Mekong Delta Travel - Best places to visit in Mekong River - Part 1

The beauty of the Mekong River basin downstream has long held a special appeal. Floating in the middle of an alluvial stream, admiring the green rice fields and year-round orchards, or immersing in the rustic life full of love in the Southern countryside. The sunny and windy southern land's intense and liberal vitality is like a peaceful haven in the midst of a chaotic life. 
We invite you to join Threeland Travel to discover the landscapes along the Mekong Delta to learn more about the pearly beauty of this river in Vietnam!

 1. Cai Rang Floating Market – A Charming Aspect of the Local Culture 

Cai Rang floating market, one of Can Tho's most unique tourist attractions, most vividly demonstrates the cultural characteristics of the region. Floating markets can be considered an essential aspect of the Southern people's river culture. Many people have noted that visiting Can Tho without seeing the Cai Rang floating market will not enable visitors to completely experience the beauty of Tay Do land.

Cai Rang Floating Market at dawn (Photo: Thiên Chương)

Cai Rang Floating Market is open from early morning until around 9 a.m. The sight of hundreds of large and small boats parked next to each other on a boat full of goods—popular items include fruits, coconuts, dragon fruits, seafood, and other produce—adds to Can Tho's vibrant and dynamic atmosphere. All of this is like constructing a colorful view that is so unique and lyrical.

Viewing traders advertise their wares by tying them to long poles above the boats, and river crafts are laden with the freshest products as well as other intricate handmade products; visitors will be interested in this unique form of advertising by the people here, and they will be more curious about the Mekong Delta's thousand-year-old trading culture. 
 

The trading culture of river region (Photo: Collected)

Nothing beats waking up early in the morning and floating along the peaceful Hau River, taking in the fresh air and listening to the whirring sounds of the motor, rowing the water, waves lapping against the side of the boat, and the busy laughter of sellers and buyers. Furthermore, listening to a Southern girl sing gives the impression of a traveler who has found a place to call home. 

The sweet voice of a Southern girl on the way to the market (Photo: David May)

Tourists can listen to the lovely trader women's riverside voices talking about the floating life of many merchant families with generations of living together on the boat, in floating homes, or in shabby houses built on high wooden stilts while sipping cups of coffee and enjoying Southern local dishes. It is probably the most unforgettable experience for tourists from all over the world.

Taste local dishes on the boat

Immerse yourself in the vibrant rhythm of life here, interact with generous, gentle, sincere people in the West to make the Mekong Delta journey more meaningful.

2. Ben Tre – A Land of the Coconut

Ben Tre province, lying downstream of the Mekong River, has a wild and idyllic beauty, with roads lined with green coconut trees. Ben Tre is known as the "coconut kingdom", thanks to its massive coconut groves and luxuriant tropical fruit orchards. All of these elements combine to create a very personal, peaceful, but equally captivating flavor.

Coconut kingdom (Photo: Collected)

Tourists to this land cannot ignore the beauty of four well-known tourist islets: Con Phung, Con Tien, Con Oc, and Con Quy. Tourists can float down the Tien River and enjoy the cool breeze, stop by a boat at any destination, pick fruit in the garden, or free play with water, trying to catch fresh fish. These unique activities are appealing to those who like river tourism and love natural beauty and want to immerse themselves in the vast countryside's natural scenery. 

Visit the tropical fruit orchards in villages

Con Phung, in particular, draws visitors with its unique architectural works imbued with spiritual imprints such as Dua religion relics. Visitors shall immediately admire the fancy and sophisticated relics built in the 1960s, such as the Nine Dragons Yard and the Peace Tower (Cuu Trung Tower), where the Dua master teaches sermons and spreads the religion. When you get there, you also should see the traditional room with pictures portraying the activities of the people of Ben Tre. 

Unique architectural work imbued with spiritual imprints

Specifically, tourists will be able to see firsthand the idyllic living scene in traditional craft villages. Using their talented hands and distinct aesthetics, these artisans have created hundreds of highly artistic products from things that are familiar in life. From the trunk, leaves, and fibers of the coconut tree, they have created vibrant handicraft products that have a lot of economic value.

Visitors can also visit the coconut candy production facilities, sample the fragrant coconut candy that has just been baked, and enjoy the sweet, fragrant, hot taste of the candy in the fresh air under the green coconut canopy.

A coconut candy production facility

Ben Tre is relatively relaxed and quiet compared to other cities, and it is a place where you can comfortably wander around and observe the daily lives of the locals, or rowing along the small canals, enjoying the clear sunlight of the day, inhaling the alluvial scent, and listening to the sweet voice of Southern Folk Song Don Ca Tai Tu. 

3. Phu Quoc Island - Pearl Island of Vietnam 

Phu Quoc Island, called the tropical paradise of the Gulf of Thailand, features 99 mountains, romantic beaches, primeval forests, rolling flatlands, and colorful coral reefs. This island appears to retain its wild and peaceful appearance, but it also has a heart-stopping attraction. 

Tropical paradise Phu Quoc Island (Photo: HQN)

Visitors to Phu Quoc are often taken aback by the bustle of Bai Truong, Vietnam's only beach where they can watch the sun set into the sea. What could be more relaxing than watching the white sand stretch to the horizon at Sao beach, Kem beach, Dam beach, Cuu Can beach, and Dai beach, and diving into the crystal clear water to enjoy a moment of peace?

Gold-sandy beaches stretching to the horizon (Ảnh: Caophiladeu Toy)
 

If you genuinely love adventure, you will undoubtedly be drawn to the mysterious primeval forest, which is home to thousands of bird species and valuable woods. Alternatively, simply relaxing in old forests to enjoy the fresh air. 
During the journey to the wild forest, passing winding roads around windy hills, you will have the opportunity to visit Su Mon pagoda, wade Tranh stream, explore Ham Ninh, an ancient fishing village, and visit the cultured pearl farm on Phu Quoc Island.

The poetic and gentle Tranh Stream (Photo: Pamito)

Have the opportunity to watch the gentle flow of the Tranh stream, be nostalgic about a fishing village as if it only existed in legends, or enjoy the scene of the sun and moon floating on the sea surface to fully enjoy the poetic beauty of the island.  

The Mekong River and its tributaries split the Mekong Delta into multiple sections. Join Threeland Travel in Part 2 to hear about additional fascinating Mekong Delta places!