6 Days from Saigon: The Day Trip Itinerary

Six days keeps Cu Chi, Cao Dai, the Mekong Delta and Vung Tau from the 4-day version, then swaps the 5-day itinerary’s rushed Can Tho day trip for an actual overnight, the honest way to catch the Cai Rang floating market near its peak. Want it tighter? Drop back to 5 days . Want a flex day on top? Go to 7 days .

Book these before you go

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 Travel to Can Tho, overnight 3-3.5h out
Day 6 Cai Rang floating market at dawn, return to HCMC 3-3.5h back

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 the first four 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

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, then the return hydrofoil or a 2-3.5 hour bus/car if you’d rather see the coastline

Day 5: Travel To Can Tho, The Overnight Mekong Delta

  • A later, easier departure than a day-trip would allow, 3-3.5 hours by road to Can Tho, the Mekong Delta’s largest city
  • Afternoon: a riverside walk at Ninh Kieu wharf, Can Tho’s own night market if the timing lines up
  • Check into a riverside room, Victoria Can Tho Resort on Agoda is a genuine riverfront option
  • Evening: Can Tho’s own street food, quieter and noticeably more local than District 1’s

Day 6: Cai Rang Floating Market At Dawn, Then Back To HCMC

  • Early boat departure, roughly 5-6am, onto the water while Cai Rang’s genuine wholesale trade is still running, 5am-8:30am is the real window, boats piled with pineapple and dragon fruit, each one advertising its cargo on a tall pole
  • Breakfast on the water, often from a floating noodle vendor
  • Late morning drive back to HCMC, 3-3.5 hours, arriving by evening
  • Dinner back in District 1 to close out the trip

Is an overnight in Can Tho worth it over a rushed day trip?

Yes, specifically for Cai Rang. The floating market’s real trading energy runs 5am-8:30am, and only an overnight gets you on the water inside that window rather than after a 3-hour drive has already eaten the morning. If Can Tho isn’t the priority, the day-trip version on the 5-day itinerary still works.

What’s the best time to see Cai Rang floating market at its peak?

Roughly 6-7am. Boats start thinning out as the morning goes on, and by mid-morning the market has largely wound down to a handful of stragglers. An overnight in Can Tho is the only reliable way to be on the water that early.

Book the Can Tho hotel before the tour, riverside rooms with an early boat pickup included go first on weekends.