Chau Doc and Sam Mountain

A Mekong Border City Of Vietnamese, Khmer, Cham And Chinese Communities, With The Ba Chua Xu Temple On Sam Mountain (A Major Pilgrimage On The 24th 27th Days Of The Fourth Lunar Month), Floating Fish Farms, A Cham Village And Tra Su Cajuput Forest. A Mekong River Trip Between Phnom Penh And The Delta · Chau Doc, An Giang

Chau Doc is a Mekong border city in An Giang province, close to the Cambodian line and about 250 km from Ho Chi Minh City. It is a mix of Vietnamese, Chinese, Cham and Khmer communities, and its centre of devotion is the Ba Chua Xu Temple at the foot of Sam Mountain, a shrine to a local protective lady spirit whose festival in the fourth lunar month draws huge pilgrim crowds. Sam Mountain itself has pagodas, a cable car and views over rice fields toward Cambodia. Around the city lie the Cham villages of Chau Giang across the river, the Tra Su cajuput forest with its green duckweed and boats, and floating fish farms under the houses on the water. Boats leave for Phnom Penh from here, which makes Chau Doc a natural crossing point. It suits pilgrims, slow Mekong travellers and those heading to Cambodia. It is worth the detour in festival season or as a stop on the river route. It is less rewarding as a quick add-on, and the city is hot, noisy and busy.

Chau Doc town on the Hau river and Sam Mountain, on the Cambodian border in the western Mekong Delta, Chau Doc, An Giang, Vietnam

Ba Chua Xu Temple is open from early morning to late evening and sometimes through the night around the festival, with a calmer feel at dawn, and is FREE to enter. Sam Mountain's pagodas and paths are open in daylight and FREE to walk, while the cable car charges a fare and may be CLOSED in strong wind or for maintenance. Tra Su forest is open in daytime, with boat tickets sold at the entrance. Cham villages can be visited by day, and mosques are quiet during prayer. Fish-farm visits are by boat and daytime only. The temple festival changes dates each year; confirm.

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