My Tho is the principal city on the Mekong Delta and the first one tourists hit on a trip down from Ho Chi Minh City. Although not special in itself, it is the easiest place to get a tour of the Delta from.
My Tho is also capital of Tien Giang Province and is a medium-sized, modern-day ghost town that only really becomes lively when tourists from Ho Chi Minh descend on the place. There are some nice pagodas to check out along with great Hu Tieu My Tho noodle soup.
If you plan on moving on once hitting My Tho, ferries head over to Ben Tre, another popular tourist haunt, or you could take a cargo boat trip to Chau Doc towards the Cambodian border. Although a bit of a rough and long journey (about 17 hours), it is a great way to see the Mekong Delta proper.
Hotels and food are naturally more expensive in My Tho than in the other main Delta towns of Can Tho and Vinh Long]].
Getting There & Away
Traveling by bus is the main way to get to My Tho from Ho Chi Minh City and buses leave throughout the day from the Mien Tay terminal. Journey time is a couple of hours via Highway 1 by bus, faster by hire car. Ho Chi Minh City Airport is the main gateway to southern Vietnam.