Forever attached to the 3-day, 2-night "green - quality - chill" tour of the West

So where is the best place to travel in the West? When is the best time to travel in the West? Let's explore with us the most worth-experienced tourist destinations in the West this summer - where culture, nature and cuisine blend into an emotional journey.

1. What is the best season to visit the West?

Dong Thap Muoi in full bloom. (Photo: Collected)

Summer, from May to August, is the ideal time to explore the West. This is when the fruit orchards are full of fruit, the islands are cool, the rivers are clear and there are countless interesting activities waiting, ideal for joining the 3-day, 2-night West tours - long enough to experience deeply, short enough to still maintain the modern pace of life.
Although this is also the time when the provinces in the West enter the rainy season, there is no flooding. The sky is clear, the sun is light, the wind is cool, the river is gentle enough for you to take sparkling photos. And especially, this is the season when fruits ripen such as rambutan, mangosteen, durian, longan, Ha Chau strawberry... sweet, juicy and surprisingly cheap.

2. Highlights of the 3-day, 2-night trip to the West

Sitting on a boat and cruising along the rice fields with the fragrant scent of young rice seedlings. (Photo: Collected)

When you choose to go on a 3-day, 2-night tour of the West, you may visit familiar places such as Tien Giang, Ben Tre, Vinh Long, Can Tho... But each trip is a new experience, especially if you choose a slow form of travel - meaning not following a tight schedule, but truly "living" in every moment.
You can start by admiring the cable-stayed bridges connecting the two banks of the Tien River or Hau River such as: Vam Cong Bridge, My Thuan Bridge, Can Tho Bridge. Then sit on a sampan, drifting along the small canals winding through the mangrove forests. No need to say much, just listening to the sound of water splashing, the sound of leaves touching each other and the sound of people rowing the sampan telling stories is enough to "fascinate".
And then you will go to the fruit gardens, pick rambutans by yourself, enjoy them on the spot and drink a cool drink made from sugar-soaked fruit. Nothing “luxury”, but it makes you smile for no reason.
And if you love culture, try sitting down and listening to a traditional music performance. You may not understand every word, but you will definitely feel the “love” that the Western people put into each sound and song.

3. Top tourist destinations in the West not to be missed this summer

What does the West have besides rivers? The answer is: a lot! And if you are looking for summer tourist destinations in the West worth experiencing, let's explore each place, each place has its own beauty, an indispensable piece in the picture of this peaceful river region.

Thoi Son Islet, Tien Giang – A peaceful place for those who want to live slowly

Explore the small canal by rowboat, with two rows of shady water coconut trees. (Photo: Collected)

When the motorboat takes you to Thoi Son Islet ( Tien Giang ), you will understand why people say: the best time to visit the West is in the summer - when the sunlight shines through the coconut trees, the river water sparkles like crystal, and the fruits are heavy in every cool garden.
Sitting on a sampan, weaving through narrow canals, with green coconut forests on both sides, you won’t hear the sound of car horns, only the sound of oars splashing water, the sound of leaves gently touching each other. The people here don’t talk much, but their smiles are enough to warm your heart all day. Enjoying a piece of freshly picked rambutan, drinking a cup of hot honey tea in the middle of a summer afternoon, and listening to the sound of traditional music resounding in the quiet garden – that’s how the West welcomes you.

Cu Lao An Binh, Vinh Long - Where people are closer to nature than ever

Tourists enjoy fruit at Duyen Xuong garden house, An Thoi hamlet, An Binh commune, Long Ho district. (Photo: Business & Marketing Magazine)

Leaving the crowded tourist spots, you should spend a day in Cu Lao An Binh, Vinh Long – where everything seems to move more slowly. People are not in a hurry, not jostling, not jostling. You can cycle through the tree-lined country roads, stop by a mango garden for a cool drink, or sit on the porch chatting with an old lady about the flood season of the past.
At night, instead of the city lights, you will be lulled to sleep by the sound of frogs croaking, the sound of the wind rustling in the garden, and a strangely familiar feeling as if you have lived here for a long time. This is an experience that no 3-day, 2-night tour of the West should miss.

