As the most populous province in the Southwest region and more than 200km south of Ho Chi Minh City, An Giang has the typical cultural feature of a city in the Mekong Delta region, with a floating market, boat racing festival, brilliant Khmer pagodas and blooming water lily flowers.
An Giang is more beautiful during the floating season. (Photo: Khanh Phan)
In An Giang, the sky is always high, blue and full of white clouds. The city has been famous for its beautiful scenery and friendly people. Each local person is a close-knit tour guide who gives visitors great joy and comfort.
During the floating season, there are several fish which will be caught by hand, then fermented into fish sauce or dried. Coming to Chau Doc market, visitors will witness a bustling and fun scene with stalls of dried fish, and fragrant fish sauces of all kinds. Chau Doc Market is also famous for products from ‘thot not’ (palmyra palm) fruits, a speciality of An Giang. Fresh 'thot not' fruits are mixed with a little sugar and ice, creating a cool and nutritious juice. Many other products are made from ‘thot not’ such as sugar and cakes.
However, perhaps, the most memorable images for visitors to An Giang during this season, are women wearing ‘ao ba ba’ (southern women's traditional costume) while rowing three-leaf canoes and men on the red rivers with alluvium. Floating water season is also for ‘bong dien dien’ (common sesban) and long water lily stems, two delicious vegetables dipped in ‘ca linh’ (a special kind of fish in Mekong River Delta) hotpots.
Meanwhile, those who love cultural experiences will have the opportunity to join unique activities, such as the Ba Chua Xu temple festival, boat racing on the Hau River, bull racing at Ro Pagoda and the festival of the Cham people. These impressive experiences will help guests gain many interesting emotions and beautiful photos.
Ending the day full of experiences from rivers and special dishes, An Giang also treats tourists to the romantic and peaceful sunset on the banks of the Tha La dam, as a reward for those who set foot in this beautiful land.
Khanh Phan - Translated by NDO
