Mekong Delta
A holiday in Vietnam would be incomplete without a trip to the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Popularly known as one of the ‘Rice Baskets’ of Vietnam, the Mekong Delta is located in the South Eastern region of Vietnam, where the Mekong River meets the sea. Mekong Delta is a pride of the Vietnamese and one of the most popular of the Vietnam tourist attractions. The Mekong Delta is one of the main sources of agricultural products in the whole of Vietnam, contributing about 50% to the country’s total rice cultivation. Apart from this, here there are many sugar cane fields, vegetable gardens and orchards, growing various kinds of tropical fruits. The vast stretches of green paddy fields, criss-crossed by winding streams, surely makes an exquisite sight. Mekong Delta population consists mostly of farmers and fishermen. Life here revolves around the river; Some natives, especially the fishermen, have even built houses on canoes. In a whole their lifestyle though simple, is indeed very fascinating and something that tourists love to see. Floating Market in Mekong Delta now become one of the most distinctive features of this place. Every early morning the floating markets in Mekong Delta are set up. Thousands of oats heaped with fruits and vegetables meet at the floating markets, from there the local dealers buy the goods to sell it again in the markets or to other cities. There is so much to see and so much to do here that a one day trip would definitely not be enough.
Vinh Long
Situated between the Tien and the Hau rivers, Vinh Long Province is bounded by Tien Giang Province on the north, Dong Thap Province on the north-west, Tra Vinh Province on the south-east, Hau Giang and Soc Trang provinces on the south, and Can Tho City on the south-west. The terrain is quite flat. The complex network of rivers and canals make convenient transportation. The soil is rich in alluvium, favorable for rice and various fruit cultivation. Silt from Tien and Hau rivers has raised the level of the field. The majority of inhabitants live on farming, fruit planting and cattle rising.
Coming to there, visitors have chance to walk among the trees, relax in hammocks, try all kinds of delicious tropical fruits in the gardens of An Binh and Binh Hoa Phuoc islands. Several popular places are Mr. Sau Giao’s Flower Garden, Mr. Muoi Day’s Stilt-House, and Mr. Hai Hoang’s Old House. Vinh Long is 70km from Mytho, 34km from Can Tho and 136km from Ho Chi Minh City.
My Tho
Mytho is located on the northern banks of the Mekong river and is the closest town in the Delta area and about 2 hours drive away from Ho Chi Minh City.
In the centre of the town close to the river there is a large market that sells just about anything that can be eaten or is used in day to day business. Around the Mytho area you will find a maze of small canals that can be explored on one of the many organized boat tours.
Can Tho
Located exactly on the Southern Bank of Hau Giang river, Can Tho is one of the largest cities of the country. Can Tho is practically considered the ‘capital’ of Mekong Delta. No other urban city in Vietnam can match Can Tho in terms of its spectacular landscape. Can Tho’s busy city life can be credited to the fact that this province produces some of the largest amount of rice, vegetables, fruits in the whole country. They also have a flourishing fish production unit. Its sea port, being able to house some large ships from foreign countries is also a centre of lot of activity. In spite of being a prime urban area, Can Tho’s location in the midst of meandering rivers makes it a haven for tourism. The city offers tourists boat tours, the floating markets, villages, gardens, orchards, homestay and other prominent attractions.
Chau Doc
Deep in the Mekong Delta, Chau Doc town is 280 km (174 miles) south-west of Ho Chi Minh City close to the Cambodian border. Such proximity to Cambodia Chau Doc has been nurturing the mix of Cham, Khmer, Chinese and Vietnamese cultures and historical richness. Chau Doc is also a gateway to Cambodia. From here tourist can take a boat trip see floating fish farms or high-speed boat cruising on Mekong River to Phnom Penh.
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Attractions |
An Binh – Binh Hoa Phuoc River Island
The island of An Binh – Binh Hoa Phuoc emerges from the middle of the Tien River, just opposite to the Vinh Long Town. The island has four communes, including An Binh, Binh Hoa Phuoc, Hoa Ninh, and Dong Phu in Long Ho District. The island covers an area of about 6,000ha. Its soil is fertile and rice, and there is fresh water and fruit trees. Several fruit orchard are opened to the public.
Visitors can walk among the trees, relax in hammocks, try all kinds of delicious tropical fruits, and sometimes ones have a meal or stay overnight in:
Mr. Sau Giao’s Flower Garden
In Hoa Ninh, with hundreds of various ornamental plants: yellow apricots, chieu thuy plums and jasmine. Longan and mango tree gardens and fish ponds are all around the garden.
Mr. Muoi Day’s Stilt-House
Made of wood and sits on the Ninh Hoa Canal. Beside it are fruit tree gardens of longans, grapefruits and sapoches. The house can serve tourists lunch, or provide a place to stay for an evening or two.
Mr. Hai Hoang’s Old House
Built in the style of the French with a large yard, and behind are rambutan and longan tree gardens. Lunch and evening stays are also provided for tourists.
