Chau Doc is home for many Khmer, Cham and Chinese and is only a few kilometers from the Cambodian border. The cultural diversity is obvious: the little town has many historical sites, such as the Thoai Ngoc Hau mausoleum and the Quan Cong temple. Chau Doc is located on the Hau Giang diffluence (Bassac River). There is lively boat traffic on the river and also a colourful floating market. The street market is worth a visit too.
Chau Doc
Since the opening of the borders in 2000 there was a real boom. Many visitors who travel from Vietnam to Cambodia are passing the nice city. From here there are daily connections to Phnom Penh by speedboat (approx. 5h).
Chau Doc is one of the few places in the delta, which has an excellent hotel: The Victoria Hotel, which is situated directly by the river and offers a magnificent view of the floating houses and fish farms.
Victoria Hotel in Chau Doc
The Cham villages are on the opposite side of the river, near the floating houses and are accessible by boat. Here you can visit the great and modern Chau Giang mosque and the Koranic school which is affiliated with it.
High mountains – once islands in the sea in Chau Doc
The surrounding mountains, the highest mountain is 700 meters high, are an extremely rare sight in the Mekong delta. These mountains once were islands in the sea, which were integrated into the landmass by the spread of alluvial land by the Mekong river.
The city of Chau Doc is also a starting point for excursions to the holy Sam Mountain (about 5 km away). On this 230 m high mountain you can have a gorgeous view of Chau Doc, the surrounding plantations, rice fields, small canals and the mighty Hau River, up to the Cambodian border.
Sam Mountain
Colourful Temples
In the town situated at the bottom of Sam Mountain are many important places for pilgrims, such as the temple of Lady Xu and the magnificent decorated Tay An Pagoda,
Tay An Pagoda
About 20 km from Chau Doc is the bird sanctuary Tra Su. People who want to visit Tra Su Forest should calculate at least 3 hours to see everything (for more information see Tra Su Forest).
