The far south of Vietnam is one of the two main rice bowls of the country. Dominated by the Mekong Delta, the surrounding lands are comprised of low lying rice paddies and the rivers are bordered by dense mangroves and palms. The tributaries of the hectic Mekong River highway provide a comprehensive network of canals and channels. The rivers are the best methods to explore the region at a leisurely pace and offer an opportunity to experience the truly unique Mekong River lifestyle
What follows is an itinerary for exploring the Delta in a clockwise direction, beginning south of Ho Chi Minh City at Mytho. The areas listed below are very popular with travelers and even non-travelers. Cruising up rivers sitting on the roof of a boat laden with all manner of fish produce while gazing at a beautiful sunset over the distant palm tress, is a truly unforgettable experience.
My Tho Area
Mytho is a delightful town, situated about two hours by bus south west of Ho Chi Minh city. Sitting on the bank of The Mekong River, Mytho is divided into two parts by a tributary of the river. From here you can take a number of short boat trips to various islands and floating markets within the surrounding area. It is also a good place to catch the overnight long boats to a variety of locations including Chau Doc and Long Xuyen. A quiet evening in Mytho can be spent on your veranda watching the sunset and the fishing fleet unloads after dark. During the day you can spend hours in a nearby café simply watching life go by, or on the river, cruising the day away. The Mytho experience is enhanced by the fact that the streets are generally extremely quiet. In Mytho, you will not have to worry about the challenges of bikes for there are not many. It is very relaxing.
Along the April 30 street is an amazing demonstration of the bizarre Vietnamese taste for really tacky photos. Rather than have their photo taken with the background of the flowing Mekong River, photographers have erected all manner of cardboard backings with snow scenes, stuffed deer and to add that final touch of authenticity, their assistants are dressed as pandas. Just a bit further down the street from the strange photographic practices, there is a quiet little park where you can savour a baguette and watch the sun set.
The Phoenix Island
This island is also known as the Island of the Coconut Monk named after a monk, Ong Dao Dua, who meditated on the island for three years during which time he ate nothing but coconuts. An active supporter of the reunification of Vietnam, he strongly believed that reunification could be achieved by peaceful means. In the early 1960s, he founded a community in support of this ideal, and as a result was imprisoned by President Diem on number occasions. At his time, the island became a sanctuary for those who were attempting to escape the ravages of war. Ong Dao Dua also headed his own sect, which was a bizarre mix of Christianity and Buddhism. The large cross that you may stumble upon in his sanctuary is not a swastika, but actually a sign of his victory over a communist community which he dissolved. You can reach Con Phung island by boat from Mytho in about 30 minutes.
Snake farm
If you enjoy having enormous pythons wrapped around you, this is the place for you as snakes are bred at the Snake Farm for anti-venom and medicinal purposes. If snakes do not turn you on, then maybe the turtles will. The Snake Farm is home to two yellow turtles, the only two living of their species known to the human race. They live up to 1,000 years and as these two turtles are only 200 years old, they have another 800 years to look forward to. The Thai government offered $ 250,000 US for the turtles, but the Vietnamese authorities declined the 'generous' offer.
Ben Tre Province
Ben Tre is composed of seven districts with Chau Thanh being the main city, surrounded by many islands that are covered with coconut trees. Ben Tre is known throughout Vietnam for its masses of coconut palms, and during the war the coconut oil was used as a valuable substitute for kerosene. This area is relatively untouched by tourism and this is even more evident by the fact that NOBODY speaks English in Ben Tre. Even the tourist office has trouble communicating in English. Communication problems aside, you will find the people of Ben Tre to be exceedingly friendly and the countryside is beautiful. There is also a daily fresh produce market that is extremely colorful and worth visiting. Due to the limited exposure to tourism, Ben Tre can leave you with a purely cultural experience.
Vinh Long Town
The town of Vinh Long is set on the edge of its principal attraction, the Mekong River. It is from here that you can set out to visit the many beautiful surrounding islands. Vinh Long is uncharacteristically large town as compared to other communities on the Mekong Delta. It has an abundance of tall buildings and Karaoke bars to tempt your vocal chords. At one stage in Vietnam's history, Vinh Long was at the center of a Christian stronghold. Although Christians no longer dominate in the area, there is still a cathedral that is worth visiting.
Most people who visit Vinh Long use it as a base to explore the islands which are home to people that grow local exotic produce. One of the more popular islands to visit has several rambutan and bonsai tree gardens with many different fruits and flowers.
Can Tho City
Can Tho is a thriving metropolis with huge streets, little action and loads of mosquitoes. Although Can Tho has its own market by the riverside where you can buy some excellent ice-cream, the principal attraction would have to be the nearby floating markets. Being rather industrious, the centre of Can Tho is quite busy and noisy with motorized cyclos roaring up and down the streets combined with throngs of people going about their lives. The riverside can have its quiet moments, but Can Tho is also a burgeoning town and there are a number of pagodas worth visiting. For the trivia fans, you should know that Can Tho is the home to much of Vietnam's fish sauce.
Markets
Cai Rang Market is situated about 8 km from Can Tho by road or 20 km by boat as the river loops its way towards it. This market is quite nice and a variety of fruit and vegetables are available. It is open from 5 am to 11 am. You will find it better for shopping the earlier you can get there. A cycloride from Can Tho to the Cai Rang Market will take about 15 minutes.