Bang Lang Stork Sanctuary
45km from Can Tho, the area of 1,300 square meters is home of 150,000 storks (11 kinds of them including fly stork, egret, heron, pelican, woodpecker, etc). The biggest bird is 1.4 kg with wingspan of 1.4 meter, the smallest one weighs only 150grams. From the gate, visitors would walk over two bamboo bridges leading to the garden, then climb up to the stairs to a balcony where they can behold the stork. Some experienced after have seen the sea of storks covering fully the garden that they were in a cotton yard during a blooming season or they were watching a snow-filled expanse in Europe when snow falls.
Binh Thuy Ancient house
Located in Binh Thuy Ward, 5km from the center of Cantho City, the 130 year ancient house is a very beautiful residence imbued with features of the southern delta. The construction was started in 1870 on an area of approximately 8,000m² by master Ba Nghia – a top-ranking artisan-artist at that time when he was able, only with an axe, to construct a 5-compartment house with all close-fitting joints.
Cantho Tourist Gardens
Located on every land and water route in Cantho City (Mekong Delta) ,the gardens are a rich collection of fruit trees, flowers and diverse species of birds, fishes…
In recent years, a series of modern tourism gardens have appeared on every land and water route in Cantho City. The gardens of My Khanh, San Duong, Ba Lang and Tan Binh extend along the arched highway, as well as on the waterways of Hong Dien and Phung Hiep Rivers. Other gardens in Long My, Vi Thanh, O Mon and Thot Not are also developing.
Dong Tam Snake-Breeding Farm
Dong Tam Snake-Breeding Farm is 12km from Mytho City, Tien Giang Province.
The snake farm is a center for breeding snakes producing venom for exportation. Dong Tam is medicinal plant cultivation and the study and treatment of snake-bite. There is a snake-breeding zone with dozens of species to feed or even to play with. There are also crocodiles and other species of birds and animals on hand.
Floating markets
Cai Rang floating market
Only one-hour motored-boat ride from the Ninh Kieu Quay, the market is the nearest floating market from Can Tho (only 7km). Although the market is also accessible by road, it is far more interesting to reach by boat. Then visitors can be up-close to local boats and see farmers exchanging goods directly from boats. Visitors can buy fresh fruit and enjoy it on site.
Phong Dien floating market
Two hours by motored-boat (15km from Can Tho), the market is considered the best floating market in Mekong Delta in which there are less motorized craft. Sellers and buyers gather in the stand-up rowing boats around the intersection of the canals. This is very interesting to view the transaction here.
Sam Mountain
Vinh Te Commune, 6km west of Chau Doc Town, An Giang Province.
From Long Xuyen, one has to travel almost 60km to get to Sam Mountain which lies west of Chau Doc Town, at approximately 2km from the frontier between Vietnam and Cambodia. The 230m high mountain does not only offer beautiful landscapes, but it is also where many historic remains deeply loved by the inhabitants of Nam Bo plain are located. Ba Chua Xu Temple, Tay An Pagoda, Thoai Ngoc Hau Tomb, Tao Ngo Garden, and Bach Van Hill are among the famous sites to visit near Sam Mountain.
Tay An Pagoda
Lying on one side of the Sam Mountain, Chau Doc Town, An Giang Province. Tay An is an ancient pagoda with a mixture of Vietnamese and Asian architectural styles.
Tay An was constructed in 1847 and has been rehabilitated and repaired many times. In 1958, it was thoroughly upgraded to encompass a total area of 1,250sq.m with nearly 200 statues. Lying on one side of the Sam Mountain, under the lights, the pagoda itself looks like a monk dressed in yellow, heading to Chau Doc Town, the Dai Hong Bell of Tay An pagoda is of particular interest as it was made of gold and copper under the Tu Duc’s Reign and is now over 111 years old. Somehow it has even managed to keep the sound of its voice ringing clear after all these years.
Thoi Son Island
Thoi Son Island, accessible by a 45-minute boat ride on the Mekong River from My Tho City, is located in Chau Thanh District, Tien Giang Province. Since 1990, Thoi Son has become a tourist resort welcoming hundreds of visitors. The tiled-roof houses surrounded by many generations of fruit-bearing trees, the cozy little restaurants in bonsai tree gardens make of Thoi Son Island the ideal location for a short rest. The path through the island is bordered with fruit trees bearing plums, mangoes, and longans. Visitors will also enjoy Con Phung Island, and coconut sweets and jams.Vinh Trang Pagoda
Vinh Trang Pagoda is located in a large garden in My Phong Commune, Mytho City, Tien Giang Province. The architecture of the pagoda is a harmonious combination of Asian and European types of architecture, creating the splendid, but simple features of this Buddhist pagoda. Vinh Trang Pagoda is the greatest pagoda of Tien Giang Province, in an area of 2,000m2 with many beautiful trees. The pagoda was built by Mr. and Mrs. Bui Cong Dat in the early 19th century. From 1849, the pagoda was managed by Buddhist Priest Hue Dang from Giac Lam Pagoda in Ho Chi Minh City. He led people to refine the pagoda and named it Vinh Trang Pagoda. The pagoda consists of 5 buildings, 2 ornamental yards, and 178 pillars. Graves of Buddhist priests who took care of the pagoda are scattered around. These graves are decorated with carefully engraved flagstones.
