Can Tho University accommodates approximately 2,000 students in the fields of agriculture, medicine, and teaching.

Take a trip down the watery network that surrounds the Cuu Long Delta’s Can Tho and you’ll see why locals have a special name for it.

To them the miles of inter-connecting canals and rivers are simply "the green lungs of the Mekong." Self-praise indeed, but a half-day gently putt-putting round the Hau River on an ever-bobbing motorized canal taxi might have you agreeing. Can Tho, over its 200 years as the main town, now the city of the province, and once known as Tay Do, or Capital in the West, may have had many names, but has clung determinedly to its identity. The 150,000 population city is the hub of the main Con Son and Con Au waterways which nurture the local rice and fruit trade. But it’s not just agriculture that fuels the area: an art and cultural center, a university, and a museum dedicated to Ho Chi Minh, have seen visitor numbers increase. And for those who have never made it to the area, it’s a sure bet they will have experienced its flavor in its Cau Duc sweet pineapple, its sweet potatoes and taro, and the coconuts of the U Minh Jungle, which have spread its reputation as a fruit basket region far. The marshy Lung Ngoc Hoang mangrove forest, strategically placed to escape the natural clutches of the occasionally threatening Hau River and the waters near Bac Lieu, also offers a shelter for wildlife. There fish, crabs, tortoises, and yellow boas and snakes, seek their seasonal shelter at a place where war-time troops often sought strategic refuge. Experts are looking at whether the area, and especially its river water ecosystem, could sustain the accolade of National Reserve. It’s those water courses that are the life-blood of the area and the favored route of transport for goods bound for its legendary floating markets. On land the fragrance of frangipani trees wafts around the city’s communal house and its 72 columns of black hardwood which commemorate the making – or the saving – of the area.

Locals will joke that "the soil is plentiful but the people aren’t" a reminder of those who were forced to leave after a succession of heavy floods made earning a living impossible. The endorsement of a general, revered in that communal house, was seen as instrumental in saving the life of a special envoy of the Court, dispatched in 1852 to check the plight of the Hau River dwellers, but whose flotilla was swamped by a cyclone. He found shelter in a small waterway and survived to dub it Binh Thuy, or Quiet Water, and asked King Tu Duc to favor the area. Success and prosperity followed, the communal house became a more solid structure and is still revered widely, especially in two annual ceremonies.

But visitors are ever-fascinated by the area’s bustling floating markets up the Hau River at Con Khuong, Con Son and, further a field, Con Tan Loc in the more prosperous Thot Not District. Other areas hope to bask in that economic upturn as part of a five-year rolling program by local officials involving boosting the use of the waterway system. Cai Rang is the largest floating market in the Mekong and the traders are more motorized, but the markets at Phung Hiep and Phong Dien are more relaxed and less crowded. And in the Year of the Snake, Phung Hiep’s fortunes are delicately balanced.

* BEN TRE: Area: 2,247 sq. km
                    Population: 1,307,000
                    Province Capital: Ben Tre Town

Districts: Chau Thanh, Cho Lach, Mo Cay, Giong Trom, Binh Dai, Ba Tri, Thanh Phu
Economic potentialities: Agriculture, fishery, processing industry

Ben Tre is located near the mouth of the Mekong River and is surrounded by Tien Giang, Vinh Long, and Tra Vinh. The four main rivers are Tien Giang, Ba Lai, Ham Luong, and Co Chien. The main ethnic group populating this area is the Kinh.

The tropical climate of Ben Tre is influenced by monsoons; the rainy season lasts from May to October and the dry season from November to April. The average annual temperature is 26°C and the humidity level is quite high due to the presence of many rivers.

Ben Tre is well known as the motherland of poet Nguyen Dinh Chieu. It is also famous for the revolutionary spirit of its people during the war against the United States. Tan Vinh Islet is also a famous tourist site.

* DONG THAP: Area: 3,276 sq. km
                        Population: 1,564,977
                        Provincial Capital Town: Sa Dec

Districts: Tan Hong, Hong Ngu, Tam Nong, Thanh Binh, Cao Lanh, Thanh Hung, Thap Muoi, Lai Vung, Chau Thanh
Economic potentialities: Agriculture, trade, fishery

Tourists visiting Dong Thap can admire the vast lotus and nenuphar blooms at dawn and sunset. The province is home to various kinds of animals such as cranes, herons, and pelicans. In the last few years, many scientists have investigated Dong Thap’s ecosystem and zoology, especially the crane because it has been classified as an endangered species.

* CA MAU: Area: 5,204 sq. km
                 Population: 1,117,829
                 Provincial Capital: Ca Mau Town

Districts: Thoi Binh, Dam Doi, Ngoc Hien, Cai Nuoc, Tran Van Thoi, U Minh
Economic potentialities: Agriculture, fishery, processing industry

The main attractions in this area are the U Minh Forest, Dau Roi Bird Ground, Hon Khoai, Hon Chuoi Island, and Ngoc Hien Bird Yard.

* BAC LIEU: Area: 2,485 sq. km
                    Population: 736,325
                    Provincial Capital: Bac Lieu Town

Districts: Hong Dan, Vinh Loi, Gia Rai
Economic potentialities: Agriculture, fishery, tourism.

* HA TIEN:

People visit Ha Tien hoping to capture the magic of the land in South Vietnam, where many heroic historical places such as imperial tombs and ancient pagodas can be visited. Ha Tien is such a delightful location that a French film company chose it to produce the movie "L'amant" (The Lover) in 1995. It is an ideal location to spend holidays.

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