The Mekong Delta Châu C

Most travelers in Chñu #c are just passing through on their way to or from Cambodia. However, those who choose to linger here will find that the alluring and diverse city has a lot to offer, including pilgrimage sites, floating homes, and one of the most attractive waterfronts in the Mekong. Chñu #c is an ideal escape from the inward-oriented Delta if you’re craving a slightly more cosmopolitan feel, or if you simply wish to laze by the river in the well-manicured park.

Transportation. Buses arrive at the station 2km southeast of the city center on Lˆ Li and go to: C<n Th£ (3hr.; 5, 6, 7am; 39,000); Hà Tiˆn (3hr.; 6, 9am, noon; 30,000); HCMC (6hr.; every hr. 4-9am; 85,000); Long Xuyˆn (1hr.; 6, 7am; 17,000); Råch Giá (4hr.; 7am; 40,000); Vænh Long (4hr.; 6am; 40,000). The Vænh X™¤ng border crossing is 40 km west of Chñu #c.

Orientation. The main road, Lˆ Li (which turns into Tr<n H™ng åo midway through town), runs along the HÆu River. The waterfront is dominated by the Victoria Hotel, a huge, yellow, colonial-style building. Beside the hotel is a lovely park with flower arrangements, vine-covered archways, and an impressive US$300,000 Bassac fish statue, symbolizing the main commerce of the city. At night, the walkways and fountains in the park light up. From the waterfront, Nguy[n Vn Thoåi runs through the city center toward Sam Mountain. Market stalls crowd the streets near the riverfront between Nguy[n Vn Thoåi and Båch }ng, and the indoor market is between Båch }ng and Chi Lng.

Practical Information. There is no tourist office in Chñu #c, since the one in Long Xuyˆn serves the whole province. Various tour agencies abound with cheap and efficient multi-country trips to Vietnam’s neighbors, including treks through Laos and Thailand and the ever-popular boat to Cambodia (2-3 days; US$30-40). Most boats bound for Phnom Penh, Cambodia, depart around 7am. (Fast boat 2hr., US$15; slow boat 4hr., US$7. See Border Crossing.)  Mékong Tours, 14 Nguy[n Hu C=nh (☎868 222; www.mekongvietnam.com), runs everything from half-day (US$6) and full-day (US$15) trips around Chñu #c to more extended excursions on the river (3-4 days, US$20-40). They also have a convenient sister office in Phnom Penh. Ask for the personable ƒc as your guide. (Open daily 7am-9pm.) Delta Adventure, 53 Lˆ Li, has an energetic and friendly staff that speaks excellent English and offers the same services, plus customizable trekking tours. (☎563 810; fax 563 811. Open daily 7:30am-9pm.) The main bank is at 315 Lˆ Li, about 1km from the city center toward the bus station. (☎561 702. Currency exchange, MC/V cash advances, and ATM. Open daily 7-11am and 1:15-4:45pm.) Hoa Sen, 12 Nguy[n Hu C=nh, is a good bookstore that sells new and used books in English and French. (☎867 817. US$2-3 per book. Open daily 6:30am-8pm.) The hospital is at 5 Lˆ Li, just across from Victoria Hotel. (☎867 184. 24hr. emergency service.) The H·ng Vñn pharmacy is at 4 Nguy[n Vn Thoåi (☎866 614; open daily 8am-8pm). Connected to the post office is an Internet center. (3000 per hr. Open daily 7am-9pm.) There is also an Internet cafe at 9 Tr<n H™ng åo. (3000 per hr. Open daily 7am-11pm.) The main post office is located at 73 Lˆ Li. (Phone and fax services. Open daily 6am-10pm.)

Accommodations. Because so many tourists pass through, Chñu #c has a number of accommodation options. If you’re unaffiliated with a tour company, go early: accommodations can be tough to find after 6pm when the masses of tour buses overtake the city. Hàng Chñu II 2, 10 Nguy[n Vn Thoåi, has spacious, well-maintained rooms, a friendly staff, and an ATM. (☎868 891. Rooms with fan US$6, with A/C US$8.) Mekong Guesthouse 1 is halfway up Sam Mountain, where you can spend your days watching the sun rise over the Mekong and set over Cambodia. All rooms have fans, and there’s a DVD player and book rack in the lobby. (☎868 222; mekongtoursag@yahoo.com. Rooms US$4-6.) The English-speaking proprietor of Vænh Ph™øc 1, 12-14 Quang Tr™ng, can provide a wealth of information on Chñu #c and the surrounding area. (☎866 242. Rooms US$4-6.) Tài Ngñn 1, 11 Nguy[n Hu C=nh, is in the city’s central square. Clean rooms, TVs, and plenty of natural light make this a nice budget deal. Receptionists speak English. (Rooms with fan US$5, with A/C US$10.) MÅ Lÿc 1, 51B Nguy[n Vn Thoåi, is another decent budget option, with clean, well-kept rooms. (☎866 455. Laundry 15,000 per kg. Rooms 60,000-120,000.)

