Top 10 Most Famous Tourist Destinations in An Giang Province

Tra Su Melaleuca Forest is a mangrove forest representing the beauty of the western part of the Hau River, and it is also home to 70 bird species, 11 mammals, 25 reptiles and amphibians, over 20 fish species, and more than 140 plant species. The best time for tourists to fully enjoy the beauty of Tra Su Melaleuca Forest is from around August to October in the lunar calendar, which is also the flooding season. Boating through the forest, you will surely be overwhelmed by the vast green space of nature, resembling something out of mythology. The lush green water ferns and rows of trees along the banks will make you feel like you are merging with nature, occasionally hearing the sound of oars, birds, and fish echoing through the forest.

Tra Su Melaleuca Forest is considered the most unique and fascinating tourist attraction in An Giang province. Visitors here will be amazed by the rows of melaleuca trees lining the roads. Moreover, you can admire the vast rice fields with storks flying straight along with the tall palm trees. It can be said that Tra Su Melaleuca Forest is the pride of An Giang tourism in particular and the Southern region in general. This place has all the most characteristic features of the Mekong Delta with its typical ecosystem of the western floodplains of the Hau River. Here, there are long canals with cool, fresh water that gradually appear before visitors' eyes when standing on the bridge entering the melaleuca forest. The journey begins from here, with small motorboats or rowing boats carrying tourists, each trip accommodating from 3 to 5 people to venture deep into the mangrove forest.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Address: Van Tra Hamlet, Van Giao Commune, Tinh Bien Town, An Giang Province

Phone: 0296 651 2299

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://www.trasu.vn/

Fanpage: https://www.facebook.com/kdlrungtramtrasu

Opening Hours: 7:00 AM - 5:15 PM

Tà Pạ Mountain exudes the pristine beauty from its rugged cliffs, towering rock columns, and reddish-brown boulders reflected in the crystal-clear Tà Pạ Lake, creating a striking scenery. Tà Pạ Mountain is an indispensable highlight in the natural landscape that contributes to the fame of the Tà Pạ area. The fresh, cool air, thanks to the lush greenery, combined with the solemnity and grandeur of the Khmer Theravada Buddhist temple, brings a unique charm to Tà Pạ.

Standing atop the mountain, visitors can overlook the vast golden rice fields of Tà Pạ spreading endlessly within sight. Adorning the golden backdrop are green Dầu trees, painting a beautiful countryside picture. If you are looking for a peaceful retreat in An Giang, Tà Pạ is the perfect choice.

Besides tourism and exploration, this is also an ideal place for wedding photoshoots or unique check-in photos with various angles capturing the mountainous scenery and clear water lake. Tà Pạ not only attracts tourists with the pristine beauty of the lake but also offers a romantic, poetic setting suitable for couples on vacation. The lake is always calm, the water is clear as if one can see everything at the bottom.

All surrounding scenery casts shadows onto the lake, with the deep green of the grass blending with the emerald green of the sky, creating a magnificent and captivating scene. According to local legends, Tà Pạ Lake was formed from the remnants of stone mining. Despite human intervention, everything here remains naturally beautiful and mesmerizing to anyone who visits.

Contact Information:

Address: Núi tô commune, Tri Tôn district, An Giang province

Floating Village Chau Doc is one of the most unique tourist attractions in Chau Doc, known for its floating houses, showcasing a distinctive culture deeply rooted in the river region. Small boats are the main means of transportation for each family in these floating villages. Here, each floating house is like an interconnected apartment stretching along both riverbanks. Each boat owner typically has at least 3 - 4 boats, often with an additional boat for living alongside. Particularly, in recent years, some residents tend to move their homes onto the river for settlement. Life for families is condensed onto a boat about 4m wide and 7 - 8m long. The reason people live mostly in floating villages is that with a moderate amount of money, they can build a boat (excluding those with extravagant designs that can cost millions), serving as both a home and saving the cost of renting or buying land. Due to the residents' living needs, various services have emerged, including shops, machinery repair services, and fuel sales... The residents live much like those on land. They eat, rest, play, and raise livestock. They have television for entertainment. Thus, the floating village was formed.

