Experience Day Trips in Ho Chi Minh City with Withlocals

"We were lucky enough to book the Mekong Delta day trip with Thien and had the most amazing experience imaginable. Every aspect of the day exceeded our expectations.\n\nThe itinerary is so thoughtfully designed, offering intimate and authentic encounters with local people. Our driver was excellent, and my wife, our 7-year-old son, and I felt completely safe and cared for throughout.\n\nHighlights included visiting a traditional river clay brick workshop \u2014 a sadly fading craft but fascinating insight into working life on the Mekong \u2014 coconut candy and rice wine tasting, live music, boat rides big and small, and watching the most wonderful women making rice paper rolls and weaving mats. Each stop provided a beautiful glimpse into village life.\n\nWhat truly set the day apart, though, was Thien herself. Her rapport with the local people is extraordinary, and it\u2019s clear how highly they regard her. That warmth extends to her guests, and nothing feels gimmicky, touristy, or mass-produced, even when visiting more popular spots. Instead, every moment feels genuine because of the connections she\u2019s built.\n\nThien is bright, insightful, witty, and simply a joy to spend time with. We\u2019ve booked \u201CWith Locals\u201D tours in several countries across Europe and Asia, and this day with Thien was by far the best experience we\u2019ve ever had.\n\nHighly recommended \u2014 you will not be disappointed."

"Many thanks to Huyen for this well organized trip. Our transport van was high class and along the way we gathered some deep insights about vietnamese culture and the Mekong delta. As we arrived a private boat brought us deeper into the swamp where we really got that jungle cruise feeling. By walking, Huyen provided more information about the sourrounding nature and we got to ride a tuktuk with the local farmers and even a canu. At the final stage we could enjoy some of the fish and specialities of the local cuisne aside the river. Finally, on our way back we visited the Pagode and were provided with interesting information about buddhism and its development in vietnam. It was really breathtaking and we could even vitness a monks ceremony. We highly recommend this! Many thanks to Huyen for this very informative and funny trip. She has a great personality and makes sure that all needs are met. And a good pohotgrapher too."

"We enjoyed such a great trip to the Mekong with Thien. She was such a wonderful host - bright, vibrant and so entertaining. We felt really looked after the whole trip and the places we visited were authentic and definitely off the regular tourist track. The highlight was visiting the home of two lovely ladies, who showed us how to make sweet rice paper rolls. If you are looking to see a small slice of real Mekong Delta life - this is the trip for you. Thank you Thien"

"Wind was an amazing guide, willing to answer any question and so easy to talk to. We were traveling with our 12 and 14 year olds, and she helped make sure they had a great time too."

"Thien\u2019s English is really good and we learned so much about Vietnam while experiencing all kinds of adventures in the Mekong Delta. She is a bundle of energy and enthusiasm and is clearly well loved by the people we interacted with. We also appreciated her driver who was top notch. Highly recommend Thien and the Mekong Delta tour!"

"What an unforgettable day!\nThien curated an incredibly engaging and authentic tour of the Mekong river, away from tourist traps and crowds and deep into local villages, experiences and culture. \nWe saw bricks being baked, cooked rice paper pancakes, helped weave a mat, tried snake wine and at every step felt like we were making a genuine connection with the river and its people. In many of these instances we were the only \"group\" there helping make the experience feel deeply personal.\nThroughout, Thien - and her perfect English - provided us with real and unvarnished commentary on the history of and life in VietNam. She is funny, warm and a very dedicated host who takes immense pride in her work and helping the local community through her tours.\nWe could not recommend this day trip more. We made memories we won't soon forget."

"Thien was easy to connect with as soon as we hired her on with locals. She began messaging us and answering any questions we had regarding our travels in Vietnam. She met us at the airport, took us to our hotel and even made a stop at a local laundry to drop off our clothes. We had a city tour the first day of a Taoist temple, post office, book street and to a non tourist part of the city for the best pho. Before getting back to the hotel we made a stop for ban mi at a street food stand. \nThe next day we went to the area called the US apartments , walked through the bustling markets where she helped us make some purchases and took us to a street side coffee shop recently reviewed in the New York Times where she knows the owner who gave us a private demonstration of her coffee making process. She arranged an excursion to the Mekong delta where we rode on a private boat through the delta to a coconut workshop for tea, fruit snack and a private musical performance and coconut candy tasting. Then on to a lovely open air restaurant right on the river for a lovely lunch. Thien arranged the day to locations where we were the only tourists. Then we continued on a rowboat to learn how to make rice paper wrappers. Next on to the tuk tuk to the home of an old woman who weaves fiber rugs where we were able to try weaving. The little children in the village came running to Thien for hugs and wanted to meet us .\nOur third day was to the cu chi tunnels. Thien has access to a non-tourist area. We saw the simulated village and how the people lived before the French and American soldiers came. I did not see any other tourists in the area. Then on to the tunnels . Again, Thien has access to tunnels where there are no other people. Just Thien and I and sometimes a park ranger guide through the tunnels. After a long drive back to the hotel Thien suggested a delicious restaurant near the hotel for our last night in Vietnam.\nBe sure to hire Thien. She is a smart woman with very strong opinions on life in current day Ho Chi Minh City.\n"