Temple of Lady Xu Mountain Sam
Harmony with nature
If you have the opportunity to come to An Giang, let’s explore the scene of daily and purchasing life of people in Long Xuyen floating market in the early morning. Located near the center of Long Xuyen city, this river market most clearly shows the daily life of An Giang people and also contains many unique cultural features of the West River region. In addition, do not forget to enjoy a breakfast on a boat or canoe of the people of the West, with delicious rustic dishes such as Bun Reu, Bun Ca (Nooodle soup), Banh Tam or sip a cup of coffee, sugar tea, hot milk…
From the floating market, it takes about 15 minutes to get to Ong Ho islet – a famous historical place in My Hoa Hung commune (Long Xuyen city). Coming here, visitors can visit the memorial area of President Ton Duc Thang, to know more about Uncle Ton’s family, life, background and revolutionary activities. In addition, visitors can follow the country roads to enjoy the peaceful and fresh air, to discover the rural market by themselves as well as learn about the life and activities of the people in the river region here. “I am very happy to visit Long Xuyen floating market and Ong Ho islet by river. Coming here, in addition to visiting the temple of the beloved President Ton Duc Thang, learning about Uncle Ton’s life and revolutionary career, my family and I also explored culture, enjoyed delicious Western dishes. Especially, the local people are very warm and friendly welcome. Surely, we will return to this gentle and hospitable land in the near future, to experience more – Mr. Cao Thanh Tien (Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City) shared.
Church of Cu Lao Gieng
Along with that, An Giang is also known for its green, fruit-laden fruit gardens and unique and beautiful ancient architectures, attracting tourists every time they come to Cu Lao Gieng (Moi Market). This place is not only beautiful because of the peacefulness, charming scenery of the river, the people’s life is rich thanks to the lush orchards full of fruit all year round, but also has many unique ancient architectural works. The most prominent are the typical religious architectures in the French colonial period, visitors will be surprised and full of interest because this island land contains a whole population of relics of many different religions.
“Compared to the places I have been to, there is no place where the ancient architectural complex is preserved as intact as the land of Cu Lao Gieng. From Cu Lao Gieng Church, Franciscan Monastery, to Thanh Hoa Tu, Phuoc Thanh Pagoda or “Ba Quan Thuong Dang” Palace, all have unique architecture and very own historical and cultural values. In addition, coming here, people can mingle with nature, visit the fruit orchards and enjoy the specialties of the Western river region. It was a very memorable experience for me when I first came to An Giang land” – tourist Nguyen Thanh Phu (living in Dong Nai province) shared.
Tourists discovering the natural beauty of Tra Su Melaleuca forest
Speaking of eco-tourism, visitors cannot ignore the beautiful and interesting Tra Su Melaleuca Forest. Tra Su Melaleuca forest (Van Giao commune, Tinh Bien district) is always a place that attracts a lot of tourists, especially international tourists. With an area of about 845 hectares, Tra Su Melaleuca forest is considered one of the largest natural and semi-natural habitats of the Mekong Delta. The forest gathers many species of plants and animals. In which, most of the plants here are melaleuca and there are also quite a lot of water birds and rare animals found in the Red Book of Vietnam, such as: storks, Cồng cộc, Le Le, short-eared dog bats, Indian storks, scorpion fish, white sheatfish, Giang lotus, Điên Điển, …
In the flood season, Tra Su Melaleuca forest wears a dark green color above, Melaleuca leaves below the water surface, creating a beautiful natural picture. Coming here, visitors enjoy the beautiful scenery, visitors have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the tree-lined natural space, it is easy to see the birds sitting right on the tree trunks, many kinds of colorful lotus… You can ask the boatman to stop to clearly feel the quiet space and take souvenir photos to mark the idyllic moments of nature here. In the midst of the lush green mountains and forests with the birds calling, visitors can enjoy the rustic dishes, typical specialties of the river region, such as: grilled snakehead fish, grilled chicken, burned chicken, Sầu Đâu salad, snakehead fish or choke fish, cooked chicken is Giang leaf, Linh fish, Điên Điển…
