As all deltas, it receives the bounty of the siltation from the upper Mekong, and as such is a very rich and lush area, covered with rice fields. It produces about half of the total of Vietnam's agricultural output (in fact the delta produces more rice than Korea and Japan altogether), and is the place for timeless sceneries of farmers planting or harvesting rice. |
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Mekong Delta Travel has the pleasure to invite you to major touristic attractions during your trips to Vietnam , a country with many white exotic sandy beaches, charming cities and friendly people. Though a lot of modern developments have been done, Vietnam still keeps its own unique cultural and natural environment which brings a great chance to those who love the Asian beauty of nature like Ha Noi; the charm of ancient citadels like Hue and Hoi An; the variety of places to explore, including the cool, romantic central highlands-home like Dalat; the booming busy cities like HoChiMinh City and the magnificence of the sea and islands like Ha Long Bay.
Vietnamese people, the offspring of the legendary Dragon and Fairy always look forward to the future, keeping the past, cherishing the present and wishing to extend their hospitality to all people around the world coming to Vietnam. The healthy cuisine of Vietnam is internationally known, with colours and flavours unique to the region. Traditional folk arts such as water puppetry and opera are still practiced, and the fine arts embody Asian and European styles. Come and see Vietnam to enjoy and discover her spectacular nature, the friendliness of the local inhabitants and relax in the comfort of world class hotels on our package tours. It is also a good opportunity to strike up acquaintance with different people from all over the world.
 The Mekong splits in Cambodia into two main rivers, the Bassac (Hau Giang) and the First river (Tien Giang), then in Vietnam into a more complex system, creating a maze of small canals, rivers and arroyos interspersed with villages and floating markets.
Life in the Mekong Delta revolves much around the river, and all the villages are often accessible by river rather than by road.
The high times of life in the Mekong delta are the lunar new year (Tet ), and the mid-autumn festival (Tet trung thu), where children will set hundreds of candles on their way on the river on as many tiny skiffs.
If you know how to take your time, or are guided by an able guide, you will certainly enjoy your stay in the Mekong delta.
Other destinations
If the most populated places are rather much visited, as soon as you get away from the crowds, you are getting in touch with the nice people of the delta and their always welcoming attitude. Consider a trip to sleepy Ben Tre just over the river from My Tho or Khmer-culture influenced Soc Trang in the very southwest to get that real life feeling.
* Ben Tre
* Cat Tien National Park — a major protected area of lowland rainforest about 150 km north of Ho Chi Minh City.
* Phu Quoc
* Soc Trang
Talk
In the villages there are not many people who speak languages other than Vietnamese, though in the cities you will find more that do. Try to bring a book with common phrases if you are venturing out away from a tour or into places that are not listed in your guidebook.
Get in
The Mekong delta is near to Ho Chi Minh City, and Can Tho (Can Tho) is merely 4 hours' drive away, so it is easy to access by road, although there is only one main road, and as such it is rather crowded.
There are some flights between Ho Chi Minh City and Rach Gia. Rach Gia can also be reached by boat or plane from the island of Phu Quoc.
There used to be hydrofoil connections from Ho Chi Minh City to My Tho(My Tho) then to Can Tho(Can Tho) in about 4 hours, but the option does not exist any more. Alternatives are speed boat transfers, or for those who would enjoy unspoilt nature, cruises from Cai Be(Cái Bè) to Can Tho or back.
The Mekong delta is also a natural passageway from southern Vietnam to Cambodia, which can be entered overland or by river. Visas on entry to Cambodia are possible at some (but not all) entry points, however visas for Vietnam must be obtained in advance.
By tour
There are many tours available that start in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). Some of them end in Saigon, others in Phnom Penh (also available the other way around: Phnom Penh to Saigon). You can book them in travel agencies and hotels in Vietnam and Cambodia. There are only a few tour operators available, however, it can be difficult to find out what tour operator is behind the tour you want to book, as many travel agencies pretend that it is their own tour and prices between agencies can vary significantly for the same tour. To make things a bit more complicated, tour operators often share buses and boats when they don't have enough travelers and they combine different tours (e.g. a 2 day and a 3 day Mekong Delta tour). You may have to change the buses often. Be careful when choosing a tour, compare prices and consult other travelers (or the Internet), as many tours are of bad quality.
See
Most of the interest of the place resides in its floating markets, and the life around the rivers criss-crossing the area; also the national parks and nature reserves.
It is possible to take tours on small boats around My Tho (My Tho) and the islands north of Ben Tre (Ben Tre); around Cai Be (Cái Bè) and the An Binh peninsula; and around Can Tho (Can Tho). Both Cai Be and Can Tho feature floating markets.
Delta Adventures run 2 & 3 day tours. The 3 day misses much of the Cai Be (Cái Bè) and the An Binh peninsula. It is a long trip home on day 3, and avoid it if you can. 2 day appears to be a little better, although again the trip home is 7 hours by boat, followed by 3 on a bus. I'd try for a land based return, around 6 hours.
It is also common for the guide to offer upgrades during the trip, at cheaper than the tour asking price, so avoid buying the expensive version,as an upgrade is waiting in the wings.
It is also possible to get away from the main road and into the more remote rivers on board larger river cruisers for discovery cruises of the area in comfort.
Mt. Cam is a notable but not very advertised attraction worth seeing. It is a mountain in the An Giang province where you can either hike or take a motorbike tour to the top to see a lake, a very large buddha statue and a temple with a few pagodas.
* How to get there - Vinh Long
Vinh Long is 70km from Mytho, 34km from Can Tho and 136km from Ho Chi Minh City. The inter-province bus station is 5km from the centre of Vinh Long. There are buses between Vinh Long and Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho, Mytho, Long Xuyen, Sa Dec, Rach Gia, and other Mekong Delta destinations. National Highway No.1A and No.53 also runs through the province.
* How to get there - Can tho
Cantho is 34km from Vinh Long, 62km from Long Xuyen, 63km from Soc Trang, 104km from Mytho, 116km from Rach Gia, 117km from Chau Doc, 169km from Ho Chi Minh City and 179km from Camau.
* Road: Cantho has National Highway No.1A, 91, 80 linking to An Giang, Kien Giang provinces. Waterway: Cantho has Cai Cui international seaport. The city is the centre of waterway network of Mekong Delta. There are daily hydrofoils between Ho Chi Minh City and Cantho City. Airline: There is Tra Noc Airport.
* How to get there - Soc trang
Soc Trang is 231km from Ho Chi Minh City, 60km from Can Tho. National Highways No.1A links the province and Can Tho, Bac Lieu.
* How to get there - Bac Lieu
Bac Lieu is 60 km from Soc Trang or 95 km from Can tho and 295km from saigon
* How to get there - Ca Mau
Ca mau is 120km from Soc Trang, 220km from Can Tho and 340km from Saigon |
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