Mekong Delta: the rivers, the markets and the trip

The Mekong Delta: 40,500 km² of water, rice and boats

Short answer

The Mekong Delta covers over 40,500 km² and holds about 19 million people. It grew 54.8 per cent of Vietnam's rice in 2011, and its mean elevation is only 0.82 m above sea level. Life runs on the water: floating markets, boats instead of lanes, and Can Tho as the main city.

Last checked: September 21, 2026

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The delta in numbers

	Figure
Area	Over 40,500 km²
Population	About 19 million, 2022
Density	Around 440 per km²
Rice, 2011	23,186,000 t, 54.8 per cent of national output
Mean elevation	0.82 m above sea level
Main city	Can Tho

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Water instead of roads

The Mekong arrives in Vietnam and breaks into a fan of rivers and canals that carries 19 million people, their houses, their markets and more than half the country’s rice. Over 40,500 km² of it, and the average elevation is 0.82 metres.

That last figure explains the architecture. Stilts, boats tied to porches, shops with steps down to the water and a back door that opens onto a canal. Roads came later and are still not the main network.

The floating markets

Cai Rang outside Can Tho is the one most people see, and it is a real wholesale market rather than a display: boats meet before dawn, hang a sample of what they are selling from a pole, and trade with each other until the morning ends.

Arrive at sunrise or do not bother. By nine the boats are dispersing and what is left is the version of the market that exists for people who arrived at nine.

Getting there and around

Ho Chi Minh City is the gateway, and buses to Can Tho, Ben Tre and Vinh Long run all day on the platforms. The arrival into the city itself is in Tan Son Nhat to District 1, and the coach options are in sleeper buses in Vietnam.

For anyone heading to Cambodia, Vinh Xuong in An Giang and Ha Tien in Kien Giang are both on the government’s list of international gates that accept an e-visa, covered in the Vietnam e-visa.

When to go

The south is dry from December to April and wet from May to November, so the delta is at its most comfortable in the first window and at its fullest in the second. Water levels, not temperature, are the thing that changes what you see. The year is in when to go to Vietnam.

Coverage along the main channels is decent and thins in the smaller canals, which matters if you are arranging a boat by phone. Sizing is in how much mobile data for Vietnam and the plans are in the Vietnam eSIM store.

Questions

Day trip or overnight?

Overnight, if the schedule allows it. The floating markets work at dawn and are largely finished by mid-morning, which a day trip from Ho Chi Minh City cannot reach. A night in Can Tho turns the markets from a performance into the actual wholesale trade they are.

How big is it?

Over 40,500 km² with around 19 million people, roughly 440 to the square kilometre. It produced 23,186,000 tonnes of rice in 2011, which was 54.8 per cent of the national crop. This is not a scenic backwater, it is where the country's food comes from.

Which town should I base in?

Can Tho is the largest city and the usual base, with Cai Rang floating market on its doorstep. Ben Tre and Vinh Long are quieter and closer to Ho Chi Minh City. Chau Doc sits near the Cambodian border and suits anyone continuing overland.

Is it sinking?

The research is blunt: the delta's mean elevation is only 0.82 m above sea level, much lower than earlier estimates, and a majority of it is projected to be below sea level by 2050. That is the context for everything you will see, and it is worth knowing while you are there.

Can I cross to Cambodia from here?

Yes. Vinh Xuong, an international land and river gate in An Giang, and Ha Tien in Kien Giang are both on the government's list of crossings that accept an e-visa. Boats up the river to Phnom Penh are a long-standing route.