Exploring Southern Vietnam in a Week

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August 11, 2017

My stomach was turning, and the road was bumpy.

Hundreds of motorbikes zipped from side to side, and our van drove in the middle of the lane.

Until a truck or a bus came from the other direction, and then they would beep the horn in some game of chicken before they would both verge out of the way.

I thought I knew traffic after crossing streets like a boss in Bangkok, Siem Reap, and Phnom Penh, but they have nothing on drivers in Vietnam.

My first attempt crossing the street in Châu Đốc was met with my tour guide, Lee, grabbing me away from a motorbike as it passed in front of me and her saying, ” be careful and look.” I was a child again.

My husband and I spent three days exploring two cities along the Mekong River before arriving in Ho Chi Minh city.

We booked a river and speedboat tour through Viator with the expectation of spending the entire trip on boat city hopping. We were 100% off the mark.

Instead, we took a four-hour speedboat from Phnom Penh to Châu Đốc to spend the night nestled on a mountain resort on Sam Mountain (Núi Sam) before being whisked away for a nauseating three-hour drive to the beautiful city of Cần Thơ with a few excursions in between.

After our visit to Cần Thơ we were driven, against my better judgment and my will, three hours to Ho Chi Minh city. The road was bumpy road and horns were honking.

I began to imagine there’s some magic hierarchy to the chaos of the road in Vietnam where buses are the lions of the road and every one makes way for them and pedestrians are like flies, kinda there as a nuisance and mostly encouraged to get out of the way, second only to cars’ hatred of motorbikes who have no rights. Drivers in Vietnam have stomachs of steel, and I’ll never understand.

NEVERTHELESS, outside of the adventure of an hours long drive anywhere in Southern Vietnam both Châu Đốc and Cần Thơ were beautiful places I’d love to see again. Except next time by boat or plane.

FYI: Sam Mountain is a place of pilgrimage for many Vietnamese people. It’s about 230 meters high and is about 6 kilometers from Châu Đốc. It’s open for hiking and climbing and also has many historic spots for Vietnamese people, such as the Ba Chua Xu Temple, which we had the pleasure of seeing from afar. I wish I had more time to explore the mountain, and I would love to know if anyone has explored it, and what was their impression?

Châu Đốc

A beautiful city of less than 200,000 that’s easy to get to by river. It has a long and sleepy harbor and a happening downtown full of lights and bars that mimic Las Vegas. It’s also home to floating villages, a historic temple and is surrounded by mountains (including the Sam Mountain), making it a perfect mixture between having it all and getting away from it all.

We stayed at the four-star Victoria hotel, which has rooms that overlook the mountains, making it perfect for viewing a sunrise or sunset.

It’s also less than an hour away from the iconic Trà Sư Forest, where boat rides along the river are a favorite actively and frankly a must. The park is government protected and preserved to stay as close to its original form.

While on our water lily and lotus filled ride, we saw cranes and long neck turtles and butterflies flew by us. Christian’s backpack, camera, and the bag fell victim to a full crane. Hats recommend.

Cần Thơ

The road to Cần Thơ from the Trà Sư Forrest is full of cafes serving all types of food. We stopped by a place that specialized in the Vietnamese omelet, which is eaten like a spring roll. We also spent time lounging in a hammock, which seemed to be a permanent fixture at every roadside restaurant we passed.

Cần Thơ is one of the largest cities in Vietnam (Over 1.2 million people live there) and is also where you can witness Vietnam’s largest floating market and take a leisurely bike ride along the river.

At night everyone is out and about eating street foods like rats, frogs, pork bbq, and Bánh mì. The younger crowd often sits close to the Ninh Kieu Pier, drinking smoothies and soft drinks. Lovers and families walk the Ninh Kieu Pier at night and usually end up at the “Love Bridge,” which is a bridge, according to my guide, that was originally crafted to mimic the bridge of love from China but instead is now just a long walkway with two huge lotus flower structures.

Nevertheless, if you master the Vietnamese way of crossing the street, which is to walk slowly and never stop until you reach the end, Cần Thơ is yours to explore.

Our stay there was made sweeter by our room at the Vinpearl hotel, which is the tallest building in Cần Thơ and is all about luxury. It’s about 30 stories high and offers fantastic views of the city.

NOTE:

We are driving to Ho Chi Minh city as I write this. 1) say a silent prayer for us, and 2) consider visiting Southern Vietnam for its floating markets, forest, and river. The photo journey starts below after “The Basics.”

The Basics:

STAY:
1. Victoria Châu Đốc
2. Vinpearl hotel in Cần Thơ

TOUR:
1. Private 3-Day Mekong Delta River Tour from Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh City

TRY IT:
1. Rat. I know it sounds crazy, but it tastes like chicken. I was told by our guide that the rats are organic because they are brought from the rice fields.

MUST SEE & DO:
1. Floating Markets of Ćân Thó. Make sure to book a small boat to get up close and personal. Also, make a visit to the Noodle Queen, who serves up some delicious Pho right to your boat.
2. Rừng tràm Trà Sư (Trà Sư Forest) – Book ahead if possible for a private tour to get a personalized route and experience. It was one of the highlights.

PHOTO JOURNEY

On the drive from Châu Đốc to Cần Thơ. Traffic on the road was consistent and was very scary. However, to me, I realized everyone knew what they were doing. Somehow it all worked out.

The beautiful serenity of the Trà Sư forest.

Hanging out waiting to eat lunch at a roadside cafe in Hammocks.

Vietnamese catfish soup for one of our many lunches. It’s eaten with rice. We also had morning glory and pot cooked catfish.

Watch this video of us gliding along the river in a small boat early in the morning on the way to the Floating Market.

Boat lines together for the floating market. Each boat had color and looked like it had eyes painted on them.

The Floating Market and the Trà Sư forest were my favorites. Below are additional pictures of the market, including a “glamour” shot of me eating boat noodles from the “Noodle Queen” as my guide, Lee, called her. She served them fresh to use on the boat, and we ate them there while floating in the water. I recommend stopping at her shop if you happen to be on a small boat to the market. I also recommend a small boat instead of a big boat so you can get up close and personal to the action.