Vĩnh Long is not the most famous name in the Mekong Delta, which is part of why we wanted to stop there. It’s a small city that sits between branches of the Mekong River, close to islands, orchards, small canals, and the old trade routes that still make this part of Vietnam feel timeless.
It’s only about 1½ hours from Sa Đéc, but getting there turned out to be a bit of an adventure.
The Mekong Delta will stay in our memory for its many beautiful, unique, quirky little things, and one of them will definitely be the endless confusion around public transport. The timetables are never quite translatable, schedules never quite reliable, bus stops never quite clear, and buses themselves never quite on time. We mean that with affection! It’s an appreciation of the beautifully organized chaos that you won’t understand unless you live it, because we are fairly sure that the locals know exactly when the bus to anywhere and everywhere departs from the spot closest to their house. Long story short, after trying to decipher a ridiculous number of bus schedules and timetables, asking at various transport companies and getting nowhere, we decided to take a cab.
Fortunately, this time we managed to get a cab fairly quickly, and the driver was also not afraid to navigate the somewhat confusing narrow roads to our homestay. And at ₫364,000 for the entire trip, it was a fair deal.
We arrived at our homestay, a beautiful green oasis tucked away outside the city center of Vĩnh Long. To be completely honest, that was exactly why we’d booked it: we wanted somewhere to relax and soak up the peace and quiet. Shortly after we checked in and enjoyed our welcome drink (a fresh coconut), it started pouring. The rain kept coming for over an hour, leaving us to wade through ankle-deep water to reach our room. This was the second city to welcome us with rain, and we were starting to take it personally!
Vĩnh Long wasn’t our most eventful stop, but we honestly enjoyed that. We didn’t have a checklist of things to do or see; instead, the city provided us with a bit of breathing space, peaceful evenings sitting on our nice tropical terrace with beer and games, and a reminder that sometimes traveling is just walking around and taking in the surroundings.
On some days we slept in. Our homestay offered an amazing included breakfast (Erika got the eggs she was craving, and Alex got to have Phở, Bún chả, and Bánh Hỏi nem nướng), and before we knew it, a slow morning over breakfast had turned into noon.
On one day, after the same ritual, we decided to take advantage of the homestay’s “Spa.” We were especially looking forward to the advertised sauna (not that it wasn’t hot enough outside, but since it’s available, let’s give it a go — we love sauna!). Our expectations weren’t too high. A full-blown, pre-heated Finnish wooden sauna in a small town in the middle of the Mekong Delta would have surprised us, of course, but we also weren’t ready for what we got: a floor-to-ceiling white-tiled, 1×1 m room, with a little plastic pipe on the floor blowing lukewarm steam into the tiny chamber. The room didn’t even get warm enough for us to break a sweat, so after staying for a few minutes, we gave up, politely thanked the staff, and laughed about it — it did make for a funny story though!
Our highlight was a day trip to the An BinhAn Binh islet, a short 10-minute ferry ride away from Vĩnh Long. The local ferry runs every 30 minutes and is predominantly used for transporting scooters, livestock, schoolchildren, and other everyday necessities. As soon as the ferry arrives, everyone rushes to board, scooters first, and a somewhat chaotic scene unfolds. Again, a beautifully organized chaos. Once on the other side, we rented bicycles and started biking along the winding paths of the islet. It was such a nice little adventure — semi-functional bikes making squeaking noises every time you step on a pedal, a few dead ends leading into someone’s backyard, dozens of dogs along the way, a Cà Phê Đá here and there to refresh ourselves, and kids running after us and shouting “Hello!” at every corner… a day well spent!
We came back to our homestay happy and exhausted, ready for some food. Did we already mention that our hosts served some of the best food we had in the Mekong Delta? It was not only delicious and beautifully served, but also made from fresh ingredients grown right in their own garden. What a treat!
The evenings we spent walking around the city, looking for some nice bars to enjoy a drink and some conversation. But to our surprise (Alex’s more than Erika’s, since he had been to Vĩnh Long before) we struggled to find suitable spots. The family restaurants and beer gardens had been replaced by coffee and matcha establishments, and the traditional spots we were hoping to find were scarce. Even Thóc Cafe Vĩnh LongCafe19 Đ. Lê Lai, Long Châu, which Alex visited during his last trip, didn’t offer much in terms of nightlife, having removed beer from their menu entirely — though the view from their rooftop was still worth the visit.
The few days we spent in Vĩnh Long passed quickly, filled with a mix of relaxation, exploration, and memorable experiences. We know that not every city has to become a story. Some just become a feeling, and Vĩnh Long was a lovely one at that. But we were ready for the next adventure, and Cần Thơ will definitely not leave us bored!
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