Soc Trang – Tra Vinh: Khmer cultural gems in the West

Bat Pagoda (Ma Toc Pagoda) is over 400 years old, closely associated with the religious beliefs of Soc Trang people. (Photo: Collected)

If you love culture and want to understand more about the diversity of this land, Soc Trang and Tra Vinh are two places you should stop by for a little longer. Not only famous for their brilliant Khmer pagodas, these two provinces also offer very unique, very “slow” experiences.
You can quietly step into the Bat Pagoda, where thousands of bats hang from the ancient trees, or pass by the Ang Pagoda, where the bells echo in the green garden. Here, every wall, every carving tells you a story. If you come during the festival season, you will be able to immerse yourself in Ok Om Bok, release water lanterns, watch the Ngo boat race, eat gingerbread and feel a different West – vibrant yet profound.

Can Tho – Warm heart of the West

When coming to Cai Rang floating market, tourists can visit, buy goods, have breakfast and enjoy specialties right on the boats. (Photo: Chau Quang Dien)

Perhaps no place makes people want to return like Can Tho . This city has it all: modern, bustling, but also very gentle at night. Walking along Ninh Kieu wharf, you can hear the music from a riverside cafe, see the lights reflecting on the water sparkling like falling stars.
If you have never had breakfast in the middle of the river, then visit Cai Rang floating market once in your life. There, when the sun is still sleeping, dozens of boats are already bobbing on the water, carrying vegetables, fruits, vermicelli soup, milk coffee… and voices as sweet as palm sugar.
Each boat is a small world. There is an old lady selling boiled corn, there is a lady cooking noodles, there are simple boats with a few bunches of bananas hanging on them – but why do they make people feel so warm? If you choose the right time, sit quietly eating a bowl of hot noodles in the middle of the water, you will realize: sometimes, all we need is a simple breakfast and a peaceful start to the day.
If you are still early, you can visit Lung Cot Cau - a green eco-zone to try walking on the monkey bridge, wading through mud to catch fish, or simply lying in a hammock listening to birds chirping. And if someone asks where is the most interesting place to travel in the West, I will not hesitate to suggest: go to Can Tho, once to know what love is.

4. Western delicacies – The soul of the countryside is put into every flavor

If the West can embrace you with something, perhaps, it is a rustic meal. No need for delicacies, just a pot of steaming sour soup, a plate of braised fish and a few vegetables picked from the backyard, is enough to make you want to stay a few more days. Western cuisine is not complicated, not pretentious - it is as rustic as the people here, like the rich alluvial soil, silently nurturing many generations.

Western Vietnamese pancakes – Eat one, remember the whole countryside

Priced from only 35k - 45k/piece, this pancake has made many people say "when you go to Can Tho, you must eat it!". (Photo: NM)

Unlike the Central or Saigon banh xeo, the Western banh xeo is poured into a large, crispy pan, as big as a winnowing basket. The filling is minced meat, fresh shrimp, bean sprouts, sometimes cassava, straw mushrooms... But what makes the "soul" of the dish is the giant basket of raw vegetables that comes with it: cassia leaves, young mango leaves, coc leaves, silk shoots, wild vegetables - things that you can hardly find in the city.
Roll a crispy piece of cake, wrap it in leaves, dip it in sweet and sour fish sauce, take a bite and hear the “crack” sound in your mouth. It is not just a dish, it is a full harvest season, a countryside afternoon with the scent of straw smoke, a home with grandmother and mother.

My Tho noodle soup – A bowl of broth, a lifetime of cooking

Wet and dry noodles are served with minced meat, char siu, fresh shrimp,... with the rich, thick seasoning of My Tho people, creating a unique feature that makes the dish famous. (Photo: Andy Tran)

If you have ever eaten Hu Tieu in many places, you will see that My Tho Hu Tieu has a very unique flavor. The soft and chewy noodles are made from delicious rice flour, the broth is clear and sweet from pork bones simmered for hours, without any added MSG. On top of the bowl are thinly sliced ​​meat, liver, shrimp, quail eggs - arranged like a folk painting.
You can eat it dry or wet, each style has its own pleasure. But perhaps the greatest pleasure is still sitting in a small corner of a roadside shop, in the early morning when there is still a thin layer of mist, listening to the sound of the river waves gently lapping at the shore, eating a bowl of hot noodles and sipping a cup of iced black coffee - that's enough for a full day.

