Vĩnh Long travel guide
Ferries to An Bình's orchards and early boats to Cái Bè market
A Mekong Delta town 34 km from Can Tho, best for the ferry to the An Bình islands, homestays and boat trips to Cái Bè floating market. December to April is dry. Stay one or two nights. Vietnam's e-Visa covers stays of up to 90 days for all nationalities.
Vĩnh Long faces a broad arm of the Mekong, 34 km from Can Tho and about 136 km from Ho Chi Minh City. It is a working delta town, and its reason for being on a traveller's map lies across the water on An Bình. These islands are laced with canals and dotted with fruit orchards and family homestays.
Ferries to An Bình leave every 15 to 20 minutes and take foot passengers and motorbikes. Most of the islands are joined by small bridges, so you can walk, cycle or hire a motorbike taxi by the hour. A bonsai garden lies about 20 minutes' ride from the pier, past a Chinese temple, a school and a church. A night in a homestay is the best way to see the delta at dusk.
Boat tours from town typically take about four hours, combining the Cái Bè floating market with the An Bình canals. Leave early, since the market trade happens at dawn. Back on the town side, a converted boat restaurant moored near the central supermarket takes guests out on a short river trip with dinner.
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Top things to do in Vĩnh Long
Island orchards, homestays and a floating market reachable by boat.
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Best time to visit Vĩnh Long
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Dry, sunny weather for the islands and boat trips; fruit stalls stacked with pomelos.
Downpours and high water, though the orchards are at their greenest and rambutan and longan ripen in summer.
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Getting there
Three bus terminals and the Mỹ Thuận bridge
You arrive in Vĩnh Long by road. The town lies about 136 km southwest of Ho Chi Minh City and 34 km from Can Tho, on the bank of the Tiền River, and three bus terminals serve it, so coaches, taxis and hired cars from either city are simple to arrange. The nearest airport is Can Tho (VCA), about an hour away by taxi or car; with an international connection, Tan Son Nhat (SGN) in Saigon plus a coach is just as easy. Coaches from Saigon take about 3½ hours and cross the Tiền River on the Mỹ Thuận bridge, the cable-stayed span just outside town. The confusing part is that three places call themselves the bus station: the old terminal (Bến Xe Khách Vĩnh Long) in the centre, used by Can Tho buses and some regional services; the main terminal about 1.7 km south, where FUTA (Phương Trang) coaches stop; and an inter-provincial stop at a roundabout 4 km west. Scheduled passenger boats no longer run, though tour boats to Châu Đốc can be booked.
- Can Tho (VCA)
- Nearest airport, about an hour by road
- Coach from Ho Chi Minh City
- About 3½ hours; FUTA uses the main terminal 1.7 km south
- Bus from Can Tho
- About 1 hour to the old central terminal
- Inter-provincial stop
- Roundabout 4 km west; take a xe ôm into town
- When booking, ask which of the three terminals the bus ends at, and plan the ride to the An Bình ferry pier from there.
Where to stay
Riverfront hotels or an An Bình orchard homestay
Where to stay in Vĩnh Long comes down to town or islands. Riverfront hotels in town are handy and plain, close to the market and ferry pier; a night in an orchard homestay on An Bình, with supper cooked by the family, is the reason most people come and the better choice if you have time.
- An Bình islands
- Family homestays among orchards and canals; peaceful, but basic rooms and lots of mosquitoes
- Riverfront and centre
- A couple of hotels near the market and the ferry pier; easy for boat tours, some street noise
- Main roads into town
- Larger hotels along the arteries towards the south terminal; convenient for coaches, a taxi ride from the river
Getting around
The An Bình ferry, island bicycles and hourly xe ôm
Vĩnh Long town is small enough to walk, with the market, the riverfront and the An Bình ferry pier all close together. The public ferry leaves every 15 to 20 minutes and carries foot passengers and motorbikes on a short crossing, so the island is easy to reach without joining a tour. On the islands, small bridges link almost everything, so you can walk, rent a bicycle near the pier, or hire a xe ôm by the hour for a loop that takes in the bonsai garden, roughly 20 minutes' ride from the landing. For the floating market or deeper canals, a hired boat is the only way; book through your hotel or at the riverfront the evening before.
- An Bình ferry
- Every 15 to 20 minutes; foot passengers and motorbikes
- Bicycle
- Rent near the island pier; the lanes are flat and shaded
- Xe ôm by the hour
- For a guided loop of the islands
- Private boat
- For Cái Bè and the narrow canals; arrange the night before
Know before you go
What makes Vĩnh Long worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- Cycling An Bình, crossing canals on narrow bridges between fruit gardens.
- Dawn at Cái Bè floating market, as boats trade fruit from their hulls.
- A homestay supper on the islands, with the river quiet after dark.
Good to know
- Hotels rarely provide mosquito nets, so bring your own or a strong repellent.
- Three bus terminals serve the town; check which one your bus uses.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Vĩnh Long, month by month
Month-by-month climate figures for Vĩnh Long are being researched.
