Quick Facts: My Tho Port | Vietnam | My Tho Passenger Port (Cảng Khách My Tho) | Dock (alongside berth) | ~1 km to city center | UTC+7 (Indochina Time)
My Tho is the gateway city to the Mekong Delta, sitting on the northern bank of the Mekong River about 70 km southwest of Ho Chi Minh City — and most cruise ships visiting here are actually tendering or docking as part of a Saigon-region itinerary. The single most important planning tip: don’t just walk the riverfront and call it a day — the real magic of this region is out on the water and deep in the island backroads, so commit to at least a half-day boat excursion or your visit will feel hollow.
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Port & Terminal Information
My Tho’s cruise facility is located at Cảng Khách My Tho (My Tho Passenger Port), situated directly along Tết Mậu Thân Street on the riverfront. Larger expedition and river cruise vessels dock alongside here; some smaller ocean cruise calls may use tenders from the river anchorage, which adds about 15–20 minutes to your transit time and means your entire group arrives in waves — plan your first activity accordingly.
The terminal is modest by international standards. Expect a basic covered arrival hall with immigration/port security, a small souvenir kiosk, and occasional tourist information staffed by local guides. There is no ATM inside the terminal itself — the nearest reliable ATMs are within a 5-minute walk on Trưng Trắc Street (look for Vietcombank or Agribank branches). Free Wi-Fi exists in theory near the terminal building but is unreliable; grab a local SIM at the first convenience store you see in town instead (more on that under Practical Information). There is no formal luggage storage at the terminal — your ship is the best place to leave bags. You can [check the terminal’s location on Google Maps](https://www.google.com/maps/search/My+Tho+cruise+terminal) before arrival to orient yourself.
The city center — specifically the main riverfront promenade, Trưng Trắc Street, and the central market — is approximately 1 km from the dock, an easy 10–12 minute flat walk along the river.
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Getting to the City
My Tho is compact and navigable, which works in your favor on a tight shore day. Here’s exactly how to move around:
- On Foot — The riverside walk from the terminal to the city center takes about 10–12 minutes. Trưng Trắc Street, the main drag running parallel to the river, has cafés, mini-markets, and the boat-hire jetties. Walking is genuinely pleasant in the early morning before heat builds; by midday in the dry season (November–April) the humidity and 35°C heat make walking between sights tiring fast.
- Taxi/Ride-Hailing — Grab (Southeast Asia’s Uber equivalent) works well in My Tho and is your safest bet for fair pricing. A Grab GrabCar or GrabBike from the terminal to the central market runs about 20,000–35,000 VND (roughly $1–$1.50 USD). Street taxis exist too — use Vinasun or Mai Linh livery cabs only and insist the meter runs. Avoid any unmarked “taxi” that approaches you at the port gate — these are almost universally tourist-price traps starting at 5–10x the fair rate.
- Bus/Metro — There is no metro. Local minibuses do operate but routes are in Vietnamese, stops are unmarked to outsiders, and schedules are irregular. For a shore day, buses are not practical unless you’re an experienced independent traveler in Vietnam. Skip this option.
- Motorbike/Xe Om — Local motorbike taxis (xe om) are everywhere and cost roughly 15,000–25,000 VND for short hops in town. Agree on the price firmly before you get on. This is a fun, authentic way to move if you’re comfortable on the back of a scooter in Vietnamese traffic.
- Rental Scooter — Technically available from a few shops near the market for around $5–8 USD/day, but My Tho’s traffic is dense, the road rules are loosely observed, and without Vietnamese language skills and local knowledge this is not recommended for a single-day visit. Save the scooter adventures for Hoi An.
- Hop-On Hop-Off — There is no HOHO bus service in My Tho. This is not a city built for that format.
- Ship Shore Excursion — When your ship offers a Mekong Delta excursion, it’s worth considering for one specific reason: boat access. The ship’s excursions have pre-arranged boat operators, guaranteed return timing, and English-speaking guides. For nervous first-timers or travelers who hate negotiating, the ship excursion is stress-free. However, independent Viator-style tours are meaningfully cheaper and often better-guided. If you’re comfortable booking ahead, go independent — but do book before sailing, not at the dock.
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Top Things to Do in My Tho, Mekong Delta, Vietnam
My Tho rewards people who lean in — toward the river, toward the floating vendors, toward the coconut candy workshops and the monastery hidden down a dirt track. Here are the experiences genuinely worth your shore-day hours, organized by type.
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Must-See
1. Mekong River Boat Tour through the Delta Islands (from ~$5–8 USD for a local sampan hire; ~$17–50 USD for guided tours) — This is the defining experience of any My Tho visit, full stop. You board a narrow wooden sampan boat and weave through the four main islands: Dragon Island (Cồn Rồng), Unicorn Island (Cồn Lân), Phoenix Island (Cồn Phụng), and Tortoise Island (Cồn Quy). The canals narrow until branches brush the boat’s edges, roosters crow from stilted houses, and elderly women in conical hats paddle past selling fruit. You can arrange a basic 2-hour tour directly with boatmen at the dock on Trưng Trắc Street for around $5–8 per person for a group, but a properly guided day tour — like this [private Mekong Delta boat tour on Viator](https://www.viator.com/search/My+Tho) — adds context, language, and organized island stops that a language-barrier hire simply can’t. 🎟 Book: Mekong Delta Private Tour: My Tho & Ben Tre with Boat Cruise Allow 2–4 hours minimum.
2. Vinh Tràng Pagoda (free — donations welcome) — About 1.5 km from the riverfront, Vinh Tràng is one of the most impressive Buddhist pagodas in the entire Mekong Delta. Founded in the early 19th century, its facade is a wildly exuberant fusion of Vietnamese, Chinese, Cambodian, and French architectural influences — jade-green roof tiles, elaborate mosaic dragon pillars, and ceramic figurines covering nearly every surface. The inner sanctuary is serene and genuinely moving, with enormous golden Buddha statues including a reclining Buddha behind the main hall that stands over 12 meters tall. Entrance is free; dress modestly (shoulders and knees covered — sarongs are sometimes available at the entrance). Allow 45–60 minutes. Take a Grab or xe om — it’s too far to walk comfortably in the heat.
3. My Tho Central Market (Chợ Mỹ Tho) (free to enter) — The city’s main wet market sits about 800 meters from the port along the river road. Unlike sanitized tourist markets, this is a working market where vendors have been selling river fish, tropical fruit, dried shrimp paste, and freshly butchered pork since before dawn. Arrive before 9 a.m. for full intensity — by 10 a.m. the fresh produce vendors start packing up. It’s sensory overload in the best way. Don’t buy anything made from protected wildlife (you’ll see vendors — just walk past). Allow 30–45 minutes.
4. Đồng Tâm Snake Farm (entry approximately 20,000 VND / ~$1 USD) — About 10 km west of My Tho, this working reptile research and breeding center houses over 30 species of snake, including enormous pythons and various venomous species, in a surprisingly spacious and educational facility originally established by the military. It’s unusual, genuinely interesting, and feels nothing like a sad zoo — the facility has a conservation and antivenin research mission. A Grab or hired car is the easiest way to get here. Allow 45–60 minutes including transit.
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Beaches & Nature
My Tho is a river delta city — there are no beaches here. But the natural environment is the entire point.
5. Ben Tre Province Coconut Groves (free to walk; boat access ~$3–5 USD per person) — Just across the Mekong from My Tho lies Ben Tre Province, often called the “Coconut Kingdom” of Vietnam. Vast groves of coconut palms shade the islands; the air smells sweetly of coconut water and woodsmoke. Most organized tours combine My Tho and Ben Tre in a single day — it’s genuinely the better way to experience the delta’s agricultural character. A combined [My Tho and Ben Tre full-day tour on Viator from $27 USD](https://www.viator.com/search/My+Tho) handles the cross-river logistics seamlessly. 🎟 Book: Mekong Delta My Tho & Ben Tre Day Tour (Private/Small Group) Allow a full day if combining both.
6. Cồn Phụng (Phoenix Island) and the Coconut Monk’s Compound (entry ~10,000–20,000 VND) — Phoenix Island hosts the eccentric legacy of Nguyễn Thành Nam, a Vietnamese monk who spent years meditating on a pole above the river and built a fantastical outdoor sanctuary of towers, dragons, and symbolic structures blending Buddhism, Christianity, and his own singular cosmology. Much of the structure is now weathered and partially collapsed, giving it an eerie, post-apocalyptic quality that is unlike anything else in Southeast Asia. It’s accessible only by boat (included in most organized delta tours). Allow 45–60 minutes on the island.
7. Mekong Delta Rice Fields and Fruit Orchards (free; accessed via bicycle or walking on guided tours) — Several tour operators include bicycle rides through working orchards where you can taste rambutan, longan, durian (season-dependent), and star fruit directly from the tree. This is not a staged performance — these are active family farms that welcome visitors as a secondary income. The narrow earthen paths between paddy fields are only accessible on foot or bicycle. A guided excursion like the [Mekong Delta Discovery Day Tour on Viator from $45.77](https://www.viator.com/search/My+Tho) typically includes this orchard segment with cycle access. 🎟 Book: Mekong Delta Discovery Day Tour – My Tho – Ben Tre Allow 1–2 hours for the orchard and cycling portion.
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Day Trips
8. Ben Tre City (~20 km from My Tho; 45 minutes by road or 30 minutes by boat) — Ben Tre city itself is quieter and less touristed than My Tho, with a gentler pace, excellent coconut candy workshops open to visitors, and a strong local café culture. If you have 8+ hours ashore, a combined My Tho–Ben Tre day is the gold standard Mekong experience. Most private and small-group tours from My Tho include Ben Tre as the natural second stop. Allow a full day for the combination.
