---
title: "Private Mekong Delta Tour: My Tho and Ben Tre"
date: 2026-08-09
canonical: https://mekong-deltatour.com/tours/private-mekong-delta-tour/
---
# Private Mekong Delta Tour from Ho Chi Minh City

- Ticket price: From 68 EUR per person (Prices checked 2026-08-09, prices may vary)
- Duration: Full day (approx. 7-8 hours)
- Best for: Setting your own pace, no group waiting
- Premium tours
- Check availability: https://www.getyourguide.com/en-us/ho-chi-minh-city-l272/ho-chi-minh-daily-tour-full-day-mekong-delta-private-tour-t780883/?partner_id=D7H7I6M&utm_medium=travel_agent&cmp=mekong-deltatour_com_agent_markdown (GetYourGuide · This site contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission when you book through our links, at no extra cost to you.)

- ★ Private vehicle sized to your group, sedan to van
- ★ Vinh Trang Pagoda, a national historical relic
- ★ Tan Thach village, a quieter alternative to Thoi Son Islet
- ★ Live UNESCO-recognized Don Ca Tai Tu folk music
- ★ Horse cart ride and hand-rowed sampan through the canals

## Our take
Book this if you specifically want your own vehicle and guide rather than sharing a boat and workshop stop with several other minivans. The Tan Thach village stop is a genuine point of difference, since it is less touristy than the Thoi Son Islet route used by most budget tours. The trade-off is that this is a private CAR tour, not a private boat, so you still share the river cruise itself with other visitors once you reach My Tho port. Skip it if price matters more than pacing control, since the classic day tour covers similar ground for a fraction of the cost.

A **private Mekong Delta tour** pairs your own driver and vehicle, sized to your group, with a private English-speaking guide for the river portion, covering Vinh Trang Pagoda, My Tho and the quieter Tan Thach village in Ben Tre, from around EUR 68 per person.

## What Makes This Private Mekong Delta Tour Different?

The vehicle and pacing on land are entirely private: a sedan, SUV or van depending on group size, with no other travelers added to your itinerary. It also swaps the usual Thoi Son Islet coconut stop for Tan Thach village, a quieter alternative that most standard tours skip, giving even repeat Delta visitors something they have not already seen.

## What Does the Tour Include?

The price covers a private air-conditioned vehicle with driver for the full day, an English-speaking guide who meets you at My Tho port, an authentic set-menu lunch, all entrance and sightseeing fees, round-trip river boat transportation, a live folk music performance, and the boat, sampan and horse cart used through the itinerary. Gratuities, drinks outside the set menu, personal expenses, travel insurance and airport transfers are not included.

## Is the Private Mekong Delta Tour Worth the Price?

If setting your own pace and having a vehicle to yourself matters to you, yes, especially with the added Tan Thach village stop. It is worth knowing that "private" here applies to the car and guide, not the boat itself, since the river cruise and Unicorn Island stop still involve sharing the water with other tour groups. For a fully private experience end to end, expect to pay considerably more elsewhere.

## Who Should Book This Private Tour?

This suits couples, families or small groups who want flexibility on timing and do not want to wait on a bus for other travelers to finish shopping or photos. It particularly suits repeat visitors who have already done the standard Thoi Son Islet route and want the less-touristed Tan Thach alternative. Budget-conscious first-time visitors are usually better served by the [classic Mekong Delta day tour](https://mekong-deltatour.com/tours/mekong-delta-day-tour/).

## Prices and What's Included

Starting from EUR 68 per person, this sits in the premium tier, well above the classic shared-group day tours, reflecting the private vehicle and guide. Prices can shift with season, group size and the exact date booked, so check current availability before finalizing plans. A full set-menu lunch and the Vinh Trang Pagoda stop are included at no extra cost.

## Getting There and Insider Tips

The driver for the land portion does not act as a guide, so keep your questions about the region for the English-speaking guide who joins at My Tho port. Because the vehicle is sized to your exact group (sedan, SUV or van), confirm your final headcount before booking to avoid a mismatch. Bring cash for any extra drinks or souvenirs at the coconut workshop, since card payment is rarely available there.

