Chau Doc & Tra Su Melaleuca Forest — Deep into the Mekong Delta Waterways
Cham Village, Sam Mountain, fish rafts on the Hau River, and endless green melaleuca forest
Saigon – Chau Doc – Sam Mountain – Floating Village & Fish Rafts – Cham Village – Tra Su Melaleuca Forest – Chau Doc Market – Saigon
Overview
A 3-day, 2-night tour taking you deeper into the Mekong Delta: Chau Doc with Cham Village, Ba Chua Xu Temple, Sam Mountain, fish rafts on the Hau River, and Tra Su Melaleuca Forest — An Giang's flooded forest with green duckweed, birds, and bamboo bridges. A private, slow-paced, culturally immersive tour.
Go Deeper into the Mekong Delta — Beyond the Day Trips
Most visitors to the Mekong Delta only stop at a 1-day My Tho – Ben Tre tour or a 2-day, 1-night Can Tho trip. But the Delta has much more to offer. Chau Doc — the An Giang region deep in the Mekong Delta, bordering Cambodia — is a different side of the Delta: a crossroads of Vietnamese, Cham, and Khmer cultures, where life on the Hau River thrives, sacred mountains rise from the plains, and flooded melaleuca forests stretch endlessly green.
The Chau Doc & Tra Su Melaleuca Forest 3-Day, 2-Night Tour is a journey for those who want to go slower, deeper, closer to nature and local culture. Unlike the rushed 5-6 stop day tours, this 3-day, 2-night itinerary gives you real time to experience: a boat ride through floating villages and fish rafts on the Hau River, a morning paddling through Tra Su Melaleuca Forest, an afternoon visit to Ba Chua Xu Temple — the holiest shrine in the Delta, and meals of An Giang specialties (Chau Doc fish noodle soup, fermented fish sauce, palm sugar).
Tra Su Melaleuca Forest — The Green Gem of An Giang
The natural highlight of the journey is Tra Su Melaleuca Forest — a flooded forest in the Mekong Delta ecosystem, spanning 845 hectares in the That Son region. As you paddle a rowboat through canals lined with lush melaleuca trees, you'll see the water surface covered in green duckweed — an endless green carpet unique to An Giang's flooded areas. Above, hundreds of bird species return to their nests in the late afternoon — storks, herons, and teals. Bamboo bridges, observation towers, and the characteristic tranquility make Tra Su a very different experience from the familiar Mekong spots.
Tra Su is most beautiful in the early morning or late afternoon, when the light is soft and birdwatching is easy. The itinerary is designed for you to arrive at Tra Su at the best time of day.
Highlights
Tra Su Melaleuca Forest — green duckweed covering the water, birds, bamboo bridges, observation tower. Quiet rowboat through canals
Motorboat tour of Chau Doc floating village & fish rafts on the Hau River — authentic river life
Cham Village — culture, stilt houses, weaving, Islamic mosque. Vietnamese-Cham-Khmer crossroads
Spiritual Sam Mountain: Ba Chua Xu Temple, Tay An Pagoda, Thoai Ngoc Hau Tomb, Hang Pagoda
An Giang specialties: Chau Doc fish noodle soup, fermented fish sauce, palm sugar, local cakes
Slow-paced 3-day, 2-night itinerary — deeper than a 1-day Mekong tour, less rush, more experience
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1
Saigon – Rural Mekong Delta – Chau Doc – Sam Mountain
07:30 – 08:00 | Pick up from Saigon
Car and guide pick you up at your hotel in central Ho Chi Minh City. Depart for Chau Doc, An Giang province. Travel time is about 5-6 hours (split into two legs) — a long road journey, but you'll go deep into the real Mekong Delta. On the way, the guide introduces Mekong Delta culture, the Mekong River, the history of the Southern region, and the That Son (Seven Mountains) area of An Giang.
08:00 – 11:30 | Heading to the Delta
Travel through vast green rice fields, crisscrossing canals, and fruit orchards. Stop at a rest stop or local café depending on traffic. You'll gradually feel the difference of the Delta: more open, slower, and life tied to the water.
11:30 – 12:30 | Lunch
Lunch at a local restaurant along the route to Chau Doc or in the Long Xuyen/An Giang area. Try your first Delta dishes: sour soup, clay pot fish, salad.
12:30 – 15:30 | Continue to Chau Doc
Continue the journey. Rest on the car, enjoy views of fields, canals, and Delta life — children herding ducks, people rowing boats, stilt houses along the canals.
15:30 – 17:00 | Spiritual Sam Mountain
Arrive in Chau Doc. If time permits, visit the Sam Mountain area — the holiest spiritual complex in the Delta: Ba Chua Xu Temple (shrine to the goddess revered by Southern people), Tay An Pagoda (unique Indo-Sino-Vietnamese architecture), Thoai Ngoc Hau Tomb (the mandarin who opened up the Southern region), or Hang Pagoda depending on actual conditions.
