Snake museum in Tien Giang

Exciting journeys on coconut-lined creeks, enjoying My Tho noodles or swimming in the sea of Go Cong ... are among interesting things that tourists can do in the southern province of Tien Giang.

A unique destination that not many tourists know when they come to Tien Giang, is the Dong Tam snake farm, which is recognized as the first snake museum of Vietnam.

Visiting the snake farm, you will be given the opportunity to explore the lifestyle and activities of these familiar but dangerous reptiles. In addition, you also have the opportunity to admire the collection of specimens of snakes, see how people take snake venom or learn about the method of creating vaccines or medicines for snakebite.

Cai Be floating market, the biggest wholesale market in the Southwest region is pretty well known. Unlike the floating markets of other provinces in the Mekong Delta, the floating market of Cai Be opens all day and night on a large scale. Goods are diverse and abundant. After visiting the floating market, a boat trip to explore the Tien River or small creeks is also interesting.

Tien Giang orchards tourism has famous names such as the Mekong Lodge eco-tourism site, orchards on Thoi Son Island, Ngu Hiep, Dong Thap Muoi eco-tourism zone, Cai Be orchards, etc. There are different names but the common characteristic of the above sites is that they are fruit-growing areas of peace and quietness so you can choose to visit one of them.

Coming to these ecological tourism sites, in addition to walking on cool pathways, visiting coconut candy factories, picking fruits from trees, tasting delicious fresh food, tourists can also transform into farmers to scoop fish or sleep on a hammock.

If visitors have only one day in Tien Giang, they can visit Vinh Trang pagoda, the largest temple of Asian- European architecture mixture. With a long journey (at least two days), they can go swimming in Go Cong or visit a wide range of cultural and historical monuments such as Go Thanh, Rach Gam-Xoai Mut, Ap Bac, Phao Dai fostress, many tombs and temples.

The suggestion for a one-day tour to Tien Giang, with VND150,000 cost ($7) as follows:

6am: departing Saigon to Tien Giang

7am: arriving in the city of My Tho, enjoying My Tho noodles, then visiting Dong Tam Snake Farm (9km away)

11am: Leaving the snake farm to the city of My Tho. Taking a boat trip on the Tien River, then dropping in Thoi Son Island or Cai Be orchards for sightseeing, having lunch and rest.

3.30pm: Experience the feeling of a yacht on tiny creeks.

5pm: Visiting Vinh Trang Pagoda. Sightseeing, worshiping and enjoying hammock coffee in front of the temple.

6pm: back to Saigon. End of the trip

You can go to Tien Giang at any time of the year, but the summer is the most beautiful and sexiest, when orchards are ripen.

If you want to rent a room, you are advised to find hotels on the main roads of My Tho city - Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, 30/4, Ngo Quyen, Nguyen Trai Street, Hung Vuong. The hotels you need to remember are Cong Doan, Chuong Duong, and Huong Duong.

My Tho is famous for fruits, noodles, snake porridge, king crab, fish sauce, rice cakes and choai vegetable.

Some restaurants should be visited: snake porridge – Restaurant 80 (or 180) on Tran Hung Dao road or Minh Nhat restaurant on National Highway 1A, noodle on Le Dai Hanh Street, Dinh Bo Linh Street and No. 246 Male States Khoi Nghia.

Compiled by M. Lan