Besides the spiritual attractions of Chau Doc city   in An Giang Province, tourists can marvel at the floating houses and fish farm dotting the Chau Doc River. These water-based dwellings, interconnected by the Con Tien Bridge, form a unique floating village along the riverbanks. Experiencing Chau Doc river life will be unforgettable through many attractive places around the city to understand deeply the Chau Doc river life of the local people here.

Chau Doc river life through floating village and colorful fish farm

Chau Doc, the second city of An Giang province, has a population of around 150,000 and is home to four ethnic groups: Kinh, Chăm, Hoa, and Khmer. It is located 120 kilometers from Can Tho City and 210 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh City.

Chau Doc boasts over 300 floating fish farms, part of the more than 2,000 in An Giang province. In early 2024, the Colorful Fish Farm was launched at the Chau Doc River Junction, featuring vibrant decorations in six colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple to attract tourists. Visitors can explore the colorful fish farm by traveling along the river.

to explore Chau Doc river life, tourists can rent a boat to explore the floating village. The rental price varies depending on the location and the number of travelers, but rates are generally reasonable. The sight of the floating fish farm’s vibrant, colorful houses nestled along the river can captivate any visitor. These structures have a rustic, simple architecture, with light-colored paint and full furnishings.

In addition to traditional fish farming, the village has also invested in tourism in recent years. This initiative not only attracts domestic and foreign tourists but also provides villagers with opportunities to augment their income through accompanying services. Visitors can gain an in-depth understanding of the fish farming process and enjoy the thrill of feeding fish directly from the floating rafts. Moreover, they can listen to villagers share stories about their lives and the reasons behind their commitment to this profession.

Experience Cham culture through brocade weaving and fishing on the Hau River to Deely Understand Chau Doc River Life 

 No exploration of Chau Doc river life would be complete without indulging in local fish delicacies like fish hotpot and fermented fish or without a visit to the neighboring Cham Village. The village is an ideal destination for those who desire to explore the characteristics in the history, culture and daily life of people in the Mekong Delta region. Life is in harmony with nature in which most daily activities occur on the river’s surface. It is somewhat more limited than on the mainland, but this is what makes the difference of Chau Doc Floating Village that can hardly be found elsewhere.

Most of Chăm people are now making a living by catching fish on the Mekong river by a small and narrow motorboat. Visitors will experience the life of Cham people catching fish on the river while sitting on a slow boat on the way we go the Chăm Village pier. On the river, you will see the completely differences between Chăm motorboat and Vietnamese motorboat.

Walking through goat farms, visitors finally take the first step to chăm village. From here, guests will know more about their traditional job that last hundred years- cotton weaving. All the process was literally made by hands, we will appriciate their products such as scarfs, Sarong, handmade bags…Wearing Chăm traditional costume is one of attractive activities when visitors come to Chăm Village. Before coming back to the boat, we will go to the beautiful islamic mosque.

Immerse yourself in the flow of history through the legendary Vinh Te canal to explore Chau Doc river Life

 Chau Doc river life experience cannot complete without Vinh Te canal, now, right at the beginning of Vinh Te canal, where it meets Chau Doc river (the main branch of Hau river), is the center of Chau Doc city (An Giang), the most bustling and touristy border city in the West. From Chau Doc, go down Vinh Te river to the lower reaches of Giang Thanh river (Kien Giang), on one side is the Vietnam – Cambodia border, on the other side is National Highway N1, always bustling with traffic, under the canal, merchant boats carrying rice and agricultural products also pass by all year round.

In 1819, King Gia Long ordered the digging of a canal from Chau Doc to Ha Tien beach. The Protector Thoai Ngoc Hau, who was then the Governor of Vinh Thanh, was ordered to command the project. The digging of Vinh Te canal began in December 1819, going through 3 phases; tens of thousands of soldiers and laborers were mobilized, divided into 3 shifts to speed up the progress. Finally, after many hardships, loss of life due to illness, exhaustion, or wild animals…; in May 1824, Vinh Te canal was completed.

Along Vinh Te Canal on Alden Travel’s wooden boat, visitors will experience Chau Doc river life along the two the banks of the canal. Moreover, visitors will experience many different fishing methods of the local people here such as net fishing, trapping fish… Moreover, visitors can also see Chau Doc river life with their own eyes the ships carrying rice and construction materials from Chau Doc to Ha Tien and vice versa.