17:00 – 18:00 | Check-in hotel
Check in to your hotel in Chau Doc. Rest.
18:30 – 20:00 | Dinner
Dinner at a local restaurant. Recommended: try Chau Doc fish noodle soup — a famous specialty with a clear, sweet fish broth. Overnight in Chau Doc.
Day 2
Hau River – Floating Village – Cham Village – Tra Su Melaleuca Forest
06:30 – 07:30 | Breakfast
Breakfast at the hotel.
07:30 – 09:30 | Floating village & fish rafts on the Hau River
Take a motorboat to visit Chau Doc floating village — an area on the Hau River where hundreds of floating houses are moored, forming a real "village" on the water. You'll see river life: people trading, living, and raising fish on these floating houses. Stop at fish rafts — giant rafts for raising basa and tra catfish on the river, learn about the typical Delta fish farming. Depending on the boat route and time, you may also visit Cham Village — the Cham Muslim community scattered along the river, learn about their culture, stilt houses, weaving, and the Islamic mosque.
09:30 – 10:30 | Transfer to Tra Su
Transfer to Tra Su Melaleuca Forest. On the way, the guide introduces the That Son region, the flooded forest, and the ecosystem of An Giang — an ecological crossroads between the Mekong River and the That Son range.
10:30 – 12:30 | Tra Su Melaleuca Forest
The highlight: Tra Su Melaleuca Forest. You take a motorboat and/or rowboat through the canals. On both sides are lush melaleuca trees, the water surface covered in green duckweed — an endless green carpet. Above, birds fly back (storks, herons, teals...). Cross bamboo bridges, climb the observation tower for a panoramic view of the forest. The silence is striking — only the sound of oars, birds, and wind through the melaleuca leaves. This is the part many guests say is the most beautiful moment of the trip.
12:30 – 13:30 | Lunch
Lunch with local dishes at Tra Su or nearby area.
13:30 – 15:30 | Free time
Flexible time: rest, take photos, take a light walk in the eco-zone, or visit additional local spots near Tra Su depending on the tour package.
15:30 – 17:00 | Return to Chau Doc
Return to Chau Doc. Stop for photos of rice fields, mountains, or a local market if convenient.
18:30 – 20:00 | Dinner
Dinner. Overnight in Chau Doc.
Day 3
Chau Doc Market – Delta Specialties – Return to Saigon
07:00 – 08:00 | Breakfast & check-out
Breakfast at the hotel and check out.
08:00 – 09:30 | Chau Doc Market
Visit Chau Doc Market or a light local spot depending on hotel location. This is an opportunity to buy An Giang specialties: fermented fish sauce (mam ruot, mam ca, mam tom chua), palm sugar (sugar from the sugar palm tree, a specialty), local cakes, dried goods. Chau Doc Market is also where you see the bustling river life, with Khmer, Cham, and Vietnamese trading together.
09:30 – 12:30 | Depart for Saigon
Depart back to Ho Chi Minh City. Stop for rest on the way.
12:30 – 13:30 | Lunch
Lunch at a local restaurant along the return route.
13:30 – 17:30 | Return to Saigon
Continue to Ho Chi Minh City. Arrival time depends on traffic; weekends, holidays, or Tet may result in later arrival.
17:30 – 18:30 | Tour ends
Drop off at your hotel in central Ho Chi Minh City. Farewell to the Mekong Delta — with memories of green duckweed, birds, floating villages, and the quiet melaleuca forest.
Included / Not Included
Included
- Private car pickup and drop-off from central Ho Chi Minh City hotels as per itinerary
- 02 nights hotel in Chau Doc according to package grade, twin/double share
- 02 breakfasts at hotel
- 03 lunches & 02 basic dinners as per itinerary
- Vietnamese/English guide according to package
- Basic entrance fees as per program
- Boat tour of floating village/fish rafts/Cham Village in Chau Doc
- Ticket and boat tour of Tra Su Melaleuca Forest
- Basic bottled water on car & operational support
Not included
- Airfare, train/bus tickets to/from Ho Chi Minh City (if not departing from HCMC)
- Single room supplement, room upgrade, or special hotel
- Drinks during meals, coffee, snacks, personal expenses
- Services outside itinerary: Cam Mountain, cable car, massage, photographer, shopping
- Speedboat connecting Phnom Penh (optional add-on)
- Special language guide (Korean/Chinese/Japanese/French) if not confirmed in package
- Surcharge for pickup/drop-off outside central Ho Chi Minh City or remote points
- Weekend, holiday, Tet, peak season surcharge
- Tips for guide and driver
- Personal travel insurance