THE MEKONG DELTA REGIONS

The Geography of Southwest Vietnam (The Mekong Delta)

Southwest Vietnam, commonly known as the Mekong Delta, is a vast region located in the southern part of Vietnam. It is characterized by a complex network of rivers, canals, and swamps, which create a fertile landscape ideal for agriculture, especially rice cultivation. The Mekong Delta plays a crucial role as the country's "rice bowl" due to its high productivity of rice, fruits, and seafood.

Location and Boundaries

The Mekong Delta spans approximately 39,000 square kilometers and includes 12 provinces and 1 centrally governed city (Cần Thơ). It is bordered by:

  • Cambodia to the northwest,
  • Ho Chi Minh City to the northeast,
  • The South China Sea to the southeast,
  • The Gulf of Thailand to the southwest.

River System

The region is named after the Mekong River, which originates in the Tibetan Plateau, flows through several countries, and finally splits into multiple branches in the delta before emptying into the South China Sea. The two main branches are the Tiền River and Hậu River, which create an intricate network of waterways throughout the region. These rivers are vital for irrigation, transportation, and fishing.

Topography

The Mekong Delta is predominantly flat, with the elevation generally ranging from 0 to 5 meters above sea level. This flat landscape makes it highly vulnerable to flooding, especially during the rainy season and periods of tidal surges. However, the regular flooding deposits nutrient-rich silt, making the land incredibly fertile.

Climate

The region has a tropical monsoon climate, characterized by:

  • Two distinct seasons: the rainy season (May to November) and the dry season (December to April).
  • High humidity: Humidity levels remain high throughout the year, averaging around 80%.
  • Warm temperatures: The average temperature is about 27°C (81°F), with little variation between seasons.

Flora and Fauna

The Mekong Delta is home to diverse ecosystems, including:

  • Wetlands: Mangrove forests, swamps, and seasonally flooded areas.
  • Rice paddies: Vast expanses of rice fields dominate the landscape.
  • Fruit orchards: Known for tropical fruits like mangoes, dragonfruit, durians, coconuts, and rambutan,...
  • Aquatic life: Rich in fish and other aquatic species, making it a key area for fisheries.

Human Settlement and Economy

The delta is densely populated, with many communities living along the riverbanks and relying on the waterways for daily life. The economy is heavily based on agriculture, with rice being the dominant crop. Other important sectors include:

  • Aquaculture: Shrimp and catfish farming are major export industries.
  • Fruit cultivation: The region produces a wide variety of tropical fruits.
  • Tourism: With attractions like floating markets, river cruises, and ecotourism, the Mekong Delta is a popular destination.

Environmental Challenges

  • Flooding and erosion: Due to its low elevation, the delta is prone to seasonal flooding and erosion along the coast and riverbanks.
  • Saline intrusion: In the dry season, seawater can encroach further inland, affecting agriculture and freshwater supplies.
  • Climate change: Rising sea levels pose a significant threat to the region, potentially submerging large areas of fertile land.

The Southwest – The Heaven Of Fruits

Outstanding places to explore for visitors

Ben Tre Province

Ben Tre is a rich land with many attractions and discoveries for domestic and foreign tourists. As one of the 13 delta provinces in the Mekong Delta, Ben Tre is a land of coconut trees known as the "Coconut Land of Vietnam" with the characteristics of Southern Garden rivers and rivers formed by three ranges of islands: Minh Island, Bao Island and An Hoa Island. With a convenient location, from Ho Chi Minh City by road, it only takes about 90 minutes for visitors to be present in the center of Ben Tre City, an attractive destination that attracts tourists both from river ecotourism and garden water tourism as well as cultural-historical tourism and craft village tourism.

With the advantage of a system of intricate and rich canals and fruit-filled islets of Western river tourism, visitors to Ben Tre will have the opportunity to admire the natural beauty with gardens, the fruit is lush and crowded with boats. Ecotourism here bears the mark of the gardens of the Southern Delta, typical of this type of tourism is the Phung Dung eco-tourism area, with unique architectural works once associated with the name Nguyen Thanh Nam coconut religion. Coming to the Phung Dung tourist area, visitors will experience the beauty of charming river scenery, and visit the dragon yard, tower and cuu cung dai. Walk on the village road to visit the coconut candy production facility and coconut handicrafts. Ben Tre ecotourism also extends to orchards in the Cho Lach and Cai Mon districts as the focus of many delicious fruits and beautiful ornamental flowers that have long been famous throughout the South.

