How to travel to Chau Doc for your best experience
Perched on the southern bank of the confluence of the Chau Doc and Bassac rivers, about 250km from Ho Chi Minh City, Chau Doc is one of the Mekong Delta’s most interesting towns and it still feels off the main tourist trail. It’s one of the most ethnically diverse places in Vietnam with substantial Khmer, Cham and Chinese communities complementing the Vietnamese majority.
Chau Doc’s cultural diversity that apparents in the mosques, temples, churches and nearby pilgrimage sites making it a fascinating place to explore. Yet it still has a very local buzz, too. The market, one of the largest in the Mekong, is packed with delicious, exotic delta products. And the town, with a scenic riverside setting, serves as a base for exploring the surroundings either under your own steam by bicycle or scooter, or on a package tour around the Mekong Delta.
Perched on the southern bank of the confluence of the Chau Doc and Bassac rivers, about 250km from Ho Chi Minh City, Chau Doc is one of the Mekong Delta’s most interesting towns and it still feels off the main tourist trail. It’s one of the most ethnically diverse places in Vietnam with substantial Khmer, Cham and Chinese communities complementing the Vietnamese majority.
Chau Doc’s cultural diversity that apparents in the mosques, temples, churches and nearby pilgrimage sites making it a fascinating place to explore. Yet it still has a very local buzz, too. The market, one of the largest in the Mekong, is packed with delicious, exotic delta products. And the town, with a scenic riverside setting, serves as a base for exploring the surroundings either under your own steam by bicycle or scooter, or on a package tour around the Mekong Delta.
1. Chau Doc Floating Market
Chau Doc floating market is another famous market in the Mekong Delta (beside Cai Rang, Phong Dien floating markets in Can Tho), wherein most of the activities of trading take place. Merchants from different places in Vietnam carry goods (mostly fruits and aquatic products) to Chau Doc and sell them to the locals and tourists. It becomes busiest from 7-8 AM and this is a great chance to visit one of the key economic regions of the Mekong Delta and enjoy the exciting and bustling atmosphere here.
Head out early and hold off on breakfast. Floating noodle, coffee and fruit stalls are in abundance in the market serving the market sellers and visitors.
2. Chau Doc Fish Sauce Market
Chau Doc is also very famous in Vietnam for fish sauce. Therefore, Fish Sauce market should be one of the most worthy sites to visit once you travel to Chau Doc. It ensures an excellent spot for discovery and experience in the Mekong Delta. The market is in the head of Tien River and Hau River. There are many different kinds of fish sauce here with different flavors to try and taste. Don’t forget to discover this place.
3. Sam Mountain
Another famous tourist destination in Chau Doc is Sam Mountain – the highest mountain in Mekong Delta, located in the west of Chau Doc Town. This 230m high mountain is also one of the most beautiful landscapes in Vietnam with endless gold rice fields. On top of the mountain, you can have a really good view of the surrounding countryside and easily look out over Cambodia – a neighboring country of Vietnam. You can access the top of the mountain from the other side – the same road used to access the Victoria Nui Sam hotel.
The Victoria is passed half way up and is a good spot if you’d like a civilised drink while watching sunset. Otherwise, head up to the top passing another new pagoda, an old French era villa and an old fortress that is still in use.
For Vietnamese it’s also an important place of Buddhist pilgrimage. Three of the main pagodas, the destinations for pilgrims, are located on the northern side of the mountain. These see a steady flow of local visitors and become very crowded during lunar calendar events and Buddhist festivals like Tet.
4. Cham Community
The Cham is an ethnic minority in Vietnam and in neighboring Cambodia. Tourists can set out to explore one of the seven major Cham villages along the banks of the river. In Cham villages, tourists can feel the peacefulness because they are very quiet which
makes it an ideal place to escape from the hustle and bustle of cities. It’s a completely different feel here with mosques and Khmer style wooden houses more common than the Vietnamese style dwellings.
You should spend some time wandering the surroundings to admire the Khmer architecture, and see the Cham women are practicing the age-old art of weaving.
5. Tra Su Bird Sanctuary
Tra Su bird sanctuary is a surprisingly beautiful and serene spot around 25kms from Chau Doc. It is home to a rich array of birds and other wildlife that live among the canals and cajeput trees (tea trees) – all planted since the end of the Vietnam War.
This immense forest is 800,000-hectare width and the home to an astounding number of wading birds. To visit Tra Su Bird Sanctuary, visitors normally make a short speedboat ride along the narrow channels through the gnarled and green sunken forest. It is a really beautiful and perfect trip to touch nature.
6. Cave Pagoda
Cave pagoda is one of the highlights in Chau Doc. To visit this pagoda, travelers must climb over 400 stairs to Buddhist temple called Cave Pagoda on Sam Mountain. Founded in 1926 with the aim of commemorating Nguyen Huu Canh in the Nguyen Dynasty, he regained the territorial sovereignty for Vietnam. The structure contains colors of Chinese styles with funeral tables.
There is an easy full day of things to keep you amused in and around Chau Doc. Let see what you can discover during a day trip here.
