Southern Vietnam in One Week: Saigon, the Mekong Delta and Phu Quoc

Southern Vietnam rewards a plan that is honest about distances. Ho Chi Minh City (still called Saigon by almost everyone) sits roughly 1,700 km by road or rail from Hanoi, and a week in the south alone is a very different trip from a week across the whole country. This route keeps to three moves: the big city, the water world of the delta, then a short flight to an island where nothing is scheduled.

Two corrections before you start, because both come up constantly. The Mekong Delta is done by boat and bus from Saigon, not by driving yourself or by a long train ride. And Phu Quoc is not in the South China Sea: it sits in the Gulf of Thailand, close to the Cambodian coast, with its own international airport. Also, Mui Ne and its dunes are on the coast about 200 km north-east of the city and are not part of the delta, so they are left out here on purpose.

The week at a glance

Day	Base	What you do
1	Ho Chi Minh City	Arrive, district 1 walk, Ben Thanh Market, evening cruise
2	Ho Chi Minh City	War Remnants Museum, Reunification Palace, Cholon
3	Can Tho	Bus and boat through Ben Tre, overnight in the delta
4	Phu Quoc	Dawn at Cai Rang, back by road, evening flight
5	Phu Quoc	Beach day, easy island loop
6	Phu Quoc	Boat day or a second beach morning
7	Departure	Last swim, fly out from the island

Nights are split honestly: two in the city, one in the delta, three on the beach. The delta night is short on purpose, because the floating market only makes sense if you sleep in Can Tho. The beach closes the week as rest, not as another list of sights.

Day 1: Arrive in Ho Chi Minh City and walk district 1

Fly into Tan Son Nhat (SGN), which is unusually close to the centre, about 7 km and 20 to 45 minutes depending on traffic. There is no rail or metro link to the airport, so take a ride-hailing app or a metered taxi. Our overview of Ho Chi Minh City and the guide to the city’s districts will help you choose where to sleep; district 1 is the easiest base for a first visit.

Drop your bags, then walk. Start at the Nguyen Hue walking street, pass the Central Post Office and the Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica (under long-running restoration, so expect scaffolding), and finish at Ben Thanh Market. The market is loud and crowded: bargain politely, keep your phone in a front pocket, and treat the food stalls inside as a snack rather than a destination.

Phone and bag snatching from passing motorbikes is the real nuisance in this city. Carry your phone away from the kerb side and you will be fine.

For the evening, a dinner on the Saigon River gives you the skyline without the heat. A dining cruise on the Saigon River is an easy way to do it on a first night, when you are tired and do not want to choose a restaurant. If you would rather eat on foot, the Ho Chi Minh City street food tours are a good alternative.

Day 2: War history, a palace and Cholon

Do the heavy sights in the morning, before the heat. The War Remnants Museum is blunt and sometimes harrowing; give it about two hours. Walk on to the Reunification Palace, preserved much as it was on the day in 1975 when tanks rolled through its gates: the war room, the basement tunnels and the rooftop helipad make it more interesting than most palaces.

After lunch, take a taxi or ride-hailing car to Cholon, the Chinatown that grew up next to the old city. Visit one or two of the temples, wander the herbal medicine streets and the wholesale markets, and stop for a tea. It feels like a different city from district 1, and it is the best use of a few hours when the afternoon heat is at its worst.

If you want more structure, the Ho Chi Minh City city tours cover the same ground with a guide and a driver. The Cu Chi Tunnels are a half-day trip north-west of the city, but this week is already full: leave them for another visit or a longer stay.

Day 3: Into the Mekong Delta and on to Can Tho

Leave early. The delta begins about 70 km from Saigon, at My Tho and Ben Tre, and this is the day to see it properly rather than rushing through. Most visitors go by organised tour bus to a pier, then continue by boat along the canals, with coconut candy workshops, orchard walks and a small-boat ride under the nipa palms.

Ben Tre is quieter and more rural than My Tho, and the better choice if you want coconut country rather than a crowded pier. A boat trip through the coconut villages of Ben Tre fits well into this route as a full morning.

By late afternoon you continue to Can Tho, about 170 km from Saigon and the real capital of the delta. Check in near the Ninh Kieu waterfront, eat river fish for dinner and go to bed early: the next morning starts in the dark.

If you would rather combine the transfer and the overnight stay in a single booking, a one-night floating market tour with a homestay covers the boat, the lodging and the dawn market together. Read more about the delta from Saigon and whether the delta is worth it before you choose between a bus tour and a more independent route.

Day 4: Dawn at Cai Rang, then the flight to Phu Quoc

The Cai Rang floating market is at Can Tho, not at My Tho, and it trades at dawn. Be on the water by about 5:30 or 6:00 in the morning, when wholesalers pull alongside each other and hang a sample of their cargo (a pineapple, a sweet potato, a melon) from a pole to advertise what they carry. By mid-morning the trade has largely gone, so there is no point arriving later and little point doing it from a day trip that leaves Saigon at 8:00.

