6 Best Sights in Tra Vinh, Mekong Delta

Originally built in the 10th century, Ang Pagoda has been rebuilt and restored several times. Set on 10 acres among ancient trees, the pagoda still retains its beautiful Khmer architecture. Ang Pagoda is 5 km (3 miles) from the center of Tra Vinh, a short walk from Ao Ba Om pond, and right across the road from the Khmer Culture Museum.

A relic of the glory days of the Khmer civilization, Ao Ba Om, which poetically translates as "square pond," is now a peaceful and serene body of water surrounded by tall trees. The pond, about 5 km (3 miles) from Tra Vinh, is a nice place to visit in the early morning, when the mists make the area seem even more romantic. Combine your exploration of the pond with visits to the nearby Ang Pagoda and Khmer Cultural Museum.

This Khmer temple was built in 1637, and the tall trees on its 5-acre grounds are home to a small school and hundreds of storks, explaining one of its nicknames—Stork Pagoda. The pagoda, about 5 km (3 miles) from Tra Vinh, is also known as Cave Pagoda because of its cave-like entrance, as well as by its Khmer name of Kompom Chray (banyan tree wharf). It was once also called Bat Pagoda but bombing in 1968 scared the bats away and they've never returned. The monks here are famous for their woodworking skills and the intricate bonsai garden they tend while not studying, praying, and chanting.

Hang Pagoda is a best visited in the late afternoon when the birds come home to roost, but try not to stand under a tree because the bird droppings come down like rain.

Housed in a blocky concrete building across the road from Ang Pagoda, the Khmer Culture Museum has four exhibition rooms containing re-creations of various aspects of traditional Khmer life, as well as collections of musical instruments and farming tools. All signs are in Vietnamese and Khmer. It's not the most interesting museum, but worth dropping by if you're just across the road anyway.

A Khmer temple has stood in this spot since 711 and the beautiful complex, also known as Bodhisalaraja, is now the center of Khmer spiritual life in Tra Vinh. A library with unique wooden features was added in 1916. The monks here are quite friendly and sometimes like to practice speaking English with male tourists.

A centuries-old Chinese pagoda that underwent a 20th-century renovation, Ong Pagoda, or Phuoc Minh Palace, is an important cultural and spiritual meeting place for Tra Vinh's Chinese community. The interior is shaped like the Chinese character for earth and the exterior represents the character for water, and throughout the pagoda mythical characters abound (some in front of a very pretty patch of artificial lawn). Every year on the 15th day of the first lunar month, this colorful pagoda hosts the Nguyen Tieu Festival, which marks the first full moon of the lunar new year.