If you are passionate about exploring temples, then plan a trip to Soc Trang today. Besides the numerous temples of various styles and architectures, Soc Trang also has many other attractive sightseeing spots. Moreover, the delicious dishes in Soc Trang are waiting for you.
Where is Soc Trang?
Soc Trang is a coastal province in the Mekong Delta, located at the southern mouth of the Hau River. This place is a cultural convergence of the Hoa, Kinh, Khmer, and Cham ethnic groups. Therefore, Soc Trang has unique beliefs and customs. Furthermore, Soc Trang is quite small, so you can explore its unique features in just a few days.
Travel Guide to Soc Trang
If you are in Saigon or nearby provinces, it’s easy. Just take a bus or ride a motorbike straight on National Highway 1 southward for about 150km, and you’ll reach there. In fact, Google has it all, but I’m writing it here to make it easier for you if you want to go.
Saigon to Soc Trang
Take Phuong Trang bus for about 5 hours and 30 minutes. Gather at the Western Bus Station and go. There’s a trip every 30 minutes to 1 hour. Ticket price around: 140,000VND.
If you are far from the northern or central regions, you need to research carefully.Since Soc Trang has an airport and no direct flights, you need to fly to Can Tho Airport or Tan Son Nhat Airport. Then from Can Tho or Saigon, transfer to Soc Trang. In general, it’s not difficult at all. I recommend booking a flight to Can Tho and then taking a one-hour drive to Soc Trang if possible.
Flying to Soc Trang
I booked a flight from Hai Phong to Can Tho. Ticket price around 2 million VND (Book early 2 months for the best tickets or hunt for Vietjet’s 0 VND tickets. Check their Fanpage for Hai Phong – Can Tho promotional flights. The promotional hunting time is from 12:00 – 14:00 daily (But one thing is that you will depend on the flight date on the airline, not 0 VND whenever you want to go).
Buy flight delay insurance
And also, I recommend you to buy Flight Delay Insurance (Price from 60k to 100k) so that if the airline has a delay, you can get compensation of over 1.6 million. Because I’ve been delayed many times by Vietjet and it’s very annoying. Buy Flight Delay Insurance online on the INSO app on the AppStore (I’m not advertising).
We will register with our phone number. Buy insurance at least 6 hours before the flight.Pay for and receive compensation online within 30 minutes.VietJet flights (Flights operate every day of the week)
- Departure time: 8:50 – 10:55
- Return time: 6:15 – 8:00
Travel from Can Tho to Soc Trang:
You can travel from the airport to Can Tho Bus Station (14 km away). Then buy a ticket for around 80k – 120k/ticket. Or for more convenience, you can call Limousine Vũ Linh to pick you up at the airport. (Phone number: 0299.3686.869 Ticket price: 160k – Travel time: About 1 hour)
When to Visit Soc Trang?
The weather in Soc Trang is quite pleasant, so you can visit at any time of the year. Soc Trang’s climate is divided into 2 seasons:
- Rainy season (From May to October).
- Dry season (From November to April).
If you have the time, I think the best time to visit Soc Trang is around October in the lunar calendar. Cool and pleasant weather.
There is also the OocOmBok festival, the largest festival of the Khmer community (You can participate in two main activities: boat racing and releasing water lanterns).
How many days to visit Soc Trang
Some say just one day is enough to visit Soc Trang. I think a whole week is needed to fully explore the place. I only managed to spare 3 days to discover this place.If I come back next time, I will allocate more time to explore the places I haven’t had a chance to visit.
Hotels in Soc Trang
There aren’t too many choices for you, but you should choose a hotel in the city center of Soc Trang for convenience as the temples are very close to each other, about a five to ten-minute drive to each place. I chose a hotel on Phan Chu Trinh Street called Phu Qui, a small old-style hotel, sometimes it experiences power outages too huhu…
Transportation in Soc Trang
Renting a motorbike in Soc Trang
Soc Trang is small, so you should rent a motorbike to have great experiences. Just ask the hotel to arrange it for you to avoid the hassle of finding one yourself.The rental process is quite simple, just need to present identification documents like ID card, passport, or driver’s license.
Average price: 120k – 150k/day.
Taxi rental
If you want to travel quickly and comfortably without worrying about rain or sun, just take a taxi. Since the place is small, taking a taxi won’t cost much either. If you split the fare among 3 or 4 people, it’s even cheaper than renting a motorbike.
See more: Guide to traveling to Bac Lieu
What to eat in Soc Trang
Bún nước lèo
Bún nước lèo is a specialty of Soc Trang. You can find this dish everywhere. The broth is made from coconut, lemongrass, and some special types of fermented fish sauce of the Khmer people. The noodles are served with roasted pork, shrimp, chili, and various fresh vegetables.
Address:
Cây Nhãn Restaurant located on Vo Dinh Sam Street, near Nam Ong Pagoda.
Quán Hương Quê 657 at 657 QL 1A.
Bánh cống
This type of cake has a filling made of steamed fresh shrimp, whole green beans, and minced pork.
Address: 28 Ap Dai Chi, Dai Tam Commune, My Xuyen.
Cháo cá lóc
Address:
2 Phu Loi, Khom 2, Ward 2.
550 Tran Hung Dao, Ward 2.
Lẩu mắm – Quán cây dừa
The hotpot includes roasted pork, squid, shrimp… served with a variety of unique vegetables typical of the diverse Western region.
Address: 101B Hung Vuong.
Nem nướng Bảy Gành
Address: 22 Le Hong Phong, Ward 3.
