The Mekong Delta Nm Cn

Nm Cn is the last real outpost in southern Vietnam before the land becomes completely claimed by mangrove swampland and merges with the sea. It is rare for the people in this fishing town to ever see tourists; you will be as much an attraction to them as their town is to you. Be sure to take along a good phrasebook, as there is no English spoken here—this is the real Vietnam, after all.

Nm Cn requires exploration. The riverside market is a seemingly unending stretch of vendors, with boats docking at the back side of the market, continually bringing in and taking out goods. Local boat operators will take you on a river tour for 20,000-30,000 per hr.; soon after departing town, you’ll find yourself in twisting, tree-lined passageways. Back on land, a left turn off Kh Vuc 2, after the market but just before a bridge, leads to the liberation monument, a red sailboat with a hammer and sickle adorning the main mast. The monument faces south, and the man leading the ship has his fist thrust upward celebrating the reunification of Vietnam. Farther south along Kh Vuc 2, after crossing the bridge, the road leads through a small karaoke district to a government air base. Let’s Go does not recommend trespassing on Vietnamese military property, though the gates remain open and some travelers report that looking around the area is tolerated. There is a modern-day airstrip inside, as well as a friendly, English-speaking guard.

Nm Cn has little in the way of lodging, but if you must stay, try Khách Sån 2, in the alleyway between the market and Kh Vuc 1. Its rooms are clean and reasonably comfortable. (☎877 235. Rooms 100,000-150,000.) In terms of food, there are several cafes with elegant outdoor seating on the main street. Among them, Cafe Anh ao 1 (☎877 226) has friendly service and tasty Vietnamese dishes (8000-12,000). Farther down the road, Pho Nui 1 (☎247 472), across from the cell phone tower, has a funky wooden lodge-like interior and casual atmosphere for light drinks. (Coffee 4000-5000; other drinks 7000-9000). For the cheapest eats in town, head to the town market, which opens onto Kh Vuc 2.

Hire a motorbike to get to Nm Cn from Cà Mau. The ride should take 2hr. and cost 60,000 each way. A ferry crossing midway through the trip costs another 2500. The trip south is an unrelenting show of rice fields and rivers, showing the incredible breadth of the Mekong’s bread basket. The town itself has only two main roads and a few alleyways. Kh Vuc 1 leads in from the highway and becomes the main thoroughfare. It runs into Kh Vuc 2 (also called Hùng V™£ng), which runs parallel to the water. Agribank sits at the intersection of the two Khs, providing foreign exchange, MC/V cash advance, and Western Union wire transfers, but no ATM. (☎877 197; fax 878 061. Open daily 7-11am and 1-5pm.) Also across the street from the post office is Internet access at Cafe Tran Thanh. (3000 per hr. Open daily 8am-6pm.) The post office, which has phone and mail services, is across from Agribank. (☎878 995; fax 878 174. Open daily 6:30am-9pm.)