The Mekong Delta at a glimpse

Vietnam's economy is surging. This comes as a surprise to most of us, especially considering the debacle the nation had to put up with a mere couple of decades ago. However what many fail to realize is that the strength of its people carried Vietnam from its sorry state some years ago to its now promising economic status. Instead of emulating other third world countries, Vietnam shunned industrialism and stuck to their roots. Now Vietnam is one of the worlds top exporter of rice which gives the nation a big boost considering the looming global food shortage. In fact, worldwide studies show that Vietnamese farmers have the biggest savings accounts compared to the rest of the world's farmers.

The Mekong Delta is the bottom half of Vietnam's two rice baskets, the other being the Red River Delta in the North . This vast delta is formed by the deposition of the multiple tentacles and tributaries of the mighty Mekong River which has its origin in the Tibetan highland plateau 2,800 miles away. From its source, the river makes its way through China, Myanmar (Burma), Laos, Cambodia and South Vietnam before flowing out into the South China Sea. The Mekong's Vietnamese name, Cuu Long, means Nine Dragons for the nine mouths that terminate the flow of this great river as it is absorbed by the sea.
The Mekong Delta is divided into 9 provinces: Long An, Tien Giang, Ben Tre, Dong Thap, An Giang, Vinh Long, Kien Giang, Hau Giang and Minh Hai. The people in this region are made up of Vietnamese and some people of Khmer, Chinese and Cham origin. This accounts for the variety of religions that add to the cultural diversity of this area. Among the religions practiced here are: Buddhism, Catholicism, Cao Dai, Hoa Hao and Islam.

The people of south Vietnam are often very proud of the richness and vastness of this land. When referring to the rice fields in this area, they often say, "co bay thang canh", meaning the land is so large that the cranes can stretch their wings as they fly. Today, the region is one of Vietnam's highest producer of rice crops, vegetables and fruits.

 

Mekong River Delta  Map

Touring the orchards, paddy fields and swamplands of the Mekong Delta, you could be forgiven for thinking you've stepped into the pages of a geography textbook. A comma-shaped flatland stretching from Ho Chi Minh's city limits southwest to the Gulf of Thailand, the delta is Vietnam's rice bowl, an agricultural miracle that pumps out 38 percent of the country's annual food crop from just ten percent of its total land mass. Rice may be the delta's staple crop, but coconut palms, fruit orchards and sugar-cane groves also thrive in its nutrient-rich soil, and the sight of conical-hatted farmers tending their land is one of Vietnam's most enduring images. To the Vietnamese, the region is known as Cuu Long, "Nine Dragons", a reference to the nine tributaries of the Mekong River which dovetail across plains fashioned by millennia of flood-borne alluvial sediment. By the time it reaches Vietnam, the Mekong has already covered more than four thousand kilometres from its source high on the Tibetan Plateau; en route it traverses southern China, skirts Burma (Myanmar), then hugs the Laos– Thailand border before cutting down through Cambodia and into Vietnam – a journey that ranks it as Asia's third-longest river, after the Yangtse and Yellow rivers. Flooding has always blighted the delta; ever since Indian traders imported their advanced methods of irrigation more than eighteen centuries ago, networks of canals have been used to channel the excess water, but the rainy season still claims lives from time to time.

Surprisingly, agriculture gripped the delta only relatively recently. Under Cambodian sway until the close of the seventeenth century, the region was sparsely inhabited by the Khmer krom, or "downstream Khmers", whose settlements were framed by swathes of marshland. The eighteenth century saw the Viet Nguyen lords steadily broaden their sphere of influence to encompass the delta, though by the 1860s France had taken over the reins of government. Sensing the huge profits to be gleaned from such fertile land, French colons spurred Vietnamese peasants to tame and till tracts of the boggy delta; the peasants, realizing their colonial governors would pay well for rice harvests, were quick to comply. Ironically, the same landscape that had served the French so well also provided valuable cover for the Viet Minh resistance fighters who sought to overthrow them; later it did the same for the Viet Cong, who had well-hidden cells here – inciting the Americans to strafe the area with bombs and defoliants.