Ben Tre is also the convergence of many unique traditional craft villages such as coconut candy production craft village, coconut handicraft production craft village, traditional mat weaving craft village in An Hiep (Chau Thanh), Nhon Thanh (Ben Tre city) and Thanh Thoi B (Nam Plow Mine), etc coconut basket weaving craft village (Cot Oc), My Cage rice paper production - Son Doc puff pastry (Giang Trom), Cai Mon seedling and ornamental flower craft village - Cho Lach, Binh Thang dry fishery village (Binh Dai) and An Thuy (Ba Tri).

And has become an indispensable part of every trip to this country, visitors will not be able to miss enjoying garden specialties, freshwater seafood and many other typical dishes of Ben Tre beach at tourist destinations. There are many famous local specialty dishes made from coconut in this place can be mentioned such as roasted coconut shrimp, eel with coconut water, shrimp boiled with coconut water, coconut tofu salad, coconut cooked rice,...In addition, when coming to this place, visitors can also enjoy the sweet aftertaste of all kinds of fruits, drink sapodilla coconut water, etc honey combined with listening to Southern amateur music, as well as experiencing monkey bridge and horse-drawn carriage on the village road admiring the daily activities of residents of the Ben Tre river area, participating in activities to slap ditches to catch fish, visiting ancient houses,...

Not as noisy and ostentatious as tourist attractions in other provinces, Ben Tre with many products and many types of tourism is rich and attractive, Ben Tre's tourist appearance always has gentle beauty. There is a strange charm that makes tourists always look forward to coming back every time they have the opportunity to visit the West. Coming to this magnificent land of spirituality, visitors will temporarily forget the noisy life in the city to enjoy the peaceful, quiet, friendly atmosphere between charming river nature and the simple life of people here with interesting, comfortable and full exploration moments.

Can Tho City  

Cai Rang Floating Market

Originally known as Tay Do –, the capital of the Southwest region, more than a hundred years ago, Can Tho is one of the most attractive destinations in the South. Can Tho is located in the center of the Mekong Delta, in the lower Mekong River region. Despite its rapid economic development, "Tay Do" still retains the typical cultural features of the river region. Below are suggestions for visitors to freely explore all the famous destinations of the Western capital.

Can Tho is less affected by storms and winds, and the weather is pleasant all year round despite the distinct rainy and dry seasons. The ideal time to travel to Can Tho is in the summer from May to August, when fruit gardens come to harvest.

September to November is the floating season, suitable for visitors to experience the rustic life of Westerners and enjoy specialties only available when floodwaters return. From December to February, the solar calendar is the season near Tet, Can Tho is colorful with flowers.

Floating markets are a specialty of the West. If you come to Can Tho and you haven't gone to Cai Rang floating market, that's a big mistake. The market usually operates from dawn, so you have to get up early if you want to fully enjoy the bustling atmosphere of the market. The ideal time to go to the floating market is about 5 am - 7 am.

Cai Rang Floating Market is about 6 km from the city center. You can get here by water or road. The market is located near Cai Rang Bridge; everyone here knows this famous market so you can ask about traveling.

Through hundreds of years of change, people here still maintain the habit of buying, selling and exchanging goods on boats and canoes. Over time, floating markets have become an interesting type of tourism in the river region. Visitors can go to the pier, buy tickets, and board a boat to stroll the most famous river market in Can Tho.

If you go to a crowded market, visitors will witness the bustling scene on the boat and under the boat. Most of the goods are fruits, a specialty of the Mekong Delta. The special thing about floating markets is that visitors can hardly hear the cries, invitations, or bids as often seen in markets on the mainland.

