60 Best Sights in Mekong Delta, Vietnam

Legend has it that about 400 years ago, Khmer monks constructed this pagoda 3 km (2 miles) from Soc Trang to honor the flying foxes (a type of bat) that live in the surrounding fruit trees. In Buddhism, bats are considered sacred and lucky. Unfortunately, the grounds are not maintained and litter is a problem. Also, now these are few bats compared to years past; the best time to see any is at dawn or dusk. Keep an eye out for the graves of five-hoofed pigs behind the temple; these creatures are believed to be bad luck so are given to the temple to be cared for until their death.

About 37 km (23 miles) or an hour from Can Tho, this photogenic wetland area is a great way to explore the delta's beautiful narrow, verdant waterways by wooden boat and watch magnificent birdlife such as herons, storks, and egrets nesting in the trees. As of 2024, it hasn't been overdeveloped with restaurants, souvenirs stands, kitschy animal statues, and rubbish like Tra Su Bird Sanctuary—for now. Can Tho River Tours offers guided tours to Mua Xuan.

This mangrove forest and wetland, where rivers and waterways feed through Vietnam's southernmost point into the sea, was recognized as a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve in 2009. The 371,506 hectare park features rich biodiversity, including rare and endangered birds, animals, and reptiles. At the time of writing, no organized tours enter the park, though there has been some talk of introducing community-based ecotourism. Tours bring you to a tourism area at the mainland's southern tip (where famously you can see sunrise and sunset in the same spot), 110 km (68 miles) from Ca Mau City. There's a seaside promenade, boardwalks, and boats that take you into some of the mangroves for bird-watching, and several large, very concrete landmarks, including a copy of the Hanoi flag tower; inside is a museum and its high position affords a panoramic view of the green forest.

With its pebble-strewn brown sand, Mui Nai, 6 km (4 miles) west of Ha Tien, pales in comparison to Phu Quoc's beaches, but the sea is calm and shallow so it's a pleasant enough place to take a dip. It's extremely popular on the weekends when people from all over the delta come to escape the heat and enjoy fresh seafood from one of the seafood shacks. There's sometimes an entrance/parking fee on busy days.

Located in the city center, the largest and oldest Khmer temple in Can Tho was originally built in 1948 out of bamboo, then renovated in the subsequent decades. The gate, added in 1954, is adorned with what resembles the three towers of Angkor Wat. Access to the interior is limited, but it's possible to admire the golden exterior embellishments and perhaps spy a few novice monks doing chores on the grounds. The pagoda is emblematic of the continuation of Khmer religion and culture in the Mekong Delta.

More of a series of coves than one long beach, Ong Lang can be pretty with its rocky outcrops and narrow strips of white sand. Hotels such as Mango Bay Resort and Phu Quoc Eco Beach Resort front the beach, so wonderful views can be enjoyed from their in-house restaurants or by purchasing a day pass. For public access, follow signs to Mango Bay and look for the "public beach" sign just south of the resort. Amenities: food and drink. Best for: snorkeling; solitude; sunsets; swimming.

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 renovations over the centuries, this active temple is an important cultural and spiritual meeting place for Tra Vinh's Chinese community. The main god of worship is Quan Cong (Guan Yu), a Chinese military general, a model of loyalty and justice. Every year on the 15th day of the first lunar month, this colorful pagoda hosts Tet Nguyen Tieu, the lantern festival, which marks the first full moon of the lunar new year.

Smokey incense coils hang from the rafters of this atmospheric temple inside the Guangzhou Assembly Hall, which was built by the Chinese at the end of the 19th century. Assembly halls were important centers of worship, community, and governance. Ong Temple is primarily dedicated to Chinese military leader and diety Kuang Kung (known as Quan Cong in Vietnam), who symbolizing justice, loyalty, and honor. Many of the temple's decorative features were imported from China in 1896.

This family-run organic bee farm west of the national park has staff as sweet as their harvest. Guided 30-minute tours of the peaceful garden and orchards are free (advanced booking recommended), while souvenirs, honey products, and a menu using farm-fresh ingredients are available at the little open-air café.

Phu Quoc is renowned for its pepper, and a guided tour of this family pepper farm, operating since 1998, includes samples of its tasty products, such as chili salt and pepper tea, made with red peppercorn, cinnamon, and honey. Morning and afternoon cooking classes can also be booked, where you learn to prepare and eat four different dishes. Their café has a short menu of simple Vietnamese dishes and island specialty ruou sim (rose myrtle wine).

