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After experiencing family hardship, Anh Tuc decided to dedicate the years 2023 and 2024 to self-discovery and finding joy in life again. Each year, she spends a month conquering the majestic mountain roads of Northern Vietnam or embarking on a cross-country backpacking trip. Her recent trip to the Mekong Delta was her second adventure after a spectacular 14-day trip to Ha Giang.
This recent trip to the Mekong Delta was Anh Tuc's second adventure after conquering Ha Giang in 14 spectacular days.
The essentials for a youthful journey.
Anh Tuc's boyfriend is a seasoned "adventure traveler" with three successful cross-Vietnam trips and countless majestic mountain peaks. He is the one who leads their adventure. Her role is to find attractive destinations along the route, record necessary information, and create a detailed plan for the trip.
Unlike most people who use TikTok or Facebook, Anh Tuc chooses Google and YouTube as her reliable companions for her exploration journey. Thanks to their vast knowledge base and countless authentic videos, she easily finds detailed information about tourist destinations, beautiful routes, delicious food, and exciting experiences along the Mekong Delta. From the information gathered, her boyfriend will create the perfect itinerary for the trip, ensuring safety, saving time, and satisfying their shared passion for exploration.
Anh Túc chose Google and YouTube as his reliable companions on his exploration journey.
Tourist attractions, beautiful roads, delicious food, and exciting experiences along the Western Vietnam route.
The perfect itinerary for your trip, ensuring safety, saving time, and satisfying your passion for exploration.
With its relatively flat terrain, few steep slopes, and economical fuel costs, Anh Tuc's chosen "steed" for this exploration trip in the Mekong Delta is her familiar Vision scooter. To ensure safety and a comfortable ride, she added a luggage rack with a backrest and thoroughly inspected and maintained the scooter before departure.
Understanding her love for backpacking and traveling, Anh Tuc makes the most of the clothes she already has in her wardrobe. Instead of buying many new clothes just to wear once, she only added three new outfits: one traditional Vietnamese blouse, one feminine dress, and one Buddhist robe to suit visiting beautiful temples in the Mekong Delta.
With long periods of outdoor travel, Anh Tuc prioritized choosing 7 long-sleeved outfits that could be mixed and matched to create interesting and engaging photos. The sweat-wicking cotton material was also an important factor she considered, suitable for the rainy weather and traveling in the Mekong Delta at this time of year.
Beautiful temples in the Western region
Anh Tuc's journey through the Mekong Delta brought her many interesting experiences and valuable lessons. Careful preparation regarding transportation, clothing, and necessary items played a crucial role in ensuring her safety, comfort, and allowing her to fully enjoy the trip. However, sometimes unexpected and exciting experiences come from unforeseen circumstances, such as the story of getting lost in the Nam Cat Tien forest, a place she will never forget – a place that money can't buy.
“When I stood here taking this picture, I never imagined that what followed would be an extremely terrifying stretch of road. Half the wheels were stuck in the mud, and to continue, we had to lift the entire wheel by hand, either pulling or pushing; all around us was dense forest and acacia trees; we had no food; my phone was almost out of battery, the power bank was broken, and the signal was intermittent; we didn't know what lay ahead or how far we were from any populated area, and turning back would mean crossing a series of muddy swamps we had already passed and gone too far. And especially, this area is prone to wildlife, specifically elephants,” Anh Túc recalled.
The story of getting lost in the Nam Cat Tien forest, a place "money can't buy," is something Anh Tuc will never forget.
12 days exploring the Mekong Delta.
Anh Tuc's 12-day journey, covering over 1,900 km, took her to sun-drenched roads and famous landmarks in the Southwestern region of Vietnam. Starting from the beautiful coastal city of Nha Trang, she traveled to the dreamy city of Da Lat, the vibrant Saigon, the peaceful Long An, the prosperous Dong Thap, the sacred An Giang, the poetic Kien Giang, the pristine Ca Mau, the rustic Bac Lieu, the tranquil Soc Trang, the dazzling Can Tho, the gentle Vinh Long, the fruit-laden Tien Giang, and finally returned to Nha Trang, a place full of cherished memories.
Anh Tuc's 12-day journey, covering over 1,900 km, took him along sun-drenched, windswept roads and to famous landmarks in the Southwestern region of Vietnam.
In a conversation with a Travellive reporter, Anh Tuc candidly shared that the most impressive destination on his journey exploring the Mekong Delta was Ta Pa in An Giang. "It's so beautiful!" - that was the first thing Anh Tuc exclaimed when he arrived in Tri Ton and gazed upon the breathtaking scenery of Ta Pa, the "valley of love."
Before Anh Tuc's eyes was a serene and peaceful picture of the Vietnamese countryside. Vast, lush green rice paddies stretched as far as the eye could see, rustling softly in the breeze. Rows of poetic coconut trees dotted the landscape, while towering palm trees stood majestically against the blue sky. A cow grazed peacefully on the bank, seemingly unconcerned by the captivated city tourists.
Ta Pa Valley of Heartbreak
As evening approached, the air became cool and pleasant. Local people leisurely cycled for exercise along the road bordering the rice fields, their laughter and chatter echoing throughout. Children frolicked and chased each other along the dike. All of this created a simple, rustic scene, yet one that was incredibly captivating.
The scenery of Ta Pa seemed to have stepped right out of Anh Tuc's imagination. It was peaceful, gentle, and serene, yet it left a lasting impression on her. This place evoked indescribable emotions in her, subtle feelings about the beauty of nature and the people of Vietnam.
A peaceful and tranquil natural landscape of the Vietnamese countryside.
Unlike her previous trip, this time Anh Tuc decided to "break the rule" with a more budget-friendly plan, focusing on experience and comfort. Instead of choosing luxurious homestays costing over 1.5 million VND/night like in Ha Giang, this time she opted for budget homestays, hotels, and guesthouses priced under 300,000 VND/night. The main reason was that she only used the room for sleeping and resting during the day before continuing her journey.
Initially, Anh Tuc estimated the cost for two people at around 1 million VND per day, including all expenses. However, on some days she spent quite lavishly on meals, up to 1.5 million VND per meal, on specialties like Ca Mau crab, mantis shrimp full of roe, and mudskipper fish... Conversely, on other days she ate more simply to balance the budget. Overall, the total cost for food over the 12 days was approximately 15 million VND.
Anh Túc decided to "break the rules" with a more frugal plan, focusing on experience and comfort.
As a food enthusiast, Anh Tuc doesn't hesitate to spend money on delicious and unique dishes. In every place she visits, she tries to sample local specialties, making culinary experiences an important part of her journey exploring the Mekong Delta. Some of the signature Mekong Delta dishes that particularly impressed her include roasted field mouse, fish sauce hotpot and noodle soup, Long Xuyen broken rice, spicy rice noodles, mudskipper fish, Can Tho savory pancake, spicy beef noodle soup, Ta Pa salad and fertilized duck eggs with tamarind/salt sauce, pork skin sandwich, and Da Hoai duck noodle soup with bamboo shoots…
“I don’t expect TikTok reviews to be more than 65%. Instead, check reviews on Google Maps because backpackers tend to write reviews there more often. Also, be sure to ask hotel receptionists, grocery store owners, and locals. Usually, places frequented by truck drivers, truck drivers, and locals are about 80% likely to be good. The flavors of the Mekong Delta region are quite compatible with Central Vietnam, being a sweet and savory blend,” Anh Túc explained.
As a true food enthusiast, Anh Túc doesn't hesitate to spend money on delicious and unique dishes.