Here, if there are any goods for sale, the boat owner will hang the item on a tall pole. Many pole trees hang a whole set of fruits: bananas, fragrant, grapefruit, mangoes and all kinds of vegetables. Large boats are often wholesale. Smaller boats and boats are sold to retail customers.

In addition to fruits and vegetables, many small boats also sell breakfast, drinks and snacks to serve commercial lakes and tourists. Enjoying a hot, smoky bowl of noodles or crab noodles on a dinghy floating on the water is an unforgettable experience for visitors.

The market will start beating people around 9 am. At this time, visitors can return to the mainland and explore other attractive destinations of Tay Do.

Bang Lang Stork Garden

This is an ideal destination for tourists who want to stay away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. About 50 km from the city center, Bang Lang Stork Garden is a popular garden eco-tourism area.

The best time to go to the stork garden is from August to January of the following years. This is the breeding season, and many storks gather. During peak season, tens of thousands of storks come to nest together, creating an impressive scene.

To avoid disturbing the storks, coaches must stop at the beginning of the road, visitors can walk or rent bicycles or motorbikes to enter the garden. Along the way are old green bamboo bushes and providing shade. In the garden, there is an observation deck with a spiral staircase, where you can enjoy panoramic views of the stork garden from above.

You should stay at the observatory until dusk at this time hundreds of flocks of storks of all different colors and sizes return to the nest, leaving many tourists overwhelmed.

Ninh Kieu Wharf

After a long day of traveling, in the evening you should go to Ninh Kieu Wharf, visit the bridge of love, and go to the night market to fully feel the rhythm of Can Tho's life. Ninh Kieu Wharf was built into a park with an area of about 7,000 m2. In the evening, this place attracts many tourists and locals to admire the scenery and enjoy the cool air.

Ninh Kieu Wharf is located right at the confluence of the Hau River and Can Tho River, near Can Tho city center. From Ninh Kieu Wharf, visitors can see Can Tho Bridge, which used to be the bridge with the longest main span in Southeast Asia in 2010.

If you have time, you can buy a ticket to board a yacht so you can fully feel the splendor of Ninh Kieu Wharf when the lights are on.

Walking to the end of Ninh Kieu Wharf, visitors will find a pedestrian bridge across the Hau River. Can Tho youth call this bridge the “bridge of love” because of its romantic area. In the middle of the bridge are two large, stylized lotus flowers. Along the bridge body is a multi-color led lighting system. On important holidays such as September 2 or Lunar New Year, people gather a lot here to watch fireworks displays.

A few steps from the pedestrian bridge is the Tay Do night market. This place sells many items from food and clothes to handicrafts and souvenirs. Tay Do Night Market will surprise you with its open space and neat stalls on the clean asphalt.

The night market has many other entertainment activities to cater to visitors such as outdoor music stages and video games,...

 

Truc Lam Zen Monastery

Truc Lam Zen Monastery in My Nhon hamlet, My Khanh commune, Phong Dien district. The Zen monastery was built in the Ly-Tran dynasty architectural style. The main gates are curved claw arches with stylized dragon heads and wooden doors. Through the main gate is a large brick courtyard. From here, visitors will admire with their own eyes the majesty of the Main Hall (Dai Hung Buu Dien).

The empty floor, bell tower, main hall and One Pillar pagoda are the most impressive items of Truc Lam Phuong Nam Zen Monastery. The peaceful beauty of the monastery attracts many tourists to come here to visit and pray for peace.

Muoi Cuong Cocoa Garden

Coming here, in addition to enjoying cocoa fruit products, guests can also experience the production stages with the homeowner. This cocoa-making facility began operating in the 1960s. Currently, the Cocoa Garden has an area of more than 1.2 hectares with more than 2,000 cocoa trees.

You can visit the garden during the hours of 7 am - 12 am every day. The garden sells a variety of cocoa-based products for visitors to buy as gifts such as flour, candy, chocolate, and juice...

Soc Trang Province

Soc Trang tourist attractions will bear the unique color marks of impressive Khmer culture. It also possesses charming scenery and fresh nature imbued with the rivers and waters of the Southwest.

