| Quick facts | |
|---|---|
| Distance | Boat + 42km |
| Difficulty | Easy |
| Terrain | Flat |
| Cost | $25 for long-tail boat for 2 people + 2 bikes |
| Blog | 11th Feb - Matt's bogus journey |
| Gallery | Mekong Delta |
The journey
Hien II guesthouse suggested a boat trip to the floating markets finishing at O Mon and then riding from there. We paid $25 for a private long-tail boat for us and the bikes, plus some baguettes and bananas for breakfast. We didn't want to start at 5.30am to see the sunrise so we started at 6.30am. The trip took around 4hrs. We had good view of Cai Rang market but Phong Dien was packing up by the time we got there at 8.45am. It was exposed in the boat and hot by mid-morning. It's worth starting at 5:30am if you want to see both markets and avoid the sun, otherwise do a round trip to Cai Rang before setting off from Can Tho by bike. Our boat driver kept having to ask directions to O Mon.From O Mon we took the road to Thot Not which has a cluster of chay restaurants. An easterly was blowing all day again. The road to the junction with route 80 was narrow with few road markings and no hard shoulder. The seal is quite old and rough but there was less traffic and it's a fairly interesting ride. 10km away from Long Xuyen the road widened to four lanes and the seal improved. There are lots of hotels in Long Xuyen.
The room
Long Xuyen hotel19-21 Nguyen Van Cung
Long Xuyen City
An Giang Province
Tel: (84-76) 841365 - 841927
Ð140,000 for double room with air-con, bathroom with hot water (and a particularly good shower), terrestrial TV and basic breakfast.
It's a big hotel and our room was at the back, away from the traffic and facing onto an internal courtyard. Restaurant downstairs and in the Ðong Xuyen hotel opposite. Large Coop Mart store had just opened next door with escalators - which many people had obviously never used before.