Have a bowl of noodles on a boat, then ask the boatman to cut through the smaller canals before you return to the pier. Details on timing and boat types are in our guide to Can Tho floating market tours and the Can Tho destination page.

Return to Ho Chi Minh City by bus or private car, a drive of about three to four hours. Allow a generous cushion before your evening flight: traffic around Saigon on the way in is unpredictable. Fly from Tan Son Nhat to Phu Quoc, a flight of about an hour; see domestic flights in Vietnam for airlines, baggage rules and booking tips. Book a flight that leaves late enough that a delayed bus does not wreck your day, and avoid the last departure of the night.

You arrive in the dark, so keep the first evening simple: check in and eat near your hotel.

Day 5: Phu Quoc, a slow beach day

Phu Quoc is Vietnam’s largest island, in the Gulf of Thailand off the Cambodian coast. Its best season runs roughly from November to April, with calm, clear water and dry weather; the west coast is rough during the wet season, from about May to November, and some boat trips are cancelled when the sea is up.

Today is for doing very little. Walk the sand, swim, eat grilled seafood in the evening and go to the night market in Duong Dong if you have the energy. Hire a scooter only if you have the correct licence: many insurers refuse a claim if you ride without one, and a taxi or ride-hailing app is cheap enough on the island that you do not need to risk it.

For ideas on what to see beyond the beach, the Phu Quoc destination page lists the main areas.

Day 6: Island boat day

Spend today on the water. The southern islands off An Thoi offer snorkelling, a picnic lunch on a boat and short swims off a deck, which makes a good break from the beach. A three-day, two-night Phu Quoc package with a boat tour bundles the hotel and boat day if you want the logistics handled in one booking.

Boat days run on the sea’s mood: in rough weather the operator may swap the day or cancel it. Keep Day 5 or Day 7 flexible so you can move your boat day around, and see the Phu Quoc island hopping and snorkelling guide for how the routes compare.

Day 7: Last swim and departure

Take a final swim in the morning and leave for the airport with time to spare. Phu Quoc International Airport (PQC) has international connections; otherwise fly back to Ho Chi Minh City for a long-haul departure. Entry and exit rules depend on your nationality and change, so check the official immigration portal or your government’s advice, and read our Vietnam visa guide for the general picture.

When to go and what to adjust

The south has two seasons, no winter. It is dry roughly from December to April (hottest in March and April) and wet from about May to November, usually in short late-afternoon downpours. Temperatures stay between about 25 and 35 °C all year. Mid-day heat is more of a limit than rain on most days, so keep the sights for mornings.

• November to April: the best choice, because Phu Quoc is at its finest and the delta is dry underfoot.
• May to October: the delta is lush and quiet, but the island’s west coast can be rough and boat days become unreliable. Keep an umbrella and a flexible plan.
• Tet (late January to mid-February, a different date each year): many businesses close for several days and transport is fully booked. Book flights and rooms well ahead if you travel then.

Money, water and the small print

Prices are quoted in dong; in mid-2026 the rate is roughly 28,000 VND to 1 EUR, so always check the year on any price you read. Cash matters at markets, street food stalls and small boats; hotels, tours and larger restaurants take cards. Tap water is not drinkable anywhere in Vietnam, so drink bottled or filtered water.

If you want more

• Only three days to spare, and the delta alone? See the Mekong Delta in three days.
• Want the centre and the north too? The country-wide Vietnam in one week takes a different shape, trading depth for range.

Southern Vietnam in one week: questions travellers ask

Is one week enough for southern Vietnam?

Yes, if you accept three bases and no more. Two nights in Ho Chi Minh City, one in Can Tho and three on Phu Quoc covers the city, the delta and the beach at an easy pace. Adding Mui Ne or Con Dao would mean cutting something else.

Is Phu Quoc in the South China Sea?

No. Phu Quoc lies in the Gulf of Thailand, off the Cambodian coast, and has its own international airport (PQC). That is why it is reached by a short flight from Ho Chi Minh City rather than by road.

Is Mui Ne part of the Mekong Delta?

No. Mui Ne and Phan Thiet are on the coast about 200 km north-east of Ho Chi Minh City, known for their sand dunes. The delta lies south-west of Saigon and has nothing in common with that coastline.

Where and when is the Cai Rang floating market?

Cai Rang is at Can Tho, not My Tho. It trades at dawn, so you need to sleep in Can Tho and leave by boat in the early morning. By mid-morning most of the trade has thinned out.

When is the best time for this itinerary?

The south is driest from about December to April, and Phu Quoc is at its best roughly from November to April. From May to November expect short late-afternoon downpours and a rougher west coast on Phu Quoc, though the delta stays green and quiet.

Do I need a car for the Mekong Delta?

No. Buses and organised day or overnight tours reach My Tho, Ben Tre and Can Tho from Saigon, and the real travel inside the delta is by boat. Can Tho is about 170 km from Ho Chi Minh City, roughly three to four hours by road.

Which airport do I fly out of at the end?

You can leave from Phu Quoc International Airport (PQC), which has international connections, or fly back to Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Son Nhat (SGN) for a long-haul departure. Check the entry and exit rules for your nationality on the official immigration portal.