If history of a new land is in your top concern for a journey, the Khmer museum is surely a must-visit place when you make a trip to Soc Trang Province, the Mekong Delta. The Khmer museum displays dozens of valuable artifacts, presenting the cultural and spiritual life of the ethnic community of Khmer from generation to generation. Something you find out for a visit there is traditional costumes, models of houses, pagodas, and musical instruments.

How to get to the Khmer museum from Ho Chi Minh City

To reach the Khmer museum, what you must do first is to find ways to Soc Trang Province. It’s easy to do that since bus lines to Soc Trang are always available at Mien Tay Bus Station – 395 Kinh Duong Vuong Street, An Lac Ward, Binh Tan District.

Upon arrival in Soc Trang City, Soc Trang Province, you’ll find out the central market. The Khmer museum is two minutes’ walk from this market. The museum is opposite Kh’leang Pagoda and situated at 53 Ton Duc Thang Street, Ward 6, Long Phu Town, Soc Trang City.

An alternative to get to the Khmer museum from Ho Chi Minh City is to take a tour to the Mekong Delta. A plus point of the tour is that you not only visit the Khmer museum, but also explore other fascinating spots in Soc Trang Province, such as Nga Nam Floating Market, Bat Pagoda, Tan Long Stork Sanctuary, Kh’leang Pagoda, and My Phuoc Island.

What are inside the Khmer museum?

Erected in 1938, the Khmer museum was formed by two zones. The exhibition zone is the Xamacum Assembly House and the office zone. The museum displays countless precious artifacts, offering you an outlook on the spiritual and cultural life of the Khmer community.

The Khmer community has a population of over one million and is portrayed through two cultural museums; one is in Tra Vinh and the other is in Soc Trang. If you pay a visit to the museum in Soc Trang, what you will see comprise collections of Black masks, costumes, musical instruments, sets, books of leaf, and many other things of Khmer culture. This visit entitles you to obtain more understanding of the Khmer community and know why it has become a crucial part in the population of Soc Trang Province.

In Soc Trang Province, there are plenty of spots for sightseeing, but you certainly visit Khmer Museum because of values it brings back. You will realize that the Khmer people have a high aesthetic mind whereby they could simulate real life to make their own cultural beauty and create elaborate traditional family items and production tools for life. This shows that they have great skills as expert artisans.

Source: tnktravel

Khmer Museum – Places to Visit in Soc Trang
Nguyen Thanh Van

Delving into the world of floating markets in Vietnam is an unparalleled experience for travelers who truly want to explore and feel the vibrant atmosphere here. Floating markets have existed for hundreds of years and have become a vital part of the local life in the Mekong Delta. Let’s plan a trip to one of famous, vibrant Vietnam floating markets.

THE BEAUTY OF SOUTHWEST OF VIETNAM

There are several floating markets in the country, most of them are located in the Southern region. These markets are always crowded with a lot of boats selling plenty of products. The locals come by land or water to buy their food or household goods. Here are some floating markets in Vietnam to enjoy the special shopping sides of Vietnamese people.

Long Xuyen Floating Market – An Giang

Long Xuyen floating market is a hidden gem, this market is one of the less popular floating markets in Vietnam, but definitely worth a try if you are in search of a place that gives off easy and genuine vibes of Mekong Delta’s people and nature. Surprisingly, you cannot find a single person bargaining here since the market mostly serves local people and hardly commercialized. If you are searching for a non-touristy and not crowded shopping place, this market is a good choice. The market is a great combination of the charming countryside and the water area. Here, the local lifestyle and traditional culture still remains.

Arriving the market early in the morning, you can witness the busy life on the river where people sell and buy are veggies, pickles, squash, sweet potato, fruits and typical West-Southern snacks as fish rice noodle, pig-skinned pieces or salad roll by boats.

Cai Rang Floating Market – Can Tho

Like other floating markets in the Mekong Delta, Cai Rang was firstly formed to meet the trading needs of local people. Located on the river with the same name – Cai Rang, the market is more than 100 years old now.

GET TO KNOW ABOUT THE CAI RANG FLOATING MARKET

Phong Dien Floating Market – Can Tho

Phong Dien Floating Market is 20 kilometers southwest of Can Tho, the best floating market in the Mekong Delta. Boats loaded with produce from nearby orchards of the Mekong Delta converge to the floating market. They carry mostly fruits but also coconuts, vegetables and fishes. The market is at its bustling best between 5am and 8am.

Phong Dien floating market is a place full of interesting things for not only domestic but also foreign tourists. It is not so far from Cai Rang floating market, but there is a big difference in the function of each market. While Cai Rang boasts its largest wholesale market, Phong Dien is a retail one that is located in the complex system of rivers and canals. With this function, you hardly find big boats here but only the small sampans, which is also the daily vehicle of local people.

LEARN MORE ABOUT CAN THO – THE EVERGREEN CITY OF MEKONG DELTA

Nga Nam Floating Market – Soc Trang

Nga Nam floating market is located in the Nga Nam town where the five rivers Vinh Quoi, Ca Mau, Thanh Tri, Long My, and Phung Hiep meet. Compared to other markets, it is well known for the hustle and bustle atmosphere which is hard to find in other markets. In this market, you can admire the endless stretches of big and small boats full of wide ranges of goods like tomato, garlic, cabbage, potato, etc. And, you will find it hard to resist temptation when approached by some southern merchants, offering their delightful fish noodle, rice soup or coffee..

Nga Nam floating market nowadays still retains the uniqueness of Mekong countryside as well as typical attributes that make it special such as “ao ba ba”, sweet old folk songs and distinctive accent of Southern people.

Cai Be Floating Market – Tien Giang

Cai Be floating market is located in Cai Be district, Tien Giang province – on the giant Tien river (one of the two main streams of Cuu Long river). This is a hub for transporting goods, fruits and seafoods to and from the Mekong Delta and the rest of Vietnam.  It remains a convenient choice for many foreign travelers due to its short distance from Ho Chi Minh city.

TRAVEL CAN THO – CAI BE FLOATING MARKET IN 4 DAYS 3 NIGHTS

Unlike other floating markets in Vietnam which start early in the morning and therefore finish earlier, Cai Be market stays open until late, to accommodate for travelers who might not be as keen on mornings as the Vietnamese! As the floating market is open all day long, you can easily visit whenever you like to witness the lively and vibrant atmosphere of a Southern styled market.

5 Famous Vietnam Floating Markets
Nguyen Thanh Van