Rough Guide to Vietnam - Jan Dodd [113]
* * *
The Mekong Delta |
Chau Doc and around
Since the opening of the border to Cambodia a few kilometres north of town, CHAU DOC has boomed in popularity, and is the only place apart from Can Tho where you are likely to see foreigners in any numbers. Snuggled against the west bank of the Hau Giang River, the town came under Cambodian rule until it was awarded to the Nguyen lords in the mid-eighteenth century for their help in putting down a localized rebellion. The area sustains a large Khmer community, which combines with local Cham and Chinese to form a diverse social melting pot. Just as diverse is Chau Doc’s religious make-up: as well as Buddhists, Catholics and Muslims, the region supports an estimated 1.5 million devotees of the indigenous Hoa Hao religion (see "The Hoa Hao religion"). Forays by Pol Pot’s genocidal Khmer Rouge into this corner of the delta led to the Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia in 1978.
The Mekong Delta | Chau Doc and around |
Arrival, information and town transport
Buses offload 2km southeast of town at the bus station on Le Loi, from where xe om run into town (about 10,000đ). Chau Giang is reached by ferry from the jetty opposite the church on Le Loi.
The state-run An Giang Tourist does not have an office in Chau Doc, but most hotel and guesthouse owners can help out with local information, as well as arrange local excursions and onward travel, including boat services to and from Phnom Penh. Both Mekong Tours (076/386 8222, www.mekongvietnam.com), 14 Nguyen Huu Canh, and Delta Adventure (076/356 3810, www.deltaadventuretours.com) at 53 Le Loi offer half-day trips to a fish farm and Cham village (about $12 per person), and day-trips to Tuc Dup (about $25 per person). They also sell minibus tickets to Ho Chi Minh City ($10) or Can Tho ($6), as does the tour desk at Vinh Phuoc hotel, another useful source of local information.
The Mekong Delta | Chau Doc and around |
Accommodation
As one of the Delta’s most popular destinations, Chau Doc has a range of accommodation ranging from windowless hovels up to luxury quarters with river views, air-conditioning and TV. It’s even possible to sleep on the river at the Delta Floating Hotel.
Chau Pho Trung Nu Vuong 076/356 4139, chauphohotel@vnn.vn. Spacious, well-maintained rooms with expansive views, though it is several blocks from the riverside action. US$21–50
Delta Floating Hotel beside the tourist jetty, just south of the Victoria hotel 076/356 3810, www.deltaadventuretours.com. Neat rooms over the river (fixed, in fact, not floating), all with en-suite bathrooms and a ringside view of the watery action. Can be a bit noisy though. US$21–50
Ngoc Phu 17 Doc Phu Thu 076/386 6484. The lobby looks a bit desolate but this no-frills establishment is perfectly habitable, and even the cheapest fan rooms have hot water. US$10 and under
Song Sao 12–13 Nguyen Huu Canh 076/356 1777. Smart rooms, all fully equipped with hot water, a/c and so on. US$11–20
Thuan Loi 18 Tran Hung Dao 076/386 6134. This riverside mini-hotel near the market offers some of the best value in town. Both fan and a/c rooms are clean and comfortable, and the stilted wooden restaurant affords a great front-seat view of the Mekong. US$10 and under
Trung Nguyen 86 Bach Dang 076/356 1561, trunghotel@yahoo.com. Very smart mini-hotel, right in the town centre, with fifteen smallish but well-furnished rooms, all with small balconies. US$11–20
Victoria Chau Doc 32 Le Loi 076/386 5010, www.victoriahotels-asia.com. Just 300m southeast of the town centre, this colonial-style hotel lords it over the river. The rooms are tastefully furnished with Indochine elegance and some have glorious river views. US$151 and over
* * *
The Mekong Delta | Chau Doc and around | Accommodation |
The Hoa Hao religion
Sited 20km east of Chau Doc, the diminutive village of Hoa Hao lent its name to a unique religious movement at the end of the 1930s. The Hoa Hao Buddhist sect was founded by the village’s most famous son, Huynh Phu So. A sickly child, Huynh was