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Things not to miss while in An Giang – the sacred land of Vietnam’s Mekong Delta

Friday, April 28, 2023, 11:41 GMT+7
Things not to miss while in An Giang – the sacred land of Vietnam’s Mekong Delta
A palmyra palm field in the floating season, creating a breathtaking picture at sunset in An Giang Province, southern Vietnam. Photo: By courtesy of An Giang Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism

An Giang is located in the southwest region, where the upstream of the Mekong River separates into two tributaries of the Tien River and the Hau River, flowing into Vietnam and forming the Mekong Delta region with its diverse natural products endowed both on land and under water.

A photo of late State President Ton Duc Thang’s memorial house. Photo: An Giang Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism

A photo of late State President Ton Duc Thang’s memorial house. Photo: By courtesy of An Giang Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism

An Giang – a charming land

A four-hour drive from Ho Chi Minh City and 1.5-hour drive from Can Tho City, Long Xuyen City in An Giang Province occupies a key position, linking Dong Thap Muoi -- the Mekong Delta’s inland wetland -- Kien Giang Province and a border of more than 100 kilometers with Cambodia, facilitating trade, travel, and transport activities.

An Giang is the only province in the region with mountains and forests in the middle of the plain, forming numerous scenic spots associated with spiritual culture to attract tourists from far and near.

This place also integrates the cultural quintessence of four ethnic groups, including the Kinh, the Chinese, the Cham, the Khmer, with architectural works, massive heritage sites, and typical lifestyles in harmony with national identity, creating an abundance and diversity that captivate tourists.

The Seven Mountains bull racing festival is a unique cultural feature of An Giang Province. Photo: An Giang Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism

The Bay Nui (Seven Mountains) bull racing festival is a unique cultural feature of An Giang Province in southern Vietnam. Photo: By courtesy of An Giang Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism

The unique architecture of the Khmer ethnic group’s pagodas and towers in the Bay Nui region. Photo: An Giang Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism

The unique architecture of the Khmer ethnic group’s pagodas and towers in the Bay Nui region. Photo: By courtesy of An Giang Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism

A ride around Bay Nui from Long Xuyen 

Long Xuyen City, which is the gateway to An Giang Province and the potential economic center of the region, is constantly changing day by day.

Coming to this city, visitors can experience the Long Xuyen floating market, enjoy specialties, and buy local fruits as gifts.

From the floating market, just take a boat or ferry to reach late State President Ton Duc Thang’s memorial house in My Hoa Hung Commune.

Visitors can sit on the banks of the Hau River watching the city at night and enjoy various famous dishes such as com tam Long Xuyen (Long Xuyen-style broken rice), silkworm-shaped cakes, steamed rice rolls, and pho (beef noodle soup).

In the heart of the city, walking a few steps, you can easily find many restaurants to have a plate of tasty broken rice. It will be perfect if you have a local tour guide to take you to some broken rice eateries such as Cay Diep broken rice, Phuong broken rice, and 'No Name' broken rice.

Leaving Long Xuyen City for Chau Doc City, you can travel by bus, coach, motorbike or taxi.

Chau Doc City is the center of the Bay Nui (Seven Mountains) region, which is why you have to spend at least one or two nights to be able to 'eat enough and buy enough.'

The most sacred and attractive place is Ba Chua Xu (Local Goddess) Temple. Among other attractive spots are Thoai Ngoc Hau Mausoleum, Tay An Pagoda, Hang Pagoda, the Sam Mountain Victoria resort, and the Sam Mountain MGA cable car area.

After the visit to Chau Doc, you can start a jaunt to the Tra Su Melaleuca forest, which covers an area of 845 hectares in Van Giao Commune under Tinh Bien District. This place is home to many kinds of storks, bats, and a wide range of rare species of birds and animals such as Indian storks, milky storks, and oriental darters.

The forest houses 140 species of plants, 11 species of mammals, 22 species of reptiles, and 23 species of fish.

Standing on the 25-meter-high watchtower, visitors can admire a panoramic view of the Tra Su forest with white stork wings dotted on the green carpet of immense forest. When the sun sets, flocks of storks fly back to perch on the forest patches like silk strips aired on the top of the trees. 

Visitors can see all of the majestic Seven Mountains with a telescope before savoring countryside dishes at restaurants inside the Melaleuca forest. 

Wrapping up the trip to the Tra Su forest, visitors can continue a five-kilometer short tour to the Cam Mountain tourist area in Van Giao Commune bordering Tri Ton District. The place has long been a spiritual tourist destination.

A panoramic view of Cam Mountain. Photo: An Giang Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism

A panoramic view of Cam Mountain. Photo: By courtesy of An Giang Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism

Conquering the mountain dubbed 'The Roof of the Southwest' is a favored activity for many tourists.

The Cam Mountain tourist area has launched a trekking tour, plus methodical sequential instructions, helping mountain climbers conquer their passion easily and conveniently.

