Tourists visit the Hau River during the flood season. Photo: THANH CHINH
Overwhelmed by the beauty of the river landscape.
At dawn, before the sun had risen, we were already at the floating village on the Hau River, near Long Xuyen market, experiencing the flood season along with other tourists. Ms. Thuy from Pho Ba islet, My Hoa Hung commune, was driving her outboard motor, propelling her small sampan boat swiftly downstream.
According to Mr. Lam Anh Duc, a tour guide from Thanh Kim Mai Tourism Company, the group of 27 tourists visiting An Giang during the flood season consists of retired officials from Dong Nai province. This is their first time spending the night in Long Xuyen and visiting tourist attractions such as the Hau River, Long Xuyen floating market, the Ton Duc Thang Memorial Area, and En islet in Cu Lao Gieng commune.
Sitting on a small boat with friends, exploring the flood season on the Hau River, Mr. Pham Dinh Khiem (77 years old), residing in Binh Long ward (Dong Nai province), expressed: “I’ve long heard about the flood season in the Long Xuyen quadrilateral region, but due to family matters, I’ve missed the opportunity to visit An Giang for many years. This is the first time I’ve come with friends to visit. My impression is that the scenery and waterways of An Giang are very beautiful. Along the river, all activities on the docks and boats are peaceful, especially the bustling Long Xuyen floating market, which has a unique characteristic only found in the Mekong Delta. The people of An Giang are gentle and hospitable. Here, we also enjoyed delicious dishes such as sour fish soup with snakehead fish, tilapia, water hyacinth flowers, and water lily flowers, all with the rich flavors of the flood season.”
According to Ms. Truong Hoang Mai, Director of Thanh Kim Mai Tourism Company, this is the 10th year the company has organized tours for retired officials to visit An Giang during the flood season. Every year, in the 8th lunar month, the company meticulously designs tours to promote and introduce tourists to the landscapes of the flood season in An Giang. “Tour guides must provide detailed explanations to tourists about the land and people here during the flood season. The company always focuses on arranging and carefully preparing local specialties during the flood season to create a difference compared to tours in other localities,” Ms. Mai shared.
Bustling activity on the waterlogged fields.
When the flood season arrives, tourists from all over flock to the An Giang river region to visit and admire the scenery. For a long time, the Mekong River's flood season has been a familiar and intimate image in the lives of the local people. For those who live far from home, the arrival of the flood season always evokes a flood of nostalgia.
Mr. Lam Anh Duc said he is from Nhon My commune. He graduated from the Saigon Tourism School in 2023 with a degree in tourism guiding, but has been working in this profession for six years. Every year, when the flood season arrives, he designs tours to bring groups of tourists from Central Vietnam, Northern Vietnam, and Ho Chi Minh City to An Giang for sightseeing. “Even though I live in the city, every time the flood season comes, I miss my hometown terribly. My childhood was connected to the rice fields; I will never forget those memories of swimming in the fields with friends, fishing, and catching frogs… Now that I have established my career in the city, I always introduce the image of An Giang during the flood season to tourists,” Mr. Duc shared.
Currently, on the flooded fields, the water is a white mirror reflecting a tranquil corner of the sky. Fishermen's nets are spread out in all directions, looking like a maze across the waterlogged fields. The large flood means an abundance of fish and shrimp, allowing people to exploit them and earn a good income.
Local specialties like snakehead fish soup with water hyacinth and water lilies, and braised tilapia with pepper, always make many people crave them and want to return to the flooded rice fields to enjoy them. So, many people gather in the "fish-rich" areas to watch fishermen dismantle their traps, catch fish, prepare and enjoy them right in the fields.
According to tourist Bui Anh Tuan, last weekend he and his group of friends from Long Xuyen organized a trip to explore the flooded fields of Thanh My Tay commune during the rainy season. They boarded a small boat, started the diesel engine, and ventured deep into the flooded fields. After watching the fishermen unload their nets, Tuan's group bought local produce and cooked a meal on their boat, moored under the cool shade of a tree.
“While waiting for the food to be prepared, many people jumped into the fields to bathe. By the time they finished bathing, the food was perfectly cooked. It was all country specialties, from grilled rat, grilled snakehead fish, boiled snails, boiled crab, sour fish soup with water lilies and wild jasmine flowers – absolutely delicious!” Mr. Tuan said with a chuckle.
On weekdays, if tourists from afar want to visit An Giang to bathe in the rice paddies and enjoy the local specialties of the flood season, Mr. Tuan is ready to design tours in the vast, waterlogged Lang Linh rice fields.
This season, if you travel along provincial road 955A in Thoi Son ward, you'll see a large number of tourists visiting restaurants specializing in local dishes from the flooded rice paddies. On weekends, if you arrive late, it's difficult to find a seat. When we visited, the restaurant was packed with tourists, with tables and chairs almost full, and the owner was working at full capacity to prepare the local specialties. Mr. Nguyen Buu Phung, the owner of Hai Dang restaurant, said: "This season, there's an abundance of fish, shrimp, and crab. On weekends, my restaurant serves more than 20 tables. At the restaurant, tourists can enjoy delicious food while admiring the vast flooded rice paddies – what could be better!"
After a lunch featuring many local specialties from the flood season, visitors continue their journey to Tra Su Melaleuca Forest, enjoying the natural scenery, birds, and fish before returning in the late afternoon as the sun sets over the mountainous region.
The flood season comes and goes quickly, but visitors who come once will forever remember this fertile land, brimming with warmth and hospitality.
Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/soi-dong-du-lich-mua-nuoc-noi-a465513.html
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