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Chau Doc




























 
 

Chau Doc

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Bordering Cambodia, An Giang province is best-known for being home to pastel-painted Chau Doc, the closest large town to the Vietnamese/Cambodian border crossing on the Mekong River. Wedged between the Cambodian frontier, Kieng Giang and Can Tho provinces to the south and Dong Thap province to the north, An Giang is a particularly riverine province, with both the Bassac and Mekong Rivers within its boundaries.

The nondescript provincial capital Long Xuyen lies around 50km southeast of the border with Cambodia. Some travellers may find it convenient to pass through here for its transportation connections but there are otherwise few other reasons to stay in the capital.

Chau Doc sits at the junction of a tributary linking the Bassac and Mekong Rivers and the Bassac River itself. An incredibly friendly and bustling little city, it has a colour scheme to match its ambience, with bright pastel hues of green, blue and purple adorning many of the newer shopfronts. If you're arriving here from Cambodia, be prepared for the shock into technicolour paradise.

Chau Doc locals are known for being very warm and approachable -- even the xe dap loi drivers, as pestering as they are, are friendly. English is spoken in most of the foreigner-targeted guesthouses and hotels, and most restaurants have an English menu.

A highlight of a visit to Chau Doc is a boat trip on one of the small paddle boats that collect near the western end of the park. For a few dollars an hour they'll paddle you around the many floating raft houses and fish farms. Doing this at dawn can be very photogenic and rewarding.


 
















A second attraction, just outside Chau Doc, is Sam Mountain -- more of a hillock in fact -- which has reasonable views over the surrounds. The views are pretty rather than spectacular, though when combined with a visit to the pagodas around the hill's base, this makes a worthwhile afternoon jaunt.

Chau Doc is also the closest large town to the Vietnamese/Cambodian river border crossing. If you're heading to or from Phnom Penh by boat, you'll pass through Chau Doc, so try to allow for an overnight stay.

Aside from its river scenery and hilltop vistas, An Giang province, in the heart of what Cambodians consider to be Kampuchea Krom, bears many of the same war-time scars as neighbouring Cambodia. During the Khmer Rouge regime, Pol Pot's forces made a number of bloody incursions along the border with An Giang. In April of 1978 a massacre took place in the hamlet of Ba Chuc, some 50km southwest of Chau Doc, with over 3,000 people killed. While a memorial has been erected to the memory of those murdered, it's unfortunately not easily visited from Chau Doc unless you're willing to pay for a day-long tour.

Text and/or map last updated on 21st August, 2009.

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fabric ice delivery lunch delivery rice and flags chau doc fish Chau Doc an entrance the way in mother and child
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Picture of Thanh Nam 2, Chau Doc TownThanh Nam 2
Chau Doc Town
From: US$13.00 with WHL


Picture of Vinh Phuoc Hotel, Chau Doc TownVinh Phuoc Hotel
Chau Doc Town
From: US$13.00 with WHL


Picture of Trung Tien Hotel, Sam MountainTrung Tien Hotel
Sam Mountain
From: US$14.00 with WHL


Picture of An Thanh Hung Hotel, Sam MountainAn Thanh Hung Hotel
Sam Mountain
From: US$15.00 with WHL


Picture of Ngoc Gia Trang Hotel, Chau Doc TownNgoc Gia Trang Hotel
Chau Doc Town
From: US$15.00 with WHL


Picture of Hang Chau Hotel, Chau Doc TownHang Chau Hotel
Chau Doc Town
From: US$16.00 with WHL


Picture of Thuan Loi Hotel, Chau Doc TownThuan Loi Hotel
Chau Doc Town
From: US$16.00 with WHL


Picture of Lam Hung Ky Hotel, Chau Doc TownLam Hung Ky Hotel
Chau Doc Town
From: US$17.00 with WHL


Picture of Hoang Tuyen Hotel, Chau Doc TownHoang Tuyen Hotel
Chau Doc Town
From: US$18.00 with WHL


Picture of Long Chau Hotel, Chau Doc TownLong Chau Hotel
Chau Doc Town
From: US$18.00 with WHL


Picture of Song Sao Hotel, Chau Doc TownSong Sao Hotel
Chau Doc Town
From: US$18.00 with WHL


Picture of Ben Da Nui Sam Resort, Sam MountainBen Da Nui Sam Resort
Sam Mountain
From: US$24.00 with WHL


Picture of Chau Pho Hotel, Chau Doc TownChau Pho Hotel
Chau Doc Town
From: US$37.00 with WHL


Picture of Victoria Chau Doc Hotel, Chau Doc TownVictoria Chau Doc Hotel
Chau Doc Town
From: US$138.00 with WHL


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Fresh off our Asia travel forum

Here are some discussions off the Travelfish forum, perhaps related to Chau Doc. You can find the full forum here.

Topic Replies  Views 
RachGai to Chau Doc 
In Vietnam: by GCAUS
0 38
How to enjoy Chau Doc 
In Vietnam: by Rlowry76
0 401
bus from Chau Doc to Ho Chi Minh City 
In Vietnam: by tazgirl, last reply by pugwash
9 2378
Boat from Chau Doc or Siem Reap 
In Vietnam: by cuffedbloke
0 632
Overnight bus departing HCMC/Chau Doc/PP/SR 
In Vietnam: by cuffedbloke
0 558
Chau Doc - Can Tho - HCMC 
In Vietnam: by linjingyi, last reply by somtam2000
1 790
Can Tho-Chau Doc-Phnom Penh?? 
In Vietnam: by cuffedbloke, last reply by cuffedbloke
5 1060
Time to travel from HCMC to Chau Doc (nonstop) 
In Vietnam: by cuffedbloke, last reply by cuffedbloke
20 968
buses to Chau Doc from CanTho and Vinh Long 
In Vietnam: by joeandnicky, last reply by krisim
2 973
Chau Doc to Phu Quoc 
In Vietnam: by TheGoose, last reply by somtam2000
1 1065
Phnom Den / Tinh Bien OR Prek Chak / Xa Xia -- Crossing from Kep to Chau Doc 
In Visas and border crossings: by amazon_blonde, last reply by amazon_blonde
2 1861
Chau Doc to Sihanoukville 
In Cambodia: by kierjan, last reply by amazon_blonde
1 1340
Boat from PP to Chau Doc 
In Cambodia: by krisim, last reply by krisim
2 1235
If you are taking the speed boat to Chau Doc from PP... 
In Cambodia additions: by mrdome
0 1178
Chau Doc to Mui de 
In Vietnam: by laurasian, last reply by CatBa
2 1821

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