Small boats are the main means of transportation for each family in the floating village, similar to motorcycles for people on land. When traveling, they can use smaller boats. Tourists visiting this place will also be fascinated when traveling on various watercraft, such as rafts, sampans, or motorized boats, to explore the village. Sitting on the boat, watching the floating water lilies, feeling the cool water breeze blowing in from the river, everything is enough to dispel the scorching heat of summer. With the wind blowing gently over the river, tourists can enjoy the scenery along the riverbanks while listening to traditional Vietnamese opera and folk songs. Floating Village Chau Doc is truly picturesque and tranquil. The architecture of the 'houses' in the floating village is also very unique. The wooden houses are painted light, with simulated tile roofs adorned with full amenities, with a depth of 5m constructed of star wood, surrounded by stainless steel mesh to raise basa fish and some other fish species.

Contact Information:

Address: Chau Doc town, An Giang

Óc Eo Archaeological Site is a vast and most famous ancient relic in An Giang. Óc Eo culture flourished in the area of the Southern Plain during the first ten centuries AD. According to Viet Fun Travel, around the beginning of the Common Era, Óc Eo was a seaport through the Gulf of Thailand. This area was situated on the maritime trade route between the Malay Peninsula and India, and the Mekong River and China. Consequently, Óc Eo became a convenient transshipment point between these regions. By the 6th-7th centuries, ships could travel further offshore with greater distances without stopping everywhere or along the coast. As a result, Óc Eo gradually lost its attractiveness and decreased in its appeal due to less diverse merchandise than before. The Óc Eo culture entered a period of decline as the Funanese kingdom began to rise, along with the development of Mekong Delta trade.

The term “Óc Eo” initially referred to a rectangular structure in the area, but later Malleret used it to refer to the entire region. Subsequent archaeological research shows that the space of the Óc Eo culture can be found in many areas such as Nui Sam, Lo Mo (An Giang); Nen Chua, Canh Den, Mop Van… (Kien Giang); Go Thap (Dong Thap). After the unification of the country, Vietnamese and international archaeologists and scientists continued to excavate and study a series of relics in the Ba The mountainous area and discovered numerous precious relics. Some found relics include large and small statues, rings, earrings, gemstones, lead seals, amulets, copper and stone tools… Along with clay artifacts such as fiber spinning wheels, stoves, lamp plates, pots, pans, molds… These entities and archaeological sites are classified as Óc Eo culture, as this is the first place discovered and has many characteristic, typical relics of the Funan civilization. With significant historical and cultural values, in 1998 the Óc Eo archaeological site was recognized as a national relic. Nowadays, Óc Eo Archaeological Site not only welcomes collectors and archaeologists for research but also attracts many domestic and foreign tourists to explore the relics and traces of a glorious period of ancient An Giang land and Mekong Delta.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Address: Óc Eo town, Thoai Son district, An Giang province

Búng Bình Thiên Lake is a famous tourist destination in An Giang. This lake is located in the border area between Quy Nhon, Khanh Binh, Khanh An, Quoc Thai communes, connected to Di Binh River through a small canal but not directly to Hau River. Here, you can experience the pristine scenery and enjoy the authentic local cuisine such as grilled mice, fermented fish hotpot, braised carp... Drifting on a boat, you will see floating houses along with the vibrant golden glow of wildflowers, lotus flowers blending with the red color of silt and the green color of riverside trees, all creating a vast expanse of 'sky-given water' with azure blue water and drifting clouds. Additionally, you can personally cast nets to catch fish, pick wildflowers, admire the Mas Jid Khoy Ri Yah Mosque with its onion-shaped dome, and participate in cultural activities here.

