The Mekong Delta is known as Vietnam’s “Rice Bowl.” It is well-known land for its tropical paradises, apparently endless rice paddies, and, most significantly, its people’s heartfelt warmth. Coming to visit, there is obvious that you may wonder: “What to see in the Mekong Delta?”
The Mekong Delta provides a more intimate picture of Vietnam than its modern and flashy metropolises, as it is filled to the brim with excitement and sights to behold. With that said, these are the top attractions to visit in Mekong Delta.
If you’ve been warned about Ho Chi Minh City’s frantic and equally chaotic traffic, just wait till you see this market. Cai Rang, located at the confluence of two rivers, is a gathering place for merchants and vendors to hawk their products, all of which are strung up so you can see what they are selling before asking.
This wholesale-specialized market is well-liked by visitors from all over the world because of its unique busy environment and the region’s high concentration of agricultural products. The market, which is located on the Cai rang river, is a 6-kilometre walk from the heart of Can Tho or a 30-minute boat journey from Ninh Kieu Pier. Cai Rang Market is an incredible Mekong cultural gem.
Cai Be floating market in Tien Giang Province, which serves as one of the primary trading centres in the Mekong Delta, is a place where locals sell and buy a wide range of things relevant to their daily lives.
Aside from staple goods, this is a well-known location for finding competitively priced local products. They could be the farm’s freshest fruits, such as durian, milk fruit, rambutan, and mangosteen… Come here and you won’t have to worry about what to bring home.
Every day, a large number of boats and rafts from the delta congregate here to trade and do business. Despite the fact that the market is open all day, the busiest period is at sunrise.
Tra Su Mangrove Forest is around 20 kilometres from Chau Doc and encompasses an area of about 850 hectares. Tra Su is a biodiversity hotspot with its own distinct ecology, home to several unusual species of wildlife, some of which are on the endangered list.
As you sit on a powered boat cutting a path through the duckweed-covered surface, you will be able to enjoy a chorus of hundreds of birds while marvelling at the old and primordial atmosphere of your surroundings. You can also climb the observatory tower to get a bird’s-eye view of Tra Su Sanctuary.
On the peak, known as Nui Sam in Vietnamese, there are several noteworthy shrines. The first is Tay An Pagoda, which was built in 1847 and has been refurbished multiple times since, featuring a blend of Vietnamese and Indian styles. Ba Chua Xu (Lady Xu Pagoda) stands a little further past Tay An Pagoda, dedicated to a deity whose origins have been lost in the mists of time and tradition.
Further along is the Tomb of Thoai Ngoc Hau, a Nguyen dynasty official who died in 1829, and his two wives. At the summit of 400 stairs, Hang Pagoda (Cave Pagoda) offers breathtaking views of the surrounding countryside, flat rice terraces, and floodplains that extend beyond the Cambodian border.
Another ideal Mekong Delta escape is a primary mangrove forest located at Tan Lap Floating Village, which is located in the center of Dong Thap Muoi. Our target is a submerged wetland of 135 hectares in the main region and 500 hectares in the buffer zone in Moc Hoa District, Long An province.
The site is best enjoyed during the flood season when lotus and water lilies are in bloom. You will be immersed in the village’s rich ecosystem as you stroll along the giant-butterfly-shaped and 5-kilometer-long walk path. Then, climb the 38-meter-high watchtower to take in the surrounding greenery.
Vinh Trang Temple is a very remarkable religious construction in the entire Mekong Delta region, encompassing an area of 2000 square meters and embellished with the greenery of the trees and the colors of the flowers. Vinh Trang, built in 1849 in My Phong village, is an excellent blend of European and Asian architectural elements.
The magnificent façade of the temple will immediately impress you. Vinh Trang is typical of a Buddhist temple in southern Vietnam, with five buildings, two ornamental yards, 178 pillars, and two triumphal arches.
Tram Chim National Park, located in the Dong Thap Muoi region in Tam Nong district in the heart of Dong Thap province, is well worth a visit on your Mekong delta day tour.
With an astonishing 7600 hectares of forested space, this park is a biological treasure trove hosting up to a fourth of Vietnam’s bird population, which is the equivalent of 200 kinds of birds, some of which are endangered. The dry season between December and May provides the finest opportunity to see the Sarus Crane, a member of the global Red Book.
Travel around Southern Vietnam aboard a fairly peculiar method of transportation, the ‘Tac ring’ – a small speedboat, which will cost you 800,000VND per boat for a group of 12 persons. The trip can run anything from 30 minutes to an hour or more.
