To get to Nam Du and Hon Son, you will first need to get to the southern city of Rach Gia. Rach Gia is a harbour town located at the base of the Mekong Delta, from where ferries run to the islands.
Getting to Rach Gia
The bus from Ho Chi Minh City to Rach Gia takes about 6 hours and is operated by Futa, one of the most reliable bus companies in Vietnam (you can book on Bao Lau* or Vexere). They have a number of sleeper bus options, which I would recommend to enable you to catch the morning ferry.
⏰ 6hrs
💰 180k – 370k
Where to stay in Rach Gia
The ferries don’t start until 6am so depending on your arrival time, it would be wise to book some accommodation* for your arrival in Rach Gia. We drove to Rach Gia by motorbike as part of our 10-day Mekong Delta Road Trip and so spent the night there. We stayed at Stay Hostel 2* which was super clean and just around the corner from the ferry terminal, making it perfect for catching the early morning ferry.
There is also long-stay motorbike parking at the ferry terminal if you also opt to drive to Rach Gia yourself. We did see the option to transport the motorbike on the ferry, but as we were only visiting each island for 24 hours it was simpler and cheaper to just rent a ride there.
The ferry to Nam Du runs in the morning and afternoon, and you can buy tickets online via Bao Lao*. Alternatively, you can visit the ticket office at the harbour and buy tickets in person. However, you do risk the upcoming ferries being sold out so I recommend buying in advance.
While it was calm when we travelled in December, it can be a rocky journey when the seas are more turbulent. Regardless, I recommend taking some motion sickness pills before.
For the short ride between Nam Du and Hon Son, you will need to book your ticket in person at the ferry port on the islands as you cannot purchase tickets online for this route.
Rach Gia Ferry Terminal 📍 Bến tàu Vịnh Mốc, Vĩnh Thanh, Kế Sách, Sóc Trăng ⏰ 2hr 45 from Rach Gia to Nam Du, 45mins from Nam Du to Hon Son, 1hr 30 from Hon Son to Rach Gia
💰 200k from Rach Gia to Nam Du, 70k from Nam Du to Hon Son, 130k from Hon Son to Rach Gia