Taking National Highway 1A through the Mekong Delta, about 210 kilometers from HCMC and 30 kilometers from Can Tho city, tourists can get to Phung Hiep district in Hau Giang province. Attractive Hau Giang province is a relative newcomer to tourism and is situated at the confluence of the Xeo Mon, Xeo Dong, Bun Tau, Lai Thieu, Cai Con, Mang Ca and Kenh Xang rivers.
Nga Bay Floating Market, Tay Do Ecotourism Park and Lung Ngoc Hoang Nature Reserve in Hau Giang Province’s Phung Hiep District make the trip worthwhile.
Nga Bay Floating Market, also called Phung Hiep Floating Market, is in the heart of Phung Hiep District’s Phung Hiep Town, 30 kilometers south of Can Tho. The market was built in 1915 and was called “Phung Hiep Star” by the French. Operations at this market begin early in the morning with hundreds of boats arriving with farm-products from every direction. Catching a boat bobbing on the waves in the early morning, visitors can witness the bustling ambiance and animated sounds and shop for diverse fresh fruits and products. From seven branches of the Mekong River, hundreds of boats come to sell fruits, fried fish, salt, honey, potatoes and rice.
The Phung Hiep Snake Market is well-known to foreign tourists. Visitors from around the world come to taste the snake liquor.
Phuong Binh commune’s Lung Ngoc Hoang Nature Reserve, also in Phung Hiep district, has over 500 species of plants and animals, many of them are rare. Covering nearly 300,000 hectares and extending from the western bank of the Hau River to U Minh National Park in Kien Giang province, the reserve is considered the “green lung” of the Mekong Delta. The reserve includes mangrove forest and 315 hectares of ponds and lagoons with diverse marine creatures.
Tourists can explore the forest by boat, climb a “watch tower” to watch birds and animals or sit in the shade of trees to fish. Endless lotus lagoons decorate the immense forest which is home to teal and white egrets. Local authorities are developing the reserves' ecotourism potential.
Tourists should not miss the 20-hectare Tay Do Ecotourist Park which offers accommodation, entertainment and restaurants. There are live shows of traditional southern music in the shade of fruit trees, fishing and a bonsai garden. Other places of interest in the province include Vi Thuy Cajuput Forest Ecotourism Park, and Tam Vu Ecotourist Park.
