4 Best Sights in Sa Dec, Mekong Delta

This house is famous for being the family home of Huynh Thuy Le, upon whom French author Marguerite Duras based the title character of The Lover, a 1984 autobiographical novel about a schoolgirl's love affair with an older Chinese man, the son of a wealthy business magnate. The house, built in 1895, was later used as a government building (which meant the 1992 film The Lover was actually shot at Binh Thuy ancient house in Can Tho). It's been restored reasonably faithfully, and maintains the beautiful blend of Chinese, Vietnamese, and French architecture and decoration. Photos of the real family and from the film adds some storytelling, but otherwise, there are no informational signs.

Typical of all Cao Dai Temples, the temple is a riot of colors, a bright yellow building with sky blue, red, and green accents, and inside the floor tiles change color from one to the next. At the front of the temple, on a carved wooden table with drawers, sit thick gilded candlesticks and offerings while ceramic egrets stand on either side. Established in 1926 in the southern Vietnamese city of Tay Ninh, Caodaoism is a monotheistic religion, and this temple is similar to the one in My Tho; both are branches of the main Cao Dai Temple in Tay Ninh, also called the Holy See. Adherents worship Cao Dai, whom they believe is the creator of the universe. From the temples towers, take in the view of the river and surrounding countryside.

Built in 1838, the brightly painted Chinese-style pagoda features elaborate wrought iron gates, as well as inlaid scenes and animal figures made by intricate mosaics of ceramic and porcelain pottery below and along the roof. If you're lucky, a monk will invite you to sit for tea and persimmons.

For more than 100 years, this little village by the bank of the Tien River has grown flowers, herbs, and ornamental plants, traditionally transporting them to markets around the region by river. The flower farms all line a 2-km (1-mile) stretch of road, quite the sight when driving by; most are open to the public. The village is most spectacular in the lead-up to Tet, the lunar new year.