Travelers planning to spend a few days in the Delta should cross the Mekong river go to Tien Giang and Ben Tre Provinces, the two most popular destinations in the region. Tien Giang is about 70km west of Sai Gon and 15km from Ben Tre. The Rach Mieu Bridge that links Ben Tre and Tien Giang Provinces and makes this land of coconut trees much more accessible to the travelers than ever before.
1. Cai Be Floating Market:
This market is based on the area where the Tien Giang river borders the three provinces of Tien Giang, Vinh Long and Ben Tre. Every morning, boats and rafts loeaded with freshly-picked vegetables, fruits, flowers and other products from nearby districts of Tien Giang, Soc Trang and Ben Tre gather here; sales will not finish until dusk. Each boat sells a different type of goods, samples of with is attached to a long vertical pole to be presented to customers… Household stuffs, production tools, and other food items are also on offer.
2. Đồng Tâm Snake Farm
This is the most renowned snake farm and centre for snake bite treatment in Vietnam. It is home to more than 400 species of snakes, both poisonous and nonpoisonous plus other rare animals. There is also a large area exclusive for the cultivation of medicinal herbs in the centre.
3. Vinh Trang Pagoda
Vinh Trang pagoda is the greatest religious site in Tien Giang. The pagoda is located in an area of 2000m2
And covered with many beautiful trees. The architecture of the pagoda represent a tasteful combination of Asian and European styles, bringing out the charming yet simple features of this Buddhist site.
4. Thoi Son Island
The path through the island is lined with fruit plants, among them plums, mangoes, and lagans. Tiled roof houses surrounded by generations of fruit trees and cozy little restaurants decorated with in bonsai plants make Thoi Son island the ideal place for a quick rest. Visitors also enjoy on the island other local products such as coconut sweets and jams.
5. Phoenix Island
The island is know for being covered with coconut and fruit trees. You may want to visit a coconut candy factory on the island, where you can watch the process of making the candys, taste, and perhaps consider buying some of them. You may want to attend a workshop where workers show off products made out of coconut shells, or take a break in tropical fruit gardens, drinking tea with fresh honey and tasting blueberries while listening to some traditional music tunes.
6. Turtoise Island
On the island you can visit many orchard farms where you may sample tropical fruits and listen to “Đờn Ca Tài Tử”- a local traditional music thata has full feelings of the southern delta life. The island is 8km south of My Tho and 12km north of Ben Tre
7. Cai Mon Orchard
It is considered the cardle of tropical fruit in Southern Vietnam that offer fruits to visitors around the yearIt is considered the cardle of tropical fruit in Southern Vietnam that offer fruits to visitors around the year. Cai Mon’s village plantations annually supplies products such as durians, mangostines, mangoes and longans. There are village artists who prune plants into the shapes of deers, dragons or phoenixes.
8. The Rice Paper Villages
The rice paper produce (Bánh Tráng) in Giong Tom Dist., 16km southeast of Ben Tre, are best known for their delicate taste. The main material to make the products include husked and sticky rice, but the local producers keep the specific formula for making the papers as a secret. They keep creating new recipe to improve the rice paper quality.
9. Vam Ho Bird Sanctuary
The sanctuary is home of almost half a million storks , night herons and other wild species, such as bats, snakes, weasels, and pythons. The best time to see the storks is in the periods from April to October, when hay take refuge to produce and raise their young. Every day, after a day searching for food between 16:00-17:00, thousands of storks return to their nests and whiten all the tree tops.
Van Ho Bird Sanctuary is located in the area Ba Lai Estuary, about 40km southeast of Ben Tre City. You can go there by car or boat.
10. Dong Khoi Memorial Complex
This memorial complex is built to remember an important event in the history of Ben Tre: Dong Khoi(the Revolutionary Uprising). The complex has an area of 5000m2 and includes a two-storey museum. Inside the museum. Inside the museum you can see dummies, images, charts and home-made and primitive weapons used in the Uprising.