Another market, Phung Hiep market, is 31 km from Can Tho. This is the snake market, selling a plethora of living, wriggling and often poisonous snakes. Pythons and Cobras are sold here by people from the countryside, who have caught them by hand. People come to this market to purchase snakes for restaurants, medicinal reasons or personal consumption. This market is open from 5 am to 5 pm. If traveling to Phung Hiep market by boat, you can add a dimension to your day by stopping and visiting some of the fruit gardens, where you can purchase many types of fruit including sell pineapple, rambutan and papaya.
Soc Trang Province
Soc Trang is situated on Highway 1 and makes for a perfect place to break the journey from My Tho to Ca Mau. With a 500 kg Vampire pig and a psychedelic pagoda to see, Soc Trang is well worth a visit to experience a bit of the bizarre side of life in Vietnam.
Soc Trang is the home to two fascinating pagodas. The first one is the Khmer Bat Pagoda. The grounds are spacious and serene and the pagoda is lovely. About 20,000 fruit bats with dog-like faces live on the grounds of the pagoda, and an individual bat can weigh up to half a kilo. What gives the pagoda a twilight zone appeal is the fact that the bats only live on the trees within the pagoda grounds, and they eat no fruit from within the pagoda. For surreal appeal there is also a five year old 500 kg Vampire Pig in residence. This Pig has five ‘toe things’ instead of the usual four and to top it off, the Pig has fangs which are really weird.
The second is Dat Set (Soil) Pagoda. This is a truly incredible pagoda boasting hundreds of statues made of soil. Even the building and pillars were once made of soil, but have since been replaced with more stable concrete. There is a huge dragon and a huge tiger statue that protect the gold mountain, whilst a lion protects the silver mountain. However the most intriguing part of the pagoda is the candles. There are four large candles, two of which have never been lit and stand at 2.6 m high, weighing 200 kg. The other two candles have been burning continuously for the last twenty years and are only half done. There are crazy multicolored flickering lights everywhere giving the pagoda a psychedelic Christmas feeling.
Ca Mau Province
Ca Mau is situated in one of the largest swamplands in the world, surpassed only by the Amazon basin. This provides Ca Mau with its unique attraction of the U-Minh mangrove forest.
U-Minh Forest
U-Minh, which in Vietnamese means "twilight" and which is read as "ou ming" is the largest mangrove swamp forest that can be found in the world excepting the Amazon. Once in U-Minh forest you can take very interesting walks around the rice fields, indigo and mangrove forests and honeybee breeding areas. It is very quiet and spacious, making a worthwhile day trip from Ca Mau. Unluckily, the newest of this zone is a very bad news that a vast area had been burnt during the dry season in early 2002 and thus limited most of the present visits.
Bird Parks
There are two bird parks that you can visit from Ca Mau. The first, Bac Lieu bird garden can be found about 3 km out of Bac Lieu. The second bird garden is in Minh Hai in Vuon Chim in the Bam Doi District.
Rach Gia Area
This laid back fishing town is the capital of the Kien Giang province and faces the Gulf of Thailand. The main part of town is on an island connected by four roads that cross the channel. Some of the tastiest and cheapest local food is sold on the northern end of Hung Vuong Street. Rach Gia is considered a stronghold of the Cao Dai faith.
It is almost worth getting up at 5 or 6 am to watch the boats come in from a night of fishing. The fishing docks on the sea side of the island are a hive of activity while all the fish are being sorted.
Phu Quoc Island
Situated in the Gulf of Thailand, close to both Ha Tien, Rack Gia and the Cambodian coast, Phu Quoc Island possesses excellent white sand beaches and great snorkeling opportunities. Some of the islands to the South of Phu Quoc are also great for swimming and viewing the marine life.
Hon Chong Rock
Hon Chong is a sleepy seaside village where a few days could be spent lying in a hammock, exploring the surrounding islands and caves or both. It makes for a nice break from the bedlam of the larger town of the Delta, and you can escape from the heat by taking a swim at some of the nicest beaches in Vietnam. The population of Hon Chong is about fifty percent Khmer owing to its proximity to Cambodia.
Ha Tien
Ha Tien, a very beautiful beach and market town, is situated virtually on the Vietnamese-Cambodian border and offers a diverse spread of Vietnamese life. There is a high percentage of Khmers living in this area, reflecting the historical significance of the area that has changed hands between Cambodia and Vietnam and in the late 1970s bore the brunt of Khmer Rouge raids across the frontier. Today Ha Tien is a bustling smuggling town between two former enemies, but for the travelers, the main attractions of the area are the superb beaches.
Chau Doc Area
Chau Doc sits on a tributary of the Bassic River and is an incredibly friendly bustling little city. The people here are known for being very warm and approachable. Chau Doc is also right on the Cambodian Border and if you were able to enter Cambodia by boat, you would pass through here
Sam Mountain
The main attraction of Chau Doc is Sam Mountain. Situated 7 km from town along Bao Ho Thoai Street, the mountain has a number of pagodas at its base, and some kind of army listening post on the top. The main pagoda gets full marks for kitsch. Although the pagodas at the base of the mountain are nothing to write home about, the view from the top of the mountain is well worth the climb.
Market
Chau Doc has a large covered street market on Le Cong Thanh Street. Here you can get everything from something tasty to eat to a new Hi Fi. There is also a great food market by the river, past the post office.
Ba Chuc
Ba Chuc is situated between Chau Doc and Long Xuyen where there is a temple and ossuary dedicated to over 3,000 Vietnamese that the Khmer Rouge massacred in September 1978. It is very moving and well worth visiting.