Mekong Delta
 

We are a party of 8 fifty plus travellers planning a trip to Vietnam in November. We had planned purely to do a 1 day boat trip into the Delta, but have been advised by various travel consultants to spend at least 2 nights there and to visit the floating market first thing in the morning. As time will be at a premium, to do this will mean cutting something else short or out altogether,and I would appreciate comments from anyone who has experience of the Delta as to whether it is worth spending the extra time there. We are also considering going into the hill country up the North and again any comments and tips would be appreciated

have not taken a tour into the mekong delta, but while living in saigon 1996-2000 i sent many visitors on tours there. generally, the feedback was that on a one-day tour, u spend way too much time on the bus to and from can tho/my tho and saigon, too little time on boats, and by the end of the day when u return to sgn, u're exhausted.<BR><BR>on the 3-day, which my parents also went on, u go far deeper into the delta, and the overall tenor of the tour is far less urban. their tour gave them the option of climbing one of the few hills in that region, at sunset, giving them a view of rice paddies shimmering in the golden sunset all the way across the border into cambodia. they also enjoyed touring and learning abt fish-farm boats, rice-paper factories and a coconut grove/candy business.<BR><BR>not knowing ur constraints and desired itinerary for the rest of vn, i'd also recommend the 3-day over the 1-day tour.

Depending on much time you are willing to spend in Vietnam, I think a one full day trip is enough. I booked this through Sinh Cafe Travel in Ho Chi Minh City (much cheaper than booking at home)and I don't think I missed seeing much at all. We floated past the markets which were interesting but the highlights I think were, the bee farm and the coconut candy islands. Another trip I would recommend is the Royal Tombs along the Perfume River in Hue.

I went to the Mekong for two days; there were some lovely lazy hours sitting on top of the flat canal boat and seeing the houses and farms and kids. To me, it seems that one day would be quite rushed as it is a bit of a long way to travel, but one overnight was enough for me to soak in a bit of atmosphere.<BR>I was unable to go into the hill country due to time constraints; from what I was told by many people in Vietnam, you should allow at least four days for Sapa area (which includes two days of travel to and from Hanoi). On the other hand, it should be an awesome experience; again, it just depends on your time, of course.

Has anybody been to Chau Doc in the Mekong Delta? We wanted to go to Can Tho, but the Victoria Can Tho was booked, so our agent suggested the Victoria Chau Doc. We'll be coming from Ho Chi Minh City, so it's a 7 hour drive with a couple of stops along the way. Is it worth it? If not, can anyone recommend another hotel in Can Tho? thanks.<BR>