Since this is a lake, the main means of transportation for sightseeing is by boat. Typically, each boat will carry about 4 - 10 tourists for sightseeing with prices ranging from 150,000 - 300,000 VND per person. According to the boatmen, since the lake is about 500m long, it takes about 40 minutes to make a round trip. Here, tourists will experience new sensations when visiting Búng Bình Thiên Lake, exploring floating houses, fish farming cages, and admiring the cool green natural scenery. Especially, in a secluded corner of the lake, tourists can admire fresh pink lotus flowers vying for attention. Not far away, following the water flow will lead tourists to the radiant golden sky of wildflowers. The yellow color of the flowers blends with the red of the silt, the green of the riverside trees, creating a refreshing and cool atmosphere.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Address: An Phu district, An Giang Province

Tịnh Biên Market is located about 2km from the Vietnam - Cambodia border gate. This is the only market in the Mekong Delta region that trades extremely poisonous insects such as king termites, cobras, kraits, scorpions, and spiders... In addition, this is also a wholesale distribution center for essential goods to provinces in the Mekong Delta region. You can buy specialty products of An Giang here to give to your relatives and friends. Tịnh Biên Market has a festival day dedicated to the Lady Deity which is always of interest to tourists. Around the market area, from the East, West, and South gates, there are hundreds of large and small vehicles parked tightly in the market yard. After leaving the border supermarket, tourists often stop by here to eat and buy some local products before returning.

Inside Tịnh Biên Market, goods are sold in aisle-style stalls, displaying various domestic and imported products. Soap, imitation tribal tablecloths, rattan scarves, cotton blankets... In the food section, vendors invite customers to buy fermented carp sauce for only 20,000 VND/kg. Fermented carp sauce with golden brown sugar is attractively displayed. Additionally, there are many dried fish products from Lake Biển (Cambodia) such as dried catfish, dried mudfish... arranged very appealingly. In general, the prices here match the quality of the products, with a wide range of options suitable for those looking for a budget-friendly trip. Vietnam has many border trade areas, customs gates connecting with neighboring countries, but a visit to this prosperous southwest border region will be the most interesting journey, especially for those from other regions outside the Mekong Delta when they have the opportunity to visit the Southern land.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Address: Xuan Bien, Tinh Bien Town, An Giang

Châu Đốc Market is a must-visit destination for travelers in An Giang. The market offers a wide range of goods, and it operates from early morning until around noon. This market area is also affectionately known as the “kingdom of fermented fish” because half of the stalls in the market sell fermented fish. Here, there are about 30 types of fermented fish displayed on the counter, from Thai fermented fish, fermented mudfish, fermented snakehead fish, fermented loach, to fermented roe, blended fish, carp fermented fish, catfish fermented fish, pickled vegetables.... The fish bowls are neatly arranged and beautifully decorated. Each type of fermented fish here is named after the type of fish used for fermentation to make it easier to remember. Châu Đốc fermented fish is diverse and rich in variety, with delicious flavors. Tourists strolling through Châu Đốc Market can buy many types of specialty fermented fish to give as gifts to family and friends.

Alongside the delicious fermented fish, dried river fish of hundreds of types are also sold at Châu Đốc Market. Here, the famous specialty is dried swollen catfish made from fish raised in the floating villages at the confluence of the Hậu River. Many tourists traveling to An Giang have visited Châu Đốc Market to buy dried swollen catfish as gifts. The market also sells delicious specialty dried snakes. In addition to high-value dried specialties, the market also sells many types of rustic dried foods such as dried mudfish, dried carp, dried catfish, dried eel…

Exploring Châu Đốc Market, of course, tourists cannot miss the thốt nốt specialty. This is a type of palm tree with no branches, resembling a coconut tree but taller and thicker, with leaves spread out in a round shape like palm leaves. The thốt nốt bears fruit in clusters, with fruits as large as coconut xiêm, containing white flesh resembling coconut flesh. Thốt nốt water is sweet and refreshing, even just a sip is enough to leave a lasting impression on tourists. Many stalls in Châu Đốc Market sell fresh thốt nốt fruit, with many counters using thốt nốt to make various fun dishes such as thốt nốt jelly, thốt nốt sponge cake...

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Address: 44 Phan Van Vang, Chau Phu A, An Phu, An Giang