Ben Tre Ultimate Travel Guide - coconuts paradise, Mekong rivers and homestays
- Mekong ZigZag
- Jan 3
- 11 min read
Nestled in the heart of the Mekong Delta, Ben Tre is a peaceful, palm-lined province famous for coconuts, lush waterways, and its warm, slow-paced rural charm. Often called the “Coconut Paradise of Vietnam,” this emerald maze of rivers and canals offers an authentic glimpse of delta life — quiet, green, and deeply connected to the water.
Ben Tre is a lush, green landscape. From above, endless coconut groves weave seamlessly with majestic rivers and narrow canals. Exploring Ben Tre in a non-touristic way is absolutely possible with a bit of thoughtful planning—whether you join a tour or explore independently. This blog is here to guide you every step of the way.
Whether you’re cruising through shaded canals, scrolling past traditional village, or tasting freshly made coconut candy, Ben Tre gives you the perfect escape from the city and an intimate experience with the Mekong’s natural beauty.
TABLE OF CONTENT:
Overview:
Coconut Capital of Vietnam: Over 75,000 hectares of coconut palms — everywhere you look, there’s green.
Authentic Mekong Delta Life: Less touristy than My Tho or floating market in Can Tho.
Eco-friendly Rural Experiences: Relaxing boat trip, cycling, scooter / tuktuk riding, explore markets, coconut candies tasting cooking class, staying at a homestay.
Fresh Local Cuisine: Coconut-based dishes, river seafood, tropical fruits.
HOW TO GET To and travel around BEn Tre
To get to Ben Tre from other cities, it is not too difficult to catch a public bus or private taxi. We made several detailed blogs on this:
From Ho Chi Minh or Saigon to Ben Tre: mekongzigzag.com/bus-ho-chi-minh-to-ben-tre
From Can Tho to Ben Tre: mekongzigzag.com/bus-from-can-tho-to-ben-tre
Alternatively, if you prefer, we can arrange taxis from 4 seat, 7 seat, to 16 seats from anywhere in Vietnam to Ben Tre for you with a fair price. You can contact us via WhatsApp to ask the price: +84985222917
To travel around Ben Tre, we can also arrange scooter driver, electric taxi or tuktuk drive for you if needed. If you want to rent a scooter, we also offer that service. Please contact our WhatsApp for more info related to price +84985222917. If you want to use bicycles, most homestays in Ben Tre offer that on site for free.
WEATHEr IN Ben Tre
Rainy season: April - November
Dry season: November - April
Whether it is rainy or dry season, the weather here will always be warm and humid. There is no 4 seasons here, no cold, never winter. The sunrise at 6:30am and sunset at 5:30pm everyday. The hottest time of the day is 11:30am - 3pm.
The high season runs from December to April during the dry season, making it the best time to visit Ben Tre. While occasional, unexpected showers may still occur, they rarely disrupt travel plans. Even on rainy days, the town reveals a different kind of charm and remains just as enjoyable to explore. Plus, wandering around in the rain—raincoats or umbrellas in hand—can be a surprisingly fun experience (our guests love it!). Who knows, it might become a highlight of your trip.
→ Tips: Bring sunscreen, sun cream, water, and maybe a bottle of mosquito repellent (though some homestay will provide protections from mosquitos for you). And don’t forget your camera - this town is incredibly photogenic!
How long should you stay in Ben Tre
If you’re short on time: A day trip from Ho Chi Minh City (2.5hrs drive each way) is enough to enjoy a boat tour, visit a coconut workshop, and explore nearby villages try a Mekong meal. It’s quick, convenient, and gives you a good first taste of the Mekong.
If you have more time: It’s highly recommended to stay at least 2 nights in order to truly sense the slow-paced life of the Mekong countryside. With a longer stay, you can:
Explore longer, quieter river and canals far from the day-tour crowds.
Experience a true Mekong homestay, sense an early morning air, and a peaceful night breeze.
