3 Days: HCMC Day Trips on a Budget
Three days from Ho Chi Minh City covers two of the four real day trips: the Cu Chi and Tay Ninh combo, plus a full Mekong Delta day at My Tho and Ben Tre. This extends the 2-day plan with a third day rather than replacing it, the same spine longer versions of this plan keep building on.
Book these before you go:
- A District 1 hostel or hotel, check rates on Agoda
- A combined Cu Chi Tunnels and Cao Dai Temple tour for Day 2
- A My Tho and Ben Tre Mekong Delta day trip for Day 3, or compare options on Viator
| Day | Focus | Travel time | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arrival, District 1 settle-in | ~25-45 min airport transfer | 150,000-300,000 VND (Grab + dinner) |
| 2 | Cu Chi Tunnels + Tay Ninh Cao Dai combined | 1.5-2h to Cu Chi, then on to Tay Ninh, 8-10h door to door | 90,000-125,000 VND entry, plus US$15-40pp tour |
| 3 | Mekong Delta: My Tho and Ben Tre | 1.5-2h each way | roughly US$25-70+pp tour, or cheaper DIY bus and boat |
Day 1: Arrival and District 1 Settle-In
Fly into Tan Son Nhat (SGN) and Grab into District 1 for roughly 110,000-250,000 VND. Check into your hotel, then wander Ben Thanh Market for orientation before a street-food dinner, com tam or banh mi, both under 65,000 VND. Keep tonight low-key, tomorrow’s day trip starts early.
Day 2: Cu Chi Tunnels and Tay Ninh’s Noon Ceremony
Leave by 7-7:30am for the Cu Chi Tunnels, 1.5-2 hours out, entry 90,000-125,000 VND. Continue on to Tay Ninh for the Cao Dai Great Temple’s noon ceremony, arriving by 11:15-11:30am for the upstairs visitor gallery; entry is free. Expect back in HCMC by early evening, an 8-10 hour day door to door, best booked as one bundled tour rather than two separate trips.
Day 3: Mekong Delta, My Tho and Ben Tre
My Tho and Ben Tre sit 1.5-2 hours from HCMC, close enough for a genuine single-day trip. Expect a sampan ride through coconut-palm canals, a coconut-candy workshop, and fresh orchard fruit, often with a stop at Vinh Trang Pagoda on the way out. A shared tour runs roughly US$25-70+ per person and handles the boat transfers that are fiddly to arrange solo. Back in HCMC by early evening for a normal street-food dinner.
Is the Mekong Delta day trip worth it if I am only doing My Tho and Ben Tre, not Can Tho?
Yes, and it is the more honest single-day option of the two. Can Tho’s Cai Rang floating market sits 3-3.5 hours out each way, and its real wholesale trade winds down by mid-morning, before a same-day coach from HCMC could arrive. My Tho and Ben Tre, at 1.5-2 hours, deliver canals, orchards and a coconut-candy workshop without the rushed math. Save Cai Rang for an overnight trip instead.
Do I need a guide for the Mekong Delta, or can I do it myself?
A tour is the practical choice here, not just the easy one. The sampan and rowboat transfers between islands are arranged by the tour operator as part of the price; doing this solo means negotiating boat hire in Vietnamese at each stop, which adds cost and time rather than saving either. Unless you speak Vietnamese and have a full spare day, book the tour.
Five days and beyond add a Vung Tau beach day and a slower day back in the city on this same spine, see the 5-day plan . For the city itself, our Ho Chi Minh City guide covers District 1 sights on the same daily budget. Keep small dong notes on hand through Day 3, none of these towns break a large bill easily.