Explore the sacred land
The ritual of inviting Lady Xu down the mountain to her place of residence at the National Festival of Lady Xu Mountain Sam
Arriving in An Giang, visitors cannot help but mention Sam Mountain National Tourist Area (Chau Doc City). Sam Mountain not only attracts tourists with its beautiful scenery but also is a famous spiritual tourist destination in the country. The road to the top of Sam mountain is as beautiful as a feng shui picture. The higher you go, the more fertile An Giang land becomes in sight. In particular, around the bottom of the mountain, there is also a complex of historical – cultural relics with unique architecture recognized as national architectural and artistic relics associated with mysterious legends from the time of reclaiming and opening the land. An Giang land, such as: Lady Xu Temple on Sam mountain, Thoai Ngoc Hau mausoleum, Tay An pagoda, Hang pagoda… In which, Lady Xu Temple is the most magnificent, famous and sacred architectural work. The building has oriental architecture with green yin and yang tiled roofs and curves at each corner of the four roof floors, and the patterns on the window frames are intricately carved. This place every year attracts millions of domestic and foreign tourists to visit and pilgrimage, worship…
The mysterious beauty of Thien Cam Son (Cam Mountain)
Leaving Chau Doc city, visitors come to the mysterious That Son region, with large and small mountains in the middle of the delta, creating a beautiful natural picture. In which, Thien Cam Son, also known as Cam mountain, belongs to An Hao commune (Tinh Bien district) 716m high above sea level, is the highest mountain, associated with folk beliefs, mysterious legends and stories. about the first monks, the wild animals that know how to listen to sutras, nurture the nature to protect the sage, the stories about the time when his father went to reclaim land, open the realm…
The caravan experiences the An Giang tourist route
From the bottom of Cam mountain, you can choose many different ways to move to the top of the mountain. Each way has its own beauty. If you go by cable car, you can see the beauty of the mountains from above. If you want to exercise, you can go hiking with friends on the trail that pilgrims often climb. When climbing the mountain, you will have the opportunity to enjoy the scenery of the mountains, visit the Thanh Long stream to mingle with the cool water and learn about the life of the people living on the mountainside. In addition, you can also take a tour bus or a grab bike (“hug” bike). Coming here, visitors can enjoy the fresh air, admire the beautiful scenery, visit the temples, enjoy the sweetness of mountain fruits and especially pancakes with dozens of clean forest vegetables.
On the mountain there is a natural reservoir, very wide and beautiful, called Thuy Liem lake. With cold air from the lake and mountain rocks, it always has a very cool climate, regardless of the season. Standing at any position on Thien Cam Son, visitors can also see the statue of Maitreya Buddha sitting majestically and serenely in the green space. The statue has a high aesthetic value in terms of architecture, harmonizing the space between the mountains and the forest with the height of the statue. The giant Maitreya Buddha statue together with Van Linh Pagoda and Big Phat Pagoda form 3 architectural ensembles reflecting on the surface of Thuy Liem Lake to form a unique picture. “On foggy or cloudy days, especially in the early morning, when the dawn has just risen, the clouds and dew fall heavily, giving us the feeling of being a fairyland. The scene of the sunset here is even more beautiful, making people who come here will feel very light and peaceful …” – Ly Hoang Ha (Chau Thanh district), who has been to the top of the Forbidden mountain many times.
| Spiritual tourism not only gives tourists new experiences about a new land, but also contains very sacred spiritual values and experiences for visitors. In addition, spiritual tourism is also a form of contributing to the preservation and promotion of traditional cultural values of the Vietnamese nation. In recent years, experience tourism, caravan or eco-tourism, community-based tourism in An Giang is very potential for development. In addition, many emerging tourist destinations in Cho Moi, Tri Ton, Tinh Bien are gradually becoming interesting new destinations for young tourists. |
Trung Hieu
Translated by Kim Ngan
An Giang Province’s Portal – angiang.gov.vn
