My Tho

Travel guide

Quicklinks
» Accommodation  » Food & Drink	» Sights & attractions  » Getting there & away

Tien Giang province is the closest Mekong Delta province to Saigon and is a very popular destination for organised tours out of Saigon. The same-named provincial capital sits on the northern bank of the Mekong (Tien Giang) River and has a number of offshore islands that can be visited.

Unfortunately the local authorities have taken a somewhat uninspired view of tourism development here, meaning that unless you are willing to joing a larger tour, travelling around this part of the river independently is prohibitively expensive.

Most tours throughout Tien Giang province run in boats that seat 20-plus people and while such numbers bring costs down to a more reasonable level, the downside is you'll visit attractions en masse and be herded around. If you're interested in exploring riverine life, we'd suggest heading across the river to Ben Tre or further south to Can Tho or west to Chau Doc, where prices far more reasonable and well-tailored to independent travellers.

My Tho town, a medium-sized Mekong Delta provincial capital, has a bit of an abandoned feel to it, except during the morning when busloads of tourists from Saigon descend to do a boat trip to the nearby islands.

 

Aside from the morning, you can often have the riverbank entirely to yourself -- local tourist authorities are yet to commence charging foreigners to enjoy the view, so you can at least plan for doing that.

Aside from doing an overpriced boat-trip, one reason to visit My Tho is to catch a cargo boat west to Chau Doc. This 17-hour trip is a priceless way to see river life, as long as you do not mind roughing it a little. The boats do not leave every day, but you can ask either at the cargo pier (western edge of town), or keep an eye out for Mr Nip (he'll most likely find you), a cyclo driver who speaks excellent English and is a fountain of knowledge about My Tho.

Text and/or map last updated on 21st August, 2009.

More information

Maps
  My Tho


Considering a tour to Vietnam?



Add to scrapbook

 

 

  Search for accommodation

Search for guesthouses & hotels
where in Vietnam?
A Luoi Bac Ha Ben Tre Buon Ma Thuot Ca Na Cam Ranh Bay Can Tho Cat Ba Island Chau Doc China Beach Con Dao Islands Cua Lo Da Lat Da Nang Dai Lanh Dien Bien Phu Dong Ha Dong Hoi Dong Xoai Gia Nghia Ha Long Bay Ha Tien Ha Tinh Halong City Hanoi Ho Chi Minh City Hoa Binh Hoi An Hon Chong Hue Kon Tum Lai Chau Lao Cai Long Xuyen Mai Chau Moc Chau Mui Ne Muong Lay My Khe Beach My Tho Nha Trang Ninh Binh Ninh Chu North of Kon Tum North of Nha Trang Phan Rang Thap Cham Phan Thiet Pho Rang Phong Nha Phong To Phu Quoc Island Pleiku Quang Ngai Qui Nhon Rach Gia Sa Huynh Sapa Sinh Ho Son La Song Cau Tam Dao Hill Station Tay Ninh Thanh Hoa Tra Vinh Tuan Giao Tuy Hoa Vinh Vinh Long Vung Tau Yen Chau

Sort results by:
Travelfish ranking (best first)
Price (cheapest first)
Name (A-Z)
Show only properties bookable online

 

Fresh off our Asia travel forum

Here are some discussions off the Travelfish forum, perhaps related to My Tho. You can find the full forum here.

Topic	Replies	Views
No renter for (motor)bikes in My Tho, Vinh Long, Can Tho?  In Vietnam: by jensmichael, last reply by jensmichael	2	865
My Tho? And Can Tho or just Can Tho?  In Vietnam: by amazon_blonde, last reply by amazon_blonde	5	1191

My Tho reviews

Backchat from the Travelfish community

Not a soul has had a thing to say about this place -- why don't you get the ball rolling?

Have your say