Covering the northeastern area of the island, Phu Quoc National Park comprises of dense forest, mangroves, and wetlands that supports many flora and fauna. At the time of writing, the interior is not accessible and any explorations, either independent or guided, are limited to the periphery in designated areas. With the island rapidly developing, trails and access can change from one day to the next, so check the latest before setting out. Rough roads spidering through the forest in Ganh Dau, northwest of the park border, give a taste of the park's wilderness.

Built by the French to detain dissidents and later used by the American-backed South Vietnamese government, the prison, also known as Coconut Tree Prison, is a chilling record of the island's dark history. Like the other famous prison-turned-museum in Con Dao, life-size mannequins and archive photos bring to life the horrific caging, torture, and execution methods inflicted on thousands of men, women, and children. The prison is at the southern end of Phu Quoc.

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.

It's possible to walk up 280 meter--high Sam Mountain (Nui Sam), 5 km (3 miles) southwest of Chau Doc, or take the 900 meter--long cable car (150,000d round-trip), or hire a xe om from the base for around 60,000d one-way and walk down. You can arrange a taxi round-trip from town, but ensure they are willing to take you to the top, as the way is steep and hard on car engines and brakes.

There are several interesting shrines on the mountain. The first, at its base, is Tay An Pagoda, originally constructed in 1847 and renovated several times since, with a mix of Vietnamese and Indian architecture. A little way past Tay An Pagoda is Ba Chua Xu (Lady Temple), dedicated to a goddess of prosperity in the Vietnamese folk region Thanism. Farther along is the Tomb of Thoai Ngoc Hau (1761--1829), a high-ranking military official of the Nguyen dynasty, buried alongside his two wives. Hang Pagoda (Cave Pagoda), at the top of 400 steps, has amazing views of the surrounding countryside, the flat rice paddies, and flood plains that stretch out beyond the Cambodian border.

This is a popular spot for tour buses given the number of restaurants that front the fine white sand, as well as the umbrellas and water sports available for rent; the water gets crowded and noisy with Jet Skis and banana boats buzzing around. Once one of Phu Quoc's dirtiest beaches, businesses now clean their section but pile the trash off to the side. Entrances 1 and 2 offer free access and parking, while Paradiso Beach Club at entrance 3 charges for use of its facilities. Amenities: food and drink; showers. Best for: sunrise; water sports activities.

Dating back to 1932, this small, colorful pagoda sits on top of a hill 4 km (2½ miles) east of Duong Dong Town. Access is via 40 stone steps, and it's more of a working temple than tourist destination.

Completed in 2019, this sprawling development of resorts, restaurants, entertainment, and mostly empty shopping venues occupies Phu Quoc's entire southern tip. Sunset Town (Thi Tran Hoang Hon) is a mock-Mediterranean city, with recreations of Italy’s iconic constructions such as the Colosseum and Venice’s St. Mark’s bell tower. From there, the world’s longest three-wire cable car soars 7.9 km (4.9 miles) and nearly 50 stories over the An Thoi archipelago to Hon Thom Island, home to Aquatopia Water Park with its water slides and wave pools and a beach. Opened in 2023, the Kissing Bridge features two 400-meter bridges that stretch over the ocean and nearly meet, so couples on either side can reach across for a photo op.

Built to look like a town taken straight from the Amalfi Coast, Sunset Town must be seen to be believed. It would be incredibly kitschy if the illusion weren't so well done, complete with pastel shop houses of differing heights, cobblestone streets and even a bell tower. There's a small, man-made beach here with free water puppet shows and nightly fireworks. Guests can also stroll the lively night market for cheap eats and street performances. A visit here is best paired with a day trip to Hon Thom Island via the cable car or the nightly Kiss of the Sea show

It is a 20-minute walk through rainforest to reach this small but picturesque waterfall, which is far more spectacular in the rainy season; water levels are very low at the end of dry season, around March to May, and it may not be worth visiting. Like so many nature tourist sights in Vietnam, the park has been built up with kitschy animal statues, an artificial pond, flowers, and food/drink vendors.

On the road to the Cambodian border, 4 km (2.5 miles) northwest of Ha Tien, this cave pagoda is in an echoey cavern in a limestone karst, with various chambers holding funerary tablets. The cave is home to a colony of bats (so keep your mouth closed when you look up), and the views from some of the openings across to Cambodia are pretty. At the base of the mountain is a small monument shaped like a clenched fist that commemorates the murder of 130 local civilians by the Khmer Rouge in 1978.