Nga Nam Floating Market

Nga Nam Floating Market, a Soc Trang tourist destination with bold colors in the Southwest, is a famous Soc Trang tourist destination and is explored by many tourists. Nga Nam Floating Market is about 60 km from Soc Trang City center. It is one of the floating markets with a long history in the southwest.

Nga Nam Floating Market is a famous Soc Trang floating market and is also the intersection of 5 rivers flowing in 5 directions: Ca Mau, Vinh Quoi, Long My, Thanh Tri, and Phung Hiep. It is a floating market that trades many items, and the most prominent of which is the specialty fruit of the Southwest.

Enjoying the feeling of floating on a small boat to shop will bring you many interesting experiences. Nga Nam Floating Market is not too hustle and bustle but has a strong tourist color in the southwest.

Cu Lao Island - Cu Lao Dung

Cu Lao Dung is a district located at the source of the Hau River, close to Tran De estuary and Dinh An estuary. Cu Lao Dung owns a natural canal system and many rare and rich types of flora and fauna. When you visit Cu Lao Dung, you will be able to participate in many activities such as going to the bamboo bridge through the forest, catching wool snails, fishing for sea crabs, enjoying honey nipa and cycling to visit the mudskippers beach...

Tan Long Stork Garden

Tan Long Stork Garden is an eco-tourism destination managed by a resident. When visiting Tan Long Stork Garden, you will admire the peaceful space with many types of birds such as chicken stork, white stork, buffalo stork, and gong. Stork wings fluttering in the sunset will create a beautiful scene that you should admire when visiting Tan Long Stork Garden. This is one of the beautiful sceneries of Soc Trang that many tourists visit and experience.

Kh'leang Temple

Kh'leang Pagoda is a temple with a lifespan of nearly 500 years in Soc Trang. This pagoda was built in 1553, has existed for nearly 5 centuries and has a fairly large area.

The characteristic mark of Kh'leang Pagoda is the palm trees planted quite a lot on the temple grounds. This is a plant typical of Khmer culture.

Bat Temple - Chùa Dơi

Bat Pagoda is one of the pagodas with unique architecture located in the heart of Soc Trang City. The pagoda has an architectural style imbued with Southern Buddhism and unique Khmer cultural imprints of the indigenous people.

Bat Pagoda has a quite long history. The pagoda was built around the 16th century and has now gone through 5 centuries but still retains its unique beauty. In the temple, there are thousands of large bats gathered in the grounds. For that reason, the pagoda is also named Bat Pagoda by the people.

Ca Mau Province

Ca Mau is the southernmost province of the Fatherland, bordered on three sides by the sea, to the north by Kien Giang, to the northeast by Bac Lieu, to the east and southeast by the East Sea, to the west and southwest by the Gulf of Thailand. Here, visitors can not only visit famous entertainment places but also enjoy many delicious dishes imbued with Ca Mau flavor.

U Minh Ha Forest

Coming to Ca Mau, visitors cannot help but set foot in the famous U Minh Ha forest, which stands out with the Melaleuca forest ecosystem formed in flooded, rocky conditions, on peatland, and is a typical tree of the Mekong Delta. The flora and fauna system here is extremely rich and diverse, and the ecological environment is stable and suitable, so birds and storks all gather here to reproduce, reside and grow in large numbers. Floating on the Ca Mau River, visitors will be able to see extremely diverse and rich flora and fauna and hear legends from the time when ancestors colonized the Southern land and creating an extremely memorable experience for visitors.

Ca Mau Floating Market

Traveling to the West, especially Ca Mau, visitors cannot miss the floating market because this is the first thing that makes visitors feel surprised. There are hundreds of boats every day, the boats from local people and many other places come here to trade, which makes Ca Mau even busier and more vibrant.

Ca Mau Cape National Park

This is a famous cultural and ecotourism destination typical of the country. Here, visitors will be able to personally touch the proud sovereignty milestone. When traveling to Ca Mau to Ca Mau Cape National Park, visitors will be impressed by the unique and interesting things of this Cape Land, each destination will be a unique and profound new experiential journey: Visit Ca Mau Cape Tourism and Culture Park, through mangrove forests, enjoy the Mekong traditional music,...

 

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