Overview
Fish the Ben Luc canals, herd ducks, cook southern Vietnamese dishes & eat lunch in a coconut garden
Ben Luc district in Long An province sits about 40 kilometres southwest of Ho Chi Minh City, where the city’s edge dissolves into the flat canal-threaded landscape of the Mekong Delta. The drive takes about an hour. What you arrive at is a working agricultural community — families who fish the waterways, tend kitchen gardens, grow coconuts, and raise ducks alongside the canals.
This tour is built around doing those things alongside them, not watching from a distance. You spend the morning on the water: a motorboat out of Go Dung Pier along the canal network, stopping under a rural bridge where local fishing lines are set. Each guest gets a rod and bait bought that morning at the market. The fishing is not sport fishing — it’s the same simple technique that families here have used for generations to supplement what they grow. Whether you catch anything or not, the hour and a half on the water gives you a very different sense of how the river functions in daily life.
The afternoon moves to a coconut garden on the riverbank. Duck herding, canal bailing with a traditional scoop, a hands-on cooking class preparing bánh xèo, chả giò, and thịt nướng lá lốt — then lunch under the palms, followed by a sampan ride back through the nipa canals. The pace is relaxed and the group is small. It’s the kind of day that’s hard to replicate on a larger tour.
Why TNK Travel for this tour
Hands-on, not hands-off: you fish with real equipment, cook real dishes, and participate in garden activities that are part of the host family’s actual daily routine.
Ben Luc is not on the standard Mekong circuit: most day trips from Ho Chi Minh City go to My Tho or Cai Be. Long An province sees far fewer visitors, and the places you go here are not set up for tour groups.
Small groups only: maximum 12 people. The fishing spots, the coconut garden kitchen, and the sampan work best at this scale.
Trusted by over 1,000,000 travellers: TNK Travel has operated tours out of Ho Chi Minh City since 2000, ranked #3 on TripAdvisor with over 24,000 verified reviews.
Tour highlights
Ben Luc market: a quick stop at the local market to pick up bait for the fishing session and fresh ingredients for the afternoon cooking class. The market is active in the early morning — produce from local gardens, freshwater fish, herbs, and river snacks.
Canal fishing at Go Dung Pier: motorboat out to a fishing spot under a rural bridge. Each guest gets their own rod, bait, and a spot along the bank. The technique is simple — line, hook, bait, patience — and your guide will help anyone who hasn’t fished before. Snacks, fresh fruit, and cold drinks are served on the boat while you fish.
Countryside walk & canal cruise: after fishing, the boat moves deeper into the narrow canal network. A short walk along the riverbank between the trees and garden plots before arriving at the coconut garden.
Duck herding (“Duck Massage”): a lighthearted activity that is more entertaining than it sounds. Ducks are guided from their pen to the water and back using long bamboo poles — a real part of daily farm management, and genuinely difficult to do in a straight line.
Canal bailing: using a traditional wooden scoop to transfer water between canal sections — a technique used to irrigate garden plots and control water levels in the delta. It looks straightforward and is not.
Cooking class: three southern Vietnamese dishes prepared in the garden kitchen: bánh xèo (sizzling rice-flour pancake with pork, prawn, and bean sprouts), chả giò (deep-fried spring rolls), and thịt nướng lá lốt (minced pork grilled in wild betel leaves). Your guide and the host will walk you through each dish.
Lunch in the coconut garden: a home-style meal under the palms, combining the dishes from the cooking class with a set southern Vietnamese lunch: lemongrass chicken, fried eggs, minced pork soup, steamed rice, and seasonal fruit.
Hammock time: after lunch, a genuine break in hammocks strung between the coconut trees. No schedule for 30 minutes.
Sampan ride through nipa canals: the return journey to the pier is by paddle-powered sampan through shaded narrow canals lined with nipa palm. Quiet, slow, and a good way to end the day.
Important information
Pickup
– Available from hotels in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City (excluding Sài Gòn Ward and Tân Định Ward)
– Pickup time: 8:00 AM. Please wait in your hotel lobby.
