Ben Tre

Ben Tre is a small town around 105km (65 miles) to the south of Ho Chi Minh City. The region is renown in Vietnam as the hometown of coconut. Historically, the US troops destroyed this town during the conflict in 1968. Like other regions of Mekong Delta, Ben Tre features the mesmerizing countryside waterfront landscapes, greenish fruit gardens, matrix system of river cruises, dozens of local handicraft, rice and brick factories. Ben Tre consists of four islands, named after four mascots in Vietnamese culture; phoenix, turtle, dragon, and unicorn. Cultural celebrations often include traditional Vietnamese musical performances. Day trip to Ben Tre is available, though the overnight itineraries work at best to delve into the rural landscape, observe morning floating market and extend the expedition to its neighbor regions like Tra Vinh, Can Tho and Vinh Long for an insight of Mekong. There are eco-lodge as well as cozy homestay in Ben Tre to have local touch when staying in the regional typical houses and join cooking with locals.