The unique river life along the Mekong Delta

Commonly known as Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City in southern Vietnam is the country’s largest city and the financial and economical capital. This is a city full of surprises. Chaotic traffic blends with peaceful pagodas, parks, multi-style coffee shops and whole neighborhoods hidden down tiny alleyways. Icons of the past endure in the middle of the city’s vast urbanization. The ornate Saigon opera house, Hôtel de Ville - former French city hall, broad boulevards leading to the Saigon River and the gracious stucco villas are reminders of French-colonial times. In addition, the Chinese influence is also evident particularly in Cholon district (the city's Chinatown), while modern skyscrapers and international hotel chains that dot the skyline symbolize Vietnam's fixation on the future.

The boulevards of Tra Vinh, one of the prettiest towns in the Mekong Delta, are still lined with shady trees, harking back to an earlier era. With more than 140 Khmer pagodas dotting the province, Tra Vinh is a quiet place for exploring the Mekong’s little-touted Cambodian connection. The town itself sees a little more tourist traffic now that it's linked to Ben Tre and beyond by large bridges.

About 245 kilometers north of Ho Chi Minh City, the town of Chau Doc is situated in the vicinity of An Giang province, in the center of Mekong Delta. Towards travelers, the town is best known as a Vietnam's border crossing with the neighbor country Cambodia. Currently, Chau Doc is trying its best to become a 'festival city', utilizing tourism as a leading economic sector.