One of the most attractive aspects of the Mekong Delta is its diversity. Some visitors would single out its sweeping panoramas of paddy, fruit orchards and Khmer pagodas, others the friendliness of its people, but for most it's the delta's skein of waterways, canals and tributaries that makes the region so special. It's difficult to overstate the influence of the river: the lifeblood of the rice and fruit crops grown here, it's also a crucial means of transportation, teeming with craft that range in size from delicate rowing boats to hulking sampans, and it forms a backdrop to everyday activities – some of the region's biggest markets are waterborne. One of the most enjoyable ways to experience riverine life is on a boat trip, and trips are organized at My Tho, Vinh Long, Can Tho and Chau Doc. Since they all follow a similar itinerary (a visit to a floating market and stops at cottage industries on the shore), you'll probably want to choose just one. Though Can Tho is most popular for its good range of hotels and restaurants, you're likely to see more tourists than locals in the nearby floating markets. A good alternative is Vinh Long, from where boats head out in many different directions through the canals of An Binh Island to the floating market at Cai Be.

How to get there
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.

Geography
Situated between the Tien and the Hau rivers, Vinh Long Province is bounded by Tien Giang Province on the north, Dong Thap Province on the north-west, Tra Vinh Province on the south-east, Hau Giang and Soc Trang provinces on the south, and Can Tho City on the south-west.

The terrain is quite flat. The complex network of rivers and canals make convenient transportation. The soil is rich in alluvium, favorable for rice and various fruit cultivation.
The dry season lasts from December to April, the rainy season last from May to November. The annual average temperature is 27ºC. Average rainfall is from 1,300mm to 1,500mm.

Tourism
Silt from Tien and Hau rivers has raised the level of the field. The majority of inhabitants live on farming, fruit planting and cattle rising.
Coming to there, visitors have chance to walk among the trees, relax in hammocks, try all kinds of delicious tropical fruits in the gardens of An Binh and Binh Hoa Phuoc islands. Several popular places are Mr. Sau Giao's Flower Garden, Mr. Muoi Day's Stilt-House, and Mr. Hai Hoang's Old House.

Vinh Long has many pagodas, communal houses such as Van Thanh Temple, Long Thanh Communal House, Tinh Xa Ngoc Vien, Phuoc Hau, Tien Chau, Saghamangala pagodas...

My Tho is the capital city and municipality of the Tiền Giang Province in the Mekong Delta region of southern Vietnam. It has a population of approximately 160,000.

It is a popular starting point for tourists to take a boat trip on the Mekong River.

Taking a boat trip on the Mekong is the undoubted highlight of a stay in My Tho, and most people come straight in and out on organized day-trips from Ho Chi Minh City. If you plan to charter a boat by yourself, it's important to know first what your priorities are. There are four nearby islands: Tan Long Island, Thoi Son Island, Phung Island and Qui Island. All are regularly visited by boats, though you'll get more time on the water if you ask to explore the north coastline of Ben Tre Province, or just idle along the river.

The cheapest way of getting onto the water is to travel by public ferry to one of the islands: those to Tan Long leave from the eastern tour boat jetty; Thoi Son ferries leave from another jetty further west along 30 Thang 4; boats to Phung and Qui Islands use the Ben Tre Ferry Terminal, so you first need to take a public ferry from My Tho across to Ben Tre.

Moving on from My Tho

Bus departures are from Tien Giang station; there are numerous express buses to and from Ho Chi Minh City plying the route. Ferries for Ben Tre depart from the Ben Tre Ferry Terminal. A three-kilometre-long bridge is currently under construction to the west of My Tho, which will render this ferry obsolete when complete. Cargo and passengerboats heading deeper into the delta use the jetty below Vong Nho Market, 200m west of the foot of Tran Hung Dao.

There are daily departures around noon to Vinh Long (3hr) and Chau Doc (17hr), though it's best to enquire at the jetty beforehand as prices and departure times tend to change.

