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Former provincial city and capital of the former Sóc Trăng province, Vietnam
Photo: Tdkhuong, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Soc Trang is a city in the Mekong Delta.
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The monastery, while pleasing on its own, the main draw here are the fruit bats that live in the trees behind the temple. The monks protect them from the farmers in the area who consider them both a pest and a delicacy. Arrive about 1/2 hour before sunset to see the show begin. Any xe om in town can bring you here. There is also a Buddhist crematorium across the road from the temple.
This monastery was decorated by a monk sculptor who spent 60 years designing and installing thousands of statues into a colorful cacophony of Buddhist kitch. Notable features are: pillars with dragons on them, a baby white elephant, a white tiger, and golden turtles in the pond out back.
Busiest at 05:00-06:00, but the market is held all day and all night on one fork of the river. You can rent a boat to go around for as little as USD2-3.
This place has an extensive menu in Vietnamese. Drawing pictures sometimes helps, or bring a phrasebook along. The food is wonderful, and the open-air pavilion has a nice atmosphere. The staff is very helpful.
Spacious restaurant, extensive menu, individual dishes from 65,000-150,000 dong. Attentive service.
Cheap and cheerful hotel, with air-con rooms. Clean and modern, it is a charming place with quirky fish tanks and a pleasant long-time owner.
By bus
There are services to Soc Trang from HCