Can Gio mangrove guide: day trip from Saigon, Vam Sat boats, monkeys

What Can Gio is, and how to plan the day

UNESCO's record for the Can Gio Mangrove Biosphere Reserve, designated in 2000, describes 75,740 hectares of mangroves, wetlands, salt marshes, mudflats and seagrass beds on the soils laid down by the Saigon and Dong Nai rivers. It says the forest holds the highest diversity of mangrove plants, mangrove-dwelling invertebrates and mangrove-associated fish and shellfish in the sub-region, along with saltwater crocodiles, spot-billed pelicans, king cobras and fishing cats. Apart from forest guards, forestry staff and a few fishermen, nobody lives in the core and buffer zones. The villages, salt pans and fish farms are in the outer transition zone.

That shapes the trip. The protective forest itself, more than 34,800 hectares according to a March 2026 report from Vietnam Tourism's information centre, is reached through a few organised sites rather than open trails. The most useful for visitors are Vam Sat, a Phuthotourist-run eco-park deep in the forest; the monkey island and the Rung Sac wartime base; and Dan Xay, where kayaks, stand-up paddleboards and boats go into the mangroves. The coast at the far end adds the beach, the seafood market and the island hamlets.

Distances are modest on paper. Vietnam Tourism puts the Can Gio area about 40 km from the city centre and Vam Sat about 50 km. The ferry crossing is the variable: in January 2026 VnExpress reported that the journey from central Ho Chi Minh City still took nearly two hours. Choose one forest site and one meal, not every stop on the map.

Getting there: the Binh Khanh ferry and the Rung Sac road

By road, you leave the centre along Huynh Tan Phat Street to the Binh Khanh ferry, which carries traffic across the Soai Rap River. On the far side, Rung Sac Road runs south through the mangroves to the coast. Vam Sat's directions page gives the two turnings that matter. For the land entrance, continue about 14 km after the ferry to the Ly Nhon junction, turn right and drive about another 20 km to the ticket office. For the boat entrance, continue about 22 km along Rung Sac Road to the foot of Dan Xay bridge, without crossing it, and turn right to the Dan Xay boat station.

The ferry is the bottleneck. In October 2025 VnExpress reported that Binh Khanh had five ferries carrying about 22,000 passengers a day, with regular congestion at rush hour, at weekends and over holidays. Its 2023 Can Gio guide warns that waits can stretch to several hours at the busiest times. Fares rose on 18 March 2026, when the operator raised the fare for pedestrians and bicycles to 3,000 VND a crossing. If you can, go on a weekday morning and avoid travelling back at weekend and holiday peaks.

This will change. Work on the Can Gio bridge began on 15 January 2026. VnExpress describes a 6.3 km crossing over the Soai Rap, due for completion in 2029, that should cut the drive from the centre to 40–50 minutes. Until it opens, plan around the ferry.

Without a car, most visitors join a tour or hire a driver for the day. VnExpress's 2023 guide described city bus route 75 from 23/9 Park in District 1 to Can Thanh bus station, with a journey of about two hours and ten minutes and six departures a day. Treat that only as a starting point and check current Ho Chi Minh City bus information. A bus to Can Thanh still leaves you far from Vam Sat.

Vam Sat: bats, birds, crocodiles and a view over the forest

Vam Sat Ecopark, in Ly Nhon in the heart of the forest, is run by Phuthotourist, the company behind Dam Sen park in the city. When we checked on 2026-10-03, its official site listed opening hours of 7:30 to 17:00 every day in one place and 8:00 to 17:00 in another, so arrive after 8:00 to be safe. Its price list showed a 60,000 VND land-entrance ticket including the eco-shuttle, with children under 6 free and children aged 6 to 11 at half price. Extras are priced separately, as are combination tickets.

The best way in is by water. The official one-day waterway programme starts at Dan Xay boat station, 100 m from the foot of Dan Xay bridge, at 8:30. A 15-minute canoe ride brings you to the bat reserve, where you switch to a paddled boat to slip between the mangrove clumps. The site says the large, yellow-bellied fruit bats have a wingspan of up to 1 m, sleep in the trees by day and leave to feed at around 18:00. They are easily frightened, so keep your voice down. The programme then continues to the centre for the bird reserve, the crocodile area and the macaques, a climb up the Tang Bong tower and lunch at the Vam Sat restaurant, before the boat returns at 14:00. Lunch is not included in the waterway tour price.

The steel Tang Bong tower is 26 m high, with four viewing levels reached by 134–138 steps, according to the site. From the top you look out over an unbroken canopy of mangroves. It also commemorates the more than 820 soldiers of the Rung Sac special-forces 10th Regiment and the many civilians and fighters who died here.

Timing matters for the birds. The site says thousands of birds come to nest in the bird reserve from April to October, then move elsewhere, and it runs separate programmes with and without the bird reserve. Its price list shows the bird-reserve visit from May to October. In the dry months, the bats, the tower and the boat ride are the reasons to come. The crocodile area includes a caged boat for 'crocodile fishing'. Skip it if that kind of attraction is not for you.

