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Travel Groups Forum Index » Asia » Mekong delta & river tours, Vietnam - Down in the Delta
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| Active Travel Vietnam |
 Posted: Tue Jul 28, 2009 6:12 pm |
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Guest
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Chau Doc in the Mekong Delta is a charming destination with a
fascinating mix of Khmer, Vietnamese, Chinese and Cham communities.
An Giang province is often one of the worst affected regions when
floods hit the Mekong Delta, which is why unlike other provinces in
the Mekong Delta, rice-exporting is not the most important trade here.
The main driving force in the province’s economy is catfish farming, a
fish which contributes to around a fifth of Vietnam’s total seafood
output.
The highest concentration of “floating houses” with fish cages can be
observed on the western banks of the Chau Doc River near where it
meets the mighty Mekong. Nguyen Van De, a local resident from the
floating village, takes us on his boat for a quick tour around Chau
Doc River. On the tranquil river, we cruise past neat rows of houses,
which all have fishing cages underneath them.
There are nearly 2,000 floating houses in the village. Some of the
more sturdy houses are made with bricks and wooden frames and covered
by fibre grass tiles. However, a few more flimsy looking constructions
are made out of bamboo and coconut leaves. We clamber off the boat
onto the wooden deck of a house. A piece of wood has been left open so
you can peer down into the fish cage where a large school of fish
jumps up and down.
Much to our surprise, the residents seem to have all the mod cons and
assets families would have on land: We can see satellite dishes,
televisions and motorcycles while all residents seem to own a mobile
phone. De can raise about five tonnes of cat fish in eight months. His
children can easily get to school after a short boat trip to Chau Doc
town too. Life here seems good. Past the floating village, we find Con
Tien (Fairy Island) where a community of around 3,000 Cham people
live. According to relics at Mubarak Mosque, the Cham community set up
their settlement on the island in 1691.
Just like any other popular spots for tourists, right at the entrance
to the Cham village is a souvenir shop selling Cham silk handbags and
scarves! We check out a store owned by a woman called Ysa, who is a
surprisingly laid back seller. According to Ysa weaving was one of the
prerequisite skills for a well educated girl in Cham society. She has
been weaving since she was only 15 and set up the store back in 1998.
All of her products are handmade with traditional weaving equipment.
She employs 20 women from the village and claims she earns a stable
income. According to Ysa, traditionally, while the women weaved and
took care of domestic chores, Cham men sailed down the river to trade.
Thanks to a common religion and shared customs Cham traders had plenty
of success trading with Malays. A colourful culture Chau Doc town is a
swirling mix of ethnicity and religion. With Khmer, Vietnamese,
Chinese and Cham communities, you will find institutions dedicated to
Confucianism, Mahayana Buddhism, Theravada Buddhism and even Sunni
Islam as well as churches for Christians and followers of Cao Dai and
Hoa Hao religions.
One of the most famous religious buildings is Ba Chua Xu Temple on Sam
Mountain. Two hundred years ago, Sam Mountain was said to be covered
with a forest and full of wild animals. Only pirates and bandits dared
to go there. One day, a group of Siamese men came across a beautiful
red stone statue on the summit of the mountain. Although the statue
was small, none of them could lift it up. The men quickly grew
frustrated and in a blind rage, they smashed the statue and departed.
But in a nearby village, on the same day a girl went into a strange
fit — her face was flushed red and her head shook violently. She
started to speak and called herself Chua Xu Thanh Mau (the Holy Mother
of the Region). She commanded villagers to climb the mountain and
fetch her statue back to the village. The villagers found the statue
on the top of Sam Mountain but they could not move it either.
They returned and asked for the little girl’s advice. She told them to
send nine maiden girls up the mountain to carry the statue down. Sure
enough the nine girls were able to lift the statue up and carry down
the mountain. But at the foot of the mountain, the statue suddenly
grew too heavy for the nine girls too carry so they laid it down. The
village elders guessed that was the place that the Holy Mother wanted
to be placed and consulted an oracle.
A shrine was duly built on the site on the 25th day of the fourth
lunar month and ever since on that day pilgrims have come to Ba Chua
Xu temple. Besides Ba Chua Xu Temple, Tan An Pagoda, which was
constructed in 1847 by Doan On, is also worth a visit. The three-
storey pagoda with the onion-shaped turret designed in the Muslim–
Indian architectural style is on the side of Sam Mountain. On the top
of the pagoda sits a striking white statue of the Supreme Buddha. From
outside the pagoda is not that eye catching but the statues and
carvings inside are wonderfully vivid and life-like.
By Hong Nhung/timeout
Recommended itineraries
- Explore Mekong Delta & river tour: http://www.activetravelvietnam.com/tour.php?op=detail&tourId=19
- Mekong biking tours: http://www.activetravelvietnam.com/tour.php?op=detail&tourId=40
- Family tours in Vietnam: http://www.activetravelvietnam.com/tour.php?op=detail&tourId=27
- Mekong Delta & Angkor Wat tours: http://www.activetravelvietnam.com/tour.php?op=detail&tourId=62 |
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