Those who have ever set foot in the river region of the Southwest are deeply impressed with the rustic, genuine beauty of the landscape and people here. If we list places with a simple life and kind-hearted people in Vietnam, we cannot fail to mention the West. This place is considered the land of water and inherits the privileges of heaven and earth.
Mekong Heritage would like to introduce to you interesting things about the peaceful land of the Mekong Delta.
1. A few words about the Southwestern Region
The Southwest (also known as the West) is located in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam. The Western region includes 12 provinces (An Giang, Bac Lieu, Ben Tre, Ca Mau, Dong Thap, Tien Giang, Soc Trang, Long An, Hau Giang, Kien Giang, Tra Vinh, Vinh Long) and 1 city directly under the Central Government. Uong (Can Tho).
The area stands out with its intricate canals and dense rivers, so it is called the Western River Region. It has water from the Mekong River, providing silt for people’s cultivation. Therefore, a river and garden culture was formed for the Southwest region.
The climate and geology of this region are different from other regions. The rain is favorable, there are few natural disasters and the average temperature is 28 degrees Celsius. There are 2 seasons: rainy season May – November, dry season December – April. Creating interesting features for each season for guests tourism.
Freshwater mangrove forest ecosystem (Tram Chim National Park, Tra Su forest, Dong Thap Muoi region), coastal mangrove ecosystem (U Minh Thuong National Park, U Minh Ha National Park), coastal mangrove ecosystem (U Minh Thuong National Park, U Minh Ha National Park), agriculture.
2. People of the Southwest region
The main ethnic groups living in this region include Kinh, Chinese, Khmer and Cham people. Kinh people make up the majority, the remaining Chinese people are concentrated in Bac Lieu, Ca Mau, and Soc Cham provinces; Cham people live mainly in An Giang; Khmer people are present in large numbers in the provinces of Tra Vinh, Soc Trang, and An Giang.
People in the Southwest region are influenced by the river way of life. Therefore, food is mainly from aquatic products such as shrimp, fish, crabs, snails, eels… From there, dishes such as boiled, braised, fried, grilled, steamed, sour, sweet… are processed.
In terms of language, people’s lives are very diverse and rich. Words often used to refer to things such as slit, slit, smooth, clear, lung, bung, carry, bau, dea; isle, dune, beach, bung, bien, trm; languish, languid, jerky, jerky, net (the movement of water); boats, canoes, sampans, rudders, boats…
People in the West are famous for being liberal, generous, and sincere. When you want to say something, say it straight away, not beat around the bush like the Northerners. This is due to the harmonious coexistence between the Kinh, Chinese, Cham and Khmer ethnic groups. Each ethnic group has its own customs and religion. But Westerners still live in harmony with each other, respecting each other’s beliefs and customs.
3. Travel to the Southwest region
An Giang tourism: Famous for its fields of storks flying straight away, the beautiful multi-style forests of the Western river region, An Giang has become an attractive tourist destination for many tourists. You can come to An Giang at any time of the year, however if you want to learn about the culture and bustling life of the people here, you should come in April and August of the lunar calendar, because this is the time of the year. The time of two major festivals in An Giang is the festival of the Princess of Sam Mountain (taking place on the 23rd to 24th day of the 4th lunar month) and the special bull racing festival taking place at the end of the 8th lunar month. Coming to An Giang, if you don’t enjoy fish sauce hotpot, you are considered to have not come to An Giang, this is a famous dish with a unique flavor that any tourist when coming to An Giang wants to enjoy. In addition, you can enjoy many other unique dishes such as rice nì and coffee of the Cham people.
