Mekong Delta

Firmly under Vietnamese administrative control in the late 17th century, after its detachment from Cambodia, the Mekong Delta was then part of Cochinchina, France’s first colony in Vietnam, later becoming part of French Indochina. In the 1950s, the Mekong Delta’s patrolled waterways were the site of the First Indochina War, with the communist coalition league, Viet Minh, after France’s re-occupation post-World War II. The Mekong Delta was then the site of battle coined as the Second Indochina War, between Viet Minh and the US Navy during the Vietnam War. Following independence from France, Vietnam was attacked in the 1970s by the Khmer Rouge, who unsuccessfully tried to reclaim the Mekong Delta. This led to Vietnam’s invasion of Cambodia and the subsequent downfall of the Khmer Rouge.

Much of life in the Mekong Delta revolves around the river, with some villages accessible only by boat. Agriculturally rich, the Mekong Delta provides lush rice fields, yielding half of Vietnam’s supply of rice. In addition, dubbed as a ‘biological treasure trove’, the Mekong Delta features over 10,000 new species discovered in previously unexplored areas, all adding to the attraction of a Vietnam vacation.

Mekong Delta’s largest city, Can Tho, is the economic, cultural, and scientific centre of the region. Noted for its floating market, rice-paper-making village, and picturesque rural canals, it is also home to Southeast Asia’s longest cable-stayed bridge.