For the past years, Lai Thieu has been well-known for its diversified fruit trees and has been considered the lungs of Binh Duong Province. Nowadays, the effect of industrial development is influencing Lai Thieu’s garden of fruit trees but this land is still a green paradise for ideal relaxation.
It would be a mistake if we miss the Din Ky Cau Ngang eco tourist park which lies peacefully and breezily along a branch of the Saigon River. Coming here, tourists find themselves back in time to the ancient land of the South.
The Din Ky Cau Ngang Eco tourist Park is the second branch of Din Ky in Binh Duong Province after the Din Ky Lai Thieu Eco -tourist Park. The park belongs to the community of Lai Thieu’s fruit-trees and is about 23 kilometers from HCMC and about six kilometers from Thu Dau Mot Town.
Departing from HCMC and heading to Go Vap district, it takes 20 minutes to reach Lai Thieu Market. After another two kilometers, tourists come to the crossroad of Cau Ngang and turn left onto a red-soil road. On this road, people have the feeling of being on a village road with the green shady trees standing in two lines on both sides. Going about 100 meters, tourists find a gate covered by double tiles and that’s the first sight of the tourist park.
Passing through the gate, tourists enter a narrow path and see a sinuous foot bridge hidden under many lines of coconut trees. Looming far away is a fishing canoe anchored sluggishly and surrounded by thick water hyacinths. This is a great spot to enjoy the breeze blowing off the river.
Ahead is a small irrigation canal spanned by a bridge. Tourists stop there to contemplate the scene of many people fishing in silence or take an interesting opportunity to fish for some big fishes for their next meal. Next to the canal for fishing is the canal that looks a lot like a post-harvested field full of mud. People can jump in and catch fish the way the ancient people in the South used to do.
Tourists can taste their own fish after the park’s kitchen or a floating restaurant on the river cooks them. The floating restaurant is a special feature of the tourist park because it is also a craft village. Tourists can see the artisans making griddle cakes, coconut candies and wine on this restaurant.
Moreover, there is a boat for tourists to watch the daily activities on the river. This boat makes two trips per day, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Back at the wharf, tourists can ask the park to put on a cock-fight or arrange horse riding on village roads.
The short distance between HCMC and Din Ky Cau Ngang usually makes it a day trip but to serve the demand of tourists, the park is offering rooms both on land and on the river. There is a boat restaurant with six cozy and well-equipped wooden rooms. Spending a night on this floating hotel must be an unforgettable memory.
To diversify its services, the park also offers many short stay trips such as HCMC-Binh Duong province, HCMC-Binh Duong province-Long Hai province or HCMC-Binh Duong province-Giang Dien Waterfall. All of these tours are by car and boat.
To get to the Din Ky Cau Ngang eco tourist park, tourists can take a bus from the Ben Thanh bus station to the Mien Dong bus station and from there to Binh Duong province. At the crossroad of Cau Ngang, tourists should ask the driver to stop and then walk to the park. Another way is to take a boat from Bach Dang Port.
The Din Ky Cau Ngang eco tourist park is located in Binh Nham commune, Thuan An district, Binh Duong Province.
