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Ultimate Guide for Traveling to Mekong Delta, Vietnam - Explore Real Asia
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Ultimate Guide for Traveling to Mekong Delta, Vietnam - Explore Real Asia
April 28, 2021
Favored by nature with river terrain factors and fruit orchards and rice fields straight, the West is always an ideal destination for visitors to immerse themselves in nature, after Busy working days in noisy cities.
The map of the Mekong Delta
The Mekong Delta is at the end of Vietnam, right under the southern central city Ho Chi Minh City. It is also known as the Western provinces. The full name should be the Southwest but is often referred to as the West. This area includes 12 provinces and 1 municipality: An Giang, Bac Lieu, Ben Tre, Ca Mau, Dong Thap, Hau Giang, Kien Giang, Long An, Soc Trang, Tien Giang, Tra Vinh, Vinh Long and Can Tho.
The Mekong River is the world's twelfth longest river and the seventh longest in Asia. Its estimated length is 4,350 km (2,703 mi). It drains an area of 795,000 km2 (307,000 sq mi), discharging 475 km3 (114 cu mi) of water annually. From the Tibetan Plateau the river runs through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Vietnamese call it “Song Cuu Long” which means “9 Dragons River” symbolizing the nine branches that it flows into the ocean. During thousands of years, this river has fed 60 millions of people on its way, enriched various regions and countries, fostered the culture diverse of Southeast Asia in general and Indochina in particular. There is no wonder why people call the river “Mother of Water”.
The West has a warm and sunny climate all year round, mild weather, so most visitors to visit every season are beautiful. Each season comes to the West with its own interest and uniqueness.
Usually in summer (around June, July, August) is the season of fruit ripening in the West, so if you like to explore the verdant orchards, you should go in the summer.
Between September and November is the season of floating water. Coming to the West this season you will see water flooded the whole field, everywhere is water. Although traveling to the West this season makes tourists not allowed to visit many places, there are also many fun activities.
From December to January, February of the solar calendar is the time close to Tet. Coming to the West on this occasion you can visit the famous flower villages such as Sa Dec, Tan Quy Dong, Vi Thanh …
For detailed information about best place to visit in Mekong Delta, please refer to our article about Interesting Attractions Cannot Miss When Traveling to The Mekong Delta
Traveling in the West, you can not only discover, admire or experience the beauty of nature and culture of the indigenous people, but you can also enjoy unique and attractive dishes only in the West.
Everyone in the West knows the Linh Bong fish, and visitors who have enjoyed this fish will be forever impressed by their unique taste. Whether processed in any way, it is delicious and attractive such as: deep-fried fish, fried fish with fish sauce, sugarcane warehouse, pineapple stew, and sour fish soup ... But the classic Linh Bong fish hotpot conquers the eaters right from the color, the faint aroma and the sour taste of the broth. Although there are many regions such as Dong Thap, Long An, An Giang, Can Tho are famous places for the classic crazy cotton hotpot.
Fish sauce hotpot is a dish that has been in Can Tho for a long time and is praised as the second best dish in the West of the river that visitors cannot ignore. The main ingredients are made from sauce or flexible fish sauce in Chau Doc - An Giang, hot pot broth is cooked from fish sauce with coconut water or pork bone broth.
The West with large fields suitable for growing hamsters and hamster meat is also a famous specialty in this river region. Just heard, almost everyone feels afraid, but when they have enjoyed the dish prepared from a hamster, many people complimented "great cat". This dish is quite famous in provinces such as Dong Thap, An Giang, Can Tho.
Grilled snakehead fish is a specialty of the people throughout the southwestern provinces. Processed food is not difficult when you just stick a fresh bamboo branch along the fish body and then plug the fish head upside down, then pile up the straw and burn it. Just add a little chili salt, garden vegetable chips, you can enjoy the delicious, rich flavor of this dish.
Soup noodle soup is a popular dish in the southwestern provinces and especially famous in Soc Trang. The decisive factor for the deliciousness of each bowl of vermicelli is thanks to the broth cooked with snakehead fish sauce, fish sauce or the fish sauce that has been carefully combed, clear and flavored.
Broth to have a strong flavor must have a little more fresh coconut water or vermicelli root. All the simple ingredients such as fish sauce, roasted pork, banana corn ... each bowl of vermicelli blends together to create a unique taste and conquer the taste of customers from four directions.
This is a popular dish in the West with different variations such as Chau Doc fish vermicelli, Kien Giang fish vermicelli, Soc Trang fish vermicelli, ... Unlike the central fish noodle dish made from sea fish, vermicelli Western fish is processed from round fat snakehead fish on the rivers and fields here. Although it is a simple dish, it contains a picture of harmony between color and taste.
Noodles (Hủ Tiếu)
One of the delicious dishes that many people love in the West is noodle soup. Tofu broth is clear, fragrant smells of grilled squid, dried shrimp, scent of scallions, ... Bones, pork rolls and tight young ribs are stewed softly. And the filaments of noodles are as small as those of a vermicelli that are moderately tough, not too chewy but not too friable. The most famous of them are My Tho and Sa Dec.
The festival is held from the night of April 23 to April 27 of the lunar calendar, this is a religious festival with bold cultural identity of the southwestern region, attracting a lot of Buddhists from all over the country. fortune and fortune.
The festival consists of two parts. The ceremony consists of 4 main ceremonies: the procession of the procession of four tablets from Thoai Ngoc Hau's mausoleum to Ba Temple, Tuc Yet festival, Xon Chau - Hat Boi ceremony, Chinh Te ceremony. The festival took place very excitingly, interwoven with the ceremony, cultural and folk arts activities performed such as lion dance, disc dance, dish dance ... attracted many visitors.
Bay Nui bull racing festival is a festival of the Khmer ethnic people usually held between August 29 and 1-9 of the lunar calendar (if the month is short, from August 29 to the 2nd of the 9th lunar month) . Bold folk cultural identity, the bull-drag racing festival is a unique feature of cultural and sports activities in the Bay Nui, An Giang region.
As a festival of the Khmer, Ok om bok festival means moon worshiping, giving thanks and praying for good crops. According to Khmer beliefs, the Moon is the god that governs the weather and crops of the year. This festival takes place every year around the middle of the 10th lunar month. Usually held at the pagoda yard of each squirrel phum in the two provinces of Tra Vinh and Soc Trang, where many ethnic Khmer live.
Chol Chnam Thmay (or Chaul Chnam Thmay) is a traditional Khmer New Year festival that usually takes place in mid-April and lasts for 3 days. At this time, people clean, decorate the house beautifully, prepare food, cakes, and children are often bought for new clothes. If you have traveled to Can Tho, Vinh Long, Tra Vinh, ... or other western provinces in April, you will also be able to join this traditional Tet holiday.
