Dong Thap

Đồng Tháp

Lotus fields, flower villages and red-headed cranes.

Region: South · Mekong Delta
Province: Dong Thap
Best weather: December–February
In this guide: 9 places · 0 dishes

Overview

Dong Thap, which now also includes former Tien Giang, is the land of the lotus — Vietnam's national flower — spread across the Plain of Reeds. It is a quieter, more rural side of the Mekong Delta, made for slow boat trips and bicycle rides.

Highlights include Sa Dec's riverside flower village, the colonial house of Huynh Thuy Le from Marguerite Duras's "The Lover", and wetlands such as Tram Chim and Gao Giong where storks, herons and, in the dry season, rare sarus cranes gather.

Lotuses bloom from about May to September. The flood season (September–November) is beautiful in the wetlands, and December is peak season in Sa Dec as growers prepare flowers for Tet.

Where to go

Sa Dec Flower Village

Làng hoa Sa Đéc

Nearly a century old, the nurseries grow flowers on raised beds above the canals. December, when everything blooms for Tet, is spectacular.

Huynh Thuy Le Ancient House

Nhà cổ Huỳnh Thủy Lê

A Sino-French mansion from 1895, home of the Chinese lover in Marguerite Duras's novel "The Lover". You can stay the night.

Xeo Quyt Forest

Khu di tích Xẻo Quýt

A melaleuca forest that hid a revolutionary base during the war. Small boats glide down narrow green channels between the trees.

Tram Chim National Park

Vườn quốc gia Tràm Chim

A Ramsar wetland of grassland and melaleuca, known for rare sarus cranes in the dry season and huge numbers of waterbirds.

Gao Giong Eco Park

Khu du lịch Gáo Giồng

A melaleuca forest and bird garden with an observation tower, boat trips, and lotus-seed tea on arrival.

Kien An Cung Pagoda

Kiến An Cung

An ornate Chinese assembly hall in Sa Dec built by the Fujian community in the 1920s.

Tomb of Nguyen Sinh Sac

Khu di tích Nguyễn Sinh Sắc

The memorial site of Ho Chi Minh's father in Cao Lanh, set in gardens with a lotus pond and a replica stilt house.

Dong Thap Museum

Bảo tàng Đồng Tháp

A museum in Cao Lanh on the history, culture and wildlife of the Plain of Reeds.

Lai Vung fruit gardens

Vườn quýt Lai Vung

Orchards famous for pink tangerines, heavy with fruit in the weeks before Tet.

When to go

The most comfortable months for sightseeing in Dong Thap are usually December–February.

Hover a month for details. Compare with other places on the season calendar.

Vietnam season calendar arrow_forward

Daily temperature range (°C)

20°25°30°35°

Rainfall per month (mm)

0100200300400

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Score

Great
Good
Fair
Wet / extreme

chevron_right Show as table

Month	High °C	Low °C	Rain mm	Wet days	Rating
January	30.5	22.7	35	5	Great
February	31.8	22.8	19	4	Great
March	33.5	24.0	33	4	Good
April	33.8	25.2	100	13	Good
May	32.3	25.7	241	27	Fair
June	30.7	25.3	246	28	Good
July	30.4	25.0	316	29	Fair
August	30.6	25.0	286	30	Fair
September	30.6	24.7	355	29	Fair
October	30.8	24.2	368	28	Wet / extreme
November	30.8	23.9	195	22	Good
December	30.2	23.0	85	11	Great

Averages for 2016-2025 from Open-Meteo (ERA5 reanalysis, CC BY 4.0). Model data can overstate light drizzle; treat wet-day counts as a guide. How the score works.

Getting there

Sa Dec and Cao Lanh are about 140–160 km from Ho Chi Minh City — 3 to 3.5 hours by road. Sa Dec is under an hour from Can Tho.

Getting around Vietnam arrow_forward

Plan your stay in Dong Thap

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Itineraries that stop here

6 days

The Mekong Delta in six days

Coconut islands, flower villages, floating markets and the Khmer and Cham communities of the Cambodian border — the delta beyond the day trip.