Located at the beginning of the southwestern border of the country, Chau Doc city has a rather special geographical position, located at the confluence of rivers, where the Chau Doc and Hau rivers meet; in the middle of 3 busy economic border gates: Tinh Bien international border gate, Vinh Xuong international border gate – Tan Chau town and Khanh Binh national border gate – An Phu district.
From this position, Chau Doc city is considered as an important trade gateway of An Giang province and the Mekong Delta region, where goods trade with Cambodia through both waterways and land.
Basa fish monument
According to historical documents, Chau Doc is one of the ancient places, formed in 1757, with the original name Chau Doc Dao. After 266 years of establishment and development, today Chau Doc is a prosperous city. Chau Doc has many natural landscapes and many places of worship imbued with royal and spiritual culture. More and more tourists are visiting Chau Doc,… The commerce – tourism sector accounts for an important part in the structure of the city’s economy.
Located about 5 km southwest of the city center, Sam Mountain is one of the famous tourist attractions in Chau Doc. There are up to 200 temples, pagodas, shrines scattered from the foot to the top of the mountain.
Sam Mountain is also known as “Vinh Te Son” or “Ngoc Lanh Son”, 284 m high, about 5,200 m in circumference, in Nui Sam ward. Every year, millions of tourists come to Chau Doc to enjoy, explore and learn about the history and multi-ethnic culture in this borderland.
With a view of mountains and forests, visitors not only enjoy the fresh and quiet air, but also enjoy the panoramic view of Chau Doc city from the top of Sam mountain and Vinh Te canal running along the west bank of Hau river to the sea of Ha Tien, about 90 km long,… This is a traffic and irrigation project that greatly helps the local agricultural economy, the canal is directly commanded and urged by the Famous General Thoai Ngoc Hau from 1819 to 1824. Local people always consider him as a leading General in the development of this land region, irrigation exploitation, reclamation and establishment of hamlets, making people’s lives better, more and more warm and prosperous….
Tomb of Thoai Ngoc Hau, which is one of the typical architectural works built during the Nguyen Dynasty, is still intact in the Sam mountain relic complex, not only a superficial work but also carries a lot of cultural and historic significance.
Thoai Ngoc Hau Tomb
Chau Doc city is considered a famous tourist center of An Giang province and the whole Mekong Delta. Chau Doc has Sam mountain scenic area, with many cultural relics ranked at national level such as: Ba Chua Xu Temple, Tay An Pagoda, Thoai Ngoc Hau Tomb, Phuoc Dien Pagoda or Hang Pagoda… it is a locality with a lot of potentials of spiritual tourism development. It is a land of charming mountains and rivers, leaving the traces of many works when our ancestors opened the land. This land rich in tradition marked the famous generals Nguyen Huu Canh, Nguyen Van Thoai, etc., the predecessors who openly explored and opened new lands; preserved the border. At the same time, it is also the convergence of many unique cultural features of the community of ethnic groups such as Kinh, Cham, Hoa, and Khmer. Chau Doc has the National Festival of Via Ba Chua Xu of Sam Mountain, one of the largest festivals in the region. Every year in the fourth lunar month, many tourists from all over the world come to Ba Chua Xu Temple to worship and pray for good luck at the beginning of the year.
Lady Xu’s Temple, Sam Mountain
Via Ba Chua Xu Festival, Sam Mountain
Temple of Lady Xu at Sam Mountain is an important historical, architectural and spiritual relic of the province and the region. The worship of Ba Chua Xu (Lord of the Holy Mother) is considered in the Vietnamese Mother Goddess belief. Ba Chua Xu, Sam Mountain Festival is solemnly held from April 23 to 27 of the lunar calendar every year, and has been recognized as a National Festival by the Ministry of Culture and Information and the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism since 2001.
Located in the historical area of Sam mountain, there is also Tay An Pagoda, with a combination of Indian art architecture and Vietnamese national traditions, Tay An Pagoda attracts many tourists to visit and admire.
Located on the romantic side of Sam mountain, there is also Hang Pagoda, also known as Phuoc Dien Pagoda. From the courtyard of Hang pagoda, visitors will be able to see firsthand the majestic mountains, vast fields,… The attraction to visitors coming to Hang Pagoda is that in the temple, there are many lively miniatures, all of which are decorated with beautiful scenery with green trees or beautiful Buddha statues,…
Hang pagoda (Phuoc Dien pagoda)
Chau Doc city at night
In 2023, the 10th anniversary of Chau Doc being recognized as a provincial city, Chau Doc will organize with many important events and festivals according to local customs to pay tribute to the ancestors./.
Thanh Thao – Translation by Thi Huynh
An Giang Portal – angiang.gov.vn – May 25, 2023
