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Main Cities

Major Cities in the Mekong Delta Region

Vinh Long province

Area: 1,475.2 sq. km
Population: 1,055,200 habitants (2005)
Capital: Vinh Long Town
Districts: Long Ho, Mang Thit, Binh Minh, Tam Binh, Tra On, Vung Liem.
Ethnic groups: Viet (Kinh), Khmer, Hoa, Gia Rai.

How to get there

Vinh Long is 70km from Mytho, 34km from Can Tho and 136km from Ho Chi Minh City. The inter-province bus station is 5km from the centre of Vinh Long. There are buses between Vinh Long and Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho, Mytho, Long Xuyen, Sa Dec, Rach Gia, and other Mekong Delta destinations. National Highway No.1A and No.53 also runs through the province.

Geography

Situated between the Tien and the Hau rivers, Vinh Long Province is bounded by Tien Giang Province on the north, Dong Thap Province on the north-west, Tra Vinh Province on the south-east, Hau Giang and Soc Trang provinces on the south, and Can Tho City on the south-west.

The terrain is quite flat. The complex network of rivers and canals make convenient transportation. The soil is rich in alluvium, favorable for rice and various fruit cultivation.
The dry season lasts from December to April, the rainy season last from May to November. The annual average temperature is 27ºC. Average rainfall is from 1,300mm to 1,500mm.

Tourism

Silt from Tien and Hau rivers has raised the level of the field. The majority of inhabitants live on farming, fruit planting and cattle rising.
Coming to there, visitors have chance to walk among the trees, relax in hammocks, try all kinds of delicious tropical fruits in the gardens of An Binh and Binh Hoa Phuoc islands. Several popular places are Mr. Sau Giao's Flower Garden, Mr. Muoi Day's Stilt-House, and Mr. Hai Hoang's Old House.
Vinh Long has many pagodas, communal houses such as Van Thanh Temple, Long Thanh Communal House, Tinh Xa Ngoc Vien, Phuoc Hau, Tien Chau, Saghamangala pagodas...

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Vinh Long Map

Can tho City

Area:1,390 sq. kmPopulation:1,135,200 habitants (2005).
Administrative divisions:
- Districts: Ninh Kieu, Binh Thuy, Cai Rang, O Mon
- Rural districts: Phong Dien, Co Do, Thot Not, Vinh Thanh.
Ethnic groups: Viet (Kinh), Khmer, Hoa, Cham...

How to get there

Cantho is 34km from Vinh Long, 62km from Long Xuyen, 63km from Soc Trang, 104km from Mytho, 116km from Rach Gia, 117km from Chau Doc, 169km from Ho Chi Minh City and 179km from Camau.

Road: Cantho has National Highway No.1A, 91, 80 linking to An Giang, Kien Giang provinces.
Waterway: Cantho has Cai Cui international seaport. The city is the centre of waterway network of Mekong Delta. There are daily hydrofoils between Ho Chi Minh City and Cantho City.
Airline: There is Tra Noc Airport.

Geography

Cantho City is located in the center of the Mekong Delta. It is contiguous to 5 provinces: An Giang on the north, Dong Thap on the north-east, Hau Giang on the south, Kien Giang on the west, and Vinh Long on the east. Cantho has a complex of rivers and canals such as Hau, and Can Tho rivers, Thot Not, O Mon canals. Among them, the Hau Riveris considered a benefactor of this region, since yearly floods deposit large quantities of alluvia to the rice fields. Thank to that Cantho becomes "the green lungs of the Mekong Delta".The climate is harmonized with few of storms. It is hot, humid all year. Rainy season lasts from May to November, and dry season lasts from December to April. The annual average temperature is 27ºC.

Tourism

Cantho is over its 200 years as the main town, once known as Tay Do and now one city of Vietnam. All of economic, culture activities closely relate to river and canals which like the 'street'. Cantho has simple, poetic beauty with well-off villages under shade of coconut trees.It is wonderful to take a boat trip along the riverbanks on fine weather days. On the east bank of Hau River is Ninh Kieu Wharf, which is well known for its beautiful location. Other interesting places are Bang Lang Stock Sanctuary, Cantho and My Khanh Tourist gardens and Cantho Market.

Can Tho Map

Long Xuyen

As the capital of An Giang province, Long Xuyen plays a very important role in the commerce of this region. Many of the produce grown in the vicinity are shipped here before being transported elsewhere. With a population over 100,000 people, it has a significant number of catholics as the city boasts the largest Catholic church in the region, seating up to 1000 people.
Long Xuyen is a big town with slow pace living. Unlike its motorized cousin in Can Tho, "Xe Loi" here is pulled by bicycle. 40 km from Long Xuyen is the hilly area of Ba The where the ruins of the Oc Eo civilization dating back to the first century A.D. were discovered. The Oc Eo civilization reached its height in the 5th century and was part of the foundation of the Phu Nam (Funam) kingdom.

