Private Mekong days from Saigon
Tours · Pricing
How a private Mekong day is priced
Our trips say "On request" because a private day is priced for your party, your date and your hours. This page shows what goes into a quote, which parts move it most, and published shared-tour and bus prices to compare it with, so you can see where the difference goes.
Priced per party, not per seat
A shared tour sells seats. Its price per person is low because a boat, a guide and a vehicle are divided among a boatload or a coachload of people. A private trip sells the whole boat, the whole vehicle and the whole guide to one party. The price is set by what those cost for the hours you use them, divided by however many of you there are. Two people pay for the same speedboat as six.
| Trip | What sets the price first | Then | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private speedboat day | Hours of speedboat charter | Car for the boat-out, car-back version | On request |
| Private car day | Vehicle class for a full day | Boats on the Cai Be side | On request |
| Can Tho in one night | Hotel room for the night | Car for two days; two private boats | On request |
| Mekong port day | Berth: long car day from Phu My, or speedboat | Port passes where charged | On request |
What a quote is made of
Every quote we send lists these lines separately, so you can see what each part costs and remove what you do not want. Where a published third-party price exists, it is shown here as a reference, with its source and date. These are other providers' prices, often for shared services, not ours.
| Line in the quote | How it is charged | Published reference |
|---|---|---|
| Speedboat charter | By the hours the boat is yours, with crew and fuel | Shared speedboat day, Les Rives: from VND 3,099,000 per adult; child 4–12 VND 2,399,000 |
| Private car or van | By the day and the vehicle class | Shared limousine bus Saigon–Can Tho: VND 165,000 per trip (Phuong Trang) |
| Private boat at Cai Rang | By the boat and the hours | Private guided boat 4–5 h: VND 500,000–800,000 per person, a private publisher's estimate, May 2026 |
| Private boat to Thoi Son | By the boat | VND 300,000–350,000 from My Tho, 2021–2023 figures |
| Guide | By the day | No reliable published figure |
| Lunch | Per person, set menu agreed in advance | Varies by house |
| Entrance fees | At cost | Binh Thuy ancient house: VND 15,000 per adult (published 2023) |
| Hotel (Can Tho only) | Room rate on the day you confirm | Hotels publish their own rates |
Published fares change. Treat the references as a sense of scale, checked in October 2026; confirm before booking anything yourself.
Sources: Les Rives, Mekong Delta speedboat day (published itinerary); MoMo, Phuong Trang bus tickets; vietnamtourism.com (private publisher), Can Tho floating market guide, 27 May 2026; Vietnambooking, Thoi Son prices (2021); VnExpress, 48 hours in Can Tho, 27 Oct 2023 · checked .
What moves the price, in order
- Charter hours. A speedboat costs most of a private day, and it is charged for the time it is yours, including waiting. A boat-out, car-back day releases the boat earlier but adds a full-day car.
- Party size and vehicle class. One or two travellers fit in a sedan; five to eight need a van. The price per person falls as the party grows, up to the point where a second boat or vehicle is needed.
- Distance. Can Tho is about twice as far as Ben Tre by road. More kilometres mean more hours for the driver and vehicle, and the overnight adds a room.
- Date. Tet, public holidays and long weekends raise vehicle and boat prices and slow the roads.
- The hotel. On the Can Tho trip the room is the largest single variable; a pool villa on the islet and a suite in the centre are priced very differently.
- Your berth. For cruise passengers, a ship at Phu My means a long vehicle day; a city berth means a speedboat charter. Port passes, where charged, are passed on at cost.
What is not included, and why
- Travel insurance. You know your own needs and existing cover better than we do; we do not sell it.
- Tips. They are your decision, and a price that hides them is a higher price.
- Alcohol. Soft drinks come with lunch; wine and beer vary so much that a flat charge would be unfair.
- Dinner on the Can Tho night. Most travellers want to choose for themselves; we suggest places.
- Luggage transfers. Only needed when you check out on a speedboat day; it is a separate line so you do not pay for it otherwise.
Where a lower quote usually comes from
When two quotes for what looks like the same day differ by a third, the gap usually comes from one of these. None of them is dishonest in itself, but each makes it a different product:
- Seats on a shared boat described as a private tour. The guide may be yours; the boat is not.
- "Limousine" meaning a shared bus. In Vietnam the word is used for shared minibuses with larger seats. Ask whether the vehicle is for your party only.
- A speedboat day that is mostly road. Some products drive you most of the way and use a speedboat only at the delta end. Ask where the boat starts.
- Meeting at the pier, not the hotel. Fine if you are close to it; an extra taxi if you are not.
- Lunch where the coaches eat. A set restaurant serving large groups is cheaper than a table at a house.
- Shopping stops. A workshop that pays the guide for bringing you in lowers the price and fills the afternoon.
- Can Tho as a day trip. It saves a hotel night and misses the dawn market.
Common questions
Questions travellers ask most
Why is your quote higher than other places for the same day?
Usually because it is not the same day. Ours puts a whole boat, a whole vehicle and a guide on one party, collects you from the door and has no shopping stops. Compare line by line: who else is on the boat, where the boat starts, and what the vehicle is.
Is the price per person or per party?
Per party. A larger party pays more in total but less per person, until it needs a second boat or vehicle.
Do you charge a deposit?
The written quote sets out how and when to pay. Pay only to the account shown on that written quote.
Can we remove parts to lower the price?
Yes. Every line in the quote can be removed or changed, for example the guide on the boat-out leg, or a simpler lunch, and the quote is priced again in full.
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Four private Mekong trips from Saigon compared by transport, reach and door-to-door time.
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A private delta day for cruise passengers, planned from the berth and the all-aboard time.
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Tell us the day you have in mind
A date, how many are travelling and where you start, a hotel, an airport or a ship, are enough to begin. We reply by email with questions or a written plan with door-to-door times.