AM: Visit Chau Doc floating market in early morning. Colorful with fruits and vegetables and busy with food vendors, the Chau Doc Market represents a slice of life in the Mekong Delta. Then head over to the Sam Mountain, one of Vietnam’s holiest sites. At 284 meters high, the views from the summit are truly stunning, taking in the town of Chau Doc below, the patchwork of paddy fields and the winding waterways that fan out towards Cambodia and the sea – a refreshing contrast to city life.
PM: Move to the stunning 850-hectare Tra Su Forest, an ecosystem of cajuput trees that line dusty dirt paths and a flooded mangrove forest that is a stunning backdrop for the paradisaic park’s plants and animals. The birds come home to roost as the sun begins its descent, filling the sky with wings of white and a cacophony of tweets and chirps. Magical.
If you are a vetaren backpacker, please feel free to manage the trip on your own and alter it when needed, else, we recommend you join a tour organized by a professional company, that can free you from hassles and keep you safe throughout the journey.
1. Chau Doc fish noodle soup (Bun ca Chau Doc)
Originated in Cambodia before people in the Mekong Delta tweaked it to fit their taste, this special dish has the main ingredients as snakehead fish, broth and noodles. The success of the dish lies in the broth that is made from fermented carp, shrimp paste and livestock bones. It also has a pale yellow color from crushed turmeric and fried fish is added to enhance its flavor.
The dish is served with a plate of roasted pork (heo quay) and sesban leaves from a plant that grows abundantly in the region and has a unique aromatic texture and subtle fatty taste.
2. Beef intestine sausage (Tung lo mo)
This is a regional dish of the Cham ethnic people living in Chau Doc. The Cham around Chau Doc, who practice a form of Islam, abstain from pork. So tung lo mo has become a staple beef dish during religious ceremonies, as visitors often see strings of sausages hung to dry up everywhere along the streets on the outskirts. Locals cut it into small slices and grill on a charcoal stove until it gives off a fragrance. When it is cooked, they chop it up into desirable sizes.
A bite into it sets off an explosion of tastes and flavors. There is the aroma and fattiness of the grilled beef and the slight sour, sweet, salty, and spicy tastes coming from the soy sauce, basil and pepper.
3. Fine rice vermicelli sheets with grilled pork (Banh hoi heo quay)
Banh hoi is similar to rice vermicelli and made from rice flour into very fine sheets. The dish is most delicious when it is soft and covered with a thin layer of oil to get rid of the raw flour flavor. Locals eat banh hoi with pieces of marinated and fragrant pork that are grilled over charcoal.
The dish is topped with fatty onion and crushed peanuts. Some stalls add spring rolls (cha gio) and fish cakes (cha ca) to the dish. Every element comes together when eaten
with sweet and sour fish sauce. It can be dipped into the sauce or the sauce can be added to the dish.
4. Fermented seafood (Mam)
Chau Doc is known as the capital of fermentation, or mam in Vietnamese, and locals use many spices to preserve various kinds of seafood. Vietnamese usually eat mam with rice. It tastes slightly sweet at first, but has a salty aftertaste.
Mam is so iconic here that even tourists buy it as a gift. The best place to find and try this dish is Chau Doc Market.
Generally, the weather in Chau Doc is quite pleasant all year round for travelers to visit because average temperatures vary very little. Yet like other provinces in the Mekong Delta, Chau Doc has a tropical monsoon climate, which results in two distinct seasons in a year: the rainy season and the sunny season.
In May, June, July, the temperature in Chau Doc is fairly higher than usual but it doesn’t interfere with the tourists. This may be the best time to visit Chau Doc.
In the rest of the year (from August to November), there is a lot of rain here which often leads to extensive floods. However, during this time, you can experience the life of locals in Chau Doc when traveling by small boats up the river.
It normally takes about 6 hours of traveling, and the most popular transportations that many visitors choose to take is the public bus. Bus from Ho Chi Minh to Chau Doc is daily, with a fare around $8. En route it has some stops in provinces of the Mekong Delta area, and the final stop is at Chau Doc railway station 91, Chau Phu B.
- Hue Nghi car: Departed at 4 Banh Van Tran, District 11.
- Phuong Trang Car: Departs at Western Bus Station, 395 An Duong Vuong, Binh Tan District.
- Hung Cuong car: Departs Pho Co Dieu, District 5.
On the other hand, some veteran travelers may consider motorbikes as an alternative. Motorbike is the adventure to see en route beauties of tropical gardens along Mekong Delta provinces. From the city center follow National Highway 1A through Long An, Tien Giang and then via My Thuan
Bridge to Vinh Long. Just past the bridge you will
see on the right is National Highway #30, go along this road through Dong Thap, Vam Cong ferries will get to Long Xuyen city. From here, go head another 50 km to reach Chau Doc.
Attractions
Tram Chim National Park
Just a hundred miles to the west of Ho Chi Minh City near the Cambian border you will find the Tram Chim National Park. The nearest city is Chau Doc, which whilst only about 30 miles as the crow flies, is also one hundred miles by road. This is due to the water crossings. The […]
