Perhaps, the Mekong Delta is no longer a strange name for many tourists, famous for its endless fields, wild natural landscapes, and friendly local people. But on this vast land, have you planned your best trip in what to see or things to do in the Mekong Delta? Therefore, in this article, we would like to share the most attractive destinations, the things you should not miss when coming to this region, and we will update regularly, so let’s start with Vietdreamtravel now:
Visit floating markets
Coming to the delta river, you definitely cannot ignore the “floating market” – a unique cultural feature of this region. Floating markets are trading areas where sellers and buyers use boats as a means of transportation. Normally, the markets are held early in the morning at the intersection of canals and rivers.
Currently, floating markets not only trade fresh fruits, agricultural products, household items, fabrics, but also breakfast. Having a hot bowl of noodle soup early while watching the bustling atmosphere of a floating market would be amazing. Below are some of the most famous floating markets in the Mekong Delta:
Cai Rang Floating Market
Cai Rang Floating Market is a familiar place for many tourists in Can Tho and is also the largest floating market in the Mekong Delta. The market is 6km from the city center, and it will take visitors about 30 minutes to reach it by boat from Ninh Kieu Wharf.
The market specializes in buying and selling famous agricultural products and fruits from the region, such as Vinh Long pomelo, Tra Vinh waxy coconut, Lai Vung mandarin, and Cai Mon durian. And to meet the needs of market-goers, there are also many other essential products and services, such as cafes and floating pubs. Visitors can come to shop, have breakfast, and enjoy specialties right on the boats. This is a typical culture in the Mekong Delta, attracting many foreign tourists.
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Phong Dien Floating Market
Besides the Cai Rang floating market, the Phong Dien floating market is also a destination that attracts many tourists to Can Tho.
The market is located in Phong Dien, about 17km from Can Tho City center. The items sold at the market mainly include canoes, boats, fishing boats, nets, baskets, and knives.
Tra On floating market
Tra On floating market is located at the end of the Hau River, with a length of over 300m, right between the confluence of the Hau and Mang Thit rivers. This market can be considered a wholesale market because it trades a large number of items such as yams, sweet potatoes, cucumbers, grapefruits, Tan Thanh oranges, and Luc Si Thanh durian…
A popular dish considered a specialty at this market is a beef noodle soup with banana vegetables. Do not forget to enjoy this dish when you have the opportunity to come to Tra On floating market.
Nga Bay Floating Market
Nga Bay floating market, also known as Phung Hiep floating market, is located about 35km from Can Tho City center. The special thing about this market is located at the crossroads, where seven rivers intersect.
This place often sells vegetables, household items, handicrafts, and a wide range of fruits, including rambutan, mangosteen, and durian. And especially here, there are also unique “items” such as snakes, geckos, birds, squirrels, toads… Throughout the market, there are small boats selling Pho, hot rolls, and pancakes… Southern dishes.
Long Xuyen Floating Market
Long Xuyen Floating Market is located on the Hau River, in the territory of Long Xuyen Ward, An Giang Province. This market was created to meet the needs of the people of An Giang and is not affected by commercialization, so it is not as busy as other floating markets.
People here live and trade on boats every day; they consider them their home. Long Xuyen Floating Market is most crowded in the morning, the goods are mainly crops: vegetables, melons, squash, cabbage … and famous dishes in An Giang such as fish noodles, and sweet cakes …
Nga Nam Floating Market
Nga Nam, an ancient canal, divides the river into five streams: Ca Mau, Vinh Quoi, Long My, Thanh Tri, and Phung Hiep. Not just an important traffic route; it is also a wholesale market for local residents’ agricultural products.
Nga Nam Floating Market is a bustling market on the five-way river; it is one of the most beautiful and famous floating markets in the delta. And if Cai Rang floating market is operating as a specific tourism product, Nga Nam floating market is a wholesale market for important agricultural products, distributing goods to other areas in the region.
