Ben Tre is a province in the Mekong Delta region, bordering Tien Giang, Vinh Long, Tra Vinh, and the East Sea. 85 km west of Ho Chi Minh City, Ben Tre is like a green island in the middle of four rivers, an attractive tourist destination for those who love to explore the West.
What season is beautiful in Ben Tre?
Ben Tre is located in the Southwest region, with a warm and sunny climate all year round. Visitors can visit any season of the year, but the ideal time is in the summer months of June, July, and August. This is the time when you can admire the colorful natural picture and enjoy the fruits. Freshly picked right on the tree-like mangosteen, durian, rambutan…
Move
If you come from Ho Chi Minh City, you can go to Mien Tay bus station to find a suitable bus station with prices ranging from 85,000-to 140,000 VND. Travel time 1.5-2 hours.
Besides, you can travel by motorbike or travel by self-driving car to freely stop and admire the scenery along the way. It is recommended to depart early in the morning or after 9 am (because the time is 6-8 am on the crowded street). Follow Highway 1A to My Tho city, Rach Mieu bridge, turn right across the bridge and you are already in the center of Ben Tre city.
You can also choose a tour according to the preferences of travel companies in Ho Chi Minh City for convenient sightseeing.
Hotels, homestays
In recent years, homestay is quite developed in Ben Tre. You can eat, stay and chat with the host, learn about the local people’s lifestyle and enjoy the specialties of the countryside.
In addition, there are many motels and hotels in the inner city for you to easily choose such as: Cong Doan hotel, Ham Luong hotel, Cuu Long hotel, Thu Thu guesthouse, and Que Huong guesthouse… Go up to the rooftops of these hotels for a late-night coffee and a view of the street along the river.
Where to play?
Con Quy belongs to the Chau Thanh district with specialties of delicious fruits and fish. Con Quy is the smallest of the ” four spirits ” of the Mekong Delta gardens. Visiting Quy islet, visitors can also enjoy “Don Ca Tai Tu” with the bold identity of the southern river region.
Con Phung is located on a floating island in the middle of the Tien River in Tan Thach commune, Chau Thanh district. Coming here, visitors can take a motorboat along the dunes to visit the coconut candy processing facilities, coconut souvenirs or get on a horse-drawn carriage to visit the orchard, stop by the coconut-leaf house to drink tea with honey. bees and kumquats, enjoy tropical fruits. The attractive experience is fishing for crocodiles , feeding carp with bottles…
Orchard has two places for you to visit: Cai Mon orchard in Cho Lach and Tien Long and Tan Phu areas in Chau Thanh district. You can just enjoy the green space of the orchard, enjoy the fresh fruits picked by yourself and eat on the spot. The ticket price includes one time to enter the garden and enjoy any fruit freely, and gifts will have to be purchased.
Coconut garden : Ben Tre has more than 200,000 coconut growing households, accounting for about two-thirds of the total number of households in the province. Visitors should try cycling a few kilometers around the coconut groves, enjoying the peaceful and cool space. While cycling, visitors can also chat with locals to understand more about life in the countryside.
Vam Ho Bird Sanctuary is a place where visitors can observe more than 100 different species of birds. There are individuals that are almost extinct but they are residing here.
The tomb of Nguyen Dinh Chieu in An Duc commune, Ba Tri district is the resting place of the nation’s great poet, patriot and people’s physician. On July 1 every year, the people of Ben Tre always hold a traditional festival here to commemorate the famous poet, son of the South.
Having come here, visitors can go another 9 km to Ngao beach and Tiem Tom port to see Ba Lai and Ham Luong gates (the 3rd and 4th gates of the Mekong River empty into the East Sea). These two gates are only a few kilometers apart.
Binh Dai beach belongs to the Binh Dai district, located on the banks of the Cua Dai River. The beach is still unspoiled, not as noisy as Vung Tau or Nha Trang. Coming here, in addition to swimming, enjoying seafood, visitors can also fish, visit some spiritual tourist attractions…
Dong Khoi guerrilla village is located in Dinh Thuy commune, Mo Cay district. Here, visitors can visit the exhibition hall, which displays the rudimentary weapons that the people of Ben Tre in the past used to fight the invaders.
Phu Le craft village in Ba Tri district. Coming to this craft village, visitors will hear people singing charms while knitting, learn about the craft of making sticky rice wine…
Another attraction in the village is the Phu Le communal house built in the 7th year of Minh Mang (1826), on the basis of a wooden communal house. On the occasion of Tet or the Family Worshiping Festival (Ky Yen Festival) on the 18th and 19th of the third lunar month every year, right in front of the communal house will organize boi singing.
My Long rice paper craft village is a place where foreign tourists watch people make cakes. The rice paper is dried and then baked on a charcoal stove, so the cake is always hot and crispy, greasy with the smell of coconut milk.
Son Doc puff pastry village in Hung Nhuong commune is more than 100 years old. Here, visitors can visit and learn the process of making a sticky rice cake. A satisfactory cake is that after baking, it must be spongy, crispy and twice as big as when it was not baked. The craft village sells many kinds of goods for customers to buy as gifts, such as sticky rice cake with chicken seeds, glutinous rice cake with jackfruit, glutinous rice cake with durian…
The knitting village in Phuoc Tuy, Ba Tri is about 40 km east of Ben Tre city. This is a craft village that has existed for a long time. People make all the items in daily life out of bamboo.
Each house is divided into splintering, catching fish or nettles, nia. Visitors come here to watch the local people make products learn how and experience the people.
Specialties
The coconut specialties of Ben Tre will surprise visitors. Not only getting coconut water, but people also have many delicious dishes such as rice cooked with coconut, coconut porridge, roasted coconut shrimp , coconut tofu, Giong Luong coconut cake…
Crushed bananas: bananas are flattened and then grilled over charcoal, served with coconut milk. The hot and crispy taste of bananas and the greasy taste of coconut milk will delight you.
Chopped dough soup : cake is made from rice flour, thick broth cooked with duck meat dipped in ginger fish sauce. This is a specialty of the West.
Pomelo tea : is made from grapefruit peel, peeled off the green skin, soaked in salt and cooked. The tea is added with durian so it always has a unique taste.
Coconut mouse meat : animals that live on coconut trees are processed into a favorite dish of local people. You can enjoy many dishes such as: grilled, steamed, curry and most especially steamed mouse in the rice cooker.
Rice snail pancakes : In the Mekong Delta, Phu Da islet of Cho Lach has the best rice snails. The snail season is only from April to July of the lunar calendar. The cake shell is poured from flour mixed with fragrant coconut milk, eaten with a filling of chopped cassava roots, bean sprouts, and rice snails with Bui Bui, which will impress diners.
Crayfish is another wild specialty that is loved by diners. Whether grilled, boiled with red siamese coconut water, or exploded with salt and lemon leaves, shrimp meat retains its sweetness and firmness.
Fruits : You can enjoy a lot of fruits such as durian, rambutan, longan, mangosteen… with pretty cheap prices and especially don’t forget waxy coconut.
Termite mushrooms grow on extruded termite mounds, appearing from about April to July. Ben Tre’s specialty is tough, sweet, and has a characteristic aroma.
What to buy as a gift
If you move near the road, you can buy specialty fruits such as mangosteen, Cai Mon durian, green-skinned pomelo, five-rod pomelo… If you want to keep gifts for a long time, choose My Long rice paper, Son puff pastry. Doc, coconut jam, coconut candy, coconut wine… and some beautiful handicrafts from coconut.