Food. Chñu #c has surprisingly little to offer in terms of restaurants. The few places that do exist feel like haphazard but homey family kitchens. Kim Thanh grocery store is at 14 Nguy[n Vn Thoåi. (☎866 529. Open daily 7am-10pm.) Mékong 2, 41 Lˆ Li, is an outdoor eatery set in the lovely courtyard of an old French colonial villa. The entrance is through the gates across from the Victoria Hotel. (Most entrees 20,000-40,000. Open daily 6am-10pm.) Vænh Ph™øc 2, 12-14 Quang Tr™ng, is on the first floor of the hotel. This standard Vietnamese kitchen is bustling all day with tourists in transit, and it has the only significant vegetarian options in town. (Entrees 10,000-30,000. Open daily 6am-11pm.) Bày B®ng 2, 22 Th™ng ng L[, draws crowds of tourists for its friendly service, flavorful fare, and make-your-own spring rolls. (Entrees 20,000-30,000. Open daily 9am-10pm.) The popular local joint Tr™£ng Vñn 2, 15 Quang Tr™ng, specializes in hotpot and claypot dishes. If your timing is right, you can join the other customers crowded around the TV watching Vietnamese pop videos and competitive karaoke. (Most entrees 20,000-30,000. Open daily 6am-9pm.)

Sights. The most fascinating sights in Chñu #c can be found on the HÆu River. Motorboat tours can be arranged at many guesthouses, but a much better way to cruise the river is by canoe, as it gives you more access to the sights. Canoe operators congregate around the pier at the end of Nguy[n Vn Thoåi, and most charge 30,000 per hour. The chance to admire the technique of the somewhat precarious-looking rowers is worth the trip.

 Floating Villages And Fish Farms. A whole community resides in boathouses of all shapes and sizes—some are complex, multi-room structures afloat on steel drums, while others are little more than corrugated-metal shacks atop canoes. Amazingly, most of these river homes have electricity, and some even have computers. There are more than a thousand fish farmers among the villages, and many catch fish in cages right underneath their floors. Each fish farm costs about US$50,000 to construct, and produces 60,000-80,000 fish in a single gestation period (8-10 months). You can tell the fish farms apart from the houses by their bottom half—the farms have wire mesh reaching down five meters into the water.

Chàm Communities. There are two Chàm communities near Chñu #c, one next to the city and another across the river, each with about 400 families. The Chàm minority people here practice Islam and are known for their textiles. Visitors can view the weaving process, try on their signature sarongs, and visit the mosques, where locals worship and children learn to read the Qur’an in Arabic. These villages also have a history of flooding, and visitors can see each year’s high-water mark scrawled on wooden posts—the mark for 2000 is almost nine feet high.

Sam Mountain. About 5km west of Chñu #c’s city center stands Sam Mountain (Núi Sam; 234m), named for the king crabs that were deposited around the mountain after the building of the border canal. Most travelers take a motorbike (5000) up to the summit and then walk the 2km down. From the summit, you can see the Cambodian border amid wide stretches of rice fields. You might wonder about the loud noises echoing from atop the summit, but no fear, they’re only monkeys—the noises don’t, in fact, emanate from the bizarrely placed model T-Rex partway down the mountain. There is also a military post here; refrain from photographing the building and the soldiers.

Pagodas Near Sam Mountain. Around the base of Sam Mountain are a number of pagodas. The most famous is the massive temple of Bà Chúa X, which attracts throngs of pilgrims each year, particularly around the end of the fourth lunar month (late April). The pilgrims come from far and wide to shower the temple’s leading lady, Chúa X, with elaborate gifts such as colorful fruit platters and whole roast suckling pigs. Nearby, Tñy An Pagoda is an ostentatiously neon structure with a number of architectural flourishes. Cavern Pagoda is set about halfway up the mountain on its opposite side. The legend of the pagoda maintains that the site was once threatened by two giant serpents, but when female worshipper and pagoda founder Lˆ Th¢ Th¤ arrived, they ceased to bother anybody. Talk about one bad-ass, diva snake charmer. Today the pagoda’s highlight is a long dark cave lined on each side by a sinister fake serpent with glowing red eyes.

