The Water World of Dong Thap Muoi

Encompassing 700,000 hectares of land and water, Dong Thap Muoi is a distinctive low-lying area covering parts of Long An, Tien Giang, and Dong Thap provinces, renowned for its interlacing network of channels and canals. During the June to December flood season, the channels and canals in Dong Thap Muoi fill with silt-bearing water that replenished the fertility of the region. The three provinces have established an 'eco-tourism during the flood reason' program that takes place from September to December every year. The program consists of providing visitors water passage through indigo forests where one can see the beauty of nature, get a glimpse of the lives of the inhabitants and sample very special southern foods.

Dong Thap Muoi is a huge hollow that, when flooded, looks like one big lake. The region, and that along the Tonlesap River in Cambodia, absorb waters thereby keeping the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta flood waters manageable.

The section of the road that goes from Long An province to Tan Thanh (within Dong Thap Muoi) is now asphalt covered. The road ends in Thanh Hoa in Long An and from there one needs a boat to get into Dong Thap Muoi. An interesting place to visit is the Dong Thap Muoi Medicinal Herbs Research, Conservation and Development Center where one can see numerous kinds of medicinal herbs being grown plus 600ha of tram gio (a kind of cajuput tree) forest and tram tra (an Australian kind of cajuput) forest. The center is the only place where tram gio is found in Vietnam.

Go Thap in Thap Muoi district, Dong Thap province, is in the highest part of Dong Thap Muoi and is considered to be the heart of the area. This area is above the floodwaters. In Go Thap archaeologists found the base of four towers of the Phu Nam kingdom that existed 1,500-1,800 years ago, the tomb and temple of princess Nguyen Phuc Hang Nga (a younger sister of king Gia Long) and there are now temples built to honor Nguyen Duy Duong and Nguyen Tan Kieu who led an insurgency against the French, plus old war administrative council facilities and other points of interest.

The Xeo Quyt and Gao Giong historic sites which are located along the Xeo Quyt canals in Hiep My and Long My communes in Cao Lanh district are two more places that visitors to Dong Thap Muoi should go to see. It takes one about 40 minutes to go from the Hiep My market to Xeo Quyt by boat.

Gao Giong is a green oasis that is most beautiful during the flood season because during this time Gao Giong is surrounded by vast areas that are under water but full of yellow dien dien flowers, violet water lilies and pink lotus flowers. There are many kinds of fish and shrimp in Dong Thap Muoi during the flood season so anyone coming at this time has the opportunity to enjoy great food prepared with fresh vegetables, things like grilled loc fish wrapped in a lotus leaf, stork soup, snake soup with mung beans, grilled field mouse, boiled rice wrapped in lotus leaves, dien dien flower soup, steamed snails with pepper, and more. Enjoying southern foods with a cup of sticky rice wine and bee honey followed by a lay on a hammock, cooled by a soft breeze… The good life. Hop aboard a sampan, float through the indigo forest and there it is - your sanctuary.

Considered to be the upper part of the Mekong Delta, Dong Thap Muoi awaits with its wonderful tourist offerings.

Visit Mekong Delta in One Day

Walking in the backpackers’ area, De Tham and Pham Ngu Lao streets in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 1, you are overwhelmed by tour offers. Travel agencies located side by side, and most can arrange a Mekong Delta trip for you.

Let’s have a look at a one-day trip to My Tho City, the capital of Tien Giang Province. Taking a bus or riding a hired motorbike for about 75 kilometers, you will reach the city.

We left Ho Chi Minh City at about 7 am and arrived in ...at around ???. When we got off the bus at the boat station in My Tho, we were greeted with cool winds carrying a refreshing smell of river water. We boarded a small motorboat to cross the Tien River, one of the two large streams of the Mekong River. The other branch is the Hau River, which you will see when going further southward the Mekong Delta.

We saw many other boats navigating the river, bobbing up and down. Some were carrying tourists like us, while others transporting farm produce, bananas, coconuts, oranges, mangoes, dragon fruits, pineapples and may other fruits. Also crossing the river were ferries between My Tho and Ben Tre City, full of people and vehicles. I wondered what the ferries would do in a few years time when Rach Mieu Bridge, a suspension bridge about three kilometers long between My Tho and Ben Tre, will be put into use. It is under construction now.

All boats on the river looked impressive. Some with two eyes painted with various colors on the bow looked down into the water. Our guide explained that the eyes watch out for crocodiles and other dangerous reptiles, though there are no crocodiles in the river.

Our boat’s first stop was Con Phung (Phoenix Islet), where artisans make and sell handicraft from coconut trees and delicious coconut candies. You can enjoy some coconut milk here on board. You can experience how to chop away the top of a coconut and drink the sweet and cool juice inside.

The boat then brought us to another islet in the middle of the Tien River, where small rowboats were available to take us against the water flow into a small canal.

In groups of five or six, we were rowed through the canal to another tourist destination where bees, honey, tea, rice wine, traditional music and snakes awaited us. Our rower was a young beautiful woman in sweaty ao ba ba (traditional southern dress). She must have been exhausted from rowing up stream, but she was not willing to show it. I saw many other rowers, both men and women, sweating but smiling . The downstream boats were empty, on the way back to the pier to carry other visitors. The canal was crowded with rowboats and tourists.

We came to an orchard and were offered a variety of fruits: oranges, pineapples, dragon fruit, bananas, durians, together with tea and some cakes. While we were enjoying the food, two boys, about seven or eight, in traditional dress put on a lovely show of southern folk songs in Vietnamese.

It was around lunch time, my empty stomach has caught up with me. We walked to a restaurant for lunch and some people ordered tai tuong (elephant-ear) fish, deep-fried, which was garnished elaborately and looked a lot more delicious.

At the restaurant, culture was mixed with adventure. We put our fingers in a beehive full of bees to taste some fresh honey (surprisingly, the bees did not sting), and next to us, another courageous tourist wore a big python around his neck.

Then honey, tea, rice wine and fruits were served, while a group of traditional instrument players and singers took the floor to perform different Vietnamese songs.

The last stop was the coconut candy factory. Workers, both men and women stirred a white mixture, thick like chocolate, in pots, rolled it out on a table, cut it into little rectangles and then wrapped those for sale – all by hand.

Of course, we could not help trying some fresh pieces, buying some packets and strolling before we were called backed to the boat. We were then taken back to the quay, where the bus was awaiting. We returned to Ho Chi Minh City and finished a tour day full of activities.