Ben Tre is the capital of eponymous Ben Tre Province in Southern Vietnam. Although separated from bustling My Tho only by the Mekong River and 10 km on a four-lane highway, this seems to be barrier enough to give the town a genuine backwater feeling. Tourists are still scarce, and locals are open and friendly.

Ben Tre Province is a 2.360 km² large island between the South China Sea, the Mekong and one of its largest arms, the Cổ Chiên river. The milk coffee coloured waters wind their way along small channels lined with water palms. Thatch and bamboo houses are nestled in the lush orchards. Ben Tre Province features some of the most beautiful scenery in the Mekong delta and it is the birthplace of famous Vietnamese poet Nguyen Dinh Chieu.

Get in

By boat

There is a ferry from Vinh Long Province to the northwestern part of the island. Again you may want to hire some sort of transport to cover the remaining distance to Ben Tre town. There is also Bus 8 from the ferry pier to Ben Tre. It seems frequent, costs about 25,000 dong for a 2-hr trip. You will need a taxi (moto ~ 20,000 dong for 10-min ride). Pay attention when arriving in Ben Tre as the bus goes to the outer bus station. Best is to stop at the roundabout after the two big bridges and Mat Kinh Dien Bien Phu optic shop and take a motorbike taxi (20,000 dong) to the town centre.

By bus

The provincial bus station is 4 km north of Ben Tre town. In Ho Chi Minh City, the bus stations Cholon (aka Quan 5 Bus Station = District 5 Bus Station) and Mien Tay have buses to Ben Tre (5-19h, every 30min, 2h15, ~105'000 VND). Direct minibuses with door-to-door transportation in Ben Tre run between Ho Chi Minh City and Ben Tre (5-19h, hourly, 2h30, ~252'000 VND).

Get around

The town stretches along the river, so a bicycle or a motorbike are the best way to get around.

See

There are no real sights in their own right, but you could have a look at the unspoiled market or visit the rice wine factory on the south bank, 0.5 km west of the old bridge. You can also visit the inevitable coconut candy factory here. It's a must if you haven't been to one yet, since in this "factory" basically everything is done by hand.

Do

Trung Tam Dieu/Ben Tre tour operation centre (closed during lunch) has some private tours in Ben Tre by boat or by bike and homestay tour. It also gives information on the city.

• 1 Coconut Candy Factory, 379C Nguyen Van Tu, ☏ +84 888 818 899, fax: +84 275 38 32089, info@bentredonga.com. There are more factories around, e.g. Thanh Thanh Coconut Candies, 5km to the SE. You might get a chance to see women making the handmade candy. 
• Explore the Delta. Boat trips are one of the nicest ways to negotiate the network of channels, but the land in between the waters is just as fascinating. It's fun to follow some of the small trails along the channels, crossing streams on very basic bridges and walking past fruit and coconut orchards. 

Buy

• 1 Coop Mart (near Cong Vien Dong Khoi Park, north of the lake). Food, department store, game center. 

Eat

The usual food stalls are found around the market. Be warned that one of the favourite soups in the delta, hu tieu, contains boiled intestines and liver. There is also a floating restaurant near the old bridge. Sweet bakery for breakfast? Go to the huge Coop Mart (08:00-22:00) just behind street Hai Ba Trung.

• Ninh Kiều quán, 65A Đồng Khởi Blvd. Big seafood restaurant right at the beginning of town. Very popular with Vietnamese office workers and families. 50,000-100,000 dong. 

Drink

Coldest beer in Ben Tre? Go to the Oasis.

Sleep

• Ben Tre Hotel, 8/2 Tran Quoc Tuan, ☏ +84 75 382 2223. 
• Forever Green Resort. 
• Government Guesthouse, 148 Hung Vuong, ☏ +84 75 382 6134. 
• Hai Long Hotel, 500a2 Nguyen Thi Dinh Street, Phu Tan Ward, ☏ +84 75 385 11236, hailong7@yahoo.com. 20 rooms. From 215,000 dong. (updated Apr 2017)
• Ham Luong Hotel, Số 200 C, Đường Hùng Vương, P.5, TP, ☏ +84 75 381 8595, hamluongtourist@vnn.vn. Check-in: 14:00, check-out: 12:00. One of the best hotels in Ben Tre with outside swimming pool, steam bath and sauna. Buffet breakfast is a mix of Asian and Western food. All rooms have Internet, TV with English channels. Laundry, fitness gym, karaoke, massage, jacuzzi, car rental, boat, bicycle, information service. Single/double/triple/quad: standard 300,000/560,000/na/na; superior 500,000/610,000/710,000/810,000 dong. (updated Apr 2017)
• Khach San Dong Khoi, 16, Hai Ba Trung, Phuong 2 (Town centre, north of lake), ☏ +84 75 382 2501, fax: +84 75 382 2240, khachsandongkhoi@bentretourist.vn. Hot water except in cheapest rooms. Free Wi-Fi, restaurant, karaoke, massage. 150,000-240,000 dong. Strangely prices dropped if check-in after 16:00. 
• Khach San Phuong Hoang, 28, Hai Ba Trung, Phuong 2 (town center, north of Ho Truc Giang Lake), ☏ +84 75 357 5377. Cold shower. Fan or air-con. Free Wi-Fi. Limited English-speaking staff. 120,000-180,000 dong. 
• Nha Nghi 99, 73, Phan Ngoc Tong, Phuong 2 (Town centre, street south of lake), ☏ +84 75 383 1234. Air-con, no Wi-Fi, limited English-speaking staff. 150,000 dong. 
• Oasis Hotel, 151 My Thanh An (Across river), ☏ +84 75 246 7799. Kiwi and Vietnamese owners. Free Wi-Fi, swimming-pool, English, Viet, Khmer spoken. Cold beer, local knowledge. Half day Mekong boat tours including coconut factory and cycling $28. 
• Que Huong, 38 Hai Ba Trung (Red house in front of the town's lake.), ☏ +84 75 383 5888. Good service, limited English and friendly. All rooms with hot shower and fresh towel. 100,000-180,000 dong. 
• Viet Uc Hotel, 144 Hùng Vương, Ward 3, ☏ +84 2753 511 888, fax: +84 2753 575 555, infobentre@vietuchotel.net. (updated Aug 2019)
• Trade Union Hotel, 50 Hai Ba Trung, ☏ +84 75 382 5082. 

Go next

Large buses leave from the bus station north of town. Minibuses leave from inside town and serve:

• Ho Chi Minh City (90 km, ~70,000 VND), from Tran Quoc Tuan St north of the lake
• My Tho (17 km, ~20,000 VND, regularly from 05:00-17:30), from Dong Khoi St, bus stop near school
• Can Tho (110 km, ~75,000 VND, 3 hrs, a few times a day until 13:30 (October 2023)), non air con 30 seater bus

The boats leave between 08:30 and 09:00 every day. It takes a long time, but it's an adventurous and cheap option (expect to pay between 60,000-120,000 dong per person). They leave from the area east of the new bridge. Boats are light blue and will take you to:

• Vinh Long, ~4 hrs
• Can Tho, ~7 hrs
• Tra Vinh