Tien Giang- Mekong Delta's Projected International Jewel

Have you ever been to Mekong Delta in Vietnam? Mekong Delta comprises of several provinces and cities but I’ll narrow down my story to Tien Giang or My Tho City.

My Tho is the most sellable destination among independent travelers joining an organized one day Mekong Delta tour, the fact that it is quite near Saigon. With the newly opened express highway the travel from Saigon to My Tho City is now just an hour and a half or a maximum of two hours.

This city was projected to be the venue of Ms. World but by the twist of fate the Ms World project in that area has folded. I’m one of those expats supposedly in the frontline of promoting the project to the international market which could have a good impact to Vietnam’s tourism industry but a lightning from the media society struck its main player that sent all expats packing and I’m the last one on the line.

Now as I am packing my bags getting ready to move to my next destination in the tourism and hospitality industry, I’ll share the place to all of you who have never been there. In fairness, Tien Giang deserves this note as it is quite a rich area with or without the Ms. World project.

The province Tien Giang itself is the fruit basket of Vietnam that mainly supply the countrywide demands for mango, durian, rambutan, mangosteen , longan and other tropical fruits. And that alone is an attraction for travelers who want to explore the countryside where they can see fruit plantations.

How to get there? If you are not going to book a tour to travel agents or get a private car in Saigon then you have choices of public buses from Mailinh, Phuong Trang , Phu Vinh Long or those that park Miendong bus station.

But if you want a comfortable travel through public transport then I suggest you get on Phu Vinh Long in District 10 or call Mailinh, they’ll pick you up at your hotel but of course the fare is a bit expensive than those at Miendong bus station.

In the course of promoting Tien Giang as Ms. World venue in China, I remember someone from a corporate world in Russia asked me what to do in My Tho should she bring 100 guests. Of course at that time I was braced with information on the project I can talk a lot, convincing her that the guests have to stay at least one week to explore the place.

Indeed, with the Ms World concept you need to explore My Tho for at least one week but in the absence of that, I can only recommend a maximum of two days stay in the area.

For two days, you can explore the rich river of Tien Giang- traversing it will give you a view of the different islands- see the stilt houses, the fishing village, learn the culture of Vietnamese in the countryside, its lifestyle and means of living. You can go around see the real beauty of the countryside, its fruit plantations and the rice fields – an abundant green background that sooths your eyes.

One of the attractions in the area is the visit to the family run factories of coconut candies, rice paper, bee products, and those small shops that sell coconut product souvenirs.

There is also that supposed to be venue of the Ms. World which has been developed partially, the Thoi Son RAAS where you can go around and explore the fruit garden. In Thoi Son you can take the famous sampan rowing of Mekong Delta with that conical hat while traversing along the small canals leading to the river.

If you want fishing either in the canal or in a developed pond where you can cook the fish you caught, Tien Giang is just a perfect place for that. What is more exciting in staying at Tien Giang for two a night is the fact that you can go in its nearby province where you can watch fireflies glittering at night as well as learn the culture that the coconut religion has adopted before its monk died in 1990.

What I love most in staying there night time was the experience I had with the fireflies watch, which is a combination of fear (traversing in a foreign canals at night with just fireflies as light) and the fairyland feeling while locals paddled the sampan along the tiny canals with nothing but fireflies to light the waterways.

A farewell holiday in Vung Tau

I’m feeling a bit under the weather today, so I thought it might help to divert my attention in putting into words the latest trip I took outside of Ho Chi Minh City with my friend, Rachel Clarke. Our destination was Vung Tau – a popular beach destination.

I’ve been into this place several times, so thinking about it doesn’t give me a thrill. Living in Saigon though doesn’t give me a choice, we want beach and the closest is Vung Tau.

There are two options on how to get to Vung Tau and it's either by land or hydrofoil.

If you want the fastest way of going there then get on hydrofoil at 160,000vnd or $8.50usd and after over an hour of traversing on the water you’ll land in Baria port.

I’m not keen of travelling on the water, so we took the Hoa Mai mini van at 44 Nguyen Thai Binh in District 1. And with our 55,000vnd ($3) fare, we arrived Baria public market after more than two hours on the road.

We had lunch at Baria public market then get on the bus to Hotram Beach Resort. There are several beach resorts in Vung Tau but after a day of travelling like a local, we opted to stay at a luxury resort in Ho Tram Village- the Hotram Beach Resort &Spa.

The resort has two swimming pools, tennis court, fitness gym, grandiose bathroom, internet cable, wifi, restaurant, bar and a beach where we can just lay down to relax.

Let me just say it this way, the amenities and resort’s architectural design were worth the money we spent for.

As for food, it may not be the best but it’s nicely prepared and healthy considering that they were using organic produce. The prices too were not so expensive, so Rachel and I were having great time with the abundance of our meals.

Rachel was scheduled to head off Malaysia the day after, so we can only afford to stay one night. We, however, maximized our time lying on the poolside until the required checkout time. After that, we get on the bus again back to Ho Chi Minh City.

Rachel is a good friend I enjoyed partying with in Hanoi and our trip to Vung Tau was our last moment together as she already ended her contract in Vietnam.

To Rachel, cheers girl! Good luck to your new life back home in England.