Aside from several motels for caravans, there are also many homestays on the top of the mountain such as May’s house, Windy Hill, Mai Tung, Phu Si, and Camping Thien Cam Son. At the foot of the mountain are Cam Mountain and Sang Nhu Ngoc resorts.

Traveling along Provincial Road 948, visitors will spot immense hills, mountains, and picturesque palmyra palm trees.

The Tuc Dup historic site, 10 kilometers from Cam Mountain, is a famous sightseeing spot of many tourists inside and outside the province. Coming here, visitors can directly experience squeezing through each stairway and each cave to feel the value of the place the forefathers faithfully held on to. 

Tuc Dup is only 216 meters high and stretches an area of over 2,200 square meters, but it boasts a unique and mysterious natural structure. 

In the heart of the hill, there are many deep and large caves with alleys connected by big and small rocks piled on top of each other. The caves are preserved and kept intact, including C6 Cave (with its C6 hall able to house more than 150 people), Quan Y (Military Medicine) Cave, Thanh Nien (Adolescence) Cave, and Dan Y (Civil Medicine) Cave.

This place displays memorabilia, as well as wartime weapons and vehicles, such as jeeps, tanks, and guns.

A bird’s eye view of the Ong Thoai Lake tourist area in Sap Mountain in Thoai Son District. Photo: An Giang Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism

A bird’s-eye view of the Ong Thoai Lake tourist area in Sap Mountain in Thoai Son District, An Giang Province, southern Vietnam. Photo: By courtesy of An Giang Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism

The Sam mountain national tourist area attracts over 4.5 million visitors annually. Photo: An Giang Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism

The Sam mountain national tourist area attracts over 4.5 million visitors annually. Photo: By courtesy of An Giang Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism

Sam Mountain, Cam Mountain, Tra Su Melaleuca Forest, and Tuc Dup Hill are the 'four great attractions' of the Bay Nui region. Each place is only about 30 minutes away by car, so tourists can visit them all within one day.

To continue the trip, tourists can leave Bay Nui along Provincial Road 943 for the Ho Ong Thoai tourist area, the Oc Eo – Ba The relic complex, and Truc Lam An Giang Zen Monastery.

The Oc Eo culture is a unique archeological relic in An Giang Province, which was formed 2,000 years ago. The place bore evidence of the prosperity of the ancient kingdom of Phu Nam with Oc Eo being a large seaport of the region and the world.

Notably, Truc Lam An Giang Zen Monastery, lying in the lake bed No. 2 of Sap Mountain, has been opened. More and more tourists are coming here, paving the way for the province’s development of tourism.

Roads are increasingly wide open, boosting convenience in transport. Besides, visitors can easily access accommodation facilities such as Hoa Kieng, Phung Hoang, and Ngoc Minh Hoa.

Tourists visit and enjoy food at Long Xuyen floating market. Photo: An Giang Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism

Tourists visit and enjoy food at the Long Xuyen floating market in An Giang Province, southern Vietnam. Photo: By courtesy of An Giang Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism

Linh Son Co Tu in the archaeological complex of Oc Eo – Ba The. Photo: An Giang Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism

Linh Son Co Tu in the archeological complex of Oc Eo – Ba The. Photo: By courtesy of An Giang Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism

A panoramic view of the Tra Su Melaleuca forest. Photo: An Giang Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism

A panoramic view of the Tra Su Melaleuca forest. Photo: By courtesy of An Giang Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism

A tour around an island created by the Tien and Hau Rivers

The next destinations in An Giang Province are Chau Phong Cham ethnic village and Da Phuoc Cham ethnic village. Tourists can learn about the Cham ethnic group’s life, experience the culture, and enjoy the delicacies of the villages.

Also from Long Xuyen City, visitors can take a tour to Cho Moi District, Phu Tan District, and Tan Chau Town by ferry.

Cho Moi is a prosperous and peaceful land, while its residents are kind and friendly. Located about 15 kilometers from Long Xuyen, the place, bordering Dong Thap Province, is famous for mango trees.

Cu Lao Gieng Cathedral, the oldest structure in the area, has been preserved carefully, attracting a great number of devotees as well as tourists. In addition, other highlights are Dao Nam Pagoda and Phuoc Thanh Pagoda, whose 39-meter Amitabha Buddha statue set a Vietnamese record.

Other tourist destinations in Cho Moi also incldude the Cot Day Thep historical site, My Luong ecological area, and Con En resort, which will create a driving force to promote tourism development there.

An Giang Province is located in the Long Xuyen quadrangle, covering an area of 3,536 square kilometers, with a border of 100 kilometers with Cambodia. Photo: An Giang Information Portal

An Giang Province is located in the Long Xuyen quadrangle region, covering an area of 3,536 square kilometers, with a border of 100 kilometers with Cambodia. Photo: An Giang Information Portal

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