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My first impression of Vinh Long is that this area of rivers and gardens is like a natural lung, filtering at an outstanding level. While sitting on a tourist boat travelling from the city center towards An Binh Island, the cool breeze on the Co Chien River quickly blew away the unlivable feeling of Saigon from the previous days. Vinh Long coconut house Only after ten minutes of travelling by boat from the pier in front of Saigon - Vinh Long Hotel, we set foot on An Binh Island. The owners of CocoHome welcomed us with a cup of light honey tea—a homemade drink that is popular with many tourists each time they visit the Southwest. They created a unique house made entirely from parts of more than 4,000 coconut trees, located in a natural garden with a space up to 4,000 m2. After quitting the fruit trade, the couple of Mr. Duong Van Thuong wanted to do something different for tourists to remember their homeland. Thus, CocoHome was born, a private tourism area that has only been open to visitors for almost a year.
 

In order to complete their current coconut house, it took the couple two years with the participation of about thirty artisans from Ben Tre, which is known as the land of coconuts, and Vinh Long. These two places also supplied the source material for CocoHome. Each person was prescribed a task and with the guiding sketches of the Thuong family, artisans exercised their talents to carve the statues of Bodhisattva of the Avalokiteshvara, Maitreya Buddha, the old man. Each artwork is scattered throughout the garden or on scrolls, diaphragm paintings, ceiling lights, landscape paintings, tables and chairs, altars, and in the living room. Each is made from raw coconut trees that are 80-100 years old. The statues are defined very spiritually, especially the sculpture of Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, which is made from 100-year-old coconut trees and placed in a corner of the garden in front of the main house. As a traditional house of rural Vietnam, the house features three main rooms and two wings. The main construction project of the CocoHome collaborative consumes more than 1,700 coconut trees. From the pillars, trusses to the front door, back door, mullions, curtains... everything features coconut. When you visit CocoHome, do not forget to fill your luggage with souvenirs and cosmetics made from coconut trees. The coconut house at CocoHome Vinh Long is located on An Binh island in Hoa Ninh commune, Long Ho district.

Draining ditches to catch fish, picking “breast-milk fruit” in the garden When visiting any province of the Southwest, visitors can also experience a rural tourism model through the familiar activities of farmers such as draining ditches to catch fish and picking fruit in the garden, which are both available in Vinh Long. Here, you will discover a special nuance. After draining ditches to catch snakehead fish or tilapia, you will personally hold the fish skewers, and then enjoy the freshly grilled fish served on a banana leaf, reminiscent of the ancient time when people first came to the South. But unlike elsewhere in the Southwest where they cook over a rice straw fire, on An Binh Island, locals grill fish over a longan wood fire because rice is not grown here. The feeling of sitting and eating each piece of fragrant grilled fish right on the edge of the pond while your feet are still in the mud or enjoying the cool sweetness of breast-milk fruit (star apple) right in the garden is an interesting experience. Breast-milk fruit in An Binh Island is lightly sweet, with less latex than many other breast-milk fruits of the Southwest. You can pick breast-milk fruit with a long racket, like the locals do, or climb up the leafy trees.

Explore the garden of stone carving sutras at the ancient temple Recently, on social networks, unique images of the stone Buddhist prayer garden at Phuoc Hau Pagoda, the nearly 130-year-old ancient pagoda located over 40 km northeast of Vinh Long, have been spreading. If the fresh natural environment of Vinh Long’s rivers and gardens is good for the “physical body,” the stone garden brought my soul moments of slow and meaningful living. Sightseeing here is even more special as this was once the practicing grounds for the monks of Khanh Anh and Thien Hoa, the first principal monks, who are also the high monks of modern Vietnamese Buddhism. Take a slow walk under the shade of the hopea garden in the nearly 2-hectare temple grounds, leaving an imprint in your mind of the message of the Buddhist sutras that are elaborately carved into the marble slabs. When walking here, take a breath to catch the cool breeze blowing in from the Hau River, recite the sutras and stop by to meditate. The interesting thing lies in the experience itself, not merely in the impregnation of each meaning of the Buddha’s lessons, because the garden has hundreds of stone slabs engraved with the three sets of sutras of Dhammapada, Amitabha and selected Northern sutras. If you do not understand Dharma, you can relax before the commandments, read a couple of the short verses carved on the stone pillars or contemplate reliefs of the Buddha, which are also artfully shown in stone. Phuoc Hau Pagoda is located on National Route 54 in Dong Hau hamlet, Ngai Tu commune, Tam Binh district, Vinh Long province.

As a province that neighbors the two famous tourist centers of Can Tho and Tien Giang, Vinh Long has yet to be known to tourists. This only enhances the experience, as it gives visitors a sense of peace while retaining the charming beauty of an untouched tourist destination.

Saigon - Vinh Long Hotel
uring two days of “fieldwork” in the prosperous land of Vinh Long’s rivers and gardens, we stayed at Saigon - Vinh Long Hotel. Located in the heart of the city with 4-star international standards under the Saigontourist Group system, Saigon - Vinh Long Hotel is currently the most luxurious hotel in the city of Vinh Long. The hotel includes 80 luxury rooms that meet the diverse needs of travelers, from accommodations, cuisine to weddings, conferences and events.
>> Saigon - Vinh Long Hotel’s address: 02 Trung Nu Vuong, Ward 1, Vinh Long City, Vinh Long Province | Phone: 0270. 387 9988 | Email: info@saigonvinhlonghotel.com; Website: www.saigonvinhlonghotel.com.

Text & photos: Thuong Tran