With around 1,200ha (3,000 acres), this green island is the largest of four in this section of the Tin River and is crisscrossed with canals and rivers. It is well recognized for its natural beauty and abundance of fruit trees, including rambutan, longan, and sapodilla, which border the shore and feed many of Tien Giang province’s markets.
You may tour the island by boat before visiting the orchards and lounging in hammocks for the day. To get to Thoi Son Island, take a bus from Ho Chi Minh City to My Tho, then a 45-minute Mekong Riverboat journey.
The Xeo Quyt Relic Area is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Dong Thap Province, which is known as the “Lotus Kingdom” of the Mekong Delta. Aside from studying lesser-known stories and seeing resistance bases against the US during the Vietnam War, tourists have numerous possibilities to immerse themselves in the unique local culture, experience outstanding local cuisine, and purchase numerous souvenirs and specialty delicacies to take home.
If visitors are coming from North or Central Vietnam, they should take a bus, an airplane, or a train to Ho Chi Minh City. Tourists can go to Dong Thap by private car/taxi/bus/motorbike from Ho Chi Minh City. You can also travel by boat or on foot to explore the area.
Because of the gorgeous sceneries and lively atmosphere in Ninh Kieu Night Market, Ninh Kieu Wharf is one of the most well-known Can Tho attractions. It is located near the city center on the bank of the Hau River, which is a tributary of the Mekong River.
There are always a lot of boats on the pier carrying a lot of Mekong Delta commodities and items. Visitors to Ninh Kieu can also dine at a number of high-quality restaurants and sample delectable dishes.
The Pirate Islands are located off the southwest coast of Vietnam, between Ha Tien and Phu Quoc. These are made up of 16 islands, they are small, mountainous islands with tranquil seas and beautiful hills, have just been opened to foreign visitors.
These islands have been known as the Pirate Islands for a long time because they were associated with many myths and legends about pirates that existed in the nineteenth century, as they provided shelter for pirates who lay in wait in the rocky coves, poised to attack commercial ships plying the lucrative Southeast Asia trade route, laden with goods.
The Pirate Islands have a wild and rustic beauty today: electricity is scarce, accommodations are rudimentary, the population is small, and the scenery is generally untouched.
The Mekong Delta provides 70 percent of the fruit consumed in Vietnam, and there are numerous fruit plantations distributed across the Delta’s provinces. Fruits such as mango, grapefruit, guava, apple, jackfruit, dragon fruit, mangosteen, plums, durian, and others will be grown.
Phong Dien Orchard is the Mekong Delta’s largest fruit orchard. You can take a tour of the grounds, pick ripe fruit from the trees, and eat it straight away.
This home, one of the few existing examples of 19th-century Mekong Delta dwellings, has been designated an official national relic by the Ministry of Culture. The privately-owned mansion, built-in 1870, is today controlled by the sixth generation of the Duong family. The outside appears French, but the interior is uniquely Vietnamese, featuring antiques in all five rooms.
The mansion made a brief appearance in the 1992 film The Lover, based on French novelist Marguerite Duras’ novel of the same name, as the ancestral home of her Chinese lover (the actual home of The Lover still exists in Sa Dec but at the time of filming it was being used as a government office).
The well-known ceramic artisan hamlet has been operating for 20 years along the Co Chien River from Vinh Long City, Long Ho District, to Mang Thit District. Vinh Long ceramics are known not only for their graceful forms but also for their distinct colour of pink, which distinguishes them from other regions’ ceramics.
Artists create artistic or household ceramic objects out of traditional red clay and export them to a number of Vietnamese cities as well as international markets. Tourists in Vietnam can view unique egg-shaped pottery kilns between industrial factories while strolling along the Co Chien River.
Ca Mau is Vietnam’s southernmost province, located 370km south of Ho Chi Minh City and 180km south of Can Tho. The others are next to the sea in the north, adjacent to Bac Lieu province and Kien Giang province. Ca Mau is the southernmost territory of Vietnam, having attractive features typical of the Mekong Delta.
When you visit Ca Mau, you will have the opportunity to walk through the canals of the hill, also known as the ambience of U Minh Ha woodland with enormous woods, deep blue eyes to draw the beauty of the wild. Ca Mau is also the only point on the coast where you can see the dawn over the South China Sea and dive in the West Sea.
In summary, the Mekong Delta is home to many extraordinary things that can only experience in the region. Visit BestPrice Travel and join our Mekong Delta tours to discover what to see and what it can offer you.
Minah Trinh
Image source: Internet
