Why Go?
The Mekong Delta, which is the ‘rice bowl’ of Vietnam, is a landscape carpeted in a dizzying diversity of greens and slashed with mighty waterways. There is a water world at which restaurants, boats, houses and many markets float on the innumerable rivers, canals and streams that flow through the region like arteries. At times visitors can quite simply lose sight of land.
The area is not only riparian but also deeply rural, but it’s also one of Vietnam’s most densely populated regions, with around each hectare intensively farmed. Travellers can dwell on southern charm in little-visited riverside cities, sample fruits which are traded in the amazing floating markets, or feast on home-cooked delicacies before travellers overnight as a homestay guest. Mangrove forests, sacred Khmer pagodas and off-the-beaten-track attractions round out the picture.
People who seek tropical hideaways can come ashore on Phu Quoc, a divine forested island fringed with white-sand beaches and crisscrossed with empty dirt roads that simply beg for motorbike exploration.
When to Go
Nov When the dry season begins, with Khmer longboat festivals in Tra Vinh and Soc Trang.
Jan While they shiver up north, Phu Quoc’s beaches are temperate and dry.
Mar A March visit avoids the Tet madness, and the summer heat and rain./.
Tours:
Mekong Delta tour 1 day price $12
Mekong Delta tour 2 days price $24
Mekong Delta tour 3 days price $69
Off the Beaten Track
» Phu Quoc National Park
» Bang Lang
» Xeo Quyt Forest
Best Places to Stay
» Nam Bo Boutique Hotel
» La Veranda
» Xoai Hotel
» Bamboo Cottages
» Victoria Chau Doc Hotel