MEKONG DELTA VIETNAM
Mekong Delta Vietnam. No reasonable traveler would pass up Vietnam's Mekong River Delta. The colorful villages scattered along the Mekong River's banks are graced with stunning blue sky, filled with exotic fruits, and studded with marketplaces, temples, and colonial-era homes. It's a location where you can relax in a hammock or float downstream in a sampan. It's where you'll eat some of the best dishes in Vietnam. It's also where you'll find the friendliest Vietnamese, as well as ethnic minorities who have established their homes on the lake. Here are five Mekong Delta sites for contemporary travelers.
Mekong Delta Vietnam:
Can Tho is an excellent starting point for your first trip to the Delta. You get a true sense of Delta living here: days on or near the water, a laid-back atmosphere, and delectable food. Can Tho is a major city, the fourth biggest in Vietnam, yet it has an easygoing atmosphere. Take a quick motorbike journey to see the islands all around you. You'll pass fish ponds, fruit farms, and canals under the shade of banana and guava trees. Can Tho is encircled by a network of quiet canals. For a nominal cost, you may rent a rowboat and cruise these rivers for a few hours, stopping at local workshops to learn how rice paper and noodles are manufactured by hand.
Many visitors travel to Can Tho to observe the Cai Rang Floating Market. The market is a vibrant display of color and action that begins at five a.m. Be aboard a boat at 6 a.m. to capture the mist drifting off the sea and the market activities during peak hours. Boats of many sizes navigate the caramel-colored river, laden with tons of fresh-from-the-farm produce. Pomelos, pineapples, and durians, among other fruits, are exchanged from boat to boat by the sackful. Small rowboats transport coffee, food, and noodles between the larger boats. For the tastiest breakfast in Can Tho, line up at a "hu tiu" sellers.
Cai Be does not see many visitors, which may explain why it feels so personable and natural. Tan Phong Islet, a luscious drop of earth encircled by the Tien Phong River, is the highlight of the Cai Be District. Ferry journeys are a regular aspect of life in the Mekong Delta, and you'll take a short but exciting ferry ride to get to the islet. Tan Phong is crisscrossed by waterways and densely forested. The majority of the people are farmers who cultivate rambutans, mangosteens, and other tropical fruit plants in plots around their homes. Taking a sampan or riding a bicycle through the tight pathways is the best way to see the islet.
Returning to the mainland, the marketplaces in Cai Be town open at early light. Children ride their bikes to school, the light glints off the water on boat rides, and the Cai Be Church flags flutter in the river winds. Visit the Cao Dai temple and explore the market on your own by bicycle. If you run out of things to do in Cai Be, the greatest thing you can do is eat. Consume ginger candy with peanuts, airy banh mi with chili sauce, slippery banh canh noodles in fish broth, and all freshly harvested, sun-kissed fruits. You may always take a snooze in a hammock afterward if necessary.
Ben Tre is one of the towns closest to Ho Chi Minh City, thus it's a good destination to visit on a day trip. However, Ben Tre, like every other Mekong Delta province, has its own secret areas where you may easily hide away in a riverfront guesthouse for many days. Ben Tre offers riches at every moment, whether you come for a brief excursion or a longer retreat. A boat trip through the palm-fringed canals of Nipa is a fantastic way to spend the day. Most boat trips include a stop at a coconut candy workshop, where you may sample as much as you like while seeing the process from harvesting to packing.
The village is surrounded by quiet roads and paths that go into the countryside. Take a bike ride through this tropical oasis of towering palms and olive-hued waterways. You may spend your time witnessing how colorful mats are woven, visiting a brick manufacturing business to see bricks produced and burnt in massive kilns, or clambering aboard a sampan for a leisurely row boat excursion on the lake. The cuisine is, of course, the highlight of any day here. Enjoy a traditional Ben Tre meal of fried elephant ear fish folded with cucumber, pineapple, herbs, and rice noodles and coated in mild fish sauce.
Vinh Long, being a significant transshipment site, has several geographical advantages over other places in the Mekong Delta. This is the location that connects the mainland to Vietnam's offshore islands. Households in Vinh Long, which is surrounded by rivers and canals, may harness the flow to earn a living. Currently, many local families in Vinh Long welcome guests, providing them with a real taste of local life.
The houses are close to the river, surrounded by orchards full of tropical fruits. During your stay, you will be given a basic but separate, clean, private room to stay in. Enjoying local meals with the hosts, seeing daily life, and listening to them discuss about culture and food... this is a rare experience for any traveler visiting Vietnam.
Explore the Mekong Delta on renovated rice vessel:
Barges that were formerly used to transport rice are now utilized to convey visitors. The Bassac fleet, for example, has been turned into a cruise for visitors to go around the Mekong Delta for one or two nights. With this boat, you may truly view the life of locals going by.
There are numerous wonderfully crafted handmade watercraft on the barge. The cozy cottages are accented with one-of-a-kind local fabrics. You'll witness local towns and floating marketplaces as the trip moves along the river, and your onboard guide will explain the history of rice barges that occur regularly along the route.
Go to Tra Su Mangrove Forest:
Tra Su Mangrove Forest, located in An Giang territory in the Mekong Delta, is a wooded environment with practically year-round dryness. The best time to observe the forest's beauty is at the end of the year, during the sunny season, when the water level rises and the terrain turns into overgrown forests, making it easy for travelers to enjoy the panorama from a boat. September to November are the most gorgeous months of the year.
When is the best time to visit the Mekong Delta?
The Mekong Delta is best visited between October and March, when the river level is at its maximum, making it perfect for boat markets and sailing tours. This is also the busiest time of year on the river. The months of January to March have the greatest weather in Vietnam, despite costs being fairly expensive owing to the previous Lunar New Year and stores and restaurants being closed for a few days.
Mekong Delta Festivals & Events:
The following are some well-known festivals and events in the Mekong Delta that visitors should not miss:
Ok Om Bok Festival: On the full moon day at the end of November, Khmer ethnic people celebrate the Ok Om Bok festival. Locals celebrate good harvests, show appreciation to the gods for their blessings, dance, and perform folk games during this event. Each community will hold its own mini-celebration, with everyone congregating around the local temple.
Tet Holiday: The Lunar New Year, which takes place from late January to early February, is Vietnam's most important holiday.
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