Last reviewed:
My Tho and Can Tho are both on the Mekong, both have boats, and both appear on the same search results. They are not alternatives to each other in any meaningful sense: My Tho is a stop, Can Tho is a base. Confusing the two is the most common planning mistake travellers make in the delta.
The short answer
| One day from Ho Chi Minh City | My Tho (or better, Ben Tre next door). Can Tho is too far to visit meaningfully and return the same day. |
|---|---|
| Two days or more | Can Tho, without hesitation. It is the only base within reach of Cai Rang floating market at trading hour. |
| Floating markets | My Tho: none. Can Tho: Cai Rang (6 km) and Phong Dien (20 km). |
| Worth an overnight? | My Tho: no. Can Tho: yes — it is the delta's only proper city. |
| The third option | Ben Tre, 15 km beyond My Tho: narrower canals, better cycling, far fewer coaches. The best one-day choice. |
My Tho: the convenient one
My Tho sits 70 km south of Ho Chi Minh City on the Tien River, about 90 minutes to two hours by road. It was founded in the 1680s by Chinese refugees and became one of southern Vietnam's earliest river ports. Today its role in tourism is almost entirely a function of that 70 km.
Strengths
- Reachable in a day with time on the water. Nothing else in the delta manages this from Saigon.
- Cheap. The competition among day-trip operators is fierce, and prices reflect it.
- Vinh Trang Pagoda — a genuinely handsome 19th-century temple mixing Khmer, Chinese and French colonial detail.
- The four islets — Unicorn, Dragon, Phoenix and Tortoise — with fruit gardens, workshops and traditional music.
Weaknesses
- Crowds. Between 10:30 and 13:00 the islet jetties handle a great many coaches from Ho Chi Minh City.
- Wide, busy canals. Nothing here matches the narrow palm-roofed waterways people picture.
- No floating market. The nearest working ones are three hours away.
- Nothing to do in the evening. My Tho is a working town, not a destination.
Can Tho: the real one
Can Tho is 170 km from Ho Chi Minh City — three to four hours on the expressway — and it is the delta's largest city, with roughly 1.2 million people, a university, an airport and the Can Tho Bridge across the Hau River. It is where the delta's economy and its tourism both actually live.
Strengths
- Cai Rang floating market, six kilometres downstream, peaking 05:30–07:00. The single best sight in the Mekong Delta.
- Phong Dien floating market, 20 km away — smaller, later, almost entirely local.
- Ninh Kieu wharf — a proper riverside promenade with a night market and restaurants.
- Hotels across every price band, including comfortable riverside options within walking distance of the boats.
- The delta's best food, by a wide margin — sour fish soup, grilled elephant-ear fish, bánh xèo, and student food streets near the university.
- Binh Thuy ancient house, Son islet, Bang Lang stork garden and enough else to fill a second day.
Weaknesses
- Too far for a day trip. Three to four hours each way makes a same-day return pointless.
- The market requires a 04:45 alarm. Non-negotiable.
- It is a city. If you want village life, the surrounding countryside delivers it, but the centre is traffic and concrete like anywhere else.
Side by side
| My Tho | Can Tho | |
|---|---|---|
| Distance from Ho Chi Minh City | 70 km / 1.5–2 h | 170 km / 3–4 h |
| Doable as a day trip | Yes | No, not meaningfully |
| Floating markets | None | Cai Rang and Phong Dien |
| Canal character | Wide, busy, motorised | Varied; best reached by boat from the city |
| Coach traffic | Very high, 10:30–13:00 | Moderate, concentrated at dawn |
| Hotels | Basic | Full range, riverside options |
| Food | Functional | Excellent |
| Evening | Nothing much | Wharf promenade, night market, restaurants |
| Airport | No | Yes (VCA) |
| Best for | One day from Saigon | Two days or more |
The answer nobody offers you: Ben Tre
If you have one day, the best version is not My Tho at all — it is Ben Tre, 15 kilometres further across the Rach Mieu bridge. It costs an extra 30 minutes each way and delivers materially more:
- Canals two to four metres wide, roofed with nipa palm — the delta of the photographs.
- Coconut workshops, coir rope, brick kilns, all still working.
- Flat, shaded, paved dyke lanes with almost no cars: the best cycling in the delta.
- A fraction of My Tho's coach traffic.
When a day-tour listing includes Ben Tre, that tells you something about the operator. When it stays in My Tho, that tells you something too. See day trips from Ho Chi Minh City.
Can you do both?
Yes, and it makes a coherent two-day trip — but only in one order.
Day 1: leave Saigon at 08:00, stop at My Tho or Ben Tre for the boats and workshops, lunch, then continue south to Can Tho, arriving mid-afternoon. Evening on Ninh Kieu wharf.
Day 2: boat at 05:00, Cai Rang at 05:45, Phong Dien afterwards, back by 09:30, then north to Ho Chi Minh City.
This is exactly what most two-day packaged tours do, and it is a genuinely good itinerary. Doing it in reverse — Can Tho first, My Tho second — wastes the market morning and adds driving.
The verdict
- One day: Ben Tre first choice, My Tho second. Book a small-group tour.
- Two days: a delta town on day one, Can Tho overnight, Cai Rang on day two. This is the correct answer for most people.
- Three days or more: base in Can Tho and push west to Chau Doc, Sa Dec or Tra Su.
- Never: an overnight in My Tho. There is no reason for it.
Frequently asked questions
Is Can Tho better than My Tho?
For a trip of two days or more, decisively yes — Can Tho is the only base within reach of Cai Rang floating market at trading hour, and it has far better hotels and food. For a single day from Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho is too far and My Tho or Ben Tre is the right choice.
Can I visit Can Tho as a day trip from Ho Chi Minh City?
Technically yes, but there is little point. It is three to four hours each way, and the floating market that makes Can Tho worth visiting finishes by 09:00. An overnight is what makes the journey worthwhile.
Does My Tho have a floating market?
No. The nearest working floating markets are Cai Rang and Phong Dien, both near Can Tho, roughly three hours further south. Any day tour from Saigon advertising a floating market is visiting a small riverside trading dock instead.
How long does it take to get from Ho Chi Minh City to Can Tho?
Three to four hours by coach on the expressway. Futa (Phuong Trang), Thanh Buoi and others run frequently from Mien Tay bus station and central District 1 offices. A private car takes around three hours.
Is Ben Tre better than My Tho?
For canals, cycling and quiet, yes. Ben Tre is about 30 minutes further from Ho Chi Minh City, its canals are narrower and more shaded, and it receives far fewer coaches. My Tho's only real advantage is proximity.
Where should I stay in the Mekong Delta?
Can Tho, near Ninh Kieu wharf, unless you specifically want a village homestay — in which case Vinh Long, An Binh island or Ben Tre are better. There is no good reason to sleep in My Tho.