Experience a hand rowing sampan
Recently, ecotourism in the Mekong Delta has been developing quite rapidly. In particular, with the advantage of many rivers and canals, localities have put rowing sampan into tours in Mekong Delta. The mode of transportation is very simple with rudimentary vehicles, but it brings many new emotions. A sampan can carry a maximum of four guests with a rider.
A characteristic of a rowing sampan is that the rower also holds the helm to keep the boat going in the right direction.
The sampan moves slowly, step by step to the rhythm of the rowing, bringing tourists to enjoy the beautiful scenery slowly appearing. So, where can you experience boating?
Thoi Son Islet
The peaceful and quiet beauty of Thoi Son Islet is always attractive to visitors, helping them forget the noise and bustle of the city. Coming to Con Thoi Son, try the experience of rowing a dinghy down the zigzag canals between two rows of dense coconut palms.
Relaxing on the small sampans crossing the Tien River will surely become relaxed and light. Here, you can explore the luxuriant orchards and breathe the fresh air of the river gardens.
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Tra Su forest
Located along the tourist route of Cam Mountain, Sam Mountain in An Giang, Tra Su forest is home to hundreds of species of flora and fauna, many of which are classified as rare, attracting many Mekong Delta tours to the area. In particular, the entire water surface of the Tra Su Melaleuca forest is covered with the green of tiny duckweed, creating a rare, peaceful landscape.
To enjoy the beauty of this wonderful delta river, you should try a rowing sampan journey to explore Tra Su forest and immerse yourself in the fresh nature, with shaded trees on both sides reflecting the rays of the sun through the leaves.
Visit the Temples in the Mekong Delta
The Mekong Delta region not only has immense rice fields, rich fruit gardens, and bustling floating markets… but also has many ancient and sacred temples. The temples in the delta have long been a spiritual tourist destination, attracting many followers and visitors to worship. If you are planning to travel to Mekong Delta, don’t forget to save the famous temples below:
Temple of Lady Chua Xu
Referring to the temples in the Mekong region, one cannot fail to mention the Lady Chua Xu, commonly known as Lady Temple, located at the foot of Sam Mountain, Chau Doc, An Giang Province. Known for the sacred “you get what you ask for” and its unique architecture, Lady Temple has become the most famous spiritual tourist attraction in An Giang in the Southwest region.
The Lady Chua Xu Festival in Sam Mountain is imbued with the national cultural identity of the inhabitants of the southern river region. The festival takes place from the 22nd to the 27th of the fourth lunar month, attracting a million visitors a year to pilgrimage, worship, and admire the natural scenery of An Giang province.
Vinh Trang Pagoda
Located in a beautiful campus, full of majesty, contemplation, and sacredness on Nguyen Trung Truc Street, My Phong Ward, Vinh Trang Pagoda is considered the most beautiful temple in Dong Thap.
The pagoda was built in the form of the Chinese character “Nation”, like other Chinese pagodas, but Vinh Trang Pagoda features Renaissance-style patterns, Roman-style arches, and Japanese ceramic tile floors. Overall, the temple’s architecture is the interference between Asia and Europe in a strange but harmonious way. The pagoda’s unique feature is the combination of porcelain pieces into a harmonious artwork that illustrates the story of the Buddha at the Tam Quan gates.
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Hang Pagoda
Hang Pagoda, known in Khmer as Kompong Chray, is located in cluster 3, Chau Thanh Comune, more than 5 km south of Tra Vinh Ward, Vinh Long Province, along Highway 54. The name of the pagoda came from the side gate of the pagoda is built in the style of a dome that looks like a cave.
Hang Pagoda not only attracts visitors with its ancient beauty but also with the uniqueness of the bird yard and fine art sculptures created by the skillful and talented hands of the temple’s artisan monks.
Bat Pagoda
Bat Pagoda (or Ma Toc Pagoda, Mahatup Pagoda) located in Phu Loi Ward, Can Tho Province, is associated with a typical architectural complex of Khmer beliefs.
Coming here, visitors not only admire the unique and magnificent beauty of the 400-year-old pagoda but also immerse in the mysterious nature with flocks of bats hanging from the trees in the temple grounds.
