Ho Chi Minh City – Sai Gon

Ho Chi Minh City is the main junction for trains, roads, water, and air transportation systems for domestic trips and for foreign destination.
Under the French, Ho Chi Minh City was called the "Pearl of the Orient". Ho Chi Minh City is the biggest city in Vietnam with hundreds of rivers and canals. With 300 years of foundation and development, Ho Chi Minh City has witnessed the construction of numerous ancient buildings. In the general view, one of the cultural characteristics of 300 years of historic Saigon - Gia Dinh is the combination of the 3 cultural sources: Vietnamese, Chinese and European, which have made its urban structural architecture.

Tourism

By land: 1700Km from Hanoi capital passing many main destination from North to south: Hoa Lu citadel 100km, Tam Coc –Bich Dong grotto 120km, Vinh city 300km, Dong Hoi –Phong Nha grotto 500km, DMZ 550km++, Hue Citadel 680km, Danang city 790km, Nha Trang beach 1.350km and Saigon city 1700km.

Roads: Ho Chi Minh City is 1,730km from Hanoi, 99km from Tay Ninh, 30km from Bien Hoa (Dong Nai), 70km from My Tho, 125km from Vung Tau, 168km from Can Tho, 308km from Dalat, and 375km from Buon Ma Thuot. The City has National Highway 13 which connects Vietnam with the rest of Indochina.

Mien Dong Bus Station: 292 Dinh Bo Linh St., BInh Thanh Dist., Tel: 8984893 Buses leave for Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc , Dong Nai, Dalat, Phan Thiet and other province. Mien Tay Bus Station: 137 Hung Vuong Blvd., Binh Chanh Dist., Tel: 8776593 On the western edge of the city, where several buses a day leave for all the major towns of the Mekong Delta, except Ha Tien.

- Air: Tan Son Nhat International Airport, 7km from center of city, is the biggest airport with many domestic and international routes. There are flights from Hanoi and Danang to Ho Chi Minh City and between the City to many regions as well a lot of countries on over the world.

Tan Son Nhat airport: Domestic connections with Buon Me Thuot, Dalat, Hue, Hanoi, Hai Phong, Danang, Nha Trang, Phu Quoc, Pleiku, Qui Nhon, Rach Gia and Vinh. There are taxis to the city centre.

From/to Hanoi; From/to Danang; From/to Hue; From/to Nha trang; From/to Dien Bien phu; From/to Hai Phong;

The international teminal, flight from/to main destination in Vietnam

see more details at www.vietnamairlines.com

By train: full informaiton at http://www.vr.com.vn/

Saigon Railway Station 1 Nguyen Thong St., Dist. 3, Tel: 8443952 The express train takes 32 and 41 hours to reach Hanoi.

By boat:

Passenger and freight ferries to the Mekong Delta depart from the dock at Ham Nghi Blvd. There is daily service to AN Giang, Vinh Long, Ben Tre, My Tho, etc. The hydrofoil leaves Saigon to Vung Tau at 6.30 am, 8.30am, 10.30am and 12.30am. Return departure are at 6.30 am, 8.30am, 10.30am and 12.30am. The ticket booking office at 6A Nguyen Tat Thanh St., Tel: 8297892.

From Saigon to Melkong delta: 70km to My Tho, 140km to Vinh Long, 170km to Can Tho town, 230km to Soc Trang, 245Km to Chau Doc, the boder pass by boat to Phnom Penh.

Visits: War Remnants Museum, Thien Hau pagoda, China town, historical museum, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Municipal Post Office....

Boat trip on Saigon river, 60km extension to Cu Chi tunnels, 120Km to Tay Ninh, border pass to Cambodia.

Mekong Region

My tho, Vinh Long, Can Tho, Chau Doc, Ben Tre, Soc Trang

Activities: Boat trip cruise on Melkong delta, homestay, floating market, Thoi Son island, special fish on the island.

The Mekong Delta is divided into 9 provinces: Long An, Tien Giang, Ben Tre, Dong Thap, An Giang, Vinh Long, Kien Giang, Hau Giang and Minh Hai. The people in this region are made up of Vietnamese and some people of Khmer, Chinese and Cham origin. This accounts for the variety of religions that add to the cultural diversity of this area. Among the religions practiced here are: Buddhism, Catholicism, Cao Dai, Hoa Hao and Islam.

he people of south Vietnam are often very proud of the richness and vastness of this land. When referring to the rice fields in this area, they often say, "co bay thang canh", meaning the land is so large that the cranes can stretch their wings as they fly. Today, the region is one of Vietnam's highest producer of rice crops, vegetables and fruits.

Vinh Long Town

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.

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...

Can Tho City

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.

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.

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.

Visit the webite for more information and pictures about the Se Dec:

http://www.vietscape.com/travel/mekong/cities1.html

Chau Doc – Border pass with Cambodia

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

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.

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.

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.

The crucial information for Travelers!