Mekong Delta Overview
MEKONG DELTA OVERVIEW
Mekong Delta is also known as the Southwest of Vietnam. This region consists of 13 provinces including Long An, Tien Giang, Ben Tre, Vinh Long, Tra Vinh, Can Tho, Soc Trang, Bac Lieu, Ca Mau, Kien Giang, An Giang, Dong Thap, and Hau Giang. The natural area of the region is 39,734 square kilometer accounting for 12.2% of the whole country. The land shares border with Cambodia in the north, the Gulf of Thailand in the southwest, and the East Sea in the southeast. Located at the end of the Indochina Peninsula and being adjacent to the southern key economic zone, the land has a close and important two-way relationship. In other words, Mekong Delta geography has created favorable conditions to promote exchanging co-operation with other countries on the peninsula.
The Mekong Delta was formed from the alluvial sediments and slowly added through the eras of sea level changes. Having experienced from many stages, it gradually formed sand dunes along the coast. The topography of the area is relatively flat with the average height is from 3 to 5 meters above the sea level. Besides, the humid tropical climate with equatorial features can be clearly seen in this land. The annual average temperature is 24 – 27°C and the annual average temperature range is 2-30°C. This area has two distinct seasons, in details, rainy season lasts from May to October; dry season is from December to April.
The Mekong Delta has a great potential tourism. The land has the beauty of ecological plains and islands, charming and seductive rivers and canals, fresh environment, rich natural resources combining with cultural and historical tradition of many ethnic groups and many traditional folk festivals with unique cultural identity. Besides, the “Southern personalities” of being gentle, hospitable, generous and magnanimous is also the other thing attracts tourists to travel this land. Set food here, tourists has a great opportunity to immerse themselves in natural landscapes as Ben Tre coconut forests, Sa Dec flower village (Dong Thap), floating market (Can Tho, Tien Giang) with a variety types of fruits, Seven Mountains (An Giang), Nam Can mangrove forests, and Ca Mau Cape, etc. In addition, the Mekong Delta has many beautiful islands, especially in Ca Mau and Kien Giang. In details, the most beautiful island in this land is Phu Quoc Island, also known as the Pearl Island having a lot of beautiful beaches with white sand and blue sea. Other famous beaches include Mui Nai (Ha Tien, near Cambodia border), Ho Chong (Kien Giang), Ba Dong (Tra Vinh).