Châu Đốc is a city of An Giang Province and a renowned travel destination of the Mekong Delta. Thanks to its phenomenal views, relic sites, and history of Champa, Vietnamese, and Khmer people, Châu Đốc is certainly worth a visit. In order to have an unforgettable journey to the city, helpful information in this complete travel guide will be what you are looking for.
Where is Châu Đốc?
Châu Đốc is located 250 km from Ho Chi Minh City and 50 km from Long Xuyên – the heart of An Giang Province. This place is quite familiar to many international and domestic tourists who have ever known about the Mekong Delta. One fascinating point about it is that it shares the border with Cambodia, so you easily realize that it appears in 2 or 3 day Mekong Delta tours with exit to that country.
When is the best time to visit Châu Đốc?
Châu Đốc lies in the zone of tropical monsoon climate which influences weather of all provinces in southern Vietnam. Hence, the weather in Châu Đốc is always comfortable and has two seasons, consisting of a dry season and a rainy season. Although you can visit this place all year long, there are also special occasions when the city is full of amazing things to experience. April is the time to see locals go fishing on the river Vàm Nao and the festival of Local Tutelary Goddess of Sam Mountain. April and September are the floating season when cow racing takes place in Tri Gôn District nearby.
How to get to Châu Đốc?
From Ho Chi Minh City to Châu Đốc City is about 259km, so you’d better go by bus/coach rather than motorbike. It takes about 5.6 hours to get to the destination from Miền Tây Bus Station. The average bus fare is about VND140,000/ticket. There are sleeper buses for 16, 40, 45, or 46 passengers. There are a lot of departure times with different bus lines, such as Phương Trang, Tuấn Tú, Hùng Cường, Vĩnh An, Hòa Hiệp, Huệ Nghĩa, Kim Hương, Kim Kim Mai, Liên Hưng, and Nam Phát. Each of the bus lines will stop at a specific station which may be the temple of Local Tutelary Goddess, Thoại Sơn, Tri Tôn, An Phú, Chi Lăng, or Tịnh Biên.
Where to stay in Đến Châu Đốc?
Upon arrival in Châu Đốc, you will discover that there is a diversity of accommodations, ranging from standard hostels to first-class hotels. The accommodations are concentrated along main streets of the city, easy to choose from.
At the bottom of Sam Mountain is a concentration of hostels and hotels for guests going on a pilgrimage to the temple of Local Tutelary Goddess (Bà Chúa Xứ Temple). The most recommended ones are Hạ Long Hostel, Victoria Núi Sam Lodge, Victoria Châu Đốc, Đông Nam Hotel, Châu Phố Hotel, and Sam Mountain Post Office.
The advice is that you should book a room from accommodations a little far from Sam Mountain because there are plenty of guests on a pilgrimage staying there, occasionally pretty noisy.
How to get around in Châu Đốc?
When in Châu Đốc, you can get around by motorbike, car, or taxicab. Interestingly, Châu Đốc is famous for floating villages or fish farms or Champa villages, so by boat is always an important means of transport in this place.
One intriguing thing about the means of transport around the city is that a part of it still remains traditional as you will find many rickshaws on every corner of streets. This means of transport is supposed to be a cultural symbol of Châu Đốc and it’s exciting to have an experience with it.
The best places to visit in Châu Đốc
Despite being a remote area of the Mekong Delta, Châu Đốc City is always a hotspot for many visitors as they can explore an abundance of valuable things about culture, history, religion, and locals there. The following list includes the best places you cannot find any reason to resist in Châu Đốc.
Bà Chúa Xứ Temple (the temple of Local Tutelary Goddess)
This temple is one of the most sacred places in the Mekong Delta. The festival held at the temple typically appeals to approximately two million visitors to the temple every year. Apart from this special occasion, the temple also welcomes a lot of people going on a pilgrimage. To have more understanding of the religious features and spiritual life of the locals, you are advised to arrive on the festival.
Tây An Ancient Pagoda
Although the current structure of Tây An Ancient Pagoda was rebuilt in 1959, at first it had been located on the site of an earlier shrine in 1847. The architecture of the pagoda appears eclectic as its tower is influenced by Hindu and Islamic cultures while its main gate is designed in the Vietnamese style. Decorations and patterns inside and outside are overwhelming; there are vibrant figures of lions and dragons on the roof and statues of elephants at the gate. Besides that, it impresses visitors by its exquisite carvings of religious figures and statues of arhats, Sakyamuni, and midwives.
Thoại Ngọc Hầu Tomb
Thoại Ngọc Hầu was referred to as a high-ranking official who served the Nguyen dynasty. He was also the pioneer who expanded the territory and built irrigation channels in Châu Đốc. The tomb was built under his command at the foot of Sam Mountain, near the temple of Local Tutelary Goddess. Although the architecture looks ordinary because of steps made of beehive stones, inside is brightly colored design of the altar, pillars, and statues.
Hang Pagoda
Hang Pagoda is the place of mysterious stories and legends. Not only are you told about those interesting stories when on a visit there, but you get a chance to contemplate unique details in its architecture, ranging from carvings, sculptures, to images. People who have visited the pagoda have referred to it as a wonderful land of ethereal beauty.
Champa Villages
A boat trip to Champa Villages enables you to discover the culture and life of Champa people. One special thing is that the community is celebrated for brocade items, ranging from bags, garments, to scarves. Those items are totally made of indigenous materials and by skillful Champa artisans. Additionally, houses and architectural structures still remain traditional, so the trip indeed opens your mind as it provides plenty of interesting things about a culture, totally different from yours.
The village of floating fish farms
This village is famous for floating houses where fish is bred to provide through the country and even for export. Coming to this village by boat, you will get to know how the locals raise fish under their houses and more interestingly gain an opportunity to feed fish. At times, shops offering handicrafts are found in some farms; you can pick out something for your family and friends as souvenirs after the trip.
Châu Đốc Market
To know more about a specific place, you should visit its market and museum, as the saying goes. That’s why the market in Châu Đốc is a don’t miss destination if you wish to gain insights into the life and culture of this city. The market is where you can realize the city’s most distinctive features which are related to the local’s life. Fermented fish is supposed to represent the cuisine of Châu Đốc, so it’s easy to see this food everywhere.
What to eat in Châu Đốc?
Châu Đốc is celebrated for spring rolls dipped in fermented fish, fermented fish hotpot, dried fish, beef sausages – the Champa ethnic people’s specialty, broken rice, rice noodle soup with fish, and Vĩnh Trung noodle soup.
With an unusual combination of tastes and textures, special food of Châu Đốc has attracted numerous visitors. The places having a concentration of special food are Châu Phú A Square, parks along Lê Lợi Street.
The best food in Châu Đốc doesn’t cost too much, so you shouldn’t miss all food courts and night markets where you will find a wide selection of it. Some dried food can be bought and brought home for your family and friends.
For those who expect a time-saving and convenient exploration of Châu Đốc, various Mekong Delta tours for 2-3 days are definitely perfect choices. Most of the tours cover all famous travel destinations and rewarding activities in Châu Đốc. What you need to do is just to ask about reliable travel agents or tour operators.
Before setting about a journey to soak up the best things of Châu Đốc – the Mekong Delta, you certainly need essential information, so this complete travel guide allows you to well prepare for it. You can be confused about collecting important details which should be put in your trip while there are too many suggestions online. Therefore, the travel guide can help since it just consists of what is believed to be the most important, such as how to get there, where to stay, what to experience, what to enjoy, and the best places to visit.
