VINH LONG

Humble hub for easy-to-arrange, great Mekong adventures

Worth It? Yes, the surrounding area is the crux of most visitors’ Mekong trips
What to Do Arrange homestay with a family in a traditional home, visit floating market by boat, or An Binh Island paths by bike
Best Time to Go October to March
How Long? A day or two
Gateway Vinh Long has frequent buses to Can Tho ferry and Saigon (via My Tho)
Fact Locals are very proud of Vinh Long’s cable My Thuan Bridge, built for business in 2000. It connects the town with Saigon by road, and does so with 21st-century gusto – the entry ramps, lined with billboards, wind up to the towering cable bridge that arches way over the Co Chien River. This is the Mekong?

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Functional and busy, with a relatively unattractive riverfront and locals worn out by the daily tide of group tours, Vinh Long town is not the quaint delta hub you may be looking for. Yet the area is a huge highlight, as nearby activities are the most developed and rewarding of the region. Boat trips to nearby Cai Be floating market and island canals where locals swim fully clothed mid-day rank highly among Mekong highlights. And homestays on An Binh Island can be trip-making ways to kick back in the peaceful home of a former Viet Cong fighter. And bikers can access canal-side paths on $1.50 rental bikes. Package trips take in all of Vinh Long’s glory, but it’s easy (and sometimes better and cheaper) to arrange DIY trips one you’ve arrived.