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Is Chau Doc worth visiting?
Chau Doc is worth it if you’ve seen the delta’s boats and orchards and want something different. It sits on the Bassac River right by the Cambodian border, a town of Vietnamese, Khmer, Chinese and Cham people. The result is an unusual mix of pagodas, mosques, temples and floating fish farms, and a pilgrim crowd that arrives for Sam Mountain.
The surrounding country is flatter and more open than around My Tho or Ben Tre, and the rice fields run in front of the mountains on the horizon. Since July 2025 Chau Doc has been in An Giang province, which was merged with Kien Giang. The same province now contains Rach Gia and Ha Tien, the Phu Quoc ferry ports.
How long from Saigon to Chau Doc by car?
A private car takes about 4½-5¼ hours from Saigon, around 250 km. The drive follows the expressway to Can Tho, then continues on national roads to the border.
The Chau Doc-Can Tho-Soc Trang expressway is being finished in stages. Its An Giang section was opened technically in December 2025, and the rest was still under construction through summer 2026, so some of the route has not yet shortened. Our driver takes the best open road on the day, and the time range allows for it.
From Can Tho the drive is about 120 km and 2½-3 hours, which is why many people break the trip there. Book one car for both legs, or two bookings.
Chau Doc: car, bus or something else?
The bus is the cheap way: buses and limousine vans leave Mien Tay station for Chau Doc and take 5-7 hours with stops. For a long ride they suit a solo traveller. They drop you at a bus office, and getting to Sam Mountain or Tra Su then needs another taxi.
By private car you set the day. You know the car and driver beforehand, the price is fixed, the driver can wait at your hotel or take you straight to Tra Su, and on a ride of nearly five hours the standard matters: a calm driver, a non-smoking cabin, working seatbelts, no overpowering air freshener, a 7-seater if you’re a family. Add a stop on the way, and wait-and-bring-me-back works for a day trip from Can Tho.
If you plan to continue into Cambodia, the river boat or bus to Phnom Penh leaves from Chau Doc, not from our cars. Book the car to Chau Doc the day before.
Meeting your driver
- Book in the box at the top of the page; you get an email confirming your booking, and the driver’s name, photo and number plate the evening before.
- For an airport pickup, give us your flight number: the driver tracks it and waits up to 90 minutes after landing.
- Tell us your hotel’s name; for a long ride we suggest a coffee stop and a toilet stop at Can Tho.
- Pay the driver in dong or by VietQR transfer. Tolls and parking are included.
Things to do in Chau Doc
Sam Mountain and the Ba Chua Xu temple
Sam Mountain rises out of the rice fields just outside town, and the Ba Chua Xu temple at its foot is the delta’s most visited shrine. The festival on the 24th day of the fourth lunar month is a national-level event; at other times the temple is busy at weekends. Dress modestly, and expect incense, offerings and a lot of people.
Tra Su melaleuca forest
Tra Su is a flooded forest of melaleuca trees where you travel by boat and along a bamboo walkway. In the high-water months, roughly September to November, the surface is bright green with duckweed and the birds come in. Day tours from Chau Doc combine it with Sam Mountain.
Floating fish farms and the Cham community
Chau Doc has houses on the river with fish pens beneath them, and a Cham Muslim community across the water with mosques and weavers. A short boat ride covers both, and the town’s mix of cultures is what makes it distinctive.
The border
Chau Doc is the usual crossing for travellers going on by river to Phnom Penh. Check current visa rules and boat operators before you book.
Eating in Chau Doc
Chau Doc is known for fish, and for mam, the fermented fish paste of the delta, which you can eat in a hotpot with vegetables. It’s pungent and an acquired taste, and the local alternative is grilled fish and rice paper rolls.
Where to stay in Chau Doc
Stay by the riverfront or near the Sam Mountain road, within reach of the market and the boat landings. The old riverside hotels have the view; the town hotels are cheaper.
When to go to Chau Doc
For Tra Su, go in the flood months from September to November. For comfortable weather and dry roads, December to April. The Ba Chua Xu festival and Tet bring crowds and higher prices, and hotels fill up well in advance.
Onward from Chau Doc
Can Tho is the other half of a classic delta route, 2½-3 hours back. For Phu Quoc the ferry ports at Ha Tien and Rach Gia are in the same province. To book any of these legs, change the From and To in the booking box.