Southern Vietnam in 7 days: Saigon, Cu Chi, Can Tho and Phu Quoc

Why this route runs one way, west to the sea

Vietnam's tourism board warns that many travellers underestimate the distances between cities, and the south is no exception. The way to beat that in one week is to stop going back on yourself. Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho, Ha Tien and Phu Quoc lie roughly in a line from the Saigon River to the Gulf of Thailand, so every move on this route is forward, and the only flight is the one home.

Each stop also does one job. Ho Chi Minh City is the arrival city and the history lesson: the Independence Palace, the War Remnants Museum and, out in the countryside, the Cu Chi Tunnels. Can Tho is the Mekong Delta's largest city and the base for the Cai Rang floating market, which is at its busiest in the early morning and cannot be seen properly on a day trip from Saigon. Ha Tien is a small border town on the coast and the mainland port for the fast boats to the island. Phu Quoc is the beach finish: Vietnam's largest island, with Long Beach on its west coast.

Six nights is the minimum that keeps this from becoming a series of bus rides. Two of them are on Phu Quoc on purpose: the boat day is the part of the plan most exposed to weather, and the last beach day is your buffer before the flight home.

Days 1–2: Ho Chi Minh City and the Cu Chi Tunnels

Sleep in the old District 1, where the cathedral, the Central Post Office, Nguyen Hue boulevard, Ben Thanh Market and the Independence Palace are all within walking distance. Give day one to the colonial core on foot and the palace before lunch: when we checked on 2026-10-03, the palace's official site listed opening hours of 7:00 to 18:00 and an adult ticket of 80,000 VND. Finish on Nguyen Hue at sundown. Tan Son Nhat airport is only about eight kilometres from the centre, but the tourism board says the drive can take 50 minutes or more in traffic, so do not plan a fixed-time visit on the afternoon you land.

Day two is for the Cu Chi Tunnels, which the management board puts about 70 km north-west of the city centre. Leave early by private car or on a tour so that you are at the gate soon after it opens. When we checked on 2026-10-03, the board's site listed opening every day from 7:00 to 17:00, and a notice for foreign visitors set the price from 1 February 2026 at 35,000 VND for the historic-site fee plus 100,000 VND for the service and guide ticket. There are two separate sites, Ben Dinh and Ben Duoc; choose one, because doing both turns a morning into a full day. Wear clothes you do not mind getting dirty, and if narrow tunnels are not for you, you can see the trapdoors, trenches and shelters from above.

Back in the city by mid-afternoon, use what is left of the day for the War Remnants Museum (its war photography is graphic, so plan nothing demanding afterwards) or for Ben Thanh Market and an early dinner. Our Ho Chi Minh City and Cu Chi Tunnels guides cover both in more detail.

Days 3–4: a night in Can Tho and the floating market at dawn

Leave Saigon on the morning of day three. The tourism board describes a four-hour bus journey from Ho Chi Minh City to a terminal about four kilometres outside Can Tho, and notes that local buses link most delta provinces with Mien Tay Bus Station in Ho Chi Minh City; a private car is the simpler option with luggage. Check in on the Ninh Kieu waterfront, walk the riverside promenade in the late afternoon, and book tomorrow's boat the same evening, through your hotel or at the wharf. For dinner, the tourism board points to De Tham Street, known locally as the food street.

On day four, get up early. The tourism board describes boats leaving Ninh Kieu wharf at 5:00, a ride of about 30 minutes to Cai Rang, and a market that runs from early morning to midday, the largest wholesale floating market in the delta. Sellers hang samples of their produce from long poles at the bow, and smaller boats move between them selling breakfast noodles and coffee. Ask for a trip that continues into the small canals afterwards; it is the quieter half of the morning. Cai Rang is closed or runs on a limited basis on the first two days of Tet.

Be back at your hotel by late morning, because the afternoon is a long road leg west across the delta to Ha Tien, which lies about 80 km north-west of Rach Gia near the Cambodian border. We could not find an official timetable or journey time for the Can Tho – Ha Tien road, so book a bus or car through your hotel the evening before, and treat the rest of the day as a travel day. Our Can Tho guide has a fuller two-night plan if you can spare an extra day here.

Day 5: Ha Tien and the fast boat to Phu Quoc

Ha Tien is a small town on the Gulf of Thailand at the western end of the delta, close to the Cambodian border and about 60 km east of Phu Quoc. A night here means you sail in the morning instead of starting the crossing after a full day on the road. If your boat leaves late enough, walk the waterfront and the old centre first; our Ha Tien guide covers the Mac family tombs, Thach Dong and Mui Nai if you decide to stay longer.

