“We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.” – Anonymous

Tien Giang Province

Location

Tien Giang Province is well known with My Tho City which is very near Ho Chi Minh City. This is considered the presented destination to the Mekong Delta trips if you have not enough time to visit the area more than 1 day.
Tien Giang Province is bordered with Ho Chi Minh City to the north east, with Long An to the north, with Ben Tre to the south, with Dong Thap to the west, with The East Sea to the south east.



  • Center city: My Tho City
  • Town and Districts: Go Cong Town, Cai Lay Town, Cai Be District, Go Cong Dong District, Go Cong Tay District, Cho Gao District, Chau Thanh District, Tan Phuoc District, Cai Lay District, Tan Phu Dong District.
  • Tourist places: My Tho City and Cai Be District.
  • Climate: Tien Giang Province is in the tropical monsoon climate region with the typical feature of the Mekong Delta’s climate. There are the rain season from May to November and the dry time from December to April. The average temperature is 27 C degree. 
  • Transportation: Travel conveniently by land and river way to the province and from it to other provinces.

         The distance is for reference as below:
         From My Tho to Ha Noi: 1650 km
         From My Tho to Ho Chi Minh City: 71 km
         From My Tho to Long An:  25 km
         From My Tho to Ben Tre:  17 km
         From My Tho to Vinh Long:  52 km
         From My Tho to Can Tho:  93 km
         From My Tho to Dong Thap:  95 km


Landscapes

Oc Eo Remains: Located in Tan Thanh Hamlet, Tan Thuan Binh Commune, Cho Gao District, the cultural Oc Eo area existed from the 1st to 4th centuries. After three excavating times, there are many valuable statues; and golden, bronze and pottery items found. The Oc Eo relic is the special vestige for researching the Phu Nam culture in Tien Giang Province.
Vinh Trang Pagoda: Located in a 2,000-m2 area, My Phong Commune, My Tho City, Vinh Trang Pagoda is the greatest of Tien Giang Province. The pagoda was built in the early 19th century and enlarged in 1849. The Buddhist features of the pagoda are a result of the harmonious fusion of Asian and European architectural styles. Inside, there are many precious statues made of wood. Especially, there is a collection of the 18 Aghast sculpted in 1907. These works of art present the talent of sculpture in the Mekong River Delta.
Rach Gam – Xoai Mut: Located in Dong Hamlet, Kim Son Commune, Chau Thanh District, the Rach Gam- Xoai Mut historical and commemorative site was inaugurated on 20 January 2005 on occasion of 200th year anniversary of the Rach Gam- Xoai Mut victory. The whole area is 2,000 m2 wide and includes three sections: the first exhibiting house, the commemorative monument of the national hero Nguyen Hue, and the second exhibiting house.
Thoi Son Islet: From My Tho City, riding boat about 30 minutes on the Mekong River, tourists can get to Thoi Son Island where they can experience the life of Mekong Delta community such as riding boat along dense canals, picking fruit in the orchard gardens, tasting many Northern dishes. Especially, they can take part in the process of making coconut candy, cake of the local people. Therefore, Thoi Son Island is an attractive site in Tien Giang for tourists.
Cai Be Floating Market: Cai Be is one of the most famous floating markets in the Southwest of Vietnam. Founded in the Nguyen Dynasty, Cai Be Floating Market has been a busy market expressing the lifestyle of the Mekong Delta people. Along two riversides, we can see many boats filled with fruits and all kinds of goods from agricultural products to house- wares exchanged and purchased in the floating market. Everyday, since 3:00 am, boats from many places gather in a rush to the market. Many dealers have strong attachment for waterway life; therefore, there are many floating “houses” of the dealers and Cai Be Market roles an important part that cannot be apart from their lives. Following the dense canals, the Mekong Delta people not only carry goods from their hometown to purchase but also introduce their culture features of the countryside lifestyle.
Dong Tam Snake Farm: Dong Tam Snack Farm is 12 km from My Tho City. It is a centre for breeding snakes producing venom for exportation. Furthermore, the farm is also a researching on snakebite treatment. Besides, Dong Tam Snack Farm houses a collection of rare birds and animals in the South.
My Thuan Chain Bridge: On 21 May 2000, My Thuan Bridge - the biggest bridge in Vietnam was inaugurated. My Thuan Bridge, which Australia and Vietnam were cooperated to carry out the project and build the bridge, is 1,535 m long and 24 m wide. My Thuan Bridge not only connects Tien Giang and Vinh Long provinces but also attracts many visitors from other places.


Festivals:

Welcoming Whale Festival: (9th  -10th of the 3rd lunar month) the festival is usually held in Nam Hai Temple in Vam Lang Commune, Go Cong Dong District. In the festival, there are many festivities to honor the soul of the Whale.
National Hero Truong Dinh’s Death Anniversary: Every year, the anniversary takes place in Truong Dinh Temple in Go Cong Town, on 20 August 1864 when the national hero Truong Dinh sacrificed his life for the nation.
Thu Khoa Nguyen Huu Huan’s Death Anniversary: The anniversary yearly takes place on the 15th of the 4th lunar month in the Nguyen Huu Khuan Temple in Hoa Tinh Commune, Cho Gao District.
And there are many other unique festivals in the province.


Local specialties


There are different local specialties in the province such as Hủ Tíu Mỹ Tho (My Tho noodle soup with seasone and sauté beef), Mắm Còng Gò Công (salted small crabs), Bánh Giá Chợ Giồng (local cakes), Sam Biển Gò Công (Go Cong crustaceans), fruits and other typical specialties.