CUSTOMER CENTER

TRAVEL TOOL

DAY1: HO CHI MINH - MY THO - VINH LONG
By vehicle from Saigon to My Tho - Journey to the Mekong Delta past Ben Luc, Tan An and Chau Thanh.

Sightseeing My Tho with boat trip on the Mekong - My Tho is the capital of Tien Giang Province, a quiet city of 100,000 and unfortunately one of the poorest cities in the Mekong Delta.

MY THO CHURCH: a solid pastel-yellow building built about a century ago. The stone plaques set in the church walls express 'merci' and 'cam on' to Fatima and other figures.

CAO DAI TEMPLE: smaller temple than the one at Tay Ninh, but well worth a visit.

MY THO CENTRAL MARKET: the streets are filled with stalls selling everything from fresh food and bulk tabacco to boat propellers.

CHINESE DISTRICT: on the eastern bank of the Bao Dinh Channel, there are still many people here from Chinese decent.

VINH TRANG PAGODA: a beautiful and well maintained sanctuary. The charitable monks here provide a home to orphans, disabled and other needy children.

MEKONG DELTA: this is the southernmost region of Vietnam and it was formed by sediment deposited by the Mekong River. Silt deposits extend the delta shoreline at the mouth of the river by as mush as 79m per year. The area is known as Vietnam's 'bread basket' and produces rice to feed the entire country.

DRAGON ISLAND: the island has many longan orchards which can be visited and the lush, palmfringed shores of the island are lined with wooden fishing boats.

PHOENIX ISLAND: until his imprisonment and the consequent dispersion of his flock, the Coconut Monk (Ong Dao Dua) led a small community on this island. By vehicle from My Tho to Vinh Long - Journey west in the Mekong Delta parallel to the Tien Giang River. Overnight in Vinh Long.( L, D )

DAY 2: VINH LONG - CAN THO
Excursion to Tra Vinh - Bordered by the Tien and the Hau branches of the Mekong River, Tra Vinh's location on a peninsula makes it somewhat isolated. There are over 140 Khmer pagodas in the province and there are about 3000 ethnic Khmer living here.

ONG PAGODA: a very ornate, brightly painted building, unusually for the Delta, it is a 100% Chinese pagoda and still a very active place of worship. Founded in 1556 by the Fujian Chinese Congregation, it has been rebuilt a number of times with funds from visitors from Taiwan and Hong Kong.

ONG MET PAGODA: located in the centre of town, the monks here are friendly and happy to show anyone around.

CHIM PAGODA: an interesting monastery south west of town with friendly monks that claim the pagoda was built 500 years ago.

AN PAGODA & MUSEUM: located south west of Tra Vinh is this pagoda and the Khmer Minority People's Museum.

BA OM POND: this is a spiritual site for the Khmer and a picnic site for local Vietnamese. The square-shaped pond is surrounded by tall trees and is pleasant. Nearby is the An Vuong Pagoda which is a beautiful and venerable Khmer-style pagoda.

UNCLE HO TEMPLE: located in Long Duc commune, north of Tra Ving town, 'worshippers' continue to flock here. By vehicle from Vinh Long to Can Tho - Journey south west in Vinh Long Province and then via ferry across the Hau Giang River. Overnight in Can Tho. ( B, L, D )

DAY 3: CAN THO - HO CHI MINH
Excursion to Phong Dien Floating Market with boat trip - PHONG DIEN FLOATING MARKET: the best floating market in the Mekong Delta with many stand-up rowing boats around. The market is visited by boat first and then one returns to Can Tho by car. By vehicle from Can Tho to Saigon - Journey first across the Hau Giang River by ferry between Can Tho and Vinh Long and then past Vinh Long and My Tho.

VINH LONG: capital of the province, this is a medium-sized town along the banks of the Mekong River about midway between My Tho and Can Tho. From Vinh Long, one can access all the islands in the river which are totally given over to agriculture.

MY THO: capital of Tien Giang Province and one of the poorest cities in the delta. The economy is based on fishing and the cultivation of rice, coconuts, bananas, mangoes, longans and citrus fruit.( B )