Experience different activities, not just a boat trip and local village exploration, but even market visit, cooking class, or simply just have a day off to rest on a hammock at your local homestay and chat with the host to learn deeply about their lifestyle and the Mekong culture.
Staying two nights turns your visit from a short sightseeing trip into a relaxing, immersive Mekong Delta experience.
Where Should you stay in Ben Tre? Homestay? Hotel? ReTreat?
1. Hotel:
Good for comfort and convenience — modern rooms, central location, easy for short stays or day trips, but low local interactions.
1.1. Diamond star hotel: $38 – $60: 📍Map
Modern building, bustling riverside location near the market, well-equipped with AC, private bathrooms, pool, restaurant, and more; clean rooms with breakfast included.
2. Homestay:
Best for authentic Mekong life — local families, home-cooked authentic food, friendly and boutique design, high local interactions.
2.1. Innerzen homestay riverside Ben Tre: $40–$160/ night 📍Map
A two-story house with two rooms: Comfy room 22 m², InnerZen room: 80 m²
Rooms: Beautiful coconut and river view, intimate and cozy spaces, unique design, airy and clean rooms.
Calm, peaceful, and comfortable — perfect for unwinding.
Food: Delicious breakfast, authentic meals and rated by guests as a highlight, super delicious and must try. Cooking classes with local chefs are also available on site.
Hosts: Friendly, supportive, and fluent in English, making your stay easy and welcoming.
Activities: Direct boat tour departures from the homestay for exploring local canals and delta life.
Book via Airbnb here:
Mekong Traditional-style house
Located in a rural hidden area, getting there by tuktuk/ scooter is recommended.
Surrounded by nature, gardens, and small canal.
Hosts speak basic English
Budget-friendly, clean rooms, simple & frugal homestay experience.
Rooms equipped with basic amenities.
Rest on hammocks, chill and relax.
Healthy organic coconut candies production on site.
Kayak rental available on site.
Delicious authentic home-cooked meals.
2.3. Le Mékong Bleu: $29–$70/ night
Located in a quiet neighborhood, in between city center and the countryside
Clean rooms, standard quality with basic amenities.
Cozy design
Friendly host
2.5. Nha Mo homestay: Book via Airbnb
3. Eco-Retreat/Resort:
Perfect for relaxation — lush gardens, scenery, peaceful atmosphere, exquisite design, high-ends standard.
Haven Nest retreat: $100 – 180/ night
Style & Design: Luxurious, architect-designed spaces with unique, elegant design.
Gardens & Riverfront: Large, exquisite gardens and riverside decks for relaxation.
Atmosphere: Calm, tranquil and serene — perfect for unwinding.
Food: High-end, fresh, and delicious meals on site.
Hosts: Friendly, professional, attentive service, fluent English
WhAT TO DO IN BEN TRE?
1. book a local authentic tour:
Tips: Not all tours are authentic. It’s up to you to check whether a tour is genuine or not. It’s a good idea to read reviews on different platforms, see how recent and frequent they are, and look carefully at photos, because they show exactly the moments that happened on the tours.
Mekong Zig Zag is a highly recommended tour company. The founder, Zung, used to be a tour leader and now lives in the Mekong Delta with his wife. He has a deep connection with the Mekong river and wants to bring authenticity, relaxation, and intimacy to every tour. You can really feel the fun and joy from the staff while seeing them working, from tour guides to drivers.
Mekong Zig Zag offers full-day tours, half-day tours, sailboat trips, and cooking classes. You can check the tours in detail here
Mekong Zig Zag's reviews on google map: 📍Map
Highlights about Mekong Zig Zag tours:
local, intimate, relaxed, well-organized, fun, authentic, delicious food, unique experiences.
2. Explore Ben Tre on your own:
2.1. Relaxed at your homestay:
Ben Tre's homestays are mostly very peaceful and surrounded by nature. Then why don't you spend some quality time to simply rest on the hammocks or their deck and chill after long traveling days?
2.2. Cycling or rent a scooters:
Cycling around the greenery village to simply enjoy the clean air and comtemplate the idyllic town, the nature.