Ferry to An Bình, bonsai gardens and a homestay supper
A day from Vĩnh Long works best split between the river and An Bình island. If the floating market matters, go first: a four-hour boat trip leaves the riverfront at dawn for Cái Bè, where traders hang samples from poles, and returns through the An Bình canals. Otherwise start with coffee by the river and the Thiên Hậu temple.
Midday. Walk onto the public ferry to An Bình. On the island side, rent a bicycle and follow the concrete lanes inland. Bridges carry you from island to island past orchards of rambutan, longan and mangosteen, many of which welcome visitors to taste fruit in season. Near the pier are a Chinese temple, a school and a church; further in, the bonsai garden, about 20 minutes by motorbike, shows how delta families shape trees for decades.
Evening. Check in to a family homestay and skip the ferry back. Dinner is usually what the garden and river provide, often fish grilled in the yard, and after dark the only noise is the generator of a passing boat. Rise at first light, when mist sits on the canals, and take an early ferry back for the bus.
Năm Roi pomelos, snakehead in straw and Mang Thít kilns
Vĩnh Long eats like the rest of the Mekong Delta, only closer to the orchard. Its most famous fruit is the Năm Roi pomelo from Bình Minh, seedless, sweet and slightly sour, sold in stacks from roadside stalls, and on An Bình in summer the rambutan and longan are picked the morning you buy them.
At homestays and garden restaurants, the classic dish is cá lóc nướng trui, a whole snakehead fish grilled in a fire of rice straw, then peeled and rolled with herbs and rice paper. Also look for cá tai tượng chiên xù, elephant-ear fish fried until the scales stand up crisp, and bánh xèo filled with shrimp and bean sprouts. In town, the market and street stalls cover breakfast noodles and evening snacks; a converted boat restaurant near the central supermarket takes diners on a short evening cruise.
For an afternoon trip, ride south to Mang Thít, where long rows of domed kilns along the canal fire bricks and red pottery. There is nothing to eat at the kilns, though the boat ride past them gives the best photographs in the province.
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How we research our Vĩnh Long travel guide
We check Vĩnh Long's ferries, homestays and floating-market trips against the official Vĩnh Long website and the city's Wikipedia entry, plus Vietnam Travel and the government e-Visa portal for national rules.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting Vĩnh Long.
Getting there
Every 15 to 20 minutes from the riverside pier, carrying foot passengers and motorbikes on a short crossing.
The main terminal about 1.7 km south of the centre. Can Tho buses mostly use the old terminal in town, and some through buses stop at a roundabout 4 km west.
You arrive in Vĩnh Long by road. The town lies about 136 km southwest of Ho Chi Minh City and 34 km from Can Tho, on the bank of the Tiền River, and three bus terminals serve it, so coaches, taxis and hired cars from either city are simple to arrange. The nearest airport is Can Tho (VCA), about an hour away by taxi or car; with an international connection, Tan Son Nhat (SGN) in Saigon plus a coach is just as easy.
Timing & weather
About four hours, leaving at dawn and returning through the An Bình canals.
The best time to visit Vĩnh Long is Dec to Apr. Dry season, easier for cycling the islands.
- Best: December - April (Dry, sunny weather for the islands and boat trips; fruit stalls stacked with pomelos)
- Wet season: May - November (Downpours and high water, though the orchards are at their greenest and rambutan and longan ripen in summer)
General
Yes, for the evening quiet and an early start on the canals. Expect simple rooms, family meals and plenty of mosquitoes; bring repellent.
Can Tho (VCA) is closest, roughly an hour away by car. Tan Son Nhat has more flights but adds a 3½-hour coach ride.
Easily. Take the public ferry, rent a bicycle near the pier and follow the lanes; bridges connect almost all the islands.
Rows of large brick and pottery kilns along a canal south of town, best seen by boat; its red clay pots are sold all over the south.
The Năm Roi pomelo from Bình Minh, plus rambutan, longan and mangosteen from the An Bình orchards in season.
Snakehead fish grilled whole in burning rice straw and eaten wrapped in rice paper with herbs, a delta garden-restaurant classic.
Vĩnh Long town is small enough to walk, with the market, the riverfront and the An Bình ferry pier all close together. The public ferry leaves every 15 to 20 minutes and carries foot passengers and motorbikes on a short crossing, so the island is easy to reach without joining a tour. On the islands, small bridges link almost everything, so you can walk, rent a bicycle near the pier, or hire a xe ôm by the hour for a loop that takes in the bonsai garden, roughly 20 minutes' ride from the landing.
Stay & facilities
Rarely. Bring your own net or strong repellent, especially if you sleep on the islands.
Visa & documents
Citizens of a number of countries, including the UK and many EU states, can visit Vietnam visa-free for up to 45 days. All nationalities can apply for a single or multiple-entry e-Visa valid for up to 90 days on the official portal.
Health & safety
Vietnam is generally safe. Traffic is the main hazard, and bag snatching from motorbikes occurs in cities.
