Vietnam My Tho Tours

My Tho sits on the Tien River about 45 miles southwest of Ho Chi Minh City, making it the closest Mekong Delta town to the city and the most common base for a first delta day trip. Its position close to Saigon has made it a starting point for Vietnam tours into the delta for decades.

Boats from My Tho reach a cluster of small river islands within minutes, and the town itself is home to Vinh Trang Pagoda, one of the delta's larger Buddhist temples. The short travel time from Ho Chi Minh City means visitors can cover the river, the islands, and the pagoda within a single day and still return to the city by evening.

My Tho's Proximity to Ho Chi Minh City

At under two hours by road from Ho Chi Minh City, My Tho is the delta town most travelers reach first, and often the only one visited by those with limited time. That short distance keeps My Tho busier than towns further south such as Ben Tre or Can Tho, with more tour boats on the river during peak morning hours. The trade-off for convenience is a livelier, more visited stretch of the delta rather than a quiet one.

Thoi Son and the River Islands

Four low, fertile islands sit in the Tien River near My Tho, the most visited being Thoi Son, also called Unicorn Island. Boats cross from the mainland in a few minutes and dock at orchards growing longan and other fruit, where small groups often stop for tea and honey tea accompanied by traditional music. Narrow canals on the islands are too shallow for larger boats, so the final stretch is usually covered by a rowed sampan, a common transfer used across delta tours.

Vinh Trang Pagoda

Vinh Trang Pagoda, on the edge of My Tho, combines Vietnamese, French, and Khmer architectural details in a single complex first built in the nineteenth century and expanded since. Large statues of Buddha stand in the grounds alongside older shrine buildings, and the pagoda remains an active place of worship rather than only a tourist stop. It is usually paired with the river islands on the same half-day itinerary, since both sit close to the town center.

A Half-Day or Full-Day Trip

My Tho works well as a half-day addition to a Ho Chi Minh City itinerary, covering the river islands and pagoda within a few hours of the city, or as a fuller day that adds a stop in Ben Tre further along the river. The Boat trip at My Tho covers the core river and island route, giving a compact version of the delta for visitors short on time.