Overview

Vinh Long is gifted with rich, fertile soil that turns Vinh Long an ideal home for growing many exotic and delicious fruits, including mangosteen, spiky rambutan, and pungently fragrant durian. Thanks to Vinh Long’s extensive network of waterways, you can buy these fruits and many other items for mere pennies from floating merchants.

Traveling by waterway is common here for such daily activities such as purchasing, visiting as well as tourist attractions located on small islets accessible only by boat.

Climate and the best time to visit 

Vinh Long is located along the banks of the Mekong River; it's under two distinct (dry and rainy) seasons. The dry season is from December to April, the rainy season lasts from May to November. The annual average temperature is about 27oC all year round. Therefore, Vinh Long Province should be in your tourism notebook all year round.

Vinh Long

Vinh Long

Tourism Overview

The province has expansive waterway with canals and tributaries all flowing into the teeming rivers that provide the land with waters and alluvium. That's why Vinh Long is lush and heavily cultivated with both rice and fruit orchards. Some narrow canals are crossed by wooden bridges made from trunks of coconut trees or bamboos which are commonly known as the monkey bridges. Visitors will be amazed by the gardens of An Binh Island and Binh Hoa Phuoc Island, both famous for their succulent fruits. Visitors can walk under the trees umbrage, relax in hanging hammocks, and try all kinds of delicious tropical fruits.

In addition, Vinh Long is also standing out for various pagodas, communal houses such as Long Thanh Communal House, Van Thanh Temple, Tien Chau pagoda... If tourists love to relax in a horticultural haven, then Truong An Tourist Area would be an ideal place. It is described as the “face of garden ecotourism”. Besides, there is an amusement park with a variety of services such as swimming pools, tennis courts, and a water park. Visitors will be offered with special dishes of Vietnam southwest. 

By bus

Vinh Long City is equipped with two bus stations: the main one is about 4 km from the town center for long-distance buses and a smaller one in the center, just about 500meters from the river bank and 20 meters from the main market. The smaller bus station takes you to neighboring Can Tho Province and suburban of Vinh Long Province.

Coaches from Ho Chi Minh City, on way to other Western provinces including Vinh Long, Can Tho, Bac Lieu, Ca Mau will drop you off at the main bus station. From there, the carriers companies, currently including Futaru and Mai Linh take the passenger to any destinations within the city. The shuttle ride is already included in the bus fare. If you would like take a motorbike taxi, you should pay no more than 3 USD for a ride to a hotel in the center of town or to the boat quay on the Tien River for your eco-tour or homestay on An Binh Island.

By boat

There are no longer scheduled boats, however, it is possible to book a cruise to Chau Doc including a night on the Mekong River and a bus to Phnom Penh.

Vinh Long

Vinh Long

Why should you choose Vinh Long 

Cai Be Floating Market 

If you are planning to enjoy a short trip in the Mekong Delta, do not forget to add Cai Be Floating Market into your bucket list. The floating market lies on the border between 3 provinces of Tien Giang, Vinh Long, and Ben Tre. Immersing in the bustling vibe and chaotic atmosphere of the market, your mind will open and soak up the rhythm of water flow of the Mekong River.

It is a huge market where both sellers and buyers make deals or purchases on the water surface. The fact is this kind of market is very common in the Mekong Delta where the local lives are also closely engaged in the waterway. There are diverse tourist agencies introduce Cai Be floating market tour for nature lovers. 

Overview, the market is split into 2 distinguishing parts, called buying places and selling places. At that time, boats and sampans full with vegetables, fruits, and other agricultural products such as sweet potatoes (Vinh Long) and pumpkins (Hau Giang) anchored along the river banks for kilometers long. The sample of the merchandise is hung on a long pole in front of each boat to attract customers. This seems to be a common and unique sign you only find in the floating markets in Mekong Delta.

Vinh Long specialty

Vinh Long Rambutan

Vinh Long is gifted with rich, fertile soil that turns Vinh Long an ideal home for growing many exotic and delicious fruits. The province has been well-known for different varieties of rambutans: “troc” rambutans have round and long shape and have dark red color when they turn ripe, soft thorns, white inside, sweet taste; Java rambutans have round shape and short thorns, scented sweet white crispy pulp; longan rambutan is smaller than the 2 above and has yellow chrome mixed with a little green when turning ripe. Its pulp is white and tastes sweet, and smells ripe-longan scent which is admired by many people.