Having the border with Ben Tre Province, Tra Vinh of the Mekong Delta brings visitors a different view. Tra Vinh is no longer a rich coconut kingdom like Ben Tre, but it’s seen as an ancient land of Buddhism, where there are up to 150 pagodas and plenty of other religious sites. Although the place is rich in culture and history, for some reason it’s not in the Vietnam’s top holiday destinations. Anyway, fascinating characteristics of the land will astonish you so much. Therefore, Tra Vinh Travel Guide is necessary to know things before your trip.
When to Visit Tra Vinh
Unlike other provinces of the Mekong Delta, Tra Vinh may be visited all year round because of its mind climate. As Tra Vinh is supposed to be a religious land, special occasions will be the best answer for the question “when to visit Tra Vinh?” Vu Lan Festival or the Mother’s Day in Vietnam – it’s held in the 15th day of the 7th lunar month.
How to Get to Tra Vinh from Ho Chi Minh City
It falls in about 200 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh City to Tra Vinh, so you can travel to Tra Vinh by common means of transport: motorbike or bus.
If you ride a motorbike to Tra Vinh, bear mind that it will take you about 3-4 hours and you ought to have good health and good driving skill. By that way, you can submerge into phenomenal scenes along the way and explore indigenous things by your own.
The other means of transport to Tra Vinh is by bus. Normally, the departure point is Mien Tay Bus Station – 395 Kinh Duong Vuong, An Lac Ward, Binh Tan District, Ho Chi Minh City, and there is more than one bus line ready to take you. Take a look at several following recommendations:
Mai Linh Bus 2: Tan Cuong Bus
- Departure point: 296B Tran Phu, District 5, Ho Chi Minh City, near An Dong Market
- Departure time: the bus runs every an hour from 6:00AM to 6:00PM.
- Arrival: 89 Pham Hong Thai and 545 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai
Thanh Thuy Bus
- Departure point: at 276 – 280 Tran Phu, near the District 5 tax office
- Departure time: the bus runs every an hour from 1:00AM to 10:00PM
- Arrival: 28 Dien Bien Phu Street, Ward 2, Tra Vinh City
How to get around Tra Vinh
If you have ridden a motorbike to Tra Vinh, this means of transport is surely what you will use to travel around the destination. But in the case of taking a bus to Tra Vinh, the following taxi companies are for getting around:
Thanh Thuy Taxi – Tel: 0743 86 86 86
Mai Linh Taxi – Tel: 0743 754 888
Where to stay in Tra Vinh
One thing you should keep in mind that most hotels, hostels, and motels are situated in Tra Vinh City. By the way, it’s available to rent a motorbike at one of those accommodations. Additionally, it’s easy and convenient to find out restaurants, spas, travel agents, and shops nearby. There is a wide selection to consider below:
- Cuu Long Hotel: No. 999 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, Ward 7, Tra Vinh City.
- Hoang Ngoc Hotel: No. 5 Le Thanh Ton, Ward 2, Tra Vinh City.
- Gia Hoa Hotel 1: No. 75 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, Ward 7, Tra Vinh City.
- Duy Phuong Hotel: Hamlet 5, Ward 8, Tra Vinh City.
- Hoa Anh Dao Hotel: Hamlet 4 Pham Ngu Lao, Ward 1, Tra Vinh city.
- Duy Tung Hotel: No. 6 Dien Bien Phu, Ward 2, Tra Vinh City.
- Hoan My Hotel: No. 105A Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, Ward 7, Tra Vinh City.
What to see in Tra Vinh
Ba Dong Beach
Lying at Truong Long Hoa commune, Duyen Hai District, Ba Dong Beach is around 55 kilometers from the heart of downtown Tra Vinh. Ba Dong Beach is endowed with an over 10-kilometer beautiful stretch of sand, harmoniously mixed with blue water, giving an enchanting picture among nature. This picture is dotted with a unique French-style resort, but it still keeps its rare wildness with rows of wild parrot trees.
Ba Om Pond
Locally known as a unique destination in Tra Vinh, Vietnam , Ba Om Pond, up to 39,000 square meters is certainly indispensable part of the itinerary to the Mekong Delta. The first compelling thing of the pond is that it is home to plenty of old trees more than a hundred years. The locals often call it the square pond because it is in the shape of a square. A backdrop for your sightseeing tour to Ba Om Pond is an ancient pagoda next to it. Don’t miss out on a visit to the pagoda.
Nôdol Pagoda
Tra Vinh is among the provinces in the Mekong Delta, where there are lots of pagodas and temples carrying the cultural identity of the Khmer people. Nôdol Pagoda is one of them, and it’s easy to recognize the Khmer architecture from this site. The most absorbing thing about the pagoda is that it’s also called Stork Pagoda because its campus is where flocks of storks come to nest and breed. Address: Giong Lon hamlet, Dai An commune, Tra Cu District.
Hang Pagoda
Hang Pagoda will convince any visitor who loves nature and differences. The pagoda’s area is up to 10 ha, but a half is natural forest full of tall trees and birds’ nesting places. It’s known that Hang Pagoda is an ancient site of the Khmer people, established in 1637, so its Khmer name is Mong Ray (Kamponyixprdle). Address: Chau Thanh Town, Chau Thanh District.
Islet of Tan Qui
With the area up to 929 ha, the islet of Tan Qui, in the middle of Hau River is renowned for its rich orchards. It’s possible to say that the best time to visit this islet is during Lunar New Year or Tet Holiday as you can witness the most pulsating prospect of the area where people prepare a lot of unique things for the biggest festival. Not only that, the time of Vu Lan Festival – the 15th day of the 7th lunar month is the time for enjoy luscious fruits, such as durian, rambutan, Sanh orange, strawberries, mangosteen, etc. It will be amazing to take a boat to the local gardens and pick the fresh fruits.
Address: An Phu Tan Commune, Cau Ke District.
Where to eat in Tra Vinh
Apart from the places to visit in Tra Vinh, you surely desire to know about where to eat for your plan to the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. It’s true to say that there are dozens of specialties to savor when you come here. The heart of downtown is definitely where you easily find out a list of restaurants with striking menus as well as impressive dishes like dried shrimp, chili lemongrass, Bun suong, Mam Ba Dong, Da Loc rice cake, and many kinds of vermicelli.
If you are interested in the best but cheap restaurants with friendly services in Tra Vinh, the following can help.
Dong Khoi Noodle Soup: at Dong Khoi Street, Tra Vinh, or No.4 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, Tra Vinh.
Tra Vinh Hu Tieu: at Pham Thai Buong Street, Tra Vinh
Dinh Y Restaurant: at 152 Tran Quoc Tuan Street, Ward 2, Tra Vinh
