Mekong Delta Vacations, Vietnam

As all deltas, it receives the bounty of the siltation 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 sceneries of farmers planting or harvesting rice.

The Mekong splits in Cambodia into two main rivers, the Bassac (Hậu Giang) and the First river (Tiền Giang), then in Vietnam into a more complex system, creating a maze of small canals, rivers and arroyos interspersed with villages and floating markets.

Life in the Mekong Delta revolves much around the river, and all the villages are often accessible by river rather than by road.

The high times of life in the Mekong delta are the lunar new year (Tet, or Tết), and the mid-automn festival (Tết trung thu), where children will set hundreds of candles on their way on the river on as many tiny skiffs.

The most renowned places in the Mekong delta are My Tho (Mỹ Tho) and Cai Be (Caí Bè) near Ho Chi Minh City, then, more to the heart of the region, Vinh Long (Vĩnh Long) and Can Tho (Cần Thơ), from where it is possible to reach the remotest confines of the delta, South towards the mangrove and the South China Sea, North towards Chau Doc (Châu Đốc) and Cambodia, or West towards the island of Phu Quoc (Phú Quốc).

More information on Mekong Delta travel at Wikitravel.org

Things To Do and See in Mekong Delta

Sam Mountain, Mekong Delta
Attraction type: Mountain; Historic walking area