The poetic beauty of Chau Doc

Watching the sunset on Sam mountain

After a journey of about 6 hours by bus from Saigon, we finally arrived at our accommodation on Sam Mountain. This mountain is also known by many other names such as Vinh Te Son or Ngoc Lanh Son. Located 284 m above sea level, Sam Mountain is one of the famous tourist destinations in An Giang. There are up to 200 temples, pagodas, shrines, and shrines scattered from the foot of the mountain, the mountainside to the top. However, what I was looking forward to when coming here was to enjoy the beautiful sunset view.

Luckily, when we reached Sam Mountain, it was sunset time. We were able to breathe in the fresh air of the West and watch the spectacular sunset over the Mekong Delta.

The time I went was October so the rice fields below were all green, a fresh and pleasant green. The scenery was so beautiful but there were only a few tourists so I could take pictures and enjoy. The feeling of peace made me immediately forget the dust and hustle and bustle of Saigon. It can be said that the sunset in Chau Doc is one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen. Not only that, we arrived in Chau Doc on the occasion of the full moon so every night we could see the bright and poetic moonlight.

Explore the temple with deep caves

When it comes to spiritual tourism in Chau Doc, everyone says that we must definitely visit the famous and sacred Ba Chua Xu Temple at the foot of Sam Mountain. But with the main purpose of visiting the temple, we spent time going to Phuoc Dien Pagoda, also known as Hang Pagoda. The pagoda was originally a simple hermitage built around 1840 - 1850 by nun Le Thi Tho (1818 - 1899), dharma name Dieu Thien. After many expansions and restorations, Hang Pagoda became a scenic spot on Sam Mountain and was recognized as a National Historical Site in 1980.

To enter the temple, visitors must leave their shoes outside and walk barefoot the rest of the way (this is quite a long distance, including the outside yard and the cave). If you visit the whole temple, it will take about 2 hours. The scenery here is quiet with a unique and sophisticated architecture. The miniature landscapes in the outdoor space are as beautiful as fairyland, with many diverse photo angles. At the highest point of the temple, we can also admire the vast plains and enjoy the cool, refreshing breeze.

The most interesting part for me was exploring the space inside the cave of the temple. The cave is quite deep with many niches with statues, the feeling is extremely quiet and mysterious. For the first time, I visited a deep cave in the mountain with bare feet, directly contacting the sacred land brought indescribable emotions. This tour also did not have a tour guide. At first, I was a bit scared as if I was lost in a mysterious maze with no way out. However, if you listen carefully, you will hear the sound of flowing water. In the deep cave, water is a special signpost and just follow the direction of the water flow to find the way.

Poetic flood season in the cajuput forest

We chose to go to Chau Doc in October because we heard that the flood season is from September to November. Before leaving, I was a bit worried that this season would rain a lot, but luckily it usually rains in the late afternoon or at night, but the mornings are still sunny and nice to go out. Chau Doc is beautiful in every season, but the most unique is probably the flood season, when lush green duckweed covers the surface of the cajuput forest.

On our last day in Chau Doc, we were excited to visit Tra Su cajuput forest. We thought it would be crowded with tourists, but when we arrived, there was almost no one there. It turned out to be because it was a weekday. This made our experience in the cajuput forest even more relaxing and unforgettable.

The typical river scene of the West gradually appeared before our eyes, many sections of water fern covered the water surface, winding into many green patches that looked really artistic. The most impressive thing was when we went up to the Love wooden bridge, under the bridge were green water fern, above were rows of slender cajuput trees, truly a unique beautiful scene that can probably only be found here.

Lunch in the Melaleuca forest was also very delicious. We ordered honey-grilled chicken and steamed snakehead fish, fresh food, prepared in the rustic style of the West. Here, you will be able to sit and eat in wooden huts protruding from the water, creating a feeling of closeness to nature. Nearby, there is a bird observatory, but we heard that going early in the morning and late in the afternoon will give you a better view of the birds flying, so we skipped this experience. Before saying goodbye to the Melaleuca forest, we also enjoyed watching bougainvillea flowers in all colors and tried palm juice and canarium fruit. Tra Su Melaleuca Forest is a must-see tourist destination in Chau Doc with interesting experiences.

Unique Cham ethnic costumes

Although we did not visit the Cham village, we still happened to learn about this ethnic costume right in Tra Su cajuput forest through the stories of the Cham women working here. The special thing is that girls can rent Cham costumes to take photos for only 30,000 VND/set. The costume I rented was a very gorgeous pink-yellow brocade dress of Cham girls, with a hair veil because the Cham people follow Islam. Girls can also take photos with Ao Ba Ba in Tra Su cajuput forest, but here Ao Ba Ba is only sold, not rented. In my opinion, a Cham costume would be much more unique and outstanding.

During this trip to Chau Doc, we missed many other famous tourist destinations such as Cam Mountain, Ba Chua Xu Temple and Cham villages. If you love relaxing resort tourism, just three destinations: Sam Mountain, Hang Pagoda and Tra Su Melaleuca Forest can bring you a relaxing yet interesting vacation. The peaceful beauty of Chau Doc during the flood season has left a deep impression on me and made me extremely satisfied with this trip. No matter how much you research before the trip, Chau Doc will definitely bring you wonderful surprises, especially the genuine friendliness of the people here will make you want to come back.

More information

Move:You can go from Saigon to Chau Doc by bus or rent a private car. Chau Doc has motorbike rental service from hotels or by taxi.

Hotel:We chose Victoria Nui Sam Hotel, the price for a double room is about 1,400,000 VND/night. The hotel is located on the mountain so there are many stairs, so it is not advisable to bring oversized luggage and people with sore feet should consider.

Cuisine:Linh fish noodles, fish sauce hotpot, palm sugar, sesban flowers (a yellow flower that tastes a bit like morning glory), giang leaves, sticky rice, canarium fruit... are dishes that tourists should try.

Places to visit:Cam Mountain tourist area, Ba Chua Xu temple, Tay An pagoda, Thoai Ngoc Hau tomb, Da Phuoc Cham village and Chau Giang Cham village.

Other notes:Bring mosquito repellent, sleep under a mosquito net, and wear long clothes to prevent dengue fever. Although September to November is the rainy season, the sun is still strong, so bring sunscreen, a hat, or an umbrella.

Tran Dan Vy