Guide to traveling to Chau Doc, An Giang from Saigon and other provinces in detail

How to get to Chau Doc?

There is no airport here, so those of you from afar have to fly or take a train to the South for the Chau Doc journey. You can take a taxi, Phuong Trang bus, or other bus companies to get to Chau Doc from the Southern provinces. If you love adventure, you can ride a motorbike. Mèo is old now, can only drive a car. You can refer to the distances below for planning. From Saigon, take Phuong Trang bus to Chau Doc and vice versa takes 6 hours, ticket price is 145k per person.

Bus companies to Chau Doc you can refer to:

• Phuong Trang Bus: in Chau Doc: 0276 3565333. In Ho Chi Minh City: 028 38333468
• Hung Cuong Bus: in Chau Doc: (0276) 3865116– 3560807 – 3562040. In Ho Chi Minh City: (0238572624 – 39551247 – 39555041
• Vinh An Bus: In Ho Chi Minh City: 028 38369229. In Chau Doc: 0276 3866495
• Tuan Tu Bus: In Ho Chi Minh City: 028 36003227. In Chau Doc: ( 0276 )3727345 – 3575355 – 0907 356966
• Kim Kim Mai Bus: In Ho Chi Minh City: 028 54052575. In Chau Doc: 0276 3550900
• Bus ticket prices from Ho Chi Minh City to Chau Doc range from 120,000 – 150,000 VND.

Distances from Chau Doc to other provinces in the Mekong Delta:

• Chau Doc – Rach Gia: about 130km
• Chau Doc – Can Tho: about 120km
• Chau Doc – My Tho, Tien Giang: about 182km
• Chau Doc – Ha Tien: about 110km
• Chau Doc – Bac Lieu: about 224km
• Chau Doc – Ben Tre: about 180km
• Chau Doc – Ca Mau: about 243km
• Chau Doc – Dong Thap: nearly 100km
• Chau Doc – Long An: about 197km
• Chau Doc – Soc Trang: about 175km
• Chau Doc – Tra Vinh: about 186km
• Chau Doc – Vinh Long: about 124km
• Distances from Chau Doc to Ho Chi Minh City and neighboring provinces
• Chau Doc – Ho Chi Minh City: about 245km
• Chau Doc – Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa: about 678km
• Chau Doc – Phan Thiet, Binh Thuan: about 432km
• Chau Doc – Da Lat, Lam Dong: about 540km
• Chau Doc – Ninh Chu, Phan Rang – Thap Cham, Ninh Thuan: about 588km
• Chau Doc – Vung Tau: about 360km

How to travel to Chau Doc?

To visit the landscape in Chau Doc, you can rent a motorbike (150k/1 motorbike) at hotels or take a boat, rickshaw, taxi…

Where to stay in Chau Doc 

You can choose to stay at a hotel in the Nui Sam area or in the city of Chau Doc. This way, you will have more fun in the evening.

• This time I stayed at a hotel right in the center of Chau Doc city, which is Trung Nguyen Hotel, very clean, airy, enthusiastic staff, right next to the market and various attractions. Room rates range from 150-250k/night. Address at 86 Bach Dang, Chau Doc City.
• If you prefer budget accommodations, you can also consider Hai Chau Hotel, Dong Xanh Hotel… many cheap and good options.
• If you want to stay in a more upscale place, then Victoria Hotel is recommended. There are 2 branches here. Staying 1 night at Victoria Nui Sam Lodge is quite satisfying, beautiful view, prices range from 1200k/night and up. There is a swimming pool, overlooking the panoramic view of Chau Doc from above. The pool view is super beautiful, the staff is lovely and friendly. I rate it 7.5/10, the only downside is the somewhat boring breakfast, huhu.

What to eat in Chau Doc?

Oh my, it’s my second time here and I’m still shocked by how delicious and cheap the food is. One day I had a bowl of fish noodle soup for 10k, it was so delicious. I wanted to cry when paying. I want to live here foreveeeeeer.

Let me list some delicious dishes in Chau Doc that you must try:

• Broken rice – Ly Tu Trong
• Bun ca Be Hai Chau Doc – near Bo De Pagoda
• Fermented fish hotpot – across from Long Xuyen bus station or Chau Doc market
• Buffalo hotpot – national highway 9
• Chau Doc trumpet shell noodle soup at the corner of Phan Van Vang street
• Cold soaked palm fruit, frozen yogurt, pomelo sweet soup, super delicious palm fruit sweet soup at 136 Nguyen Van Thoai (5k for regular sweet soup, 10k for palm fruit sweet soup bag)
• Fish maw, fried balut with fermented fish, sold at various intersections
• Aunt Be’s sandwich
• Shaken mango with fermented fish
• Pork knuckle noodle soup
• Fragrant and delicious Phuc Linh cake
• Fat rice with chicken
• All of these are in the city, just wander around and you’ll see big signs, blind cat alleys, sometimes you just know to eat
• …..

