Welcome to Vinh Long City
Vinh Long is located in the Mekong Delta region, about 140km from the center of Ho Chi Minh City, 40km from Tra Noc Intl airport of Can Tho City. The city itself has long been famous for its fruit orchards and surrounding islets where fruits are produced and exported. With a convenient location, this city is a good place for you to admire the islet homestays with isolated villages and off the beaten tracks and much unique beauty of local culture. Lush and heavily cultivated with both rice and fruit gardens, the province is criss-crossed with canals and tributaries all flowing into the teeming rivers that form its borders. It’s not surprising that the name Vinh Long translates to “eternal prosperity”. The city was built on the bank of the Cô Chiên River, which branches off from the larger Mekong River.
If Vinh Long rings even the faintest of bells, it may be because you once saw The Lover, a film more known for its explicit love scenes than anything else. The main male character is from Vinh Long, and it’s on a ferry between there and Sa Đéc that he meets our narrator and main female character. While we did see that film as a teen, we first remember hearing of Vinh Long and wanting to visit when we saw this photo.

Top Reasons to Go
Vinh Long Pottery & Brick Kingdom
There are hundred old brick and pottery factories in Vinh Long which are super impressive and unique to see when you travel to Vinh Long.

Cai Be Floating Market
Unfortunately the floating market of Cai Be is getting smaller every year, since trade is shifting more and more into modern central markets. The Catholic cathedral in the background of the floating market is an awesome motive for photos.

Stunning canals, wild islets and hidden homestay
In the Mekong Delta, life is lived on the water. Rivers and canals wind through the region, and locals grow up paddling boats and travelling by ferry. Get a taste of this unique culture by taking a sampan to explore small canals and mangrove forests. Women typically row sampans standing up while skillfully navigating the currents and twists of each waterway. You also can explore the area very well by bicycle riding on narrow roads along small side canals. Many of the small shady canals, which branch off from the larger river arms, are hard to spot, because they are overgrown by lush greenery.

Mekong Delta Cruises
Cai Be river is the meeting point of the river tributaries of Tien Giang, Vinh Long and Ben Tre. This town has many cruises for tourists who are passionate about exploring nature and the majestic Mekong river. Mekong excursions can last for the day, overnight, or even cross-country between Vietnam and Cambodia and Laos. With the advantage of the mighty Mekong river, more and more tourists choose Cai Be as the place to start the trip of a lifetime – the Mekong Delta expedition.

Mekong River Islands
What makes a trip to Vinh Long worthwhile is not the town but the beautiful islands dotting the river. The islands are dedicated to agriculture, especially the growing of tropical fruits, which are shipped to markets in HCMC. This low-lying region is as much water as land and houses are generally built on stilts. Some of the more popular islands to visit include Binh Hoa Phuoc and An Binh, but there are many others. You can take the public ferry to one of the islands and then walk or cycle around on your own.

Getting here and around
As a central town of Mekong Delta, Vinh Long is getting easier for everyone to get there and get around. It also means that traveling to the town won’t take much sweat, especially when you get here by public bus, car via the highway. We will break this down in detail, so check the information below to choose your best vehicle option.
Air travel: Currently, there aren’t any direct flights to Vinh Long. The nearest one is Tan Son Nhat intl airport and Tra Noc intl (Can Tho) airport.
Bus travel: From Ho Chi Minh city to Vinh Long. The best bus company for getting from Saigon to Vinh Long is the Futa Bus Lines company or Thanh Buoi Bus Lines. You can catch a bus from the Western bus station (address: 395 Kinh Duong Vuong, An Lac Ward, Binh Tan District, Ho Chi Minh City) with the time to travel to Vinh Long is 3 hours, to buy tickets or contact system of specialized vehicles running Saigon – Vinh Long route such as: Phuong Trang (futa bus lines), add in Saigon: 272 De Tham, District 1. Tel: (08) 38375570. Once you’ve arrived at the Vinh Long Bus Station, take a taxi to your Vinh Long accommodation. Or, if taking the Futa bus line, take the complimentary transportation van which goes to certain areas in 10 km distance. For your return trip, you can pre-book your tickets or have your accommodation help reserve the tickets for you. If you choose to stay at Vinh Long homestays in the islet, you’ll want the bus driver to drop you off at the Cuu Long B (facing the An Binh ferry) hotel where the boat station is. The locals from the homestays will arrange to pick you up in a boat when you arrive at the harbor.
Bus travel: From Can Tho to Vinh Long. Take the public bus as Futa bus line or Thanh Buoi bus line. Super easy to have a ticket. These buses are great and new and AC and depart from Can Tho to HCMC every 15 minutes. On the way, you just tell the driver to drop you off in Vinh Long. The bus ticket is about 120,000 VND.
Boat travel: Not a public boat yet. But it is quite typical to see some tourists book a customized boat trip from Can Tho to Vinh Long or Vinh Long to Can Tho for both exploring the Mekong river and avoiding the long drive with the traffic.

Speed Boat travel: From Can Tho to Vinh Long. Not yet
Cruises: There are daily overnight cruises from Can Tho Vinh Long to Cai Be and Cai Be Vinh Long to Can Tho. Cai Be river is the meeting point of the river tributaries of Mekong river. This town has many cruises for tourists who are passionate about exploring nature and the majestic Mekong river. Mekong excursions can last for the day, overnight, or even cross-country between Vietnam and Cambodia and Laos. With the advantage of the mighty Mekong river, more and more tourists choose Cai Be as the place to start the trip of a lifetime – the Mekong Delta expedition.

Train travel: Not yet.
Bicycle and motorcycle travel: While it’s possible to rent a motorbike to explore the delta, Vinh Long city center and the wonderful An Binh islet, most visitors choose to utilize the free bicycles offered by most resorts and homestays. The roads are bumpy and occasionally muddy but the distances are relatively short. You’ll notice that many of the locals opt to travel by bike as well so you’ll be in good company.
Ferry travel: Two passenger ferries run between the Vinh Long mainland and the island of An Binh islet in the middle of the Mekong River. An Binh ferry (facing the Cuu Long B hotel) is the first ferry leaving from the town of Vinh Long near the tourist pier and drops you on the South end of An Binh islet. Dinh Khao ferry is the second ferry leaves from further downriver near the village of Hoa Phuoc and drops you closer to the Hai Dao homestay on An Binh islet as well. This allows you to make a loop on your bicycle. The ferries run about every 10 minutes so you’ll never have to wait long to cross. You can ride your bicycle or motorbike up the ramp and onto the boat. The fare is ~4,500 VND ($0.20) for a person plus a bicycle. You don’t need to buy a ticket before you board – someone will come around to collect payment during the river crossing.

Best time to Visit Vinh Long
Vinh Long welcomes you in any season all year round, each of which will certainly offer you specifically different types of pleasure and satisfaction. However, the best time to visit Vinh Long is from September to March. The weather is cool and pretty comfortable, so you can join any activity that you like.
Floating season (September – December): It is the best time to visit Vinh Long and the Mekong Delta region in general. You can go fishing in our traditional wooden boats, discover pristine nature and spend time in some orchards.
Rainy season (May – October): It is not a bad choice when traveling to Vinh Long during rainy seasons since the rains are short and will not affect your trip.
Dry season (January – April): It is hot and dry during this time, however, it is harvesting time here and you can enjoy fruit picking activities with the locals.