9. Cai Be Floating Market (~35 km west of My Tho; approximately 1 hour by road + short boat ride) — Cai Be is one of the last functioning wholesale floating markets in the upper Mekong Delta, where boats loaded with watermelons, pineapples, squash, and river produce cluster in the early morning hours. It’s best before 8 a.m., which means departing My Tho very early. This is genuinely more authentic than the more tourist-heavy Cai Rang floating market near Can Tho. Only practical on a full-day (8+ hour) shore day. Allow 2–3 hours including transit.
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Family Picks
10. Coconut Candy Workshop Visit, Ben Tre (free with most tours; candy from ~$1–3 USD to buy) — Watching workers hand-roll hot coconut candy on wooden tables, then tasting the peanut-and-coconut versions fresh from the kitchen, is a genuine crowd-pleaser for children and adults alike. The workshops are family-run cottage industries, not factory tours — kids can usually try stirring a batch with supervision. Combined into most Mekong Delta tours. Allow 30 minutes.
11. Traditional Rice Paper and Coconut Products Demonstrations (free on guided tours) — Island families demonstrate how rice paper sheets are made over bamboo steamers, and how coconut husks are processed into everything from rope to oil. These are hands-on, slow-paced, and genuinely educational — children find the process fascinating, and the demonstrations have a very low-pressure, no-obligation-to-buy atmosphere. Included in most organized island boat tours. Allow 20–30 minutes per workshop.
12. Sampan Rowing Through Narrow Canals (included in most boat tours) — The moment your vessel transitions from the wide main Mekong channel into the narrow, palm-shaded canals — barely wider than the boat itself — children and adults alike go quiet and reach for their cameras simultaneously. It’s one of those genuine “wow” experiences that photographs can’t fully capture. The dappled light, the sound of water on the hull, the occasional passing bicycle on the bank three feet away: it’s magic. Included in virtually all organized boat excursions.
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Off the Beaten Track
13. Sầm Giang Church (Our Lady of Mekong Shrine) (free) — About 4 km from the city center, this striking Catholic church and Marian shrine draws Vietnamese pilgrims from across the south but sees almost no foreign tourists. The architecture blends European Gothic with Vietnamese decorative elements; the grounds are peaceful and immaculately kept. A testament to the surprisingly deep Catholic roots of this part of Vietnam (a legacy of French colonial-era missions). A xe om or Grab ride gets you here in 10 minutes. Allow 20–30 minutes.
14. Lê Thị Hồng Gấm Street Food Crawl, Early Morning (various; $1–4 USD per dish) — The streets radiating west from the central market — particularly around Lê Thị Hồng Gấm and Nam Kỳ Khởi Nghĩa streets — host a dense cluster of early-morning food stalls that almost exclusively serve locals. No English menus, plastic stools, and the best hủ tiếu Mỹ Tho you’ll eat anywhere. This is the real My Tho, and it’s almost entirely absent from organized tour itineraries. Best between 6:30–9 a.m. Allow 45–60 minutes to eat slowly and watch the city wake up.
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What to Eat & Drink
My Tho has one dish that is so distinctly its own that Vietnamese people will travel hours from Saigon just to eat it here. The food culture overall is lighter and fresher than northern Vietnamese cuisine — coconut milk, river fish, fresh herbs, and tropical fruit are the defining flavors.
- Hủ Tiếu Mỹ Tho (My Tho-style noodle soup) — The city’s signature dish and a genuinely famous entry in Vietnam’s noodle canon. Clear pork-and-dried-squid broth, thin rice noodles, sliced pork, shrimp, crispy shallots, and an entire garden of fresh herbs on the side. The broth has a subtle sweetness unique to this region. Find it at any streetside stall around the central market from 6–10 a.m.; look for the stalls with the longest queues of locals. Price: 25,000–45,000 VND ($1–2 USD).
- Bánh Xèo (Sizzling Crepe) — A crispy turmeric-yellow rice flour crepe stuffed with shrimp, pork, and bean sprouts, eaten wrapped in lettuce and rice paper with nuoc cham dipping sauce. The Mekong Delta version is generously sized and intensely crispy. Price: 30,000–60,000 VND at local restaurants.
- Fresh Coconut Water on the Islands — Not a dish but an experience: drinking fresh coconut water poured straight from a green coconut hacked open in front of you, while sitting on a wooden platform over the river. The coconuts from Ben Tre Province are notably swe
🎟️ Things to Book in Advance
These highly-rated experiences fill up fast — book before you arrive to avoid missing out.
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📍 Getting to My Tho, Mekong Delta, Vietnam
Use the interactive map below to explore the port area and plan your route from the terminal.
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