Scooters riding to places you want to go: hop on a ferry, go to a market, visiting traditional villages, or even going to other nearby provinces like Tra Vinh or Vinh Long.
2.3. Hop on a ferry:
Join the local people and hop on a ferry and get a pass through the vast Mekong river branch. On the ferry you might see people selling lottery, transporting livestocks, vegetables, coconuts, or students going to schools. This could be a unique Vietnam's experience where you can feel the enormous Mekong river and the vibrant local life.
2.4. Rent a kayak, row through small canals
Go to Ba Danh homestay where they offer self-kayak rental services at around 140.000vnd/ person for unlimited time. Remember to contact them beforehand to check the canal water level.
2.5. Swim in the river
Yes you can swim in the river, but you need to care about safety ofcourse. Not about crocodiles lol, about the water current is what I'm talking about. We also made a detailed blog about this, read more here: mekongzigzag.com/post/can-you-swim-in-the-mekong-delta-a-local-s-perspective
2.6. Join a random karaoke party, or a wedding
99% the local people will be thrilled and welcoming you to join them. They will invite you to drink some wine, eat some good food, and sing with them. Even though there is language barriers, but local interaction barrier is 0%. So relaxed and just go with the flow, you'll receive so many unexpected positive vibes! But when you want to leave or to refuse eating or drinking things you're afraid to try, don't hesitate to say no, they totally understand and as long as you and them having some fun time, that's the main point after all.
2.7. Visit a local organic coconut candies 📍Ba Danh homestay
Ben Tre is home to numbers of coconut candies factories. But to find that organic, authentic, non-commercial, and truly delicious one that makes you "Wow", we have to tell you this secret brand: "Coconut Candies Memories", which is located inside Ba Danh homestay. The owner has a big passion in cooking, and she had lovely memories with her childhood. She wants to bring that childhood taste into her products, so she tried many many times to create the best recipes for her candies using only high-quality ingredients, so that's why her coconut candies are very special from other places.
Tips: Contact Ba Danh homestay in advance that you'd like to visit, they will show you how to get there, and which time to visit is most suitable. Because this factory is real production, so some days they work actively, some days they off.
2.8. Visiting markets
📍Ben Tre market: biggest, center location, therefore most expensive compared to other markets
📍Nga Nam market: local, vibrant, only open in the morning
📍Dau Moi market: numerous types of seafood
📍Ba Mu market: fresh fruit with good price
2.9. Visiting a Flower Village 📍Map
Located in Cai Mon, Cho Lach village, local people here grow and sell wholesale different kinds of trees and local flowers. You can quickly visit the village within a day and contemplating them growing flowers and plants on the two sides of the road. Near Tet holiday, you'll see more colorful flowers.
2.10. Visiting a Riverside Coconut factory 📍Map
Located in Cho Thom. On the two sides of the river are many dried coconut processing factories where local workers work actively and vibrantly from mornings till afternoon. Note that they usually stop working after 4pm.
2.11. Go to Vam Ho bird sanctuary 📍Map
Vàm Hồ Bird Sanctuary is a natural bird habitat and eco-tourism site in Ba Tri District, Bến Tre Province. Birds are present year-round, with peak seasons roughly from October to April and fewer birds in mid-year. The site is touristic, offering guided walks and nature experiences. Ticket prices are not fixed: basic entry may be low, but commonly quoted eco-tour tickets are around 100,000–150,000 VND per person. Boat rides inside the sanctuary are optional and may cost extra or be included only in full tour packages.
2.12. Head to the sea - 📍Map
Ever thinking of swimming in the Ben Tre sea? Surprisingly, we tried during July, August months, and it was super amazing! Just wait after low tide, they sea is amazingly calm, the water temperature is perfect, and no worries for over-crowded tourists simply because ... there is no tourist here, haha! only several local people come and swim after their woking days.
2.13. Visit Coconut rice paper village 📍Map
Located in Son Doc village, you'll see houses on the two sides of the road drying rice papers on those weaved-coconut-leaves mat.