## How Does This Compare to Other Mekong Delta Tours?

Travelers who do not need a private vehicle should compare this against the [Mekong Delta day tour](https://mekong-deltatour.com/tours/mekong-delta-day-tour/), which covers similar geography in a shared group for far less. For a private-feeling experience that also reaches narrower canals by water, the [Mekong Delta speedboat tour](https://mekong-deltatour.com/tours/mekong-delta-speedboat-tour/) is worth comparing. For background on My Tho, see its [Wikipedia entry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%E1%BB%B9_Tho). You can compare every option on our [tours overview](https://mekong-deltatour.com/).

## What's included
- ✓ English-speaking guide (meet & greet at My Tho station)
- ✓ Amazing authentic lunch
- ✓ All entrance and sightseeing fees
- ✓ Private air-conditioned vehicles with driver
- ✓ Round-trip transportation by river boat
- ✓ Pick up & drop off at a hotel in HCMC center
- ✓ Live music performance
- ✓ Boat & sampan (small boat), horse cart
- ✗ Gratuities/Tips (optional)
- ✗ Drinks and other meals not indicated in the program
- ✗ Personal expenses
- ✗ Travel insurance
- ✗ Airport pick up/drop off

## Route and itinerary
1. **Private hotel pickup in Ho Chi Minh City**: A private driver, without a guide for this leg, collects you at 8:00am from your hotel and heads toward My Tho, with the vehicle sized to your group: sedan for 1 to 3 people, SUV for 4 to 5, or van for 6 to 11.
2. **Vinh Trang Pagoda stop**: On the way into My Tho, the driver stops at Vinh Trang Pagoda, built in 1849 and recognized as a national historical and cultural relic, blending Vietnamese, Chinese and European architectural styles.
3. **Private guide and boat cruise past the four islets**: An English-speaking local guide meets you at My Tho port and takes over for the water portion of the day, a motorboat ride past Dragon, Unicorn, Tortoise and Phoenix Islands with your own private itinerary rather than a shared group schedule.
4. **Honey farm and village walk on Unicorn Island**: At Unicorn Island you visit a beekeeping farm to taste honey wine, rice wine and banana wine, with UNESCO-recognized Don Ca Tai Tu folk music performed live, before walking the village and taking a rowing boat along the water coconut canal.
5. **Coconut workshop in Tan Thach village**: The boat continues to Tan Thach village in Ben Tre, a less touristy alternative to Thoi Son, where the guide explains the full coconut candy process, kid-friendly and hands-on, with free samples of local specialties.
6. **Horse cart ride and sampan through the canals**: A short horse cart ride through the village recreates how a Delta landlord once traveled, followed by a hand-rowed sampan gliding through a narrow creek shaded by overhanging coconut trees, with village life visible on both banks.
7. **Lunch and private return to Ho Chi Minh City**: Lunch is an authentic set menu featuring elephant ear fish, after which the driver picks you back up at My Tho boat station for the private transfer to your hotel, arriving around 3:00 to 4:00pm.

## FAQs
### Is the whole private Mekong Delta tour private, including the boat?
The vehicle and guide are private, but the river boat cruise and some stops are shared with other travelers at My Tho port, so it is not fully private end to end.

### What vehicle is used on this private tour?
A sedan for 1 to 3 people, an SUV for 4 to 5, or a van for 6 to 11, matched to your group size when you book.

### Is lunch included on the private Mekong Delta tour?
Yes, an authentic set-menu lunch featuring elephant ear fish is included in the price.

### How is Tan Thach village different from Thoi Son Islet?
Tan Thach is a less touristy village used on this itinerary instead of the busier Thoi Son Islet stop found on most standard Delta tours.

### Does the driver act as a tour guide?
No, the driver handles transportation only; an English-speaking guide joins separately at My Tho port for the river and village portion.

### How long does the private Mekong Delta tour take?
Plan for around 7 to 8 hours, with pickup at 8:00am and a return to Ho Chi Minh City by mid-afternoon.