The fast boats leave from Ha Tien's passenger port on Kim Du Street in To Chau, across the lagoon from the old centre, and arrive at Bai Vong port on Phu Quoc's east coast. The operator Phu Quoc Express puts Bai Vong about 7 km from Phu Quoc airport and about 12 km from Duong Dong. When we checked on 2026-10-03, its site asked passengers to be at the port at least 30 minutes before departure, to carry valid ID (a passport for foreign travellers), and promised a full refund if a sailing is cancelled for bad weather. Wikipedia puts the crossing at about 80 to 90 minutes. Departure times vary with the season and the weather, so check them on the operator's booking page the day before and book your seat.

From Bai Vong, take a taxi or a hotel transfer across the island to Long Beach on the west coast, which the tourism board describes as 20 kilometres of unobstructed sunsets. You should be on the sand by the afternoon.

Days 6–7: Phu Quoc, and the flight home

Use the one full island day for the sea, not for a checklist. The tourism board recommends hiring a boat or joining a tour to snorkel off the An Thoi archipelago in the south, or riding the Hon Thom cable car, which it describes as about eight kilometres long and about 15 minutes one way, with a free shuttle to Hon Thom beach on the far side. Pick one: both are in the south of the island and both depend on the weather. The cable car stops in bad weather, and VnExpress reported a power failure on 19 February 2026 that left thousands of visitors to be brought back by boat, so never put it on the day of your flight.

Keep day seven for a swim, a late lunch and the flight. Wikipedia lists domestic flights from Phu Quoc to Ho Chi Minh City with Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet and Sun PhuQuoc Airways, and direct international routes to cities including Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul and Hong Kong. If you connect through Ho Chi Minh City, check which terminal and, for international flights from 1 December 2026, which airport your ticket names (see below).

Our Phu Quoc guide compares the island's coasts and has a four-night plan if you extend the beach finish.

The seven days at a glance

This is an editorial suggestion, not a timetable. Check opening days, boat departures and the weather forecast before each move.

• Day 1 — Arrive in Ho Chi Minh City: the cathedral, the post office and the Independence Palace, then Nguyen Hue at sundown. Night: old District 1.
• Day 2 — Cu Chi Tunnels: an early start for Ben Dinh or Ben Duoc, back by mid-afternoon for the War Remnants Museum or Ben Thanh Market. Night: old District 1.
• Day 3 — To the Mekong Delta: bus or car to Can Tho, the Ninh Kieu promenade, book the boat, dinner on De Tham Street. Night: Can Tho.
• Day 4 — Cai Rang, then west: boat at 5:00 to the floating market and the side canals, back by late morning, then the road to Ha Tien. Night: Ha Tien.
• Day 5 — By sea to Phu Quoc: fast boat from To Chau to Bai Vong, transfer to Long Beach, sunset on the west coast. Night: Long Beach.
• Day 6 — The south of the island: snorkelling off the An Thoi islands or the Hon Thom cable car. Night: Long Beach.
• Day 7 — Home: a morning swim and the flight from Phu Quoc, direct or via Ho Chi Minh City.

The flight option, weather and entry rules

Skipping Ha Tien. The overland route is the one we recommend, because it needs no extra flight and the boat crossing is part of the trip. If you would rather trade the road day for a third night on the beach, the alternative is to fly from Can Tho to Phu Quoc on the afternoon of day four. Bamboo Airways opened a Can Tho – Phu Quoc route in January 2021 with a flight time of about an hour, Saigon Giai Phong reported, but we could not confirm from an official source which airlines fly it now. Check that a flight is actually on sale for your date before you build the week around it; if not, the overland route is the reliable one.

Weather. The tourism board describes Ho Chi Minh City and the delta as hot all year, with a wet season from May to November that brings a dependable afternoon downpour, usually lasting a few hours. On Phu Quoc it advises avoiding July to September, when storms roll through and make ferrying dangerous, and calls December and January the best months. In the storm months, keep the Ha Tien boat at the start of a day and have a plan B: an extra night in Ha Tien, or the flight option.

Entry and airports. Phu Quoc's 30-day visa exemption applies only if you arrive on the island directly from abroad, which you do not on this route, since you enter Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh City. Vietnam's tourism board says e-visas are available to citizens of all countries; when we checked on 2026-10-03, the UK government's travel advice said British citizens could visit Vietnam without a visa for up to 45 days. Check the rules for your own passport before you book. Finally, VnExpress reported that the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam has agreed that airlines may start international flights at the new Long Thanh International Airport in Dong Nai from 1 December 2026, with long-haul international flights moving there from 28 March 2027. Check which airport your arrival and any connection name.