– Exact pickup time confirmed by email or WhatsApp 24 hours before departure
– Hotels outside Ben Thanh Ward: meet at TNK Travel, 112 Trần Hưng Đạo Street, Ben Thanh Ward, District 1 by 7:45 AM
What to wear & bring
Clothing: light, casual clothes you don’t mind getting wet or muddy. The fishing involves sitting close to the water; the garden activities involve soil and canal water.
Footwear: sandals with straps or old shoes for the market and garden. Flip-flops are fine for the boat. Avoid good shoes — the garden paths can be muddy after rain.
Sun protection: hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen. The fishing section has limited shade.
Insect repellent: recommended, particularly for the canal and garden sections in the wet season (May–October).
Cash: for personal purchases at the market. Most vendors do not accept cards.
Physical requirements
– Moderate activity level. The tour involves walking on uneven garden paths, getting in and out of boats, and standing at the canal bank for the fishing session.
– The fishing and garden activities require no prior experience or fitness level beyond the ability to stand and walk comfortably.
– The sampan requires stepping into a low-sided boat — your guide will assist. Life jackets available on request.
– Not recommended for travellers with severe mobility limitations.
Weather
– The tour runs in most weather conditions, including light rain. Ponchos available if needed.
– Fishing may be moved to a sheltered spot during heavy rain. Garden activities continue under the coconut canopy.
– If TNK Travel cancels due to severe weather, you receive a full refund or can reschedule.
Itinerary
Ben Luc, Long An province
Your guide meets you at your hotel lobby in District 1. The minivan departs for Ben Luc district in Long An province, approximately 40 kilometres southwest of Ho Chi Minh City. The drive takes about an hour. Your guide will introduce the delta — the canal network, how the land is farmed, and what a typical day looks like for a family living along the waterways.
9:00 AM Ben Luc market
A short stop at the local wet market. The morning market in Ben Luc is compact and working — vendors arrive early with produce from their own plots. Today’s visit has a purpose: your guide will buy bait for the fishing session (usually small river prawns or earthworms, depending on what’s available) and fresh ingredients — herbs, vegetables, pork — for the afternoon cooking class. You’ll walk through the market while this happens, and your guide will point out what’s being sold and by whom.
9:45 AM Motorboat from Go Dung Pier — canal fishing
The group boards a traditional motorboat at Go Dung Pier and sets off along the canal network. The waterway narrows as you move away from the main channel, passing garden plots, stilted houses, and the occasional duck pen on the bank. After about 20–30 minutes on the water, the boat stops at a fishing spot under a rural bridge — a location local families use regularly.
Each guest gets a fishing rod, bait, and a spot along the boat rail or the bank. The technique is traditional and simple: fixed line, hook, and bait dropped into the water. No casting, no complex equipment. Your guide will help anyone unfamiliar with fishing get set up. The catch varies — small river fish, catfish, and snakehead are common — but the point is not the quantity. While you fish, the boat crew serves fresh fruit, snacks, and cold drinks (beer and soft drinks included). The fishing session runs about 90 minutes.
11:45 AM Deeper canals & countryside walk
The motorboat continues into narrower, more shaded sections of the canal network. The water slows, the palms close in overhead, and the noise from the main channel disappears. A short walk along the riverbank — through the kind of garden path that connects houses in the delta, past banana palms and vegetable plots — before arriving at the coconut garden.
12:15 PM Coconut garden — farm activities, cooking class & lunch
The coconut garden is a working farm on the riverbank, run by a local family. The afternoon here is the most active part of the day, moving between three or four things at a relaxed pace.
Farm activities
Duck herding: the family’s ducks are guided from their pen to the canal and back using long bamboo poles. It sounds straightforward. It is not. The ducks have their own agenda and the bamboo poles are long and unwieldy. Your guide will demonstrate; the group takes turns. The Vietnamese name for this activity — mát-xa vịt, “duck massage” — refers to the motion of herding them through the water.
Canal bailing: using a traditional wooden scoop (gàu sng), water is transferred from one level of the canal system to another to irrigate the garden plots above the waterline. This is real agricultural work — the family does it daily. It requires coordination and rhythm, and most guests find it harder than expected.