Oh my, so much food to list, can’t finish listing them all. The tip is whenever you see a crowd, go eat, it’s guaranteed delicious.

    See more: Guide to Visiting Ho Ta Pa Lake, An Giang

What to do in Chau Doc?

When in Chau Doc, you must visit Tra Su Melaleuca forest. It’s a must-visit spot. Beautiful without a doubt, I’ve been there twice already, especially fun during the bird nesting season.

Next is Co To Mountain, Phung Hoang Son, climbing up the hill is super exciting, standing on top and looking at the panoramic view.

Then we took photos of the beautiful rows of palm trees.

Here are some tourist attractions in Chau Doc that I listed:

• Tay An Pagoda
• Chau Phu Temple
• Chau Doc Floating Village
• Ba Chua Xu Temple
• Thoai Ngoc Hau Tomb
• Cham Village Chau Giang
• Sam Mountain
• Cave Pagoda
• ……….

Travel diary of the trip to Chau Doc, An Giang from Saigon

This place is very new, interesting, and special to me because I had someone to endure the rain, dust, cold wind, and hardship with me, so this trip is very meaningful to me and I want to preserve it for the future.

Day 1: Saigon – Mien Tay Bus Station – Chau Doc

12:00: Departing from Mien Tay Bus Station to Chau Doc took me 6 hours and 110k, plus 50% of my energy, so I couldn’t do much.

• Upon arrival, I quickly checked in at the hotel, rented a bicycle to explore the market a bit, and had the specialty dish, Mam Hotpot.
• The bus I took, I can’t remember the name of the bus company, but later realized it was a wrong decision because the 16-seater bus had natural air conditioning, picked up passengers along the way… The advice is to take Phuong Trang bus for safety at only 155k.
• The hotel I stayed at is Trung Nguyen at 86 Bach Dang, Chau Phu, Chau Doc, An Giang. I didn’t book a room in advance, but because I shared a transfer with Phuong Trang bus and saw a nice hotel when passengers got off, I decided to stay there, luckily there were still rooms available. The room was clean, stepping out the door led to the market, so I found it quite convenient, with prices starting from 300k/night.
• The hotel also rented bicycles for 20k to ride from afternoon till evening.

Day 2: Tra Su Melaleuca Forest – Tinh Bien – Ba Temple – O Thum Lake

Since I planned to only stay for 2 days, I chose the most prominent places to visit.

9:00: After checking out + having breakfast + refueling my “iway” scooter, we followed the local guide’s advice. From Chau Doc market to Ba Chua Xu Temple is about 6km, passing through Tra Su Forest, but we decided to visit Tra Su Forest first as we planned to return in the afternoon and visit Ba Chua Xu Temple on the way back, as it is said that the best time to visit Tra Su Forest is in the morning from 7 to 9 am when you can see all the birds, storks, etc.

Tra Su Melaleuca Forest

From Chau Doc market to Tra Su Forest is 30km, it took us about 40 minutes to ride there because the local guide took us on the “bamboo trees by the water ferry” route, so it took a bit longer, but we found it interesting as the road was deserted and we could see vast green rice fields.

When arriving, we parked our vehicle, bought tickets at the entrance, and then a guide took us down to the motorboat to visit the Tra Su forest. At each beautiful spot like the lotus pond, water lily pond… we stopped for photos until we got bored and wanted to leave (maybe because there were few visitors or because we were a group of 2 and got priority treatment unlike other tourist spots). They said that in Tra Su forest, there is nothing but Tra Su and over 70 bird species, 11 mammal species, 25 reptile species… but that’s what’s written online, as today we only saw 1 stork, 1 heron, and many bird nests… that’s it.

(Note when visiting Tra Su Tra Nam forest: Since I went at the beginning of September, which is not the flood season yet, those “floating water lilies” in the photos online were not there, so if anyone wants to go, be patient and wait until November for a better view (that’s what people say). As for the bird and animal species, as mentioned above, you have to go early in the morning or late in the evening to see the birds flying across the sky).

After the motorboat tour, we were guided back to the shore to check in at the Love Bridge (15k/person), visit the observation tower, row a three-leaf boat, or use the dining services at the restaurant. However, since we found the Love Bridge nothing special, we skipped it and only went up to the observation tower, took a walk around, then returned to the motorboat to head back. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to row the three-leaf boat because the time didn’t allow it, and the way to O Thum was far, so maybe next time we’ll do it.

O Thum Lake

Continuing the journey from Tra Su forest to O Thum Lake in Tri Ton district, which is over 30km away, it took us nearly 50 minutes to get there because the road was very rough, so if you choose this destination in the future, be extremely careful as there are many potholes, and you may end up with shaky hands on the steering wheel. Along the way, you will find many palm juice, palm sugar, and fresh palm fruit vendors, so you can freely choose without worrying about being expensive or fake like other tourist places, especially the palm juice, which is exceptionally fresh and delicious, and once you drink it, you will remember it forever.

