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
Hau Giang
Area: 1,601.1 sq. km.
Population: 796.9 thousand habitants (2006)
Capital: Vi Thanh Town
Administrative divisions:
Town: Nga Bay
Districts: Phung Hiep, Vi Thuy, Long My, Chau Thanh and Chau Thanh A.
Ethnic groups: Viet (Kinh), Khmer, Hoa, Cham.
Introduction: Geography, Tourism, Transportation.
Attraction:
- Historical & Cultural Vestiges: Long My Historical Site, The Historical Site of the Provincial Party Committee's Base.
- Cultural Travel: Phung Hiep Floating Market.
Geography
 Hau Giang belongs to Mekong Delta. It borders with Can Tho City, Vinh Long Province on the north, Bac Lieu Province on the south, Soc Trang Province on the east, and Kien Giang Province on the west.
Hau Giang is located on complicated network of rivers, springs, and canals such as: Hau, Cai Tu rivers, Quan Lo, Phung Hiep, Xa No, Xang Nang Mau canals.
Climate: The climate is harmonized with few of storms. It is hot, humid all year. Rainy season lasts from May to November, and dry season lasts from December to April. The annual average temperature is 27ºC.
Tourism and Economy
Hau Giang has advantage of growing rice and fruit tree as well as rearing aquaculture. The province is famous for Phung Hiep Floating Market. From seven branches of Mekong River, hundreds boats join in floating  market to sell various fruits and other things like other market. The name 'Phung Hiep snake market' is well-known to foreign tourists. Visitors from over the world come to that market to taste snake liquor and to see the dangerous snake dance.
Hau Giang is also proud of the Historical Site of the Provincial Party Committee's Base and Long My Historical Site. Long My preserve many interesting things about the glorious history in resistance war. There are also facilities for entertainment and recreation. In Long My, tourists enjoy seeing numerous of storks of various types and 30 typical species of birds in stork sanctuary.
Transportation
National Highway No.61 links Vi Thanh Town and Can Tho City, Kien Giang, Bac Lieu. Vi Thanh Town is 60km from Can Tho.
Attraction
1) Historical & Cultural Vestiges
Location: Situated in Long My District, Hau Giang Province, about 60km southwest of Cantho City.
Characteristics: During the two resistance wars, Long My was the revolutionary base of Hau Giang and the western part of South Vietnam. Many fierce battles took place there.
Two hundred years ago, it was a forested land. In 1920, it was reclaimed to become now a well-off rural area. Upon arriving in Long My, tourists may visit the temple dedicated to Uncle Ho in Luong Tam Commune. Being built in 1969 by the Party Committee and people of Long My, the temple has undergone many restorations. At present, it covers an area of one hectare. Annually, it received a great number of visitors coming to pay tribute to Uncle Ho, especially on May 19 and September 2.
Long My has a complex in which visitors may find interesting things about the glorious history in the two resistance wars. There are also facilities for entertainment and recreation.
In Long My one should not forget to drop in the stork sanctuary in Xa Phien Commune. Having been established since 1986, the sanctuary now boasts tens of thousands of storks of various types and 30 typical species of birds in South Vietnam. Tourists have the opportunity to enjoy the fruits of the sanctuary and listen to the chirping of he birds, amid the beautiful landscape and natural surroundings. Long My will soon become a well-known cultural and eco-tourism destination in Hau Giang Province.
Location: Situated at Phuong Quoi Hamlet, Phuong Binh Commune, Phung Hiep District, Hau Giang Province.
Characteristics: The Provincial Party Committee's base, also known as Ba Bai Base. The base covers 6ha of garden land, surrounded to the southeast by Xang and Lai Hieu canals, to the northeast by Ca Cuong canal, to the northwest by an old canal and to the southwest by Ba Bai canal.
During the 1975 Spring Uprising Campaign in the south of Vietnam, alongside with the prong of the Vietnamese soldiers, members of the Provincial Party Executive Committee departed from this base to Can Tho, Vi Thanh and other important places in the enemy's 4th strategic zone. They attacked Tra Noc Airport and the head- quarters of the Can Tho Province head. At 11.30am on April 30th, 1975 the first programme of the revolutionary People's Committee was broadcast via the Can Tho Radio Station.
The base comprises a 151m² conference room, made of cajaput, mangrove and cassava, where important meetings of Cantho Provincial Party Committee took place. Inside the conference room are the offices of the Party Executive Committee and the Party Secretary. Since 1980, this room has been used to display items and objects of the base. In addition, one finds the remains of dozens of tents and huts used as offices for other agencies during wartime.
The base underwent restoration in 1986. All the columns of the conference room and the two shelters were replaced with reinforced concrete poles, which still retain the shape and size of the old columns.
2) Cultural Travel
Location: Situated where seven branches of the Mekong River and canals converge, 30km from Ninh Kieu Wharf in the centre of Can Tho City.
Characteristics: To Phung Hiep, visitors will see thousands of small boats full of agricultural products from Western corners to form 1km long floating market. It's said to be a fruit-market of the Southern part and the market is cultural identity of the Mekong Delta.
The market meets all day long, but most noisy and busy in the morning. The precious evening, from far-and-wide, boats full of seasonal vegetables and fruits: mangoes, durians, bananas, oranges, coconuts... left their villages to head for the sunrise market. Every boat is full of fruits. Some boats are covered with roofs, some are not. On boats without roofs, the sellers have to hold high a stick hanging with fruits as signaIs. Market-goers do not bargain, just a few words exchange, they sell and get paid. Normally, fruits are sold and brought to big boats. Then they will be transported to fruit-processing factories or to Ho Chi Minh City, Vung Tau, even to Hanoi and Northern provinces.
It's a floating market' but services are available, foods and drinks on small boats twist and turn to serve hungry sellers and buyers. Signal to buy is only a whistling or waving band. Apart from fruits, local products: snakes, birds, turtles... are easy to find near Phung Hiep bridge. These specialties are almost bought and brought to restaurants in Can Tho or Ho Chi Minh City.
(Source: Vietnam National Administration of Tourism) |
