The Khmer Delta, 5 days

Day 1

Ho Chi Minh City to Tra Vinh: the square pond

Pick-up from your hotel at 07:30. The road runs south-west through Ben Tre, now part of Vinh Long province, across the Tien and Co Chien branches of the river — about 127 km in all. Lunch is in Tra Vinh town, then an hour’s rest at the hotel in the heat of the day.

At about 15:30 we drive the 7 km out along National Road 53 to Ao Bà Om, the pond the Khmer legend says was dug by the women of the village, racing the men and finishing before dawn. It is roughly 500 by 300 metres, ringed by old dầu and sao trees whose roots stand above the ground like low walls. Chùa Âng stands beside the pond, across from the Khmer culture museum: local tradition dates the pagoda to the tenth century and calls it the oldest in Tra Vinh. The museum's hours are not published, so we go in only if it is open.

Day 2

Tra Vinh countryside: egrets, carvers and gold

Egrets returning to the trees at Chùa Cò

An early start, because the two pagodas this morning are at their liveliest early in the day. Chùa Hang in the Chau Thanh countryside has a gate shaped like three caves, a woodcarving workshop run by the pagoda, and trees full of nesting birds. Further south in Tra Cu, Chùa Cò — Nodol to the Khmer — was founded in 1677 and has an egret colony in its grounds. Your guide explains how a Khmer pagoda is laid out: the ordination hall (vihara), the sala where the community eats and meets, the monks’ quarters and the crematorium tower.

Lunch in Tra Cu, then Chùa Vàm Ray, built in gold Angkor style, a sign of how Khmer communities in Vietnam still look to Angkor for their architecture. Back in Tra Vinh by late afternoon; dinner is free, and we will suggest a bún nước lèo stall if you want to try the Khmer fish-and-lemongrass noodle soup.

Day 3

Across the Hau River to Soc Trang

Soc Trang lies across the Hau (Bassac) River. The shortest road, about 63 km, uses a river ferry; the longer one, about 143 km, crosses the Can Tho bridge. We choose on the day by ferry queues and weather — allow 1.5 to 3 hours either way. Lunch on arrival.

In the afternoon, Chùa Kh’leang near the town centre. The pagoda’s founding goes back to the mid-sixteenth century; the main hall and sala you see were rebuilt in 1918 and mix Khmer form with Kinh and Chinese motifs. It is also where the moon-offering rite of Ok Om Bok was held during the 2025 festival, and the Maspéro river where the long-boat races run is close by.

Day 4

Soc Trang: bats, a reclining Buddha and a mosaic pagoda

Morning at the Bat pagoda before other visitors

Chùa Dơi, the Bat pagoda, first. Large fruit bats hang in the trees of its four-hectare grounds; the main hall burned in 2007 and was restored in 2009, and its founding is dated to the sixteenth century — 1569 in one source, differently in others. We go early, when the grounds are quiet and the monks are at their morning routine.

Then Chùa Som Rong, founded in 1785, with a library of more than 1,500 scriptures and the giant reclining Buddha begun in 2017. After lunch, Chùa Sà Lôn — the “bowl-and-plate” pagoda — rebuilt in 1969 with walls covered in broken ceramic. The rest of the afternoon is free. For dinner, ask your guide about bánh cóng, the Khmer fried cake of Soc Trang.

Day 5

Soc Trang to Can Tho: a Cantonese ending

About 63 km north to Can Tho, around an hour to an hour and a half. On the Ninh Kieu riverfront stands Ông pagoda, the assembly hall built from 1894 to 1896 by Cantonese families from Guangzhou and Zhaoqing; Guan Gong is in the main hall, with Thiên Hậu and Quan Âm beside him. After the Khmer pagodas it shows the delta’s Chinese layer in one room.

If your flight allows, the Bình Thủy ancient house (1870), a merchant family home, open 08:00–12:00 and 14:00–18:00 according to a 2023 guide. Drop-off at Can Tho airport, or on to Ho Chi Minh City — about 171 km, 3 to 3.5 hours.