Rough Guide to Vietnam - Jan Dodd [115]
The Mekong Delta | Chau Doc and around |
Eating
Chau Doc has more places to eat than most Mekong Delta towns, with a further selection of places at the base of Sam Mountain (see "Around Chau Doc"), though none is particularly outstanding and their prices are over the odds. A snack at one of the food stalls around the market, particularly on Tran Hung Dao, Chi Lang and Le Cong Thanh, is a good option if you’re strapped for cash.
Bassac Victoria Chau Doc, 32 Le Loi. Imaginative Western and Asian dishes, such as rack of lamb and roasted duck breast, served in a romantic riverside dining terrace overlooking the Mekong, with dishes averaging around $12–15. There’s also an attractive adjoining bar with pool table and backgammon, ideal for a sundowner.
Bay Bong 22 Thuong Dang Le. Delicious pork cooked in a clay pot and sweet-and-sour fish at reasonable prices.
Lam Hung Ky 71 Chi Lang. Friendly, family-run eatery opposite the market, whose imaginative Chinese-influenced menu features beef with bitter melon and black beans; a full meal, including a beer, will come to around 60,000đ.
Thanh Tinh 13 Quang Trung. Reliable vegetarian outlet next door to the Truong Van, serving cheap and cheerful dishes.
Thuan Loi 18 Tran Hung Dao. Enjoy the riverside action and choose from a huge range of dishes, most of which cost around 30,000–40,000đ.
Truong Van 15 Quang Trung. Above-average com shop, a stone’s throw from the market and usually busy, serving Chinese and Vietnamese staples.
Vinh Phuoc 14 Quang Trung. Smart place with appealing dishes such as chicken with chilli and lemongrass for just over 20,000đ.
The Mekong Delta | Chau Doc and around |
Listings
Banks Vietinbank, 68–70 Nguyen Huu Canh, can exchange foreign currency and traveller’s cheques, and also has an ATM.
Bicycle and motorbike rental Available at Trung Nguyen hotel ($3 & $8 per day respectively).
Hospital Opposite the Victoria Chau Doc on Le Loi.
Pharmacy 14 Nguyen Huu Canh.
Post office On the corner of Le Loi and Nguyen Van Thoai (daily 6am–10pm); it also has internet access.
The Mekong Delta | Chau Doc and around |
Around Chau Doc
There are a few places of interest to visit in the area around Chau Doc, including a Cham community and the brooding Sam Mountain with its kitsch pagodas.
Khmer cyclists near Chau Doc
The Mekong Delta | Chau Doc and around | Around Chau Doc |
Con Tien Island and Chau Giang District
Two settlements a stone’s throw away from Chau Doc across the Hau Giang River are worth venturing out to, and most people visit both on a half-day tour ((see "Chau Doc and around") for details). One is the cluster of fish-farm houses floating on the river next to Con Tien Island, above cages of catfish that are fed through a hatch in the floor. Fish farming is big business in the delta, and some of these cages can be over 1000 cubic metres in size.
The other settlement is a Cham community in Chau Giang District, which you can visit independently via a ferry from a jetty south of the tourist jetty on Le Loi. Here you’ll discover kampung-style wooden houses, sarongs and white prayer caps that betray the influence of Islam, as do the twin domes and pretty white minaret of the Mubarak Mosque.
The Mekong Delta | Chau Doc and around | Around Chau Doc |
Sam Mountain
Arid, brooding Sam Mountain rises dramatically from an ocean of paddy fields 5km southwest of Chau Doc. It’s known as Nui Sam to Vietnamese tourists, who flock here in their thousands to worship at its clutch of pagodas and shrines. There are lots of hotels near the base of the mountain, of which the Long