In this article, I will provide some information related to My Tho (the center of Tien Giang province). And I will introduce Ben Tre in another article.
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How to Get to My Tho – Tien Giang?
The distance between Sai Gon (Ho Chi Minh city) and My Tho is 70km (over 40 miles), so you may get there by bus or motorbike.
1. By bus
You may travel by Phuong Trang bus. It is one of the well-known bus agencies in Sai Gon. Address: 272-274-276 De Tham, District 1, Ho Chi Minh city. Tel: +84. 83. 837 5570
In addition, you may catch a bus in Mien Tay bus station where there are many buses to My Tho in a day.
2. By motorbike
From Sai Gon city, travel along route 1 to Trung Luong junction. This is the gateway into My Tho.
Things to do & see in Tien Giang – Vietnam
1. Vinh Trang temple (Chùa Vĩnh Tràng) is on Nguyen Trung Truc street. The temple was built in the 19th century. Its architecture is a combination of Asian and European styles.
2. Dieu Hoa pagoda (Đền Điều Hòa) is at 101, Trinh Hoai Duc street. The pagoda used to be an accommodation for officials under Nguyen Dynasty when they had work in town. This place also preserves many tangible and intangible values of the local area.
3. Chanh Toa My Tho Church (Nhà thờ Chánh tòa Mỹ Tho) is at 32, Hung Vuong street. It was built in the early 20th century.
4. Some streets you should visit.
Trung Trac street (đường Trưng Trắc) is along the canal, near Tan Long ferry. The street has nice landscape for taking photos.
Phan Thanh Gian street (đường Phan Thanh Giản) is where you can buy fruits from different areas in Mekong Delta.
5. Visiting islets (Du lịch cồn). There are many islets in Tien Giang. You can go get to 30/4 dock and buy a join-in tour for about $5. If you want to travel privately, you can buy a package tour, which is about $15. The tour schedule are quite similar: you will be taken to Thoi Son islet (cồn Thới Sơn), Phung islet (cồn Phụng) and passing Ben Tre province.
In addition, there are Long islet (cồn Long) and Lan islet (cồn Lân). If want to visit these islets, you will have to buy another tour. But in my opinion, visiting Thoi Son and Phung islet are enough for you trip.
6. Cai Be floating market. This is the most attractive place in Tien Giang. Floating market is basically a market on the river. Here, dealers sell their products on boats. To shop in this special market, you will also have to travel by boat. Floating market is very popular in Mekong Delta. In Tien Giang, Cai Be is the biggest floating market, where there are about 400 boats trading every day.
Cai Be floating market is 40km (25 miles) from My Tho city. To get Cai Be, you catch a car in Dinh Bo Linh street (My Tho city), just about $1. The car will stop at Cai Be tourist dock.
Here, you have to rent a ship to visit the market, price for a boat from $35 to $50, depend on the size. You may share with other visitors for cheaper.
The float market is opened from 4am to 3pm, busiest from 5am to 8am.
Fruit seasons in Tien Giang
Tien Giang is famous for fruit farms. Each season has different types of fruit:
– Feb: the time after lunar new year is the season of Breast-Milk fruit or star apple (Vú Sữa). Vinh Kim (Vĩnh Kim) is best type of star apple. You can buy star apples at the market or in the garden.
– Mar and Apr are Mango season, the best of which can be found in Cai Be.
– May, Jun and Jul are season of rambutan and durian. Rambutan and durian are widely sold on streets and markets but of course the best is freshly picked in the gardens
– Aug and Sep are Longan season. You can easily find them on the market and supermarkets.
– In Dec, you should travel to Tan My Chanh (Tân Mỹ Chánh) and Go Cong (Gò Công). There are huge watermelon farms there.
– Before Lunar New Year, Tan My Chanh is an ideal place for sightseeing and taking photos as there are many blooming flower gardens there.
Hotels and Motels in My Tho – Tien Giang
There are not many hotels in Tien Giang. The following are the two popular ones that you can consider.
– Hong Phuc hotel at 246/8 – Ap Bac street
– Cong Doan hotel at 61 – Ba Muoi Thang Tu street (30/4 street).
In addition, you may find other hotels on Ly Thuong Kiet and Ap Bac street. The price is quite cheap, from $5 to $8 for double room per night.
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Where and what to eat in My Tho?
Hu Tieu
Hu Tieu, a type of noodle, is a famous specialty in Tien Giang. Hu Tieu is also a very popular dish in Southern Vietnam. However, hu tieu in Tien Giang is very different. You may try this dish at the following restaurants:
– Vegetarian Hu Tieu is on Nguyen Trung Truc street, opposite Vinh Trang temple. Besides, this restaurant also has many other vegetarian dishes. More interestingly, the restaurant use most of their profit to help poor children.
– Pock Hu Tieu is on Le Dai Hanh street, opposite to a bank. The restaurant only opens in the morning.
– Squid Hu Tieu is on the road to Thanh Tri market. It opens for business all day. The restaurant has big trees and some bird cages hanging in the front.
– Beef Hu Tieu is on Le Dai Hanh, near My Tho market only from 6 p.m to 9 p.m.
– Sa te Huong Hu Tieu is on Nam Ky Khoi Nghia street. There are 2 restaurants close together, but Huong restaurant serves better hu tieu. The price is about 1$/bowl.
– Hu tieu restaurant at the end of Yersin and Ap Bac streets serves tasty hu tieu of surprisingly low price, only $0.7/bowl.
– Thao Loan Hu Tieu is at 10 Giong Dua street. It only opens late at night. The price is only $0,6/bowl.
Other tasty restaurants
– Nam Chuot restaurant on Tran Hung Dao street serves a wide range of tasty dishes.
– Chi Thanh rice at 279 – Tet Mau Than street: Different dishes of rice are provided. The price is $1.5/dish. Next to this restaurant is Hong Thuy noodle restaurant, which also serves many good dishes.
– Sticky rice at the end of Tran Hung Dao – Ly Thuong Kiet street: It is very tasty.
– Snake soup at 460 – Ly Thuong Kiet street: You have to arrive early in the afternoon as this dish is usually sold out at 4 p.m or 6 p.m. The average price is $5/bowl.
– Tay Hoi seafood near the junction of Tet Mau Than – Ap Bac street.
– For eating late at night, you should come to Cu market (Old market) or Tien riverside.
– Crab soup on an alley of Le Thi Hong Gam street. There is a church on this street.
– Dishes from snake on Ly Thuong Kiet street, near Doi bridge (Cầu Đôi).
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