Mekong Delta homestays, 2 to 4 days
Tours
Homestay trips, two to four days
Four private trips that put you in a family home for one, two or three nights. They differ in the islet, the drive from Ho Chi Minh City, the kind of room you can expect and what the household actually does for a living.
The trips side by side
| Trip | Nights in a home | Drive from HCMC, one way | Typical room | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| An Binh, 2 days | 1 | About 2.5–3 h to Vinh Long, then a ferry | Private room; bathroom private or shared | On request |
| Con Son & Phong Dien, 2 days | 1 | About 3–3.5 h to Can Tho | Garden room or bungalow; fan or air-con | On request |
| Ben Tre villages, 3 days | 2 | About 1.75–2.25 h to Ben Tre town | Two different houses; one may be a simple wooden room | On request |
| Two homestays, 4 days | 3 | About 2.5–3 h out, 3–3.5 h back | One night An Binh, two nights Phong Dien | On request |
Drive times are estimates from route distances (about 85 km to Ben Tre town, 136 km to Vinh Long and 171 km to Can Tho from central Ho Chi Minh City) plus city traffic. Leaving the city before 07:00 saves the most time.
Sources: OSRM / OpenStreetMap route distances, queried 11 Oct 2026 · checked .
How to choose between them
If this is your first homestay
Take An Binh, 2 days. The islet is a few minutes by ferry from Vinh Long, it was among the first places in the Delta to take homestay guests and it has a wide choice of rooms, so we can usually find a private bathroom if you need one. If the night does not suit you, you are a short crossing from a town.
If you want to do things with your hands
Take Con Son & Phong Dien. Con Son is a 70-hectare islet in the Hau River, home to more than seventy households, many of them in community tourism: fish rafts, folk cakes, draining a canal to catch fish. You spend the day there and sleep at a garden homestay in Phong Dien, near a small floating market.
If you want quiet and gardens
Take Ben Tre villages, 3 days. Two nights, two houses, coconut workshops on day one and the nursery gardens of Cai Mon and Cho Lach on day two. The roads are short; the days are slow.
If you want to compare
Take Two homestays, 4 days. One night with an An Binh family and two in Phong Dien: different rivers, different households, different routines. Three nights is enough to stop feeling like a guest.
Sources: Sai Gon Giai Phong, 9 Nov 2025 — a day on Con Son; Nhan Dan, 3 Jul 2023 — An Binh homestay awards · checked .
What every trip includes
- Private car and driver from your hotel in Ho Chi Minh City and back
- An English-speaking guide who stays with you, including in the evening
- The homestay room named on the quote, dinner and breakfast with the family
- Activities with the household as listed: cooking, garden work, fishing, paddling
- Ferry and boat crossings, and life jackets on every boat
Not included on any trip: lunches unless stated, drinks other than water and tea, travel insurance, and tips. Rice wine offered by the host is a gift; buying the household a bottle of something in return is a good habit, not an obligation.
What we will not sell you
A homestay night tacked onto a sightseeing day, with arrival after dark and departure before breakfast. You pay for a family's evening and do not get it. Every trip here arrives at the house by mid-afternoon and leaves after breakfast at the earliest.
A floating market as the reason to go. Cai Rang survives at a fraction of its former size, with a growing share of tourist boats; Phong Dien is smaller still. We include the Phong Dien market where the timing fits and describe it honestly.
Next steps: read what a homestay night is like, then how booking works.
Common questions
Questions travellers ask most
Can we join a group departure?
No. Every trip is private, for your party only. Homestays work better that way: the family cooks for you, not for a coach.
Can we start from Can Tho instead of Ho Chi Minh City?
Yes. Starting in Can Tho shortens the Con Son and two-homestay trips by most of a morning. Tell us where you will be the night before.
Can we add a hotel night in between?
Yes. A hotel night in Can Tho or Vinh Long between two homestays is a common request, especially in the hot months. It changes the price and we show both versions.
How far ahead should we book?
Four weeks is comfortable outside the Lunar New Year period. The weeks around Tet fill early and some families close to guests over the holiday itself.
Related
Read next
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
Con Son & Phong Dien, 2 days
Con Son cooperative by day, a Phong Dien garden homestay by night, a small market at dawn.
View this journey
Example journey
Ben Tre villages, 3 days
Two homes, two nights: coconut lanes near Ben Tre town, then the Cai Mon nursery villages.
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
Tours · Pricing
Pricing
The lines of a quote, the levers that move it, and how the host family's share is shown.
View this journey
Tours · How to book
How to book
The booking steps, what we ask, and what you see before paying.
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.