When mentioning the West, almost everyone immediately thinks of a region full of rivers. But the West also has many famous tourist attractions, many delicious dishes, the people here are gentle and simple, talk cutely, making everyone who has been here not want to leave.
Bui Le Manh Hung (29 years old, Long An), currently an international student, shared his journey through 5 provinces in the West. The sharing of the son of the river delta helps us to understand more clearly about the destinations and people of this land.
An Giang is not only about spiritual tourism?
When it comes to An Giang tourism, people immediately think of the "roof of the West" - Cam Mountain, or Ba Chua Xu Temple at Sam Mountain. Besides visiting famous spiritual tourist destinations, you should try to explore the beautiful natural landscapes and lakes that few people know about in this land. According to Manh Hung, Co To Mountain is an area with many attractions that are worth visiting.
Co To Mountain (To Mountain) in An Giang.
Co To Mountain (Phnom-Kto, To Mountain, Phung Hoang Mountain) is located in That Son range, in Co To commune, Tri Ton district (An Giang). From this mountain, visitors can have a panoramic view of Tri Ton district or the land bordering Cambodia in An Giang, with many hills and rice fields of the Khmer people living here.
Also located in the Co To mountain area, O Thum lake was formed about ten years ago with the purpose of holding back water for agricultural production. The lake has a small area but is located against the mountainside, the water surface is calm and blue, creating an extremely poetic scene. If you come here in the rainy season, you will see the immense water overflowing the stone embankment, creating an extremely romantic scene.
Ta Pa Lake (Tri Ton, An Giang) has jade green water.
From O Thum Lake, visitors can stop by to visit Tuc Dup Hill before going to Ta Pa Lake. Ta Pa is considered a beautiful miniature "Tuyet Tinh Coc" in An Giang. It is the carelessness of human hands in the process of quarrying that has created a natural masterpiece. The unique, wild beauty and stunning scenery of this place will not disappoint you if you have the opportunity to visit.
Food in An Giang is greatly influenced by Cambodian cuisine, and Chau Doc fish noodle soup is no exception.
When traveling in An Giang, you should try Chau Doc fish noodle soup - a famous dish with a sweet broth and the aroma of wormwood combined with the golden fish pieces with the characteristic fresh turmeric color. In addition, the Linh fish hotpot with wild water mimosa is also worth trying if you visit An Giang during the flood season. This rustic dish with its unique color and flavor captivates the souls of diners from near and far.
When coming to Kien Giang, you must definitely go to the island!
Kien Giang owns many of the most beautiful and famous islands in Vietnam such as Phu Quoc Island, Nam Du archipelago or Hon Son. Therefore, when mentioning Kien Giang, everyone wants to set foot on these islands. However, do you know the beauty of the islands below?
From Chau Doc, you travel 90 km to reach Ha Tien city. Continue driving about 45 km more to reach Hon Chong complex, which is as beautiful as a landscape painting with a majestic limestone mountain system. When you arrive here, you can explore the trio of Phu Tu - Chua Hang - Bai Duong. Discovering the beautiful scenery of Hon Chong, you will be surprised by the peaceful, poetic and majestic scenery of this famous place in Kien Giang.
In Kien Giang there are many beautiful islands.
Coming to Kien Giang, don't forget to visit the Pirate Islands, which has 18 islands (16 floating islands, 2 submerged islands) of different sizes. True to its name, the "unique" Pirate Island is associated with many stories and mysteries related to pirates. In addition to discovering mysterious stories, visitors can also immerse themselves in the beautiful natural landscape with the green of mountains and forests and clear blue sea.
Located in the Pirate archipelago, Hon Tre Lon Island impresses visitors with its main beach - a peaceful, pristine space with clear blue water. You can participate in many experiential activities such as renting diving goggles to see coral, fishing for squid and fish at night, diving to catch clams, crabs, snails...
Hon Tre Lon impresses tourists.
The delicious dish Manh Hung tells you must try is the specialty fish noodle soup. If Chau Doc fish noodle soup is delicious with the taste of fermented beef sauce, then Kien Giang fish noodle soup is refreshing with broth cooked with fresh coconut. No turmeric powder, no peanuts, the fresh white fish noodle soup is accented with the red color of sweet shrimp, very appetizing. Kien Giang fish noodle soup is eaten with snakehead fish head, with fish fillet, sold in each bowl, blanched in each bowl, so the fish meat is both sweet and crunchy, very interesting.
