Rough Guide to Vietnam - Jan Dodd [90]
Getting around the delta
Most visitors hurtle around on a tour bus out of Ho Chi Minh City, denying themselves the chance to sink into the languid life of the delta. With time in hand, it’s far more satisfying to hire a vehicle or take local transport – not nearly as daunting a prospect as it is up the coast, since the number of settlements with hotels means journeys can be kept relatively short. Traffic has to stop occasionally at the ferries that make road travel in the delta possible, though construction of some long-awaited bridges is speeding up travel times. The enforced halts at the ferries are at least enlivened by strolling hawkers. Locals used to do much of their travelling on the passenger and cargo boats that crawl around the delta’s waterways, but the increased prevalence of motorbikes has led to many routes being cut, so this is no longer a viable way of getting around for visitors.
If you really want to do the delta in style, Trans Mekong (071/382 9540, www.transmekong.com) offers a two-day, one-night trip aboard a traditional rice barge converted into a floating hotel. The barge makes its way from Cai Be to Can Tho, stopping at villages and fruit orchards on the way. Prices begin at around $250 per person. Another luxury option, with similar itinerary and rates, is the Song Xanh sampan cruise (091 227 0058, www.vietnamluxurytravel.com). If these rates sound a bit steep, Saigon-based Delta Adventure Tours (08/3920 2112, www.deltaadventuretours.com) offer a more basic 3-day, 2-night Mekong cruise, taking in Cai Be, Sa Dec, Long Xuyen and Chau Doc for just $55 per person.
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There are over a dozen towns in the delta with facilities for tourists, though some are rarely visited as they are not on the way to anywhere. My Tho is well geared up for boat trips, and near enough to Ho Chi Minh City to be seen on a day-trip: it affords an appetizing glimpse of the delta’s northernmost tributary, the Tien Giang. From My Tho, laidback Ben Tre and the bounteous fruit orchards besieging it are only a hop and a skip away. Cao Lanh is strictly for bird enthusiasts, but Sa Dec, with its timeless river scenes and riotously colourful flower nurseries, has a more universal appeal, while just down the road, Vinh Long is another jumping-off point for boat trips.
Many visitors spend a day or two in Can Tho, the Delta’s biggest settlement, to take advantage of its decent hotels and restaurants and to recharge batteries before venturing out to the floating markets nearby. From Can Tho, there’s something to be said for dropping down to the foot of the delta, where the swampland that surrounds Ca Mau can be explored by boat. Pulling up, en route, at the Khmer stronghold of Soc Trang is especially rewarding if your trip coincides with the colourful Oc Om Bok festival, during which the local Khmer community takes to the river to stage spectacular longboat races. Northwest of Can Tho meanwhile, and a stone’s throw from the Cambodian border, is the ebullient town of Chau Doc, south of which Sam Mountain provides a welcome undulation in the surrounding plains. The opening of the border here has brought a steady stream of travellers going on to Phnom Penh by boat, and several of them rest up a few days here before leaving the country.
A bustling fishing port due south of Chau Doc on the Gulf of Thailand, Rach Gia is a convenient place to catch a boat or short flight to Phu Quoc Island, whose splendid beaches are a big draw for tourists. Northwest of Rach Gia, Ha Tien, a remote border town surrounded by Khmer villages, now also has daily boats to Phu Quoc. The town has recently become popular for its international border crossing, which allows beach bums to slide along the coast from Phu Quoc Island to Sihanoukville in Cambodia or vice versa.
Given its seasonal flooding, the best time to visit the delta is, predictably enough, in the dry season, which runs from December to May.
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The Mekong Delta |
Highlights
Boat trips Drift along narrow canals, visiting floating markets and fruit orchards