5 Days from Saigon: The Day Trip Itinerary
Five days keeps Cu Chi, Cao Dai, the Mekong Delta and Vung Tau from the 4-day version, then pushes on to Can Tho and the Cai Rang floating market as a long, honestly rushed day trip. Want the properly paced overnight version instead? That’s the 6-day or 7-day itinerary. Shorter trip? Try 4 days .
Book these before you go
- A District 1 hotel: check rates on Agoda
- The combined Cu Chi Tunnels and Cao Dai Temple tour: book on GetYourGuide
- The My Tho and Ben Tre Mekong Delta day trip: browse dates on Viator
- The Can Tho and Cai Rang floating market day trip: also on Viator
| Day | Focus | Travel time from HCMC |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Arrival, District 1 orientation | None, you’re staying put |
| Day 2 | Cu Chi Tunnels, then Tay Ninh’s Cao Dai Temple | 1.5-2h to Cu Chi, on to Tay Ninh, ~90km total |
| Day 3 | Mekong Delta: My Tho and Ben Tre | 1.5-2h each way, 70-90km |
| Day 4 | Vung Tau beach | 1.5-2h each way by hydrofoil, 90-100km |
| Day 5 | Can Tho and Cai Rang floating market (day trip) | 3-3.5h each way |
Day 1: Landing And Getting Your Bearings
- Land at Tan Son Nhat (SGN), 6-8km from District 1, Grab runs roughly 110,000-250,000 VND
- Check into a District 1 hotel, your base for all five nights
- Afternoon: get oriented, sort cash and a local SIM
- Evening: early dinner, early night, Cu Chi pickup is before 7:30am tomorrow
Day 2: Cu Chi Tunnels And Tay Ninh’s Cao Dai Temple
- Early pickup, most combined tours leave by 7-7:30am
- Cu Chi Tunnels: 1.5-2 hours out, entry 110,000-125,000 VND, a stretch of the actual tunnel network, enlarged from its wartime 80cm x 80cm dimensions
- On to Tay Ninh for the Cao Dai Great Temple’s noon ceremony, free entry, arrive by 11:15-11:30am
- Return to HCMC by early evening, the full loop runs 8-10 hours door to door
Day 3: The Mekong Delta, My Tho And Ben Tre
- Morning pickup for the 1.5-2 hour drive to My Tho
- Sampan ride through coconut-palm canals, a coconut-candy and honey-tea workshop stop
- Cross to Ben Tre for more of the unhurried river pace
- Return to HCMC by evening
Day 4: Vung Tau, Saigon’s Beach Escape
- Morning hydrofoil from Bach Dang wharf, 1.5-2 hours, roughly $10-15 one-way
- A slow beach day and a genuinely good seafood lunch
- Late afternoon hydrofoil back, or the bus/car option at 2-3.5 hours
Day 5: Can Tho And The Cai Rang Floating Market, The Rushed Version
- Very early pickup, roughly 5am, for the 2.5-3.5 hour drive to Can Tho
- Cai Rang’s genuine wholesale boat trade runs 5am-8:30am, arriving by coach means catching its tail end rather than its peak, be honest with yourself about that trade-off going in
- A Vietnamese breakfast on the water, a stop at a noodle factory or fruit garden, a look at Ninh Kieu wharf before the drive back
- Return to HCMC by evening, this is a genuinely long day on top of four already-full ones
Is a rushed Can Tho day trip from Ho Chi Minh City worth it?
It’s worth it if the alternative is skipping Can Tho entirely, but be clear-eyed: Cai Rang’s real trading energy has usually thinned out by the time a coach arrives after a 3-hour drive. If Can Tho is the priority rather than an add-on, the 6-day and 7-day versions of this itinerary do it properly with an overnight instead.
Should you swap Vung Tau for a rest day before the long Can Tho drive?
Reasonably, yes. Five days of day trips back to back is a real pace, and Day 5’s early Can Tho start is the hardest of the week. If you’d rather arrive fresher, drop Day 4’s beach trip for a slow morning in District 1 and keep the rest of the spine intact.
Set an alarm the night before Day 5, tours that promise 5am pickup mean it, and missing it means missing Cai Rang’s morning window entirely.