ASIA TRAVEL BLOG

Over two million tourists at home and abroad flocked to the western provinces in the National Tourism Year, held in Can Tho city in 2008. And in 2009, around 750,000 tourist arrivals were found present on  the Mekong Delta River. What makes the western provinces so attractive to tourists?

People in the western provinces of Vietnam are always proud of their rich nature with plenty assorted foods coming from the Mekong Delta River, also known as the ‘Nine Dargons’ River.

“When coming to the West, you must experience the life on the water and enjoy different kinds of fruits and countryside specialties”, says a friend from Can Tho city.

It seems that the word ‘specialty’ here is quite a word of mouth, so most of the tourists books tours to the Ninh Kieu port.

It’s so interesting to sit on the boat and take a sightseeing around. About five  kilometres from the Ninh Kieu port, houses by the riverbank and on the river gradually unfold before their eyes. Local children waves hello to us with their lovely smile.

When the boat runs slowly for about 10 kilometres before its machine goes dead, then dozens of big and small boats are coming and anchor close to each other in the middle of the river, creating a very animated atmosphere. We understand that we are now present at the Cai Rang floating market.

Every boat has a long upright pole on which various kinds of farm products are hung. “Samples of products for sale are hung on the bamboo pole. When the products are sold out, its sample will also be taken down. In that way, buyers are able to know what goods are sold on boat”, the boat owner explains. Visitors can find almost everything here from fruits, farm products, seafood to household appliances…

The Cai Rang Floating Market is open from 4am to about 9am. You should come to the market early from sunrise if you want to buy the most fresh fruits there.

There used to be a floating market named Long Xuyen in An Giang province. But it was closed by the local authorities because of some environmental issues. So now, there are only two floating markets of Cai Rang and Phong Dien, both are located in Can Tho. If Cai Rang specialises in fruits then Phong Dien is the clue market for farm products.

About three kilometres from the Cai Rang floating market is the Ba No fruit garden. The snaking path leads us to the gardens of many typical kinds of southern fruits such as guava, mango or rambutan.

It should be such an enjoyable day for us to experience life on the water. “Well, we are going to continue our boat ride with amateur music performance and then take a city sightseeing at night”, the friend from Can Tho suggests.

On the way back to the city, we can be able to find the answer to why the western provinces are so attractive destinations to tourists.

ASW/VH

An Giang Province’s bustling border town showcases the diversity of the Mekong Delta: Vietnamese, Chinese, Khmer and Cham cultures all in one.

From the top of Sam Mountain, you can see the whole of Chau Doc Town and Tinh Bien District, and even all the way to the That Son (Seven Mountains) range in the distance.

At the summit, marked by a former French Military base built in 1896, the view of the Bassac River is stunning.

You can see the dark river flowing into agricultural channels in the endless expanse of rice paddy before it reaches Chau Doc, a colorful town peppered with the marks of history: traditional Vietnamese homes, French villas, old pagodas and new government buildings – even a four-star resort on the riverside.

The low-rise, French colonial structure of the Victoria Chau Doc Hotel blends in with its natural and man-made surroundings including a 200-year-old Vietnamese-style house nearby.

The hotel overlooks the intersection of Bassac River and Mekong River, dotted with its famous floating fishing villages, floating markets and ethnic Cham communities.

Once down from the mountain and in the bustling town, a walk down any lane immerses the traveler in the sights and sounds of life in the remote outpost deep in the Mekong Delta near the Cambodian border.

Deep in the Chau Doc Market, the Quan Cong Temple is a rewarding visit. Its flamboyant Taoist murals and effigies are mostly in praise of a ruddy-faced Quan Cong, worshiped by the delta’s ethnic Chinese-Vietnamese population. Cong was a Chinese general who was involved in the civil war that led to the collapse of the Han Dynasty.

Ba Chua Xu Pagoda, dedicated to the region’s patron Buddhist saint, is also a favorite destination, especially in the spring when the Ba Festival is held, attracting huge numbers of local devotees, Buddhist pilgrims and tourists from all around.

While visiting, contrast Ba Chua Xu Pagoda with the lesser-known Tay An Pagoda on Sam Mountain. Its architecture is sometimes fancifully described as Hindu-Muslim. However, a definite Islamic influence has been brought

to the Chinese architecture by the local Cham population. The interior contains a small army of colorful effigies.