As the capital of An Giang province, Long Xuyen plays a very important role in the commerce of this region. Many of the produce grown in the vicinity are shipped here before being transported elsewhere. With a population over 100,000 people, it has a significant number of catholics as the city boasts the largest Catholic church in the region, seating up to 1000 people.
Long Xuyen is a big town with slow pace living. Unlike its motorized cousin in Can Tho, "Xe Loi" here is pulled by bicycle. 40 km from Long Xuyen is the hilly area of Ba The where the ruins of the Oc Eo civilization dating back to the first century A.D. were discovered. The Oc Eo civilization reached its height in the 5th century and was part of the foundation of the Phu Nam (Funam) kingdom.

Sa Dec
Sa Dec used to be the capital of Dong Thap province, formerly inhabited by the ancient Phu Nam Kingdom and later the Chan Lap (Tchen La) civilization. In the 1700s, the area was exchanged with the Vietnamese for military aid. Since then many Vietnamese have settled in this area and effectively annexed this whole area. The Chan Lap were subsequently wiped out and assimilated by the Vietnamese and today the population consists mostly people of Chinese, Khmer, Cham and Thai origin.
Sa Dec has become less and less prosperous ever since Cao Lanh was named capital of the province to reward communist cadres from the area after the war ended. New constructions and developments are now occuring in Cao Lanh, the commercial hub of the region.


Chau Doc
Chau Doc is the last town in Vietnam before entering Cambodia. The town is located on the right bank of Hau Giang, 5 km away from Sam mountain, the highest point on the Delta. This mountain gets the name from its shape of a king crab, which is "sam" in vietnamese. It is a sacred mountain for many locals since it is dotted with pagodas and temples. Chau Doc is very famous for "ma('m", a type of fermented fish used regularly as food ingredients or garnishes.With a population of 85,000, Chau Doc is a bustling city with heavy trade of illegal goods crossing the cambodian border. From smugglers on bicycle carrying cartons of cigarettes on their back to boats loaded with VCR and TV sets to new cars originating from Thailand, it seems like anything is fair game in the wild west of Vietnam.

Tourism:
Soc Trang is covered by vast rice paddies, shrimp lagoons, luxuriant fruit gardens like longan, rambutan, durian, and orange.
Viet (Kinh), Khmer, Hoa ethnic groups live together here. The province has 89 pagodas of Khmer group, 47 pagodas of Hoa people. Ma Toc (Bat), Khleang, Chruitim Chas, Chen Kieu, and Buu Son Tu (Set) are famous pagodas.
Coming to there, tourists like to taste tropical fruit in My Phuoc River Islet, or join many recreation and entertainment activities in Binh An Tourist Resort. Chol Chnam Thmay, Oc Om Boc festivals, Ngo Boat Race also attract many visitors.

Main attraction to visit:

Dat Set Pagoda
Location: Dat Set Pagoda (Buu Son Tu) is located on Luong Dinh Cua St., Soc Trang Town, Soc Trang Province.
Characteristics: This pagoda is visited by many local and foreign tourists who come to burn incense and to see the display of precious clay items, such as the thousand Buddha statues and the four sacred animals (dragon, unicorn, turtle, and phoenix).

Doi Pagoda
Location: Doi Pagoda is located on Le Hong Phong St., 2km from downtown Soc Trang, Soc Trang Province.
Characteristics: The pagoda is famous for its beautiful architecture, especially its very large roof that houses tens of thousands of bats.

Doi Pagoda (Bat Pagoda) also called Ma Toc Pagoda, or Mahatuc Pagoda was built during the 16th century, and it has been renovated several times since. The pagoda is famous for its beautiful architecture, especially its very large roof that houses tens of thousands of bats. They cling to tree branches all day, fly away at night to seek food, and return the following morning. The bats never eat the fruit in the garden.
An ancient Buddha statue and a number of Buddhist books written on sugar palm leaves can be admired there.
Tan Long Stork Sanctuary

Location: The sanctuary lies at Long Binh Commune, Nga Nam District, Soc Trang Province; 17km from Phu Loc Town.
Characteristics: Over the past 20 years, this sanctuary has been home to thousands of storks. It has been recognized as one of the green tourist attractions.

Binh An Tourist Resort
Location: Binh An Tourist Resort is situated at No. 71, Ward 2, Soc Trang Town, Soc Trang Province; by the Highway No. 1A.
Characteristics: This resort resembles Dam