Nightlife. There are a number of popular bars in town. Bassac Bar, at the Victoria Hotel, is the poshest place around to have a drink. The pool-side bar offers a sparkling view of the river. (Cocktails and beers US$2-5. Open daily 7am-11pm.) Traveler’s Coffee Club, 53 Lˆ Li, draws a pretty diverse international crowd. Comfy couches grace the second floor, and there’s a great city view from the third floor terrace. (Drinks 6000-10,000; food 15,000-25,000. Open daily 7:30am-9pm.) Moody’s, a hopping local karaoke bar, is 1km outside of town on Nguy[n Vn Thoåi. (Beer 6000-8000. Open daily 8-11pm.) V© Tr™ng Discotheque is 2km outside of town on Nguy[n Vn Thoåi. Halfway between Chñu #c and Sam Mountain, this is a popular weekend hangout for the locals. Look for the big neon signs. (Open F-Sa 7pm-midnight.)

Hikes. If you’re starting to miss the mountain trekking of the Central Highlands or Northern Vietnam,  Cam Mountain can give you a short review of the country’s natural wonders. The Mekong Delta’s highest peak (1224m) offers what is arguably the best hike of the region. The mountain is full of surprises: a whole community of people lives along its slopes, so huts, temples, and even a post office grace its heights. The path upward begins as a series of stone steps (lined with food stalls and restaurants) and soon runs alongside rapids and small cascades. After the path turns to dirt and rock (about 45min.), there is a fork in the road: turn left and it is a straight shot (800m) to the Cao ài Temple. But turn right for the longer, more rewarding trek to Chùa PhÆt Ln (3km; follow the “chùa” sign, and take another left at the large T-junction). This truly breathtaking mountaintop pagoda takes hikers by surprise as its eight-story tower suddenly appears on the horizon. Cross the large red bridge and follow the stone path to the pagoda’s entrance. During Buddhist holidays, the tower will be unlocked, and you can climb it to see a wonderful view of the Delta and its endless rivers and rice fields. The pagoda itself is small and tastefully ornate, its walls lined with white frescoes depicting scenes from the Buddha’s life. In total, the trek is 7-8km, making for a 2hr. ascent and a 1hr. descent. Many detours along the way are fun to explore as well. The entire mountain is covered by jackfruit trees, and the fruit’s pungent smell floods the air along most of the trail. (Open daily 7am-5pm. 5000.)

Border Crossing. Travelers can pass from Vietnam to Cambodia by boat at the Vænh X™¤ng border crossing, about 40km from Chñu #c. Cambodian visas can be obtained here for US$22. One passport photo is required. The trip can be arranged at many guesthouses in Chñu #c or at tour offices in H· Chí Minh City.

Daytrips From Châu DC. Tc Dƒp and Ba Chúc are both located near Tri T®n, 45km south of Chñu #c. They are most easily reached by motorbike.

Tc Dƒp. A complicated cluster of huge boulders and deep caves, Tc Dƒp served as a Vi_t Cÿng base during the American War. Here the VC forces managed to hold off the US military against 3-to-20 odds between 1968 and 1976. Tc Dƒp translates to “water runs at night” in Khmer, but the hill earned its nickname of “Two-Million-Dollar Hill” after the US spent that much money on weapons and still failed to capture it. Visitors can climb over the boulders and wander through the caves, which served as meeting rooms, living quarters, and hospitals. Letters painted on the hills’ boulders indicate the location of various units during the war. The top of the hill provides great views of the surrounding countryside. Toward the bottom, there is a preserved B-52 bomb crater and a small museum with photographs of the soldiers, their munitions, and their camps. (Open daily 7am-5pm. Museum open 7-11am and 1:30-5pm. 5000.)

Ba Chúc. Between 1975 and 1978, the area along the Cambodian border from Chñu #c to Hà Tiˆn was routinely invaded by Khmer Rouge forces. Seeking to claim the territory as their own, the they marched into Vietnamese towns and slaughtered civilians. In April 1978, they massacred 3157 people at Ba Chúc. Today a glass case containing hundreds of victims’ skulls (from infant to elderly) memorializes of the tragedy. Nearby, a collection of horrifying photographs documents the event in an all-too-visceral manner. There are also Khmer Rouge weapons on display. (Open daily 7am-5pm. Free.)