General Information: Vietnam Overview, Vietnam History, People & 54 ethnic groups, Religion & Belief
Vietnam Culture: Customs & Habits, Language and Literature, Festivals & Folk-games, Art performance, Costumes, Architecture & Fine-arts, Food, Flowers, Fruits, Markets
Dong Thap
Area: 3,376.4 sq. km
Population: 1,667.8 thousand habitants (2006)
Capital: Cao Lanh City
Administrative divisions:
Town: Sa Dec
Districts: Tan Hong, Hong Ngu, Tam Nong, Thanh Binh, Thap Muoi, Cao Lanh, Lap Vo, Chau Thanh, Lai Vung
Ethnic groups: Viet (Kinh), Khmer, Ngai, Hoa...
Introduction: Geography, Tourism, Transportation.
Attraction:
- Historical & Cultural Vestiges: Go Thap, Tomb of Junior Doctor Nguyen Sinh Sac, Xeo Quyt Relic.
- Scenic Landscapes: Dinh Yen Communal House Festival, Go Thap Festival, Tan Phu Trung Communal House Festival.
- Cultural Travel: Tram Chim National Park.
Geography
 Dong Thap is on the Mekong Delta, one of three Dong Thap Muoi's provinces. It shares its border with Cambodia on the north, Vinh Long Province and Can Tho City on the south, An Giang Province on the west and Long An, Tien Giang provinces on the east.
Dong Thap has quite developed system of canals for watery transportation and irrigation. The province has about 10,000 hectares of forestland. Cajuput is specific tree of Dong Thap Muoi region. There, the system of fauna and flora are multiform with many valuable kinds: tortoise, turtle, snakes, fishes, shrimps, pythons, storks, birds, rice, lotus, water lily, grass, and alga especially red headed cranes.
Climate: The province has tropical climate, plentiful fresh water in the whole year-round, rich and populous land with verdant fruits trees in all four seasons. There are two obvious seasons: rainy season from May to November; dry season from December to April. Average annual temperature is about 27ºC. The average annual rainfall is 1,174 -1,518mm.
Tourism and Economy
Every year, Tien and Hau rivers provide alluvial soil for Dong Thap that is convenient to growing food and fruit plant. So  this area is the granary of Vietnam. The province has potentiality of short day crops (sugar cane, cotton, tobacco, soil bean, and other fruit plants with the popular names of Cao Lanh mango, Chau Thanh longan, Lai Vung mandarin, Phong Hoa grape fruit.
From January to May every year, when sky is clear, tourist would visit Tram Chim National Park to observe many cranes. It is crane flock returning after months of emigrating to evade flood. This is also the season for tourists to see, photograph cranes in the dawn and sunset.
Tourists can admire the vast lotus and bonsai in Sa Dec Flower Garden. A forest of flowers of all colors and aroma are always available here.
Dong Thap has relic of Oc Eo Culture in Go Thap, numerous historic remains and valuable places of scenic beauty like the Tomb of Junior Doctor Nguyen Sinh Sac, Go Thap Site, Xeo Quit Relic, that are being protected, preserved and step by step put on operation for economical and social development of the province.
Transportation
Cao Lanh City is 162km from Ho Chi Minh City. There are direct buses from Ho Chi Minh City, Mytho, Can Tho, Vinh Long, and Long Xuyen. Sa Dec Town is 143km from Ho Chi Minh City, midway between Vinh Long and Long Xuyen.
Attraction
1) Historical & Cultural Vestiges
Location: In Communes of My Hoa and Tan Kieu, Thap Muoi District, Dong Thap Province, 43km from Cao Lanh City.
Characteristics: Go Thap Archaeological Area is well known for 5 main relics: Thap Muoi Hill, Co Tu Tower, Binh Kieu Grave, Minh Su Temple, and Ba Chua Xu Temple. Relics in this area bear great cultural and historical value.
Co Tu Tower is 100m north of Thap Muoi Hill. It was built during the Thieu Tri period (1841-1842) and was formerly known as the Temple of Chan Lap.
Behind this temple is the Dong Thap Muoi military base, which was under the command of Doc Binh Kieu, one of the leaders of the resistance against French troops. More than 2000 years ago, Thap Muoi Hill was a residential area. Archaeologists have discovered a number of antiques in this area, especially artifacts belonging to the Oc-Eo civilization. During both National Resistance Movements against the French Troops and the US Army, the military base supported liberation organizations and other resistance activities.
With its historical and cultural value, the Ministry of Culture and Information has nationally recognized Go Thap as a cultural vestige. It is expected to be developed into an interesting tourist area of the Dong Thap region.
 Location: Approximately 2km from Cao Lanh City, Dong Thap Province.
Characteristics: The tomb was built in memory Junior Doctoral Laureate of Court exams Nguyen Sinh Sac, father of President Ho Chi Minh.
The main structure of the tomb has the roof facing the east. It evokes a stylized lotus petal or a palm turning downward, above it are 9 dragons imbued with the features of folk art, paved with granite the tomb raises on a high platform. It is an ash-gray rectangular-shaped tomb. There is a lotus pond looking like a five-petal star, 25m to the front; in the middle of the lake is a stylized lotus-shaped white tower 6.5m high (from the surface of the lake) symbolizing the pure and modest life of Nguyen Sinh Sac and his homeland of Kim Lien-Dong Thap as engraved on the mind of the Vietnamese people. In the tomb there is also an octagonal house where the  objects and documents related to Nguyen Sinh Sac, his wife Hoang Thi Loan and President Ho Chi Minh are displayed.