You can stop by to buy some coconut rice snacks and support the local people.
2.14. Orchids garden
Honest thoughts: most orchirds garden that have many different kinds of fruit are actually designed for tourists. So these gardens are not authentic, and usually sprayed with chemicals and pesticides so the fruits are plenty for guests to see. They will sell tickets for you to come and visit and you can try different kinds of fruit.
If you want to see authentic orchids garden, usually it is far away from the center area, and those gardens only focus on growing 1 type of fruit, in order to sell wholesale.
Where TO eat & DRINK in BEN TRE?
1. Restaurant top recommendations:
1.1. At Innerzen homestay (only if you stay there): Food & Drinks are varied
The food here is fresh, delicious, authentic, and worth trying. We can accommodate dietary preferences, including vegan, gluten-free, and allergic options.
Lunch full meal is 220.000VND/ pax
DINNER: Start latest 7:30pm
Dinner full meal is 250.000VND/ pax
Dinner BBQ is 370.000VND/ pax
1.2. At Ba Danh homestay (no need to stay there, you still can come and enjoy with required pre-reservation)
All dietary requirements are possible.
Many people travel to Ben Tre and try meals at these two homestays and they always comment that the food here is surprisingly delicious, a highlight of their Vietnam trip. And these two homestay also make outstanding vegetarian/ vegan food.
2. In the city center areas:
2.1. Bun Cha - Grilled pork with rice noodles (Hanoi style)📍 Thuỷ Bún Đậu Mắm Tôm — Map
2.2. Bun Thit Nuong - Grilled pork with rice noodles (Mekong style)📍 Map
2.3. Yellow Fried pancake - Banh Xeo Thay Cai: open only from 2pm - 5pm📍 Map
2.4. Duck noodle in wooden house - My Vit Tiem Nha Go
at traditional Mekong house, home-cooked, local cozy vibe📍 Map
2.5. Broken rice with grilled ribs - Com Tam Co Muoi📍 Map
2.6. Floating restaurant TTC: Mekong rice meal opposite Ben Tre market📍 Map
For vegan/ vegetarian
2.7. Hu Tieu Chay Cau Vi: morning & lunch only📍 Map
2.8. Quay Chay Lien Tri: vegan bread in the morning and hotpot at lunch and dinner📍Map
3. For international options
3.1. Sushi Koi: Japanese food 📍 Map
3.2. Cocomint Ben Tre: pizza, spaghetti, beef steaks📍 Map
3.3. Pad Kao Thai: Thai food📍 Map
3.5. GO Ben Tre: a shopping mall with many restaurants inside📍 Map
4. Sweet treats & Coffee
4.1. Smoothies at Ben Tre riverside road.📍 Map
4.2. Sweet beans soup at Ben Tre riverside road 📍Map
4.3. AN Coffee: nice Vietnamese style decor📍 Map
BEN TRE Local food/ dishes to try?
Shrimps stir-fried with coconut milk – creamy, fragrant, and a signature Mekong Delta flavor.
Pork braised in coconut juice – tender pork slowly cooked in sweet coconut sauce.
Tiger prawns – grilled or steamed, fresh from the rivers.
Braised fish – flavorful and slow-cooked in traditional sauces.
Sour soup hotpot – tangy, tasty, and warming.
Local flower salad – fresh, light, and aromatic.
Mekong-style yellow crispy pancakes – filled with shrimp, pork, and bean sprouts.
Coconut candies – sweet, chewy treats made from fresh coconuts.
Fresh tropical fruits – rambutan, mangosteen, longan, and pomelo from local orchards.
Ben Tre Massage & Spa
Ben Tre ATM
CONCLUSION
Ben Tre is calm, relaxing, and not overly touristy — perfect for slowing down and enjoying the Mekong Delta at your own pace. With peaceful rivers, winding canals, lush coconut palms, and delicious local food, it offers an authentic experience without feeling crowded. Plus, it’s conveniently close to both Ho Chi Minh City and Can Tho, making it an easy escape for a day trip or a few nights of quiet retreat.
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