Mekong Delta
Considered as the rice basket of Vietnam, the Mekong Delta is the perfect spot for ecotourism, bird watching and discovering Vietnam’s scenic beauty.
With thousands of canals nourishing a variety of fruits, trees and tropical plants, the Mekong Delta is a real display of the rural life. Places of interest in the Mekong Delta include My Tho, Vinh Long, Can Tho and Chau Doc.
Like all river deltas, it receives the bounty of the silt from the upper Mekong, and as such is a very rich and lush area, covered with rice fields. It produces about half of the total of Vietnam’s agricultural output, and is the place for timeless views of farmers planting or harvesting rice.
Life in the Mekong Delta revolves around the river, and all the villages are often accessible by river as well as by road. The Mekong Delta is a great place to explore by bicycle and motorbike. The terrain is flat and the roads are well-maintained. Traffic isn’t too heavy, especially on back roads. Must sees are the floating markets, and “life” around the rivers criss-crossing the area; also the national parks and nature reserves.
Sam Mountain, a few kilometres from Chau Doc, is a regional Buddhist pilgrimage site and is a good place for a hike. The “mountain” is only 160 m tall and there are steps of concrete and stone all the way to the top. You’ll find numerous colorful temples as you climb to the top, and there are many cafes along the way where you can relax with a fresh coconut or glass of milk coffee. Sam Mountain is the only hill for a long way in every direction, so you can get a great view of Chau Doc and the patchwork or rice fields run through by canals all around.
Phu Quoc Island is the adventure centre for the delta area. Phu Quoc is best for exploring by motorbike. There are roads covering a good portion of the island, and they’re generally passable as long as it hasn’t been raining too much. There are few signs, though, so bring a map and find out how to ask for directions.
The roads on Phu Quoc are mostly compacted dirt and you can’t travel very fast, especially in the northern part of the island which is sparsely populated. If you do go out, though, you can ride through some otherwise untouched forest and go for at least 15 km without seeing another bike. The road that hugs the western coast of the island is great to drive along in the evening to enjoy the sunset.