Sa Dec

Sa Dec used to be the capital of Dong Thap province, formerly inhabited by the ancient Phu Nam Kingdom and later the Chan Lap (Tchen La) civilization. In the 1700s, the area was exchanged with the Vietnamese for military aid. Since then many Vietnamese have settled in this area and effectively annexed this whole area. The Chan Lap were subsequently wiped out and assimilated by the Vietnamese and today the population consists mostly people of Chinese, Khmer, Cham and Thai origin.
Sa Dec has become less and less prosperous ever since Cao Lanh was named capital of the province to reward communist cadres from the area after the war ended. New constructions and developments are now occuring in Cao Lanh, the commercial hub of the region.

Chau Doc

Chau Doc is the last town in Vietnam before entering Cambodia. The town is located on the right bank of Hau Giang, 5 km away from Sam mountain, the highest point on the Delta. This mountain gets the name from its shape of a king crab, which is "sam" in vietnamese. It is a sacred mountain for many locals since it is dotted with pagodas and temples. Chau Doc is very famous for "ma('m", a type of fermented fish used regularly as food ingredients or garnishes.With a population of 85,000, Chau Doc is a bustling city with heavy trade of illegal goods crossing the cambodian border. From smugglers on bicycle carrying cartons of cigarettes on their back to boats loaded with VCR and TV sets to new cars originating from Thailand, it seems like anything is fair game in the wild west of Vietnam.

Soc Trang

Area: 3,223.3 sq. km
Population: 1,272,200 habitants (2005)
Capital: Soc Trang City
Districts: Ke Sach, My Tu, My Xuyen, Thanh Tri, Long Phu, Vinh Chau, Cu Lao Dung, Nga Nam.
Ethnic groups: Viet (Kinh), Khmer, Cham, Hoa...

How to get there:
Soc Trang is 231km from Ho Chi Minh City, 60km from Can Tho. National Highways No.1A links the province and Can Tho, Bac Lieu.

Geography

Situated in Mekong Delta, Soc Trang is surrounded by Tra Vinh, Vinh Long, Hau Giang, Bac Lieu and East Sea. There are 72km seaside, two river mouths and 30,000ha alluvia ground.

Influenced by oceanic weather, the province has two seasons: the rainy season lasts from May to November and dry season lasts from December to April next year. Annual average temperature is 27ºC. Annual rainfall is 1,840mm

Soc Trang Map

Tourism:

Soc Trang is covered by vast rice paddies, shrimp lagoons, luxuriant fruit gardens like longan, rambutan, durian, and orange.
Viet (Kinh), Khmer, Hoa ethnic groups live together here. The province has 89 pagodas of Khmer group, 47 pagodas of Hoa people. Ma Toc (Bat), Khleang, Chruitim Chas, Chen Kieu, and Buu Son Tu (Set) are famous pagodas.
Coming to there, tourists like to taste tropical fruit in My Phuoc River Islet, or join many recreation and entertainment activities in Binh An Tourist Resort. Chol Chnam Thmay, Oc Om Boc festivals, Ngo Boat Race also attract many visitors.

Main attraction to visit:

Dat Set Pagoda
Location: Dat Set Pagoda (Buu Son Tu) is located on Luong Dinh Cua St., Soc Trang Town, Soc Trang Province.
Characteristics: This pagoda is visited by many local and foreign tourists who come to burn incense and to see the display of precious clay items, such as the thousand Buddha statues and the four sacred animals (dragon, unicorn, turtle, and phoenix).

Doi Pagoda

Location: Doi Pagoda is located on Le Hong Phong St., 2km from downtown Soc Trang, Soc Trang Province.
Characteristics: The pagoda is famous for its beautiful architecture, especially its very large roof that houses tens of thousands of bats.

Doi Pagoda (Bat Pagoda) also called Ma Toc Pagoda, or Mahatuc Pagoda was built during the 16th century, and it has been renovated several times since. The pagoda is famous for its beautiful architecture, especially its very large roof that houses tens of thousands of bats. They cling to tree branches all day, fly away at night to seek food, and return the following morning. The bats never eat the fruit in the garden.
An ancient Buddha statue and a number of Buddhist books written on sugar palm leaves can be admired there.

Tan Long Stork Sanctuary
Location: The sanctuary lies at Long Binh Commune, Nga Nam District, Soc Trang Province; 17km from Phu Loc Town.
Characteristics: Over the past 20 years, this sanctuary has been home to thousands of storks. It has been recognized as one of the green tourist attractions.
Binh An Tourist Resort
Location: Binh An Tourist Resort is situated at No. 71, Ward 2, Soc Trang Town, Soc Trang Province; by the Highway No. 1A.
Characteristics: This resort resembles Dam Sen Cultural Park in Ho Chi Minh City, but in a smaller scale.

The crucial information for Travelers!

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