Ben Tre Coconut Candy – A small gift with the taste of home

The candy has a fragrant coconut scent, is both fatty and chewy. (Photo: Collected)

No one goes to Ben Tre without bringing a few packs of coconut candy. It seems like a simple snack, but in that small square candy is the meticulous work of a skilled craftsman. Coconut milk must be cooked until it thickens, poured into a wooden mold, cut by hand, and wrapped by hand in rice paper.
You will find the sweetness not too strong, fatty but not greasy, soft and melt in your mouth. It is an ideal gift for friends and relatives, like a sweet message: "I just came back from the West, bringing with me a little sunshine, wind and human love".

Palm juice, sticky rice wine – The flavor of the plains

Currently, the most planted palm trees are in the Bay Nui area, including Tri Ton and Tinh Bien districts, An Giang. (Photo: Collected)

Going to Tra Vinh , An Giang or Soc Trang , you will easily see small roadside stalls selling palm juice - a cool drink taken from the flower stalks of male palm trees. The sweet, cool taste hugs your dry throat after an afternoon of riding a motorbike in the sun. Sometimes, people also make jelly from palm rice, soft and smooth like dew - both beautiful and delicious.
If you are lucky, you will be invited to try black sticky rice wine – a wine brewed from black sticky rice, with a strong aroma and a sweet aftertaste. Westerners do not drink much, but each cup of wine is a greeting, a sincere feeling – drinking to connect, to remember, not to get drunk.

Linh fish hotpot with water mimosa flowers – Flood season on the tip of the tongue

Linh fish hotpot with water mimosa flowers – A specialty of the West during flood season. (Photo: Collected)

If you plan to return to the West in September or October, when water flows from upstream, don’t miss the specialties made from linh fish. A small fish with soft bones and fatty, sweet meat, cooked with dien dien flowers – a bright yellow flower that grows wild on both sides of the river – creates a dish that can only be found in season.
Sitting by the fire, the hot pot is boiling, the smell of fish sauce, tamarind, dill, and coriander blends in the smoke - that feeling is not just eating, but inhaling the memories of the Western people. If you go in the right season, do not miss the opportunity to taste this dish, that is when Western cuisine reaches the peak of rusticity.

And finally… a home-cooked meal

Sour soup with water lily and perch, braised perch with pepper, shredded young banana, and fish sauce are familiar dishes of people in the West on rainy days. (Photo: Moc Anh)

No restaurant can recreate the feeling of sitting down to eat with the people of the West, under a coconut-leaf roof, the wind blowing through the banana bushes, the smell of fish stewed with pepper mixed with the smoke from the straw stove. The meal may just be sour soup with snakehead fish, braised perch in a clay pot, a plate of boiled vegetables with fish sauce – but when you eat, you will feel like you are no longer a guest, but a family member. Because in the West, cuisine is not just about eating to be full, but eating to love.

5. Tips to fully explore the West

The most profound impression in the hearts of tourists about the West is probably the strangely peaceful moments. (Photo: Collected)

Don’t be afraid to go early, because early morning is when the West is at its most beautiful – clear skies, bustling floating markets, fresh air. Try eating home-cooked meals, sleeping on bamboo beds, and taking a rowboat to truly understand the West. And before leaving, don’t forget to stop by a few fruit gardens to buy local specialties as gifts. From coconut candy, fruit jam to linh fish sauce – each gift carries a part of the flavor of the West, easily found in markets or from family stores.
There are places you go to “check-in”, there are places you go to live slowly and remember for a long time. The West is the second type. When you leave, your heart is light – no rush, no regrets. But a few days later, you will miss something… maybe the eyes of the boatman, a glass of sugarcane juice at the end of the canal, or simply the wind blowing through your hair on a nameless afternoon. Don’t hesitate, pack your backpack and start your 3-day, 2-night tour of the West. These trips not only bring beautiful memories but also help you regenerate your energy, live close to nature and culture of the West.
Book your tour today so you don't miss out on the upcoming wonderful Western tourist season ! Don't forget to share your journey with your friends and family, to spread the passion for sustainable travel to everyone!

Source: https://www.vietravel.com/vn/am-thuc-kham-pha/hanh-trinh-du-lich-mien-tay-3-ngay-2-dem-v17112.aspx