Set foot on the southernmost point of the country - Ca Mau
From Rach Gia, you drive about three hours to reach Ca Mau city. About 50 km from the city center, Hon Da Bac - a beautiful island cluster consisting of three large and small islands located close together: Hon Ong Ngo, Hon Da Le and Hon Da Bac is worth stopping to enjoy. With its wild, majestic beauty and bold historical vestiges, this place has become a tourist destination attracting many visitors to the last land on the map of Vietnam.
According to many recorded documents, Hon Da Bac is about 180 million years old (Middle Jurassic - Mesozoic period).
After enjoying the beauty of Hon Da Bac, take the time to visit Ca Mau National Park (U Minh Ha) - the largest primeval mangrove forest in our country. Coming to the southernmost point of the country, you should not miss the experience of watching the sunrise at Ca Mau Cape. When the sun brings the warm sunlight of a new day covering the immense green of mangroves, of fish sauce, of sparkling alluvial land blending with the rippling blue color. At the end of the day, the sunset falls, bringing with it colorful clouds, making the scenery of Dat Mui more lyrical and romantic.
U Minh Ha National Park has a total area of 8,527.8 hectares.
When you set foot on the land, don't forget to enjoy grilled snakehead fish - a famous dish in Ca Mau with a delicious and unique flavor. The naturally sweet fish meat when dipped in salt and chili makes the dish more flavorful.
Grilled snakehead fish is usually rolled with wild vegetables, pineapple, cucumber, fresh vermicelli and dipped in sweet and sour fish sauce.
In addition, try enjoying Ca Mau crab - a dish associated with the land because of its high nutritional content, delicious flavor, natural sweetness, and firm meat. There are many different ways to prepare it such as fried crab with fat, stir-fried crab with ginger and onion; but most of all, steamed crab will leave an unforgettable impression with its original fresh taste.
Go to Bac Lieu to listen to traditional music
Leaving Ca Mau, it takes you about two hours to reach Bac Lieu city. About 10 km from the city center, Nam Hai Buddha is located on the sea dike and is a prominent destination that attracts many tourists. This architectural, cultural and spiritual work attracts tourists because of its height of 11 m, built facing the East Sea as if to bless and protect fishermen making a living at sea.
In Bac Lieu there is also the largest wind power field in Vietnam.
Next, visit the house of the Prince of Bac Lieu to hear about the life of the richest prince in the South at one time. The house was built in the French architectural style in 1919, with all materials brought from France. Currently, this house is known as the restaurant - hotel of the Prince of Bac Lieu.
Coming to the cradle of amateur music, don't forget to visit Cao Van Lau theater - the memorial place of the talented musician associated with the immortal vọng cổ song "Da co hoai lang". You can continue your journey to the orchard to visit the fruit trees, while enjoying the amateur music here.
Bac Lieu vermicelli with fish sauce.
When in Bac Lieu, you must definitely try Bun Mam - a delicious dish that looks simple at first glance but contains many complexities. The fish sauce is boiled until dissolved, then filtered to get the clear liquid, adding a little sugar, lemongrass and served with noodles. Later, to increase the flavor and richness of Bun Mam, people add pieces of fish, shrimp, squid and roast pork.
"Capital of the West" - Can Tho
Closing the journey of days of exploring the West with Can Tho province. Standing out among the attractions here, Truc Lam Phuong Nam Zen Monastery with pure Vietnamese architecture of the Ly - Tran dynasty will be especially suitable for those who are passionate about spiritual tourism. Looking from the roof of the three-entrance gate, you can see the architectural style of a boat with four clawed sword heads, red fish-shaped tiles and the unique pattern of two dragons facing the Dharma wheel.
Southern Truc Lam Zen Monastery.
Discovering Cai Rang Floating Market is an activity not to be missed when coming to Can Tho. This market, which used to be an important trading place of the Western provinces, will bring you unique experiences. Here, you can admire the poetic scenery of the floating market at dawn, sit on a boat and immerse yourself in the bustling trading atmosphere of the early morning and enjoy a bowl of vermicelli soup right on the boat.
In the past, the market used to be the largest rice purchasing place in the West for the Chinese. For those who love to explore and want to learn about the culture of the Southern river region, Cai Rang floating market in Can Tho is the most ideal destination.
In the afternoon, you can visit Binh Thuy ancient house (where the movie "Lover" was filmed) to admire the ancient architecture that has been preserved and conserved. You can visit "Pizza Hu Tieu 6 Hoai" to see the process of making Hu Tieu with its special name and preparation method and enjoy this unique dish.
9-day itinerary to explore 5 provinces in the West for backpackers, about 900km: Chau Doc - Ha Tien - Rach Gia - Ca Mau - Nam Can - Dat Mui - Ca Mau - Bac Lieu - Can Tho.
