Your Trip
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Please send your Ho Chi Minh City hotel, travel dates, group size, room preferences and onward destination. The programme starts with hotel pickup at 08:00 on day one and ends at Cho Gao on day two. Confirm your pickup coverage and any onward transfer with us before booking.
Tell us about dietary requirements, children’s ages and any room, walking, cycling or boat-boarding needs. Homestay facilities, bicycle suitability and practical alternatives must be checked for your party. Menus use available ingredients; food-making and workshop visits follow local working hours.
River levels, weather, school opening and local access may affect the sequence or availability of individual stops. The local team will confirm practical arrangements. Bring sun and rain protection, comfortable shoes and a small overnight bag.
Your booking confirmation sets out the final itinerary, accommodation, inclusions, total price, payment and cancellation terms. Please check the Cho Gao finish and onward arrangements carefully when combining this tour with another journey.
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