The whole tomb is purely white and is in great harmony with the backdrop made of hundreds of plants, fruits and ornamental trees presented by people from all over the country.
Annually, on the 27th day of the 10th lunar month people from provinces in Me Kong River Delta and other gather together for arranging death anniversary in solemn, ceremonial atmosphere. This action is considered a festival holding national identity of Vietnam.
Location: It belongs to two Communes of My Hiep and My Long, Cao Lanh District, Dong Thap Province.
Characteristics: A revolutionary base during the anti-French and US resistance wars, the 20ha cajuput forest of present-day Xeo Quyt has been reclaimed and become an attractive historical and ecological tourist site in the southern delta.
 To visit the boundless watery cajuput forest in the Plain of Reeds by boat is really an interesting excursion. Boating in the cajuput forest of Xeo Quyt requires a lot of skill. To move forward, the boat glides between cajuput trees, whose roots are rough and covered with a brown and thin multi-layer skin. The air is cool and humid and has the fragrance of the cajuput flowers and latex. Now and then, a bird singing or fish splashing produces a sudden sound that echoes amid the quiet environment.
The forest looks like a floating painting. Around it, climbing plants grow along the cajuput trees and brighten under the sunlight. All bring about an atmosphere of a nature full of vitality and wildness. Xeo Quyt reminds visitors of the former vast cajuput forests in the Plains of Reeds and U Minh areas. Although being heavily  devastated during the war, in 1975 by the end of the war, more than 100,000ha of submerged forests remained, covering parts of Long An, An Giang, Kien Giang, Bac Lieu and Ca Mau provinces and producing a wonderful ecological system of the alluvial land at the Mekong River's estuary. The cajuput forests work as a great water reservoir to fight against salt water and acidity and regulate the humidity during the dry season. During the war, they were ideal destinations for the liberation army men. The crisscrossing canals, built in the early 20th century, became transportation routes and enabled the local people to reclaim land, develop forestry and prevent fire. At the time, the so-called "socio-cultural and economic cajuput forest development" was encouraged and it is linked with the national history of land reclaiming and defense.
 The cajuput forests, submerged in the red brown water, are an ideal habitation for numerous kinds of birds, fish and wild animals, typical for the tropical region. The cajuput timber, due to its flexibility and resistance to rotting, are often used in house building and basement floors. Xeo Quyt, a small part in the vast cajuput forests, was a successful undertaking to restore and preserve the cajuput forests to their original historical and ecological background. Further preservation will be considered and implemented. But more importantly, effort should be made by everyone to protect the unique ecological system of the entire submerged area, whose history has developed along with land reclaiming and defending of the fertile southern region.
2) Scenic Landscapes
Time: 16th day of the fourth lunar month.
Place: Lap Vo District, Dong Thap Province.
Objects of worship: Mr. Pham Van An, the first person reclaimed wasteland and set up the village.
Characteristics: The solemn communal house festival with worshipping ceremonies by mounted team, lan binh team, pupil team... to commemorate Mr. Pham Van An.
Time: The 16th day of the third lunar month and the 16th day of the eleventh lunar month.
Place: Tan Kieu Commune, Thap Muoi District, Dong Thap Province.
Characteristics: Cau an ceremony.
Go Thap Historical Site includes 5 relics, among which Doc Binh Kieu Grave and Ba Chua Xu Temple are the most famous. Every year, the festival is held in the large-scale with ceremonies of via Ba Chua Xu (the 16th day of the third lunar month) and Doc Binh Kieu's death anniversary (the 16th day of the eleventh lunar month), attracts many people.
The festival involves cau an ceremony, worshipping the Agriculture genie, worshipping Ong (Doc Binh Kieu) or Ba Chua Xu. During the festival, other activities such as unicorn dance, boi singing, martial fighting, battle of fire are held.
Time: From the 16th day to the 17th day of the fourth lunar month.
Place: Tan Phu Trung Commune, Chau Thanh District, Dong Thap Province.
Objects of worship: The village's tutelary god.
Characteristics: Commemorate those who had merit of setting up the village; pray for happiness and wealthy for villagers.
3) Cultural Travel
 Location: The Park covers Communes of Phu Duc, Phu Hiep, Phu Tho, Tan Cong Sinh in Tam Nong District, Dong Thap Province, about 800m from Tram Chim Small Town.
Characteristic: The Park is in the lowest area of the Mekong River water logged plain submerged and in the centre of Dong Thap Muoi.
The Park has a forest of Cajuput and hearth of many kind of birds with specific floristic composition: cajeput, reeds, lotus, water lily, ghost rice, rush …; plentiful fauna: python, turtles, eels, snakes, fresh-water fishes, and water bird as storks, herons, spot-billed ducks, water chicken …  especially red-headed, bare-necked cranes coming in dry season each year.
From January to May each year, when sky is clear, visitors will see from the horizon many black spot coming. It is crane flock returning after months of emigrating to evade flood. This is also the season, when tourists come to Tram Chim for seeing, photographing cranes in the dawn and sunset.
Tram Chim - a reduced model of Dong Thap Muoi - with natural history of collective ecology of geomorphology, hydrographic and underwater creatures, is an ideal rendezvous place of tourists from all over the world.
(Source: Vietnam National Administration of Tourism) |