The macaques and the Rung Sac wartime base

Can Gio's best-known animals are its long-tailed macaques. VnExpress's guide describes thousands of them living wild in the mangroves of the so-called monkey island. It says they began to reappear after the reforestation of the 1990s and are bold enough to crowd around visitors for food and water. From the ticket gate it is about 1 km into the site, and the guide suggests taking the electric cart rather than walking. Vietnam Tourism's report on the island describes monkeys snatching glasses, hats and phones. Put loose things away before you get out, keep a distance, and do not feed them anything you bring.

The Rung Sac base, a recognised national historic site, tells the story of the special forces who fought in these mangroves during the war. According to Vietnam Tourism's information centre, statues show fighters distilling fresh water from salt water, planning the attack on the Nha Be fuel depot and fighting crocodiles in the creeks. You reach it by motorboat through the forest, which makes the trip there part of the visit.

We could not find an official page with current hours or ticket prices for the monkey island or the base. Check both on the spot, or with your tour operator, before you plan the day around them.

The coast: black sand, low tide and the seafood market

At the end of Rung Sac Road the forest gives way to the sea. Vietnam Tourism explains why Can Gio's beach surprises first-time visitors: the water is brackish, sitting between the river mouths and the sea off Tan Dien and Vung Tau, so the sand is dark with mud rather than dirty. At the lowest tides, usually early in the morning, the sea pulls back across a long flat. Local families rake clams there, and visitors can join in and have their catch cooked. The 30/4 beach is one of the stops Vietnam Tourism lists for this stretch of coast.

For lunch, Hang Duong market, in the centre of Can Gio, is the area's largest seafood market. VnExpress's guide describes stalls selling fresh and cooked shellfish, crab, prawns and squid, and sellers who will cook what you choose for a small fee. Popular styles include roasted with salt, fried with garlic or tossed with tamarind.

The coast is also changing fast. On 19 April 2025 Ho Chi Minh City broke ground on the Can Gio sea-encroachment urban tourism area at Long Hoa and Can Thanh. According to Vietnam Tourism's information centre, it covers about 2,870 hectares, of which more than 1,357 hectares are reclaimed from the sea. Expect building work around Long Hoa and Can Thanh, and a coast that may look different from older photos.

Thieng Lieng and Thanh An: the overnight option

If one day feels too rushed, the island commune of Thanh An is the reason to stay. VnExpress's guide puts it about 30 minutes or more by boat from Can Thanh, with a sea dike to walk around more than half of the island. Its hamlet Thieng Lieng was named Ho Chi Minh City's first community-tourism destination in December 2022. In 2022 Vietnam Tourism described a place with no cars and no hotels, where people live mainly from salt-making and oyster farming. A road of more than 4 km loops past the salt pans, and homestays serve home cooking. Giong Chua, a 10-metre rock of volcanic origin, is the hamlet's highest point.

The same report says boats now leave from the pier of the Can Gio Protective Forest Management Board, saving road and river distance compared with the old route via Can Thanh, and that a Thieng Lieng trip takes a day or longer. The hamlet's homestays are small, and that 2022 report counted only three. Arrange your boat and bed in advance, not on arrival.

A workable day

This is an editorial suggestion, not a timetable. The only fixed times below come from Vam Sat's published waterway programme. Check opening hours on the day.

• Early morning: leave District 1 by car and cross on the Binh Khanh ferry before the traffic builds.
• 8:30: board the boat at Dan Xay station for Vam Sat: the bat reserve by paddled boat, then the bird reserve (April to October), the macaques and the Tang Bong tower.
• Lunch: the Vam Sat restaurant, or drive on to Hang Duong market on the coast.
• Afternoon: the beach at low tide or, instead of Vam Sat, the monkey island and the Rung Sac base.
• Evening: return to the city, or stay on the coast and take a boat to Thieng Lieng the next morning.

Going on to Vung Tau, and the whale festival

Can Gio and Vung Tau are only about 15 km apart across Ganh Rai Bay. A sea ferry has linked them since January 2021, when Vietnam Tourism reported the first service from Tac Suat wharf. In May 2026 VnExpress reported that the ferry ran from 6:00 to 22:00 every day, and in June 2026 it said that the crossing took 90 to 120 minutes once waiting time was included. It carries passengers and private vehicles, which makes a one-way loop possible: Can Gio by road, then the ferry to Vung Tau and its beaches instead of going back to the city. Check the current schedule before you rely on it.

The coast's big event is the Nghinh Ong festival, honouring the whale god whom local fishermen believe protects them at sea. Vietnam Tourism's information centre reports that it is held around the full moon of the eighth lunar month, with a procession of hundreds of fishing boats at sea and ba trao rowing songs. It was recognised as national intangible cultural heritage in 2013. Expect crowds that weekend.