7 Days from Saigon: The Day Trip Itinerary

Seven days is the full spread: Cu Chi, Cao Dai, the Mekong Delta at My Tho and Ben Tre, Vung Tau’s beach, then an overnight in Can Tho for the Cai Rang floating market at its real peak, plus a flex day before you fly out. Tighter trip? The 5-day and 6-day versions build the same spine minus this last day.

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 7 Flex day, then departure None, back in HCMC

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

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

  • A relaxed 3-3.5 hour drive to Can Tho, the Mekong Delta’s largest city
  • Afternoon: a riverside walk at Ninh Kieu wharf, Can Tho’s own night market if timing allows
  • Check into Victoria Can Tho Resort on Agoda or a similar riverside room
  • Evening: Can Tho’s own street food, quieter than District 1’s

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

  • Early boat departure, roughly 5-6am, into Cai Rang’s genuine wholesale trade during its real 5am-8:30am window, boats stacked with pineapple and dragon fruit advertised on tall poles
  • Breakfast on the water, often from a floating noodle vendor
  • Late morning drive back to HCMC, 3-3.5 hours, arriving by evening

Day 7: A Flex Day, Then Departure

  • Sleep in, six straight days of early pickups earns it
  • Spend the morning however the week actually went: a second crack at My Tho’s coconut-candy workshops if the Mekong was the highlight, one more Cu Chi-and-Cao Dai loop if you skipped the shooting range the first time, or a slow morning in District 1 with a proper street-food breakfast
  • Afternoon: pack, check out, allow real time for Saigon traffic on the way to Tan Son Nhat, 25-90 minutes depending on the hour
  • Depart from Tan Son Nhat (SGN), the operating airport for 2026, Long Thanh isn’t handling passenger flights yet

What should you do with a flex day at the end of this itinerary?

Whatever the week actually left you wanting more of. Most travelers either add a second Mekong stop, since one day at My Tho barely scratches the Delta, or use it as a genuine rest day before a long flight home. Don’t schedule a fifth day trip here, you’ll want the buffer.

How much time should you leave for Tan Son Nhat from District 1?

At least an hour outside rush hour, more like 90 minutes to two hours if your flight falls in the 7-9am or 4-7pm traffic windows. Grab from District 1 runs roughly 110,000-250,000 VND and the fare locks in before you book, so there’s no reason to guess.

Confirm your Can Tho hotel includes early boat pickup for Cai Rang specifically, some riverside properties arrange it directly and it saves negotiating a boatman at 5am.