The 2,088-acre Tra Su bird sanctuary, 25 km (15½ miles) southwest of Chau Doc, is home to more than 70 species of birds, including storks, egrets, ibis, and herons. It's possible to see birds year round but the best time to visit is when the cajeput (paperbark) forest is flooded and brilliantly green with duckweed, from July to December; water levels are driest April and May. Pick and pay for individual experiences: A noisy motorboat ride that includes a stop at a 23-meter (75 feet) observation tower or a peaceful cruise by rowboat through the wetlands, the best chance of observing the hundreds of birds nesting in the trees. For most of the year, the sanctuary's narrow 12-km (7½-mile) track can also be explored by bicycle, with rusty rentals available. Unfortunately, like many nature tourist sights in Vietnam, the sanctuary is overrun with food and souvenir vendors, animal statues, and litter. From Chau Doc, private tours offered by hotels or travel agents start for around 1,410,000d, and much cheaper if transportation is by motorbike.

The 7,612-hectare (18,810-acre) park, famous for its rare wild birds, including the Sarus and red-headed crane, lies within the Plain of Reeds, which floods each year from July to December. Migratory birds, including the cranes, return to the area every year from late December to early May. The reserve lies 80 km (50 miles) from Long Xuyen and 110 km (68 miles) from Chau Doc and Sa Dec and is accessible by taxi, private car, or xe om. A two-hour boat tour to bird-viewing areas, best done in the early morning or late afternoon, costs 700,000d split between passengers, up to 10 people. There are a range of activities within the park, including fishing, harvesting rice, and hunting field mice. There's also a very basic hotel, with three-bed air-conditioned rooms starting from 200,000d/night.

Boasting golden sand, swaying palms, and Phu Quoc's best sunsets, Long Beach (not to be confused with Bai Dai, which also translates to "Long Beach") stretches for nearly 20 km (12 miles) along the island's western coast, from just south of Duong Dong Town down toward the southern tip. The section north of the airport is Phu Quoc's central hub, with the greatest concentration of hotels, restaurants, cafés, and bars—and overdevelopment. The area has become densely packed, and smaller hotels have been engulfed by large resorts so it can be quite crowded, even more so now that the beach is disappearing due to coastal erosion. Be aware that some resort "beachfronts" have been reduced to unsightly sandbags. Amenities: waterfront food and drink; water sports. Best for: sunsets; partying.

One of the core zones of the Mui Ca Mau World Biosphere Reserve recognized by UNESCO, U Minh Ha National Park, 35 km (22 miles) from Ca Mau, contains swaths of swampland and pearl-white cajeput trees (also known as melaleuca or paperbark trees) as well as 32 mammal species, such as deer and wild boar, and 74 bird species, including the endangered painted stork. An area has been zoned for tourism in Vo Doi, the experience catering to domestic tourists. There's a high observation tower, bicycles for rental, and a boat trip through scenic waterways; don't expect to enter the forest or see much wildlife except for birds and monkeys.

About 2.3 km (1.4 miles) from Vinh Long Market, this Chinese Confucian temple built in the mid-19th century is decorated with multicolor dragons and statues of Confucius, which is odd because the monks here practice Buddhism. Added to the original structure is a different style of hall built in honor of Phan Thanh Gian, a Vietnamese fighter, government official, and diplomat, who committed suicide in Vinh Long in 1867 rather than submit to French rule. Locals often refer to the temple by his name rather than its official title. Although the temple has opening hours posted on the gate, it's often inexplicably closed; ask around and someone may have a key.

Outside of the building is what's most interesting because the waterfront museum has a surprisingly large collection of weapons from the Vietnam War, including a UH-1A helicopter, F5 jet, artillery, and two tanks; a translation app is useful as the information signs are mainly in Vietnamese.

Dating to 1849, this pagoda, which was built in the shape of the Chinese character for nation, combines European and Asian design elements and is set within lovely ornamental gardens with bonsai, lotus ponds, and a gigantic laughing Buddha. Take time to soak up the tranquil atmosphere, plus admire the elaborate carved wood in the hushed interiors and the ornate ceramic mosaic of the arch out front.

The nearly 50-hectare amusement park formerly known as Vinpearl Land has rides, a waterpark, an aquarium, and shows. The park is part of Vinpearl's sprawling mega-development that took over Bai Beach, on Phu Quoc's northwestern coast, which includes a golf course, casino, several resorts, restaurants, an excess of empty shops, and a zoo featuring exotic animals. Free shuttle buses run regularly between it and Duong Dong Town.

Visitors to Tan Chau can tour several factories that manufacture silk, the district's most well-known export, as well as colorful rattan mats and slippers. Nearly everything is done or controlled by hand; there are no robots or computers here.