Truc Lam Phuong Nam Zen Monastery
Truc Lam Phuong Nam Zen Monastery is located in Nhon My Hamlet, An Binh Ward, about 15 km from the center of Can Tho City. The architecture of Truc Lam Phuong Nam Zen Monastery features the main hall and the Ancestral Church, built in the Ly-Tran architectural style.
The Zen Monastery’s campus is balanced and harmoniously arranged, creating a quiet, relaxing setting for those who want to walk around.
Explore the famous bird gardens
The Mekong Delta River has fertile land and a cool, fresh climate, which attracts many species of birds and storks to live there. If visitors want to explore the wild nature, observe beautiful images, and learn more about the way of life of birds, do not ignore the areas below.
Vam Ho Bird Sanctuary
Vam Ho bird sanctuary is located on La Islet in Vinh Long Province. This is a typical mangrove ecosystem. Every year, from October to April of the lunar calendar, Vam Ho becomes vibrant when birds come from the north to fly here to find food and avoid the cold.
Seen from afar, each flock has a picturesque white flying, creating an extremely peaceful scene.
Tram Chim National Park
Dong Thap melaleuca is famous for being home to many rare bird species, many of which lead extremely diverse and rich lives.
The most famous of these is the extremely rare Red-crowned Crane, which is listed in the Red Book of Vietnam. The natural scenery in Tram Chim also makes many people fall in love with its vast river landscape, immense green melaleuca forests, and rich vegetation.
Bang Lang Stork Garden
Visiting the western capital of Can Tho, visitors should not miss the Bang Lang stork garden, which is one of the largest stork gardens in the Mekong Delta River.
Visitors can rent a boat to travel along the river and admire the herds of white storks feeding and resting. This is an opportunity for you to explore the wildlife.
Bac Lieu Bird Park
Bac Lieu Bird Park is one of the famous bird gardens, with an area of up to 285 hectares in Ca Mau province. This is a coastal mangrove forest with a rich and diverse ecosystem.
The most beautiful moment in the bird garden is at sunset, when flocks of birds swoop down to the water’s surface, then fly up again.
Visit And Taste Fresh Fruits In Local Gardens
The Southwest region is not only famous for its vast fields but also for its orchards. Thanks to its pleasant climate and year-round fruit seasons, the Mekong Delta has become an ideal destination for tourists. You can pick and enjoy ripe fruit in the garden, or bring it back as a gift for relatives and friends. Introducing the most attractive Western fruit gardens that attract tourists.
Some of the most famous fruit orchards in the Mekong Delta include Cai Be Fruit Garden and Vinh Kim Fruit Garden, Cai Mon Fruit Garden in Dong Thap, Phong Dien Fruit Garden in Can Tho, Tan Phu Fruit Garden in Vinh Long…
Traditional craft villages
When you have the opportunity to travel to the Western region,, in addition to visiting the beautiful scenery, you will regret you miss the opportunity to explore traditional craft villages such as Thuan Hung rice paper village, Thom Rom net weaving village, Thoi Nhut flower village, Thoi Long woven village, noodle making, conical hat craft village…all of them in Can Tho, Ben Tre coconut candy and coconut production village, brickyard village in Vinh Long, Tan Quy Dong flower village and, Long Dinh mat weaving village in Dong Thap…
Try local delicacies
When traveling, in addition to sightseeing, enjoying delicious food is also one of the important things that tourists pay attention to. In particular, when coming to the Mekong Delta, you absolutely must not ignore these delicious Western specialities.
However, in addition to these features, the Land of “nine dragons” also has a lot of unique, strange, and even “horror” dishes, but those are Western specialities with extremely addictive potential such as Vietnamese sour soup with Snakehead fish or mud carp, hot pot sauce, rice noodles served in a flavorful broth, caramelized fish in a clay pot, crispy rice pancakes, field-mouse barbecue, coconut worm…
So we hope the article about things to do in Mekong Delta will bring a lot of useful information for your excursion to this region. And don’t hesitate to share your journey experiences with us. We also provide Mekong Delta package tours, private car for rent and visa services. It’s our pleasure to serve your trip to Vietnam.
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