Tra Vinh is a pretty little riverside town populated by friendly people, tall trees, and an amazing proliferation of temples used by the local Khmer and Chinese communities, as well as the dominant Vietnamese. In addition to pagodas, there's an eerily beautiful square pond outside of town, another relic of the Khmer kingdom that once ruled this area. Making the effort to visit this town, which welcomes few foreign tourists, can be a very rewarding experience and an adventure in itself.

Having the border with Ben Tre Province, Tra Vinh of the Mekong Delta brings visitors a different view. Tra Vinh is no longer a rich coconut kingdom like Ben Tre, but it's seen as an ancient land of Buddhism, where there are up to 150 pagodas and plenty of other religious sites. Although the place is rich in culture and history, for some reason it's not in the Vietnam's top holiday destinations. Anyway, fascinating characteristics of the land will astonish you so much.

The boulevards of Tra Vinh, one of the prettiest towns in the Mekong Delta, are still lined with shady trees, harking back to an earlier era. With more than 140 Khmer pagodas dotting the province, Tra Vinh is a quiet place for exploring the Mekong's little-touted Cambodian connection. The town itself sees minimal tourist traffic, owing to an isolated location on a peninsula.

About 300,000 ethnic Khmer live in Tra Vinh province. They may seem an invisible minority as they all speak fluent Vietnamese and there's nothing outwardly distinguishing about their clothing or lifestyle. Dig a bit deeper and discover that Khmer culture is alive and well in these parts of Vietnam. Many of its numerous pagodas have schools to teach the Khmer language and many Tra Vinh locals can read and write Khmer at least as well as Vietnamese. Vietnam's Khmer minority are almost all followers of Theravada Buddhism. Between the ages of 15 and 20, most boys set aside a few months to live as monks (they decide themselves on the length of service). Khmer monks are allowed to eat meat, but cannot kill animals.

Although Tra Vinh has plenty of charm, its name is mostly invisible in most of the travel plans. The town is a harmonious combination of the old and the new on a manageable scale. Located in Mekong Delta, bordering with Soc Trang, Vinh Long and Ben Tre, Tra Vinh is popularly known as the land of Buddhism with more than 150 pagodas and a number of religious sites. Hence, the trip to Tra Vinh brings you close to the magnificence of colonial architecture mixed in with Vietnamese and Chinese pagodas as well as the older Khmer temples.

Generally, one of the top things to do in Tra Vinh that catches much attention from visitors is riding a bike around the town and the surrounding countryside to visit many various sights. For them, this is a big part of the pleasure while in here.

Where to stay in Tra Vinh
One thing you should keep in mind that most hotels and motels are situated in Tra Vinh City. By the way, it's available to rent a motorbike at one of those accommodations. Additionally, it's easy and convenient to find out restaurants, spas, travel agents, and shops nearby. There is a wide selection to consider below:
Cuu Long Hotel: No. 999 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, Ward 7, Tra Vinh City.
Hoang Ngoc Hotel: No. 5 Le Thanh Ton, Ward 2, Tra Vinh City.
Gia Hoa Hotel 1: No. 75 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, Ward 7, Tra Vinh City.
Duy Phuong Hotel: Hamlet 5, Ward 8, Tra Vinh City.
Hoa Anh Dao Hotel: Hamlet 4 Pham Ngu Lao, Ward 1, Tra Vinh city.
Duy Tung Hotel: No. 6 Dien Bien Phu, Ward 2, Tra Vinh City.
Hoan My Hotel: No. 105A Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, Ward 7, Tra Vinh City.

What to see in Tra Vinh
Ba Dong Beach
Lying at Truong Long Hoa commune, Duyen Hai District, Ba Dong Beach is around 55 kilometers from the heart of downtown Tra Vinh. Ba Dong Beach is endowed with an over 10-kilometer beautiful stretch of sand, harmoniously mixed with blue water, giving an enchanting picture among nature. This picture is dotted with a unique French-style resort, but it still keeps its rare wildness with rows of wild parrot trees.

Ba Om Pond
Locally known as a unique destination in Tra Vinh, Vietnam , Ba Om Pond, up to 39,000 square meters is certainly indispensable part of the itinerary to the Mekong Delta. The first compelling thing of the pond is that it is home to plenty of old trees more than a hundred years. The locals often call it the square pond because it is in the shape of a square. A backdrop for your sightseeing tour to Ba Om Pond is an ancient pagoda next to it. Don't miss out on a visit to the pagoda.

Nodol Pagoda
Tra Vinh is among the provinces in the Mekong Delta, where there are lots of pagodas and temples carrying the cultural identity of the Khmer people. Nodol Pagoda is one of them, and it's easy to recognize the Khmer architecture from this site. The most absorbing thing about the pagoda is that it's also called Stork Pagoda because its campus is where flocks of storks come to nest and breed. Address: Giong Lon hamlet, Dai An commune, Tra Cu District.

Hang Pagoda
Hang Pagoda will convince any visitor who loves nature and differences. The pagoda's area is up to 10 ha, but a half is natural forest full of tall trees and birds' nesting places. It's known that Hang Pagoda is an ancient site of the Khmer people, established in 1637, so its Khmer name is Mong Ray (Kamponyixprdle). Address: Chau Thanh Town, Chau Thanh District.

Islet of Tan Qui
With the area up to 929 ha, the islet of Tan Qui, in the middle of Hau River is renowned for its rich orchards. It's possible to say that the best time to visit this islet is during Lunar New Year or Tet Holiday as you can witness the most pulsating prospect of the area where people prepare a lot of unique things for the biggest festival. Not only that, the time of Vu Lan Festival - the 15th day of the 7th lunar month is the time for enjoy luscious fruits, such as durian, rambutan, Sanh orange, strawberries, mangosteen, etc. It will be amazing to take a boat to the local gardens and pick the fresh fruits.
Address: An Phu Tan Commune, Cau Ke District.