The Mekong Delta Må Tho

Just a short bus ride away from H· Chí Minh City, MÅ Tho serves as the traveler’s gateway to the Mekong Delta. Don’t be fooled by the fact that it’s a provincial capital—you can cover the entire town by foot in about an hour. Its attractions are mostly found in and along the Tiˆn River, but travelers may also enjoy the peaceful riverside and busy market area.

Transportation And Orientation. Most buses arrive at Tiˆn Giang Station, 42 Âp B c (☎855 404), about 3km northwest of the city center. Buses go to HCMC (1hr.; every 30min. 5am-5pm; 19,000) and MÅ ThuÆn (2hr.; every hr. 5-8am; 18,000). The small city center is laid out in a simple grid pattern. The town is bordered to the south by the Tiˆn River, and the B=o ¢nh Channel snakes its way roughly south through the town, eventually emptying into the Tiˆn. Nam KÇ Khi Nghæa, a north-south thoroughfare, intersects with Âp B c and runs to the river. Along the main waterfront is ™ng 30/4, which runs east-west and ends at the mouth of channel (marked by a statue). Tr™ng Tr c runs along the channel, parallel to Nam KÇ Khi Nghæa. A large indoor market is located at the corner of Lˆ ai Hành, which connects Nam KÇ Khi Nghæa and Tr™ng Tr c at their centers, and Lˆ Li, which is two blocks inland from Tr™ng Tr c. In the surrounding streets, between the two bridges over B=o ¢nh Channel, is an outdoor market.

Practical Information. Tiˆn Giang Tourist Office, 8 ™ng 30/4, provides free, handy maps of MÅ Tho. (☎873 184; www.tiengiangtourist.com. Open daily 7am-5pm.) There is an ATM at 33 Nam KÇ Khi Nghæa and a bank at 31 Lˆ Li. (Currency exchange, MC/V cash advances, and Western Union. Open daily 7:15-11:15am and 1:30-4:30pm.) The hospital (along with a pharmacy) is located at 4 Th© Koa Huñn. (☎872 363. 24hr. emergency service.) Internet access is available at 80 Nam KÇ Khi Nghæa. (☎883 993. Open daily 7am-10pm.) The main post office, 59 ™ng 30/4, offers fax and phone services. (☎873 214. Open daily 6am-9pm.)

Accommodations And Food. The few tourist hotels in town are located along the Tiˆn River and B=o ¢nh Channel. At H™£ng D™£ng 1, 33 Tr™ng Tr c, the rooms range from very basic (no A/C or hot water) to fully equipped with excellent views—all at the same price. (☎872 011. Rooms 90,000.) S®ng Ti]n 3, 101 Tr™ng Tr c, features neat and clean rooms, an elevator, and excellent views from the shared balconies on its upper floors. (☎872 009. Rooms 160,000.) C®ng oàn 1, 61 ™ng 30/4, next to the post office, has spacious rooms, some with terraces overlooking the waterfront. It’s a great deal when you split the cost. (☎874 324; congdoantourist@hcm.vnn.vn. Doubles 90,000-150,000.) Ch™£ng D™£ng 4, 10 ™ng 30/4, is a colonial-style building set right on the waterfront, with regal furnishings and nicely manicured grounds. (☎870 875. Rooms US$25-35.)

When it comes to food, Sáu B=o 1, 1 L• C®ng U>n, makes fantastic  bánh xeò, a southern specialty—crispy shrimp-and-pork pancakes (13,000). Don’t knock ‘em until you’ve tried ‘em. Be sure to wrap them in the lettuce leaves provided and dip them in fish sauce. (☎879 835. Open daily 4-9pm.) MÅ Tho’s famous noodle soup breakfast, h© ti\u MÅ Tho, is cooked up all over town. Many restaurants and food stalls serve the dish in the mornings, but H© Ti\u 24 1, 24 Nam KÇ Khi Nghæa, specializes in it. (Soup 4000. Open daily 6am-noon.) Thuñn Ki]u 1, 47 Nam KÇ Khi Nghæa, is popular with locals and serves up fresh and flavorful rice dishes. (☎877 116. Most meals under 20,000. Open daily 7am-9pm.)

Sights And Entertainment. Most of MÅ Tho’s sights are on islands in the Tiˆn River. The Tiˆn Giang Joint Stock Tourist Company has a virtual monopoly on boat tours (2-3hr. US$20-25; 3-4hr. US$30-35). However, many boat operators approach tourists along the waterfront and offer “unofficial” (read: illegal) tours at much cheaper rates (US$2-4 per hour). Tourists say these tours are much more catered to the individual. Due to their illegality, the boat operator may have passengers board somewhere else. Most tours cover the same sights: boats drift through gorgeous canals lined with coconut palms to  candy workshops, where visitors can watch delicious toffee-like candy being made and sample a range of flavors. Other stops include honeybee farms, fruit orchards, and islands, such as Tr™ng Tr c, rich with exotic plants and butterflies, and Phoenix Island, home to the Temple of the Coconut Monk (5000). As the local hype would suggest, this island is a tourist trap of mediocre restaurants and souvenirs; skip it for the other sights. Also beware that some drivers might have deals with the island restaurants where they stop. You can bargain down the menu prices, or take your own lunch with you. If you do eat out, try the elephant-eared fish, a Mekong speciality (50,000-90,000). Evening is a great time to tour the river, when fireflies flood the trees.

Across Nguy[n Trãi Bridge from the city center stands Vænh Tràng Pagoda, an active temple with impressive gates ornamented in porcelain mosaic. It’s a bit of a walk, so unless you’re a pagoda enthusiast, you’ll probably want to skip this one. (Once across the bridge, walk to Nguy[n Trung Trc; turn left, and the entrance is 200m down the road on your right. Open daily 7am-5pm.)

There isn’t really a nightlife scene in MÅ Tho. Young people and couples tend to congregate on the waterfront in Th© Khao Huñn Park, where the main activity is watching fireflies on the river. There are also a number of cafes on Nam KÇ Khi Nghæa that pump out tunes in the evenings.