Ben Tre tourism: Ben Tre, a land famous for its green islets stretching along the riverbank, is one of the places that captivates many tourists with its simple, simple beauty and beautiful animals. The people of the countryside are honest and gentle. Today, Ben Tre is one of the choices of tourists for vacation or travel. It is known as the land of coconuts because it grows the most coconuts in Vietnam. In addition, Ben Tre also has many types of luxuriant fruit orchards. It is a source of fruit for other provinces, especially in Cho Lach and Chau Thanh. You can go on a 1-day Western Tour, Tour to Cai Mon fruit garden, visit Phung Dunes, Oc Dunes, Tien Dunes, Vam Ho Bird Sanctuary…
Ca Mau tourism: Ca Mau, the hometown of Uncle Ba Phi, is a 300-year-old city, the southernmost city in Vietnam with 3 sides facing the sea. Ca Mau’s attractions are ancient communal houses, historical relics, and visiting the bird garden in U Minh Forest. Famous specialties of Ca Mau include snakehead fish paste, crab meat, shrimp, crab and oysters… This is an area with many mangrove forests, flooded forests, and vast mangrove forests, so it has potential for eco-tourism. This is the place that makes an impression on tourists at the milestone marking the end of Vietnam. You can visit U Minh forest, Ca Mau bird gardens, Ca Mau cape, Hon Khoai island… when coming to Ca Mau.
Can Tho Tourism: With a convenient location in the center of the western provinces, Can Tho is an interesting destination for domestic and foreign tourists when focusing on promoting all the characteristics of a river region. . Can Tho is a large urban area in the Mekong Delta, with an intricate network of canals combining the bustle of Cai Rang floating market in the early morning, fruitful fruit gardens and unique architecture of ancient houses. Coming here, people often go to Cai Rang floating market first. In addition, this area also has many fruit gardens for you to visit. It is considered the Tay Do of the past, the largest cultural and economic center in the Mekong Delta. When traveling to Can Tho, you can visit Bang Lang stork garden, Cai Rang floating market, Phong Dien floating market, Binh Thuy ancient house, Can Tho garden… All create a special and unmistakable river beauty. , causing people to spread the word:
“Can Tho has white rice and clear water
Anyone who goes there doesn’t want to go back.”
Dong Thap Tourism: Dong Thap Muoi region is most beautiful during the flood season. If you come during this season, you will feel every rise and fall in the West. You can understand more about the culture of the river region through the natural scenery, through the food, and through the daily life of Dong Thap people. Floating fields, fragrant lotus fields, being able to ride a dinghy, strolling and admiring the scenery of the “sparkling fish and shrimp” area… are the typical things here. Places to visit here include the Mausoleum of Deputy Bang Nguyen Sinh Sac, Go Thap relic site, rare crane garden in Tam Nong, Tram Chim national park, Sa Dec ornamental flower village…
Hau Giang tourism: Hau Giang is separated from old Can Tho. Therefore, it is also considered the trade center of the Western provinces. When traveling to Hau Giang, you can visit Phung Hiep floating market (Nga Bay floating market), Long My relic, Provincial Party Committee base… Hau Giang tourism attracts tourists because of its simple beauty with paintings. peaceful countryside with vast rice fields, rich canals and a peaceful, quiet life. Coming to Hau Giang, you will fully admire the beauty of the Western region, rivers and fields, fresh nature and heroic historical achievements.
Kien Giang Tourism: Kien Giang is known by many people as a famous cultural and tourist land in the Mekong Delta region. Coming to Kien Giang, visitors have countless options for their trip, notably attractive destinations such as Ha Tien landscape, Ngoc Phu Quoc island, Rach Gia city or surfing to explore the beauty of Kien Giang. The wilderness of the beautiful Nam Du archipelago.
