Why Go? The ‘rice bowl’ of Vietnam, the Mekong Delta is a landscape carpeted in a dizzying variety of greens and slashed with mighty waterways. It’s a water world at which restaurants, boats, houses and even markets float on the innumerable rivers, canals and streams which flow through the region like arteries. At times you can […] Read More
Vietnam Travel guide
My Tho
My ThoGateway to the Mekong Delta, My Tho which is an important market town is the capital of Tien Giang province – though for the well-known floating markets, tourists will need to go on to Can Tho.In the 1680s, My Tho was founded by Chinese refugees fleeing Taiwan after the fall of the Southern Ming […] Read More
Ben Tre
Ben Tre As travellers took off in the Mekong Delta, the remarkable small province of Ben Tre was always one ferry beyond the tourist traffic of My Tho and as a result developed at a more languid pace, although the opening of the Rach Mieu Bridge from My Tho funneled more travellers into the place. […] Read More
Can Tho part 1
. It is also the perfect base for nearby floating markets, the main draw for visitors who come here to boat along the many canals and rivers leading out of town.SightsOng Temple TEMPLE(32 D Hai Ba Trung; 6am-8pm) In a fantastic location facing the Can Tho River and decorated with huge incense coils, this Chinese temple is set […] Read More
Can Tho Part 2
When the French subjugated Indochina in the 19th century, the hope of an independent Kampuchea Krom would not happen. Abut made it a separate protectorate known as Cochinchina. On 4 June 1949, the French formally annexed Kampuchea Krom, a day of sorrow for many Cambodians, even though the writing had been on […] Read More
Around My Tho
Phoenix Island It is not until his imprisonment for anti-government activities and the consequent dispersion of his flock that the Coconut Monk (Dao Dua) led a small community on Phoenix Island (Con Phung), a few kilometres from My Tho. The Coconut Monk left his family behind to pursue a monastic life and for three years he […] Read More
Tra Vinh
Tra Vinh which is one of the most beautiful towns in the Mekong Delta , are still lined with shady trees, harking back to an earlier era. With more than 140 Khmer pagodas dotting the province, Tra Vinh is a quiet destination for discovering the Mekong’s little-touted Cambodian connection. The town itself sees minimal tourist traffic, […] Read More
Phu Quoc Island (Part 1)
Among a lot of resorts lining Long Beach, the remaining area is still undeveloped , so there’s ample room for visitors to explore and escape. Dive the reefs, kayak in the bays, eat up the back-road miles on a motorbike, or just simply enjoy the life of a lotus eater by lounging on the beach, indulging […] Read More
Phu Quoc (Part 2)
Suoi Tranh & Suoi Da Ban WATERFALL(admission 3000d, motorbike 1000d) Compared with the waterlogged Mekong Delta, Phu Quoc has very little surface moisture, but there are a lot of springs originating in the hills. The most accessible of these is Suoi Tranh; search for the entrance sign and concrete tree from the Duong Dong–Vong Beach road. From the […] Read More
Ha Tien
Ha Tien may be a part of the Mekong Delta but situated on the Gulf of Thailand. It feels like a world away from the paddy fields and rivers that typify the area. Plantations of pepper trees cling to the hillsides. On a nice day, Phu Quoc Island can be seen to the west. The […] Read More
Phu Quoc (part 3)
Famiana Resort & Spa RESORT HOTEL $$$ (077-399 3026; www.famiana-resort.com; Ð Tran Hung Dao; r US$215-995) This is a 60-room resort with great accommodation , consisting of stunning seafront villas with mezzanine floors, an inviting pool and a spotless stretch of beach. Cassia Cottage RESORT HOTEL $$$ (077-384 8395; www.cassiacottage.com; 100C Ð Tran Hung Dao; r US$120-190) Set in a flourishing garden, this […] Read More
Rach Gia
A thriving port on the Gulf of Thailand and something of a southern boom town benefiting from a serious injection of Viet Kieu money, Rach Gia is home to great numbers of both ethnic Chinese and ethnic Khmers. Most tourists zip straight through for boats to Phu Quoc Island, but the lively waterfront and bustling backstreets […] Read More