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Mekong Delta Travel Guide

Travel to Mekong Delta - Explore Vietnam’s Ricebowl

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The Mekong River Delta is unique in Vietnam, beautiful and fertile it’s the ‘rice bowl’ of the country. For the traveller the network of rivers, streams and canals provide a unusual way of exploring, enabling those that come here to discover tropical fruit orchards, bonsai gardens, floating markets and homestays with local people.

At 4880km the Mekong is the world’s 11th longest river, rising in Tibet and travelling south through China, forming the boundary between Thailand and Laos before entering Cambodia and finally Vietnam. Its rich silt-laden waters make the region the most fertile in Vietnam – fish farms too are common.

The gateway city is My Tho, which is the focus for many day trips from Saigon, but head further into the delta to the main draw – the quiet backwaters and the small villages that can be found scattered throughout the delta.

Attractions in Mekong Delta

Ben Tre is little visited and is as good a place as any to start your Mekong discovery whilst Vinh Long is a place from which to base yourself if wanting to see Cai Be floating market and the islands which are wonderful to explore.

The Mekong Delta is rich in Khmer culture, especially around Tra Vinh province where there are many Khmer temples: visit Ong Met Pagoda, Ba Om Pond and Ang Pagoda in Tra Vinh.

Can Tho is the region’s largest town and it attracts large numbers of visitors who come to explore its interesting backstreets and floating markets.

Activities in Mekong Delta

Most people haven’t the time that is necessary to travel independently and so opt for a tour: choose carefully or tailor make your own for what will be a rewarding experience. Allow 2 or 3 days to get a flavour of what Delta life is about.

Relaxing

Sitting down enjoying a meal with your homestay host is always a great way to relax at the end of the day.

Getting Around

Travel in the Delta is difficult unless you have the time to spare. It would be wisest to let a Vietnamese specialist know what you’d like to see – some themes – and leave an itinerary up to them. This way you’ll enjoy your trip and see what you want to. Independent travel certainly is possible and indeed preferable if you have the time, however involves buses and boats with the inevitable delays that can occur.

Mekong Delta Reviews

Mekong Delta: VIETNAM MEKONG DELTA

Posted on:: Wednesday, 10th December 2008
Rating

Can Tho - a delta gem
The Mekong Delta has such a lot to offer the curious tourist by way of culture, unique food and a special environment.
About 170km from HCMC, Can Tho is one of the Mekong Delta’s tourism hubs. The delta is Vietnam’s biggest granary and it is a great tourist attraction, too, because of its people’s friendliness, seasonal flooding, life in harmony with the environment that is crisscrossed with rivers and canals, and its population of 17 million people of Kinh (majority Vietnamese), Chinese, Khmer and Cham origins.
Eco-tourism involving exploring the waterways and countryside culture is a feature of the delta in general and of Can Tho City in particular. It is the gentleness of rivers’ waves and the sight of sampans and small boats on the canals that are lined with coconut trees and fruit-rich groves. There are durians, pomelos, rambutans, mangos, and many other kinds of tropical fruit. Sitting on a river bank and enjoying the fresh environment, the smell of water and paddy fields, and the common foods with tempting smells such as countryside-roasted fish and wine-steamed chicken eaten with pure de (Vietnamese traditional liquor) moves the hearts of many international tourists.
Can Tho is a must-visit because of its floating markets like Phong Dien and Cai Rang, part of the culture that has tourists flocking to the region. Small boats and sampans travel here and there at those markets and offer products of various kinds, an activity that can be experienced in few places elsewhere.
At night, tourists can travel on Ninh Kieu Wharf to enjoy the fresh air and local delicacies, as well as listen to don ca tai tu, a kind of southern traditional music. In addition, spending time in orchards and sleeping as a homestay with the locals are also special services in the region

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