Long An tourism: Long An is the gateway connecting the two Southeast regions and the Mekong Delta, so Long An has many attractive tourist attractions that attract tourists. It has many prehistoric relics and nearly 100 Oc Eo cultural relics have been discovered, famous relics such as Binh Ta, Hundred Pillar House, Ton Thanh Pagoda. You can visit Dong Thap Muoi eco-tourism area to enjoy delicious Western specialties
Soc Trang Tourism: Soc Trang is a coastal province in the Mekong Delta, located right at the southern mouth of the Hau River. There is cultural interference between the Hoa – Kinh – Khmer ethnic groups and the indigenous Cham people, so Soc Trang has unique beliefs and customs. You can travel to Soc Trang at any time of the year, because the climate is divided into two dry seasons and rainy seasons (the rainy season usually starts from May – October and the dry season lasts from November – October). 4 next year). The average annual temperature is about 26 degrees Celsius and storms and floods are rare. In addition, there are many famous temples with a long history. Such as Bat Pagoda, Clay Pagoda, Chen Kieu Pagoda… Traveling to Soc Trang in addition to visiting the famous temples. You can also go to Binh An tourist area and visit Nga Nam floating market. Or take a trip to islands with fruit orchards with bent branches.
Tien Giang Tourism: Tien Giang is not only one of the largest fruit trees in the Southwest region, but also a place with many charming landscapes and unique specialties that make tourists fall in love every time they visit. Tien Giang. Here are 8 tourist destinations you cannot miss if you once come to Tien Giang. Returning to Tien Giang, you will have the opportunity to row a dinghy to admire the scenery of Tien River. Tien Giang is divided into three distinct areas: the fruit tree area along the Tien River, the Dong Thap Muoi area and the Go Cong coastal area. You can visit famous places such as Thoi Son Islet, Cai Be garden, Cai Be floating market, Vinh Trang pagoda, Dong Tam snake farm…
Tra Vinh tourism: Tra Vinh is a land with many unique religious architectural works of the Khmer, Kinh and Chinese ethnic groups. Temples and pagodas scattered throughout the province are the highlight of Tra Vinh. In addition, the beaches, large fruit islands and the typical ecosystem of mangrove forests also make Tra Vinh a suitable place to have an interesting trip in this land. An ideal choice for tourists who love spiritual cultural tourism combined with ecotourism. Converging many beautiful and ancient pagodas of Khmer, Vietnamese, and Chinese people. There are about 140 Khmer pagodas, 50 Kinh pagodas and 5 Chinese pagodas, of which famous pagodas are Ang pagoda, Co pagoda, Hang pagoda… On a pilgrimage tour here you can visit Visit these pagodas or go to other tourist destinations in Tra Vinh such as Ba Om Pond, Ba Dong beach…
Vinh Long tourism: Coming to Vinh Long, you will have the opportunity to float along the Western rivers. Travel amidst the natural greenery with lush, fruit-laden orchards. Famous tourist destinations here such as eco-tourism area – Vinh Sang farm, An Binh island, Van Thanh temple, Tien Chau pagoda…
4. Southwest cuisine
Perhaps because of the extremely rich source of produce, the Southwest region has long formed a cuisine with unique dishes, loved by many domestic and international tourists.
Unique ingredients for preparing dishes, simple recipes that highlight the flavor of the dish… these elements combined with festival characteristics have created a unique, attractive beauty for the region. this land. To understand more about the festival culture, cuisine and people of the Southwest region.
If Northern cuisine tends to be rich in salty flavors, Central cuisine tends to be spicy and stimulating, then Southwest cuisine tends to be mildly sweet. People in the South and Southwest love sweets. It seems that all dishes prepared by people in the Southwest have an elegant sweetness that you will feel first when you enjoy it. This place is also the cradle of famous sweet soup dishes such as Ba Ba sweet soup, grapefruit sweet soup, bean sweet soup…
The land is blessed by nature with rich seafood resources, vegetables, tubers, and fruits are famous specialties. Therefore, most of the dishes prepared by people in the Southwest region use pure, natural ingredients. In the dry season, people love dishes from snakehead fish, loach, and eel. During the flood season, hotpot of wild lingon fish and braised dolphin are outstanding dishes… In particular, due to alluvial deposits, vegetables in the Southwest region are also extremely lush, making dishes from naturally grown vegetables is a characteristic feature of the cuisine here.