Buffet Tý Ka
Buffet restaurant with charcoal-grilled dishes at 113k/person.
The downside of the restaurant is that there is no air conditioning or fan.
Address: 187 Hung Vuong, Ward 6.
See more: Travel guide to the Mekong Delta
Soc Trang Travel Itinerary
Day 1: TRAVEL (Hai Phong – Can Tho) and (Can Tho – Soc Trang), DOI PAGODA, SA LON PAGODA, TÝ KA BUFFET, FRESHWATER NIGHT MARKET, SKY BAR ÁNH QUANG PLAZA
Day 2: SOM RONG PAGODA, ĐẤT SÉT PAGODA, KH’LEANG PAGODA, QUAN ÂM LINH ỨNG PAGODA, TRAVEL (Soc Trang – Can Tho)
Day 3: TRAVEL BACK (Can Tho – Hai Phong)
SÓC TRĂNG 3-DAY ITINERARY
Day 1: TRAVEL (Hai Phong – Can Tho) and (Can Tho – Soc Trang)
TRAVEL (Hai Phong – Can Tho) and (Can Tho – Soc Trang)
The travel plan has been reviewed above.
BAT PAGODA
Bat Pagoda where thousands of bats live within the temple grounds. This place carries the cultural essence of the Khmer people with the legend of the five-toed pig, ancient tombs.
Bat Pagoda, or as the Khmer people call it, Serây Tê Chô Mahatúp Pagoda (Meaning: Created by virtue). Located 3km from the city center.
SA LON TEMPLE (Chen Kieu Pagoda)
Sa Lon Temple, also known as Chen Kieu Pagoda, is one of the temples with unique architecture, situated in Dai Tam commune, My Xuyen district, Soc Trang province. About 12 km from the center of Soc Trang city towards Bac Lieu.
The distinctive feature of this temple lies in its walls. Not painted evenly with cement, mosaic tiles, or colorful paint like other temples. The walls of this temple are covered with pieces of bowls, plates, and porcelain, creating a unique and aesthetically beautiful appearance.
BUFFET TÝ KA
CHỢ ĐÊM HỒ NƯỚC NGỌT
Chợ đêm Hồ Nước Ngọt is located on a small street on Hung Vuong Avenue, right next to the cultural area of Hồ Nước Ngọt, a lake area in the center of Soc Trang City.
The night market is not large but quite spacious and offers a variety of products, mainly fashion items.The night market opens to serve customers from around 5 pm to 10 pm.
SKY BAR ÁNH QUANG PLAZA
You can admire the vibrant city of Soc Trang from above.The rooftop has bird cages for coffee and check-ins.Inside is a space for DJs and Vinahouse music.
Address: 9th Floor, Ánh Quang Plaza Building, 79 Ton Duc Thang Street, Ward 6.
Day 2: CHÙA SOM RONG, CHÙA ĐẤT SÉT, CHÙA KH’LEANG, CHÙA QUAN ÂM LINH ỨNG, TRANSPORTATION (Soc Trang – Can Tho)
CHÙA SOM RONG
Chùa Som Rong has a Khmer temple architecture that combines tradition and modernity, especially in color coordination that creates a unique highlight for the temple.
Within the temple grounds, there is a gray-painted stupa, with a statue of Buddha Shakyamuni meditating on top. This architecture exudes modernity and grandeur, giving a sense of reverence to the Buddhist visitors.
CHÙA ĐẤT SÉT (Bửu Sơn Temple)
Chùa Đất Sét features thousands of clay statues with unique architecture, representing the cultural heritage of Buddhism.
Not only does it stand out with over 1000 clay statues, but there are also large-sized mythical creatures made of clay. And 4 large candles like house pillars, estimated to take 70 – 80 years to burn completely if lit.
KH’LEANG TEMPLE
Kh’leang is considered one of the oldest temples in Soc Trang, built around the 16th century.
The temple grounds are shaded by ancient trees, mostly palm trees, giving visitors the atmosphere of the Western region with its solemn and respectful ambiance of Kh’leang Temple.
LINH UNG QUAN AM TEMPLE (Phat Hoc 2 Temple)
The first impression of visitors when stepping into this temple is surely the tranquility and coolness, as the temple space is very spacious, including a large lake with thousands of fish swimming around playfully. On the lake is the Bat Nha boat – a typical highlight of Linh Ung Quan Am Temple.
Inside the temple, there are many statues of Buddha Shakyamuni, Buddha Amitabha, Maitreya Buddha, etc., intricately designed with unique patterns and motifs that depict the life of the Buddha.
TRANSPORTATION (Soc Trang – Can Tho)
This is very simple. You stand on National Highway 1 and catch a ride from Ca Mau heading back to Can Tho.It takes 1 hour to get there.
Choose a hotel near Can Tho Airport (on Vo Van Kiet Street) so you can wake up early the next day to fly back to Hai Phong.
Day 3: RETURN TRANSPORTATION (Can Tho – Hai Phong)
Remember to arrive at the airport 1.5 hours before your flight to complete all the boarding procedures.
Soc Trang Review
- As one of the provinces in the Mekong Delta, Soc Trang is blessed with many beautiful landscapes and unique temples.
- A diverse cultural blend, you don’t need to go to Thailand, Laos, or Cambodia to admire the unique architectural features of temples here.
What to Buy as Souvenirs in Soc Trang?
- Durian cake.
- Dried pork or buffalo meat from Thanh Tri.
- Vung Thom sausage.
- Soc Trang shrimp crackers.
Hope the information shared above will help you plan your upcoming Soc Trang travel. Thank you for reading.