(Experience when buying palm sugar as a gift, it is recommended to buy yellow sugar because white sugar has been processed and is not pure).

Arriving at O Thum Lake, we were a bit disappointed because the water was very murky, not as beautiful and sparkling as in the photos, maybe due to the rainy weather making the lake water muddy. But our purpose of traveling a total of 60km to get here was not just to admire the lake but also to eat the specialty Burnt Chicken of An Giang, which is said to be famous and the best at O Thum. It’s true that the tradition is not wrong, the Burnt Chicken dish was delicious, it was the first time we had such tasty chicken, and it was also cheap, the two of us ate one whole chicken and were full, costing only 250k.

Tinh Bien Market

Continuing our journey, we traveled from O Thum to the Tinh Bien border gate, which is about 35km away.

On the way, I heard about a love tree, so I decided to go the extra mile to check in before continuing. The most brutal part of the journey began here. Wanting to take a shortcut following the directions of the locals, we had to endure rain and wind to pass through muddy roads, full of potholes and bumps. After a difficult and exhausting journey, we finally arrived at our destination, soaking wet and with our white shoes turned brown from the dirt. To repay our efforts, we took a single photo before being chased away by the security guard.

   Read more: Guide to traveling to Can Tho – Con Dao

(Note: When arriving at the border, if you want to pass through, you must have a passport. Since we traveled spontaneously and no one brought one, we only thought about taking pictures and returning, but they strictly prohibited taking photos. Luckily, when we finished taking pictures, our phones were not confiscated to delete the photos, otherwise, it would have been a waste of effort for the several dozen kilometers we traveled).

Our dusty travel journey continued with a 20km stretch from Tinh Bien border gate back to Miếu Bà Chúa Xứ. From here, just go straight on National Highway 91, then turn onto Tan Lo Kieu Luong and then turn onto Chau Tho Te road. We parked our vehicle by the road for 10k VND, and incense was already prepared so we didn’t need to buy any, but if you forget, they sell them outside or inside the temple. This is a famous temple known for its sacredness, so if you ever come here, remember to visit to pray for peace, luck, and prosperity… Even though we traveled hundreds of kilometers just to pay respects to the lady and only managed to light incense as it was almost time to catch the bus back to Saigon, we didn’t have time to take photos even though the architecture here is beautiful. If we have the chance to come back, we will definitely visit and take the time to take photos.

At around 5 p.m., we ended our trip to Chau Doc and took a Phuong Trang bus back to Saigon.

How much does it cost to go to Chau Doc?

•  Renting a car at the hotel costs 150k + 50k for gasoline for a full day trip.
•  Breakfast around the market is quite cheap, so as soon as you step out of the hotel, you can find affordable options.
•  Since the journey is long, we prepared water, fruits, and mosquito repellent before leaving, as there are many mosquitoes in Tra Su forest.
•  The entrance fee for Tra Su forest is: 190k for 1 person, 130k/person for a group of 2, 110k/person for a group of 3 to 6, and 95k/person for a group of 7 or more (including boat ride + three-leaf boat + observation tower). After the boat ride, it’s up to each person’s generosity, but remember to tip the boat driver.
•  At the tourist area, they sell sugar palm juice + coconut for 20k/glass. If not, along the road from Tra Su forest to Tri Ton district, there are many vendors. The price of sugar palm juice ranges from 30k to 60k/kg. There’s a delicious grilled chicken restaurant with a beautiful view at the end of A Thum Lake, called Thao Nguyen.
•  The Mekong Delta is very affordable, people are very kind, remember that when you go back. 
  

Review Châu Đốc An Giang

• The temples and shrines of the Cham people, the mosques of the Muslims, the ripe rice fields… in general, there are so many, you can’t finish exploring in a week. Take your time to explore and learn.
• Initially, I planned to rent a motorbike to go from the foot of Sam Mountain to Tra Su Melaleuca Forest (over 30km) but then switched to taking the bus (the bus assistant guided me to the place). After that, I took a motorbike taxi for another 3km. Unfortunately, I couldn’t stop at the sugar palm fields to enjoy the view because I was focused on getting to the forest. Other areas don’t have sugar palms anymore 🙁
• The melaleuca forest isn’t as sparkling as in the photos I saw, but it’s still very beautiful, with fresh air. The lady rowing the boat said there are many rare birds here. The most impressive thing is that the whole area doesn’t have a single piece of trash!!
• Châu Đốc also has a floating village, but when I went up the bridge in the evening, it wasn’t as brightly lit as expected. The motorbike taxi driver said next time I should go to the riverside area, which would be more beautiful.
• The people of Châu Đốc are mostly gentle! There was a very cute motorbike taxi driver, who initially invited me by saying, ‘Ma’am, please support the working people.’ After going around for a while, when I asked for the price, he said, ‘Pay me whatever you think is fair.’