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By Root 1617 0

dock on the south bank of the To Chau River, and tickets (190,000đ) can be bought at the office at 11 Tran Hau (077/395 9060). For local information, you’ll have to rely on staff at your hotel, most of whom should have at least a smattering of English. The post office (daily 6.30am–9pm) is on To Chau a short walk north of the river and has internet access, as does the shop at 54 Tran Hau. The Vietcombank at 4 Phuong Thanh can exchange cash or traveller’s cheques, and also has an ATM. If you’re heading onto Cambodia, visas are available at the border at Xa Xia ($25), but it’s better to get one in Ho Chi Minh City to avoid any overcharging, which is a common occurrence.

The Mekong Delta | Ha Tien and around |

Accommodation

As part of Ha Tien’s construction boom, several new hotels have opened recently, giving visitors plenty of options.

Dong Tam Block 5, 12-14 Tran Hau 077/395 0555. This smart new place has a variety of rooms, all with a/c, cable TV and wi-fi, and the enthusiastic staff can help with travel plans. US$11–20

Ha Tien 36 Tran Hau 077/385 1563. The plush, carpeted rooms here are the smartest in town and the place is tastefully designed, but unfortunately the service does not match expectations. US$11–30

Hai Van 55 Lam Son 077/385 2001. This long-established hotel has simple but clean fan rooms in the old wing as well as smart air-conditioned rooms in the new wing, with friendly staff. US$10 and under–20

Hai Yen 15 To Chau 077/385 1580. An efficiently-run place with helpful and informative staff. The bright, decent-sized rooms are good value and those on the upper floors have good views of Dong Ho. US$10 and under–20

Hoa Mai 1-3 Tran Hau 077/385 0849. One of the best budget options in town, this place has a range of well-maintained rooms, some with good river views, in a central location. US$10 and under–20

The Mekong Delta | Ha Tien and around |

The Town

Founded by Chinese immigrant Mac Cuu in 1674, with the permission of the local Cambodian lords, Ha Tien thrived thanks to its position facing the Gulf of Thailand and astride the trade route between India and China. By the close of the seventeenth century, Siam (later Thailand) had begun to eye the settlement covetously, and Mac Cuu was forced to petition Hué for support. The resulting alliance, forged with Emperor Minh Vuong in 1708, ensured Vietnamese military backup, and the town continued to prosper. Mac Cuu died in 1735, but the familial fiefdom continued for seven generations, until the French took over in 1867. Subsequently, the town became a resistance flash-point, with Viet Minh holing up in the surrounding hills, and even sniping at French troops from the To Chau Mountain, to the south.

Central Ha Tien still has a few quaint, shuttered, colonial buildings in its backstreets, though the original market, now moved west along the riverbank, has been razed to make way for a new riverside park. The riverside is now an enjoyable place to stroll, watching fishing boats unloading along the banks, and by following Tran Hau eastwards and then continuing north on Dong Ho, you can enjoy pleasant views and often an agreeable breeze blowing off the so-called East Lake (Dong Ho). In fact, it is not a lake but a large inlet where the To Chau River flows out to the sea.

Alternatively, take a walk up Mac Thien Tich and west along Mac Cuu, to where a temple dedicated to Mac Cuu stands at the foot of the hill where he and his relatives lie buried in semicircular Chinese graves. Inside the temple, electric “incense” sticks glow constantly before Mac Cuu’s funerary tablet, keeping the memory of Ha Tien’s founding father alive. Mac Cuu’s actual grave is uppermost on the hill, guarded by two swordsmen, a white tiger and a blue dragon. From this vantage point, there are good views from the hill over the mop-tops of the coconut trees below and down to the sea.

Further up Mac Thien Tich is the colourful Tam Bao Pagoda, set in tree-lined grounds dominated by an attractive lotus pond, a huge statue of Quan Am and a large reclining Buddha. Out the back of the