Cooking class
Three dishes prepared in the garden kitchen using ingredients from the morning market:
• Bánh xèo (sizzling pancake): a large rice-flour and turmeric crepe cooked in a very hot pan with pork, prawn, and bean sprouts until the edges are crisp. Eaten by tearing pieces, wrapping in mustard leaf and lettuce, and dipping in nước chấm.
•Chả giò (fried spring rolls): minced pork, wood-ear mushroom, and glass noodles wrapped in rice paper and deep-fried. The wrapping technique is the part guests usually need a few attempts to get right.
•Thịt nướng lá lốt (grilled pork in betel leaves): seasoned minced pork wrapped in wild betel leaves and grilled over charcoal. The leaves char slightly and give the meat a particular aromatic bitterness.
Lunch
A home-style meal at a table in the garden, under the coconut palms. The cooking class dishes are served alongside a full southern Vietnamese lunch: lemongrass chicken, fried eggs, minced pork soup, steamed rice, and seasonal fruit. Cold drinks included.
Hammock time
After lunch, hammocks strung between the coconut trees. No schedule for 30 minutes. This is deliberate — the delta moves slowly in the afternoon, and the tour reflects that.
2:30 PM Sampan ride through the nipa canals
From the garden, the group boards a paddle-powered sampan for the return journey to the pier. The nipa canals are too narrow for the motorboat — the sampan is the only way through. The guide or a local rower paddles from the stern. The canals are shaded, quiet, and close to the bank; garden plots visible through the vegetation, the occasional house on stilts above the waterline. About 30 minutes on the water.
3:00 PM Motorboat back to Go Dung Pier
Transfer by motorboat from the end of the nipa canal section back to Go Dung Pier.
3:30 PM Drive back to Ho Chi Minh City
The minivan departs for Ho Chi Minh City. Drop-off at District 1 hotels, arriving approximately 5:00 PM depending on traffic.
Price & Bookings
Price & bookings
| Tour type | Group size | Price per person | Holiday price per person | Features |
| Small group tour | 2–12 people | $44 USD | $50 USD | Daily departure |
Public holidays — $50 USD per person
Holiday pricing applies to all departures on the following dates. If your travel date falls within one of these periods, the $50 rate applies automatically at booking.
| Holiday | Dates |
| New Year’s Day | 1 January 2027 |
| Lunar New Year (Tết Nguyên Đán) | 15 February – 3 March 2026 |
| Hung Kings’ Festival (Giỗ Tổ Hùng Vương) | 26 April 2026 |
| Reunification Day & International Labour Day | 30 April – 1 May 2026 |
| Vietnam National Day (Quốc Khánh) | 1 – 2 September 2026 |
Children
- Children under 3 years: free (sharing seat with parents)
- Children 4–9 years: 75% of adult rate (sharing with parents)
- Children 10 years and above: adult rate applies
- 1 free child place per 2 paying adults; additional children pay the applicable rate
Cancellation policy
- Cancel 24+ hours before departure: full refund
- Cancel less than 24 hours before departure: 100% charge, no refund
- No-shows or latecomers after departure: no refund
Payment methods
Cash (USD or VND), all major credit cards, bank transfer, PayPal, Viator, Klook.
What’s included
- Round-trip transportation in air-conditioned vehicle
- Professional English-speaking guide
- Private motorised long-tail boat on the Mekong River
- Sampan ride through the nipa palm canals
- Countryside market visit
- Rice mill visit
- Sticky-rice wine workshop visit and tasting
- Riverside cooking class with hands-on participation
- Lunch (prepared during the cooking class)
- Tropical fruit tasting from the garden orchard
- Bottled water throughout the day
- All taxes and service charges
What’s not included
- Personal expenses and shopping at the market
- Additional drinks beyond included water
- Travel insurance (recommended)
- Tips for guide and driver (optional, appreciated)
Why TNK Travel
TNK Travel is a Vietnam-based inbound tour operator licensed since 2000. We run daily departures from Ho Chi Minh City and have operated tours for over 1,000,000 travellers from more than 80 countries.
- Ranked #3 on TripAdvisor among Ho Chi Minh City tour operators
- 24,000+ verified reviews across TripAdvisor, Viator, and Klook
- Viator Top-Rated Operator badge
- 94% of travellers recommend our tours
- Licensed operator: International Tour Operator Licence No. 79-102/2010/TCDL-GP LHQT
Frequently asked questions
Where exactly is Ben Luc and how is this different from a standard Mekong Delta tour?
Ben Luc is a district in Long An province, about 40 kilometres southwest of Ho Chi Minh City — closer than most Mekong day trips, which typically go to My Tho (70 km) or Cai Be (90 km). The difference is not just distance: Long An is less developed for tourism than Tiền Giang or Vĩnh Long, which means the places you visit here are genuinely working rather than set up for tour groups. The market, rice mill, and wine workshop all exist independently of tourism and would operate the same way on a day when no visitors came.
What is sticky-rice wine and is it very strong?
Rượu nếp is a traditional Vietnamese spirit made from fermented glutinous rice, distilled in a simple clay pot still. The flavour is mild and slightly sweet compared to grain spirits. A single distillation typically produces a spirit of around 25–30% ABV — stronger than beer but not intensely alcoholic. You’ll taste a small amount during the workshop visit. If you prefer not to drink alcohol, just let your guide know.
Is the cooking class suitable for people who can’t cook?
Yes. The class is hands-on and informal — you’re cooking alongside the host family in their kitchen, not following a structured curriculum. The dishes are straightforward (rolling spring rolls, wrapping gọi cuốn, watching the clay pot) and your guide and the hosts will help with everything. No cooking experience is needed or expected.
Can the lunch accommodate dietary restrictions?
Yes, with advance notice. The default menu contains fish sauce, pork, and seafood. Vegetarian and fish-free options can be arranged if you let us know at booking. Fully vegan options are possible but the choice will be more limited given the ingredients available at the local market. Contact us before booking if you have specific requirements.
What is the sampan ride like? Is it safe?
The sampan is a flat-bottomed wooden boat, paddle-powered, and very stable in the calm canal water. The canals are narrow and shallow — typically 1–2 metres deep — and the pace is gentle. Your guide or a local rower paddles from the stern. Life jackets are available on request. The ride is suitable for all ages and fitness levels; the main requirement is the ability to step into a low-sided boat from a bank or pontoon.
What is the best season to do this tour?
The tour runs year-round. The dry season (November–April) offers the most reliable weather and is the peak season for tropical fruit. The wet season (May–October) brings afternoon rain but also lush greenery, higher water levels in the canals (better for sampan access), and a different range of fruit. Both seasons have their character. The tour is not cancelled due to light rain.
How is this tour different from the Cai Be full day tour or the Mekong Delta 2-day tour?
The Cai Be full day tour focuses on the Tien River and Tan Phong Island, with craft workshops, a river cruise, and a folk music performance. The Mekong Delta 2-day tour adds Cai Rang floating market and an overnight in Can Tho. This Ben Luc tour stays closer to Ho Chi Minh City and goes deeper into cottage industry and daily life — the rice mill and wine workshop are not on the standard Mekong itinerary. If you have limited time, Ben Luc is the most accessible; if you want more of the delta, consider the 2-day tour.
Book your day in the delta
Daily departures from Ho Chi Minh City. Pickup in District 1 included. Cooking class and lunch included. No hidden costs.
- Online: tnktravel.com — booking form on this page
- WhatsApp: +84 938 195 445
- Email: booking@tnktravel.com
- Walk in: 90 Bui Vien Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
International Tour Operator Licence No: 79-102/2010/TCDL-GP LHQT
Related tours
- Cai Be & Mekong Delta life full day tour — Tien River cruise, ancient house, craft workshops, folk music, cooking class
- Mekong Delta 2 days 1 night — Cai Be, Cai Rang floating market, overnight in Can Tho
- Ho Chi Minh City full day tour — Reunification Palace, War Remnants Museum, Chinatown
- Cu Chi Tunnels half day — underground tunnel network, 20 km from HCMC
- Vung Tau day trip — Christ statue, White Palace, Back Beach, seafood lunch
Reservations
Reviews
Share your thoughts with other customers.
