Mekong Delta homestays, 2 to 4 days
Destinations · Vinh Long
Vinh Long town, the other bank
The provincial town opposite An Binh islet, now the centre of a much larger Vinh Long province. Most homestay travellers pass through in twenty minutes. A few should stay a night, and here is how to tell which you are.
At a glance
What Vinh Long actually is
A working provincial town on the Co Chien and Long Ho rivers, with markets, schools, government offices and a riverfront where families walk in the evening. Since the 2025 merger it is the administrative centre of a province that also includes the former Ben Tre and Tra Vinh, which makes it busier with officials than with travellers. It is not a destination in its own right for most people, and we do not pretend otherwise.
For a homestay traveller it matters for three reasons. The An Binh ferry leaves from a landing about 3 km from the centre. Van Thanh Mieu, the town's Confucian temple, is a good quiet hour before or after the islet. And when a homestay night is not right for someone in your party, a hotel here is a short ferry crossing from the family you are visiting.
Sources: Resolution 202/2025/QH15 (Dai bieu Nhan dan); Mia.vn, 10 Oct 2023 — An Binh in fruit season; Wikipedia (vi) — Van Thanh Mieu Vinh Long · checked .
Van Thanh Mieu
A temple of literature on the Long Ho river, built between November 1864 and September 1866 at the initiative of the scholar-officials Phan Thanh Gian and Nguyen Thong. It is one of three Confucian temples built in the south in the nineteenth century. Visitors come for the courtyards and old trees as much as the history. It makes a natural stop on the way to the ferry on day one of our An Binh trips, and we add it on request.
Sources: Wikipedia (vi) — Van Thanh Mieu Vinh Long · checked .
When to sleep in town instead of on the islet
- Someone in your party needs air conditioning, a private bathroom and a lift, and the islet house that has all three is full
- You are travelling with a very young baby or an older relative who would rather sleep in a hotel and visit the family by day
- Peak-tide days in October and November, when ferry times may need to move around the high water
- You want an evening on the islet but a quiet night: dinner with the family, then the last ferry back
In each case the trip still works: you spend the afternoon and evening with the household, cross back, and return in the morning. You lose the dawn on the water; you keep almost everything else.
Tides and the riverfront
Vinh Long's riverside streets flood at the peak tides of October and November. In 2025 the authorities forecast downstream peaks around 10–12 October and 8–9 November and advised residents to limit travel during the high-tide windows of about 05:00–08:00 and 16:00–19:00. High water on the road can delay a car and changes when a ferry is comfortable to take, so we plan crossings outside those windows.
Sources: Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, 3 Oct 2025 — flood bulletin · checked .
When to go
Dry December to April; wettest month September; peak tides October to November.
The climate follows Can Tho's: a dry season from December to April, rain from May to November with the wettest month in September, and April the hottest month.
Sources: Wikipedia — Can Tho climate table · checked .
Getting there
By car, about 136 km and two and a half to three hours from central Ho Chi Minh City by the expressway and the My Thuan bridges. Buses take about three hours to Vinh Long bus station, from about 80,000 VND in a 2023 guide. From Vinh Long to Can Tho is roughly 35–40 km further along the same corridor, about an hour by car, by our estimate from the route distances. The My Thuan–Can Tho expressway opened in December 2023.
Sources: OSRM / OpenStreetMap route distances, queried 11 Oct 2026; Mia.vn, 10 Oct 2023 — An Binh in fruit season; Sai Gon Giai Phong, 20 Jan 2026 — Delta expressways · checked .
Costs on the ground
| Item | Published figure | Source date |
|---|---|---|
| Bus from Ho Chi Minh City | From about 80,000 VND | 2023 |
| Ferry to An Binh | About 4,000 VND | 2023 |
| An Binh garden entries across the river | About 30,000–50,000 VND | 2023 |
We do not publish hotel rates for Vinh Long because we have no recent independent source for them; if you add a hotel night, your quote names the hotel and its rate on your dates.
Sources: Mia.vn, 10 Oct 2023 — An Binh in fruit season · checked .
Gallery
When to skip it
- Always, as a destination on its own: there is more to see on the islet across the water
- As a hotel stop if everyone in your party is happy in a homestay
- On peak-tide mornings, if your schedule cannot move
Trips that pass through: An Binh, 2 days and Two homestays, 4 days. The islet: An Binh profile.
Common questions
Questions travellers ask most
Is there anything to do in Vinh Long town?
A riverfront walk, the market and Van Thanh Mieu. Enough for a few hours, not a day.
Can half our group stay in town and half on the islet?
Yes. Everyone eats dinner with the family; those in town take the ferry back with the guide or a driver.
Is Vinh Long the same as Vinh Long province?
The town is now Long Chau ward, the administrative centre. The province, since 2025, also includes the former Ben Tre and Tra Vinh.
Should we sleep in Vinh Long before an An Binh trip?
Only if you are arriving from somewhere other than Ho Chi Minh City. From the city, the morning drive gets you to the islet in time for lunch.
Related
Read next
Destinations · Vinh Long
An Binh islet
An early homestay islet: room types, bathrooms, ferry, seasons and the erosion question.
View this journey
Example journey
An Binh, 2 days
One night with an An Binh family: garden, canal, kitchen, and a ferry back to Vinh Long.
View this journey
Example journey
Two homestays, 4 days
Four days, two host families: An Binh, Con Son, then two nights in Phong Dien.
View this journey
Destinations
Destinations
Homestay places compared: room, bathroom, access, activities and when to skip each.
View this journey
Before you go
A homestay night
Hour by hour: rooms, shared bathrooms, nets, noise, roosters, dinner, dawn.
View this journey
Tours · Pricing
Pricing
The lines of a quote, the levers that move it, and how the host family's share is shown.
View this journeyStart planning
Tell us which family home you have in mind
A trip, a month and how many of you are travelling are enough to start. We reply by email with questions or a first suggestion that names the house, the room and the bathroom.