On the streets in town, the xe loi (peddle-pedicap) is still preferred by both tourists and locals. Chau Doc residents are known for being very warm and approachable. Though some xe loi drivers are a bit pestering, most are genuinely friendly. They don’t speak much English, but they do their best to entertain foreign tourists.

At the market place, you discover why they call it Chau Doc – Vuong quoc mam (Chau Doc – the kingdom of fermented fish). Although mam (fermented fish products) of all kinds are sold and displayed everywhere, fresh thot not (palmyra palms) fruits, thot not sugar, and other specialties made with thot not are also popular.

Wide-eyed Khmer families and smiling Cham people with colorful brocades invite you to try the sweet white juice of the thot not fruit. The fruit looks like coconut, but is smaller and sweeter.

Tourists can cross the Bassac River by taking a short boat ride to the island village of Chau Giang, but first they should not miss the small floating village en route, complete with its underwater tra and basa catfish cages.

The village is made of modified house-boats – trap-doors in the floor provide access to nets under the boat where fish are raised.

You can feed the schools with dried food and take pictures of the thousands of fish gathering to eat.

The floating village has everything a normal village has: gasoline stations, grocery stores. Children, of course, are good swimmers at the young age of four, while pet cats and dogs are not afraid to jump from house to house.

A visit to Jamiul Azharas, the most beautiful of An Giang Province’s ten mosques, is also a must.

The mosque, built in 1958 on the foundations of an old wooden house of worship, is the heart of a 350-year-old village.

Chau Doc, the town engulfed in thousands of thot not trees, is worth a visit for anyone who wants to leave noisy Ho Chi Minh City behind and enjoy all aspects of Mekong Delta life.

GETTING THERE

Deep in the Mekong Delta, Chau Doc Town is 280 km (174 miles) south-west of Ho Chi Minh City near the Cambodian border.

The town can be reached by car (six hours), boat, or airplane to Can Tho City’s Tra Noc Airport, and then by driving a car to Chau Doc).

TN/ASW

Phung Hoang Son, or Co To Mountain, is the most beautiful among the several mountains of the That Son Range in the mountainous area of the Mekong Delta province of An Giang. The mountain is acclaimed as an ideal destination by pilgrims and tourists to experience the feeling of conquering the peak of a mountain and to take in a panoramic view of An Giang Province.

A view of Co To Mountain.

Co To Mountain is in Nui To Commune, Tri Ton District. It is about 5,800m long, 3,700m wide and rises 614 meters above sea level. Seen from afar, it looks like a phoenix, so people call the mountain Phung Hoang Son, which means “mountain of a phoenix”.

The That Son Range offers ancient relics, temples, pagodas and spectacular landscapes such as Cam Mountain, Ket Mountain, Van Linh Pagoda and Tuc Dup Hill. After experiencing all this, tourists should trek to the top of Co To Mountain.

It takes about 90 minutes to get to the top, longer if you stop to take pictures or bring small children. It is recommended to start the climb at 9 a.m. when the mist melts and the view is clear.

The path to the top of the mountain is a tortuous stone stairway winding up the mountain wall but shaded by dense green groves. Tourists should prepare equipment such as a mosquito net, hammock, flashlight, lighter and knife as well as dried food such as bread and noodles and some medicine. Do not forget water and a pair of good shoes.

Co To Mountain is home to just some dozens of households that farm for a living. They grow mangoes, jackfruit, durians, bananas, papayas, pineapples and avocadoes, so there are orchards and also farms growing vegetables, beans and pumpkins.

At mid-day, after some tiring hours of climbing, tourists can take a rest at Nam Can, a small palace sheltered in the shade of rocks and seasoned trees.

When the sun gasps out its lasts rays of light on the face of the mountain, tourists who want to stay overnight can light a camp fire, sit down together and chat about the legends associated with the mountain and the forest which was once the terrain of lions and tigers. There are stories of hunters or seekers of treasure as well as monks who lead their life for Buddha on this mountain.

One of the special scenic spots of Co To Mountain is San Tien (Fairy’s Yard). It is a rock yard with an area of more than 300m. Near the far end of the yard below the top of the slope, there is a footprint in a rock which legends says was left by a fairy who stepped from Co To Mountain to Cam Mountain, about eight kilometers away.

At dawn, the mountain wakes up and the air is pure. Tri Thon Town sits below with houses close together next to the rice fields, and with orchards, ponds and rivers.

Co To Mountain offers nature at its finest. Sleeping on the top of the mountain and admiring the moonlight glistening through the trees is a remarkable experience.