Travel guide to the 'wax coconut kingdom' Tra Vinh

In addition to the lush river gardens and coastal islands... Tra Vinh also stands out thanks to its rich cultural identity, a combination of three ethnic groups: Kinh, Khmer and Hoa.

Tra Vinh is located in the coastal provinces of the Mekong Delta, bordering Ben Tre , Vinh Long, Soc Trang, between the Tien and Hau rivers. With this favorable terrain, tourists can not only come to Tra Vinh but also combine trips to other regions.

Travel time

The best time to travel is from January to May of the lunar calendar, and October of the lunar calendar (Ok Om Bok festival).

Method of transportation

Tra Vinh is 145km from the center of Ho Chi Minh City, so tourists can easily travel by bus. Bus companies such as Tan Cuong, Thanh Thuy, Kim Hoang, Dinh An... run the Ho Chi Minh - Tra Vinh route with prices ranging from 100,000 to 150,000 VND.

Place of stay

There are not many motels and hotels in Tra Vinh with a grand scale, however the rooms are clean, safe, and affordable. The price for one night ranges from 240,000 to 580,000 VND.

Some reliable hotels for tourists to choose from are: Cuu Long, Thanh Tra, Gia Hoa 1, Luu Luyen, Hoang Phuc... Especially during festivals, tourists should book rooms in advance to avoid not being able to find a place to stay.

Attractive sightseeing spot

Ao Ba Om: Located in Ward 8, Tra Vinh City, Ao Ba Om is a famous tourist attraction and attracts many visitors to Tra Vinh. The pond is 500m long, 300m wide, surrounded by hundreds of years old star and oil trees. Besides visiting, taking pictures and enjoying the fresh scenery here, visitors will hear about the story of the pond's birth.

Cool green scenery of Ba Om pond. Photo: Wiki.

Ba Dong Beach: a beach stretching for tens of kilometers across 3 communes of Duyen Hai District, Tra Vinh Province. Ba Dong Beach is becoming an ideal destination for tourists because of its wildness, long sandy beach and rows of poplar trees running along the coast. Coming here, visitors have the opportunity to enjoy specialties such as Ba Dong watermelon, Nha Mat clams, Con Cu tiger prawns, Cha la worm, braised goby fish... at reasonable prices.

Mangrove Ecotourism Area : Not far from Ba Dong beach, Duyen Hai district is also blessed by nature with a mangrove forest of more than 200 hectares. With over 20 years of existence, the tourist area is a place to preserve and regenerate wild animals including wild animals, birds and seafood typical of the region at risk of depletion.

Hang Pagoda : one of the most beautiful pagodas in Tra Vinh. 5km from the center of Tra Vinh city on Highway 54, the pagoda gate looks like a cave so the locals call it Hang Pagoda. The 10ha pagoda belongs to the Khmer Southern Buddhism sect. The pagoda plays an important role in the life and spirit of the people here.

Hang Pagoda, one of the most beautiful pagodas in Tra Vinh. Photo: wiki.

Besides the above mentioned attractions, visitors can also visit Ang Pagoda, Co Pagoda, Vam Ray Pagoda....

Traditional Festival

Nghinh Ong Festival : is considered a typical traditional folk festival in Tra Vinh, taking place in the 5th lunar month, expressing the fishermen's gratitude to the land, sky, and sea as well as praying for a new fishing season with favorable weather and abundant fish and shrimp. Visitors have the opportunity to participate in traditional games such as walking on stilts, watching opera, boat racing...

Chol Chnam Thmay Festival: The biggest festival of the year for the Khmer people takes place in the middle of the third lunar month. The festival marks the new year, new age with lots of luck, bountiful harvest and lasts for 3 days. On the first day (Chol Sangkran Chmay), people prepare beautiful clothes and offerings to go to the pagoda to celebrate the great calendar procession.

On the second day (Wonbơf), people offer rice to monks and build sand mountains to express their prayers for rain and blessings for everyone. On the third day (Lơm sắk), they bathe Buddha statues and monks to pray for the souls of the deceased and ask for forgiveness for the shortcomings and mistakes of the past year. During these days, Khmer people also visit each other, wish each other good health and participate in activities such as kite flying, spinning fire, etc.

Ok Om Bok Festival: also known as the Moon Worshiping Festival, takes place on the full moon day of the 10th lunar month. It is a long-standing traditional festival of the Khmer people. People hold the Moon Worshiping Festival to express their gratitude to the Moon - the god of nature who has helped them protect their crops and bring prosperity.

Activities taking place at the festival include releasing black wind, tug of war, pot smashing... In 2014, the Ok Om Bok festival of the Khmer people in Tra Vinh province was recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage.

People are preparing to release lanterns during the Ok Om Bok festival. Photo: Thinh Duy Quach.

Tet Nguyen Tieu Festival : is a traditional folk festival quite typical of the Chinese community in Tra Vinh, held on January 14 and 15 every year at Ong Bao Pagoda, Tra Cu district, 45km from Tra Vinh city.

The festival is also known as Cung Ong Bao, a god who governs human health and life. The ritual is conducted in a mysterious and sacred setting, always awaited by thousands of festival-goers.

Cuisine

Below are 3 outstanding dishes that visitors should try once when coming to the wax coconut land of Tra Vinh.

Stir-fried crab with tamarind : This is a specialty of Ba Dong region. It belongs to the crab family. The crab is cleaned, put in a pan with oil, crushed onions and garlic, added tamarind juice and seasoned to taste. The crab meat is very firm, the shell is crispy and delicious, containing a lot of calcium. This is a very suitable dish for those who like seafood. In addition, Tra Vinh people also make dishes such as crab stewed with turmeric, stir-fried with onions, steamed with beer... A plate of crab stir-fried with tamarind for 2 people has 6-7 crabs and costs from 60,000 to 70,000 VND.

Cháo màm: Porridge made from snakehead fish, the fish must be fresh, plump, boiled and then pieced, boned and stir-fried with fragrant onions. The snakehead fish eggs are beaten until smooth and then added to the porridge pot cooked from the fish broth. The accompanying ingredients include dried onions, dried shrimp, and grilled dried squid. Cháo màm needs to have a good seasoning sauce, crushed bean paste, finely chopped chili peppers, stir-fried until thick with garlic, ground pepper, and crushed roasted peanuts. In particular, finely chopped raw vegetables, onions, cilantro, blanched bean sprouts and crushed crispy toasted sesame rice paper. A bowl of cháo màm costs from 20,000 to 25,000 VND.

Ben Co noodle soup : In addition to pork, this dish also has kidney, liver, heart, stomach, tongue, hooves, pig ears... each with its own delicious taste and creates overall harmony in the dish. Not too fussy, but the broth is simmered from pork meat and bones and ensures clarity, one can clearly see each white noodle, green onions, finely ground pepper sprinkled on top with a few slices of chili to decorate the simple and beautiful dish. Ben Co noodle soup costs around 20,000 to 25,000 VND per bowl.

Gifts to buy

Visitors can buy for themselves and their loved ones gifts imbued with the flavors of Tra Vinh such as: Vinh Kim dried shrimp, Xuan Thanh wine, Cau Ke wax coconut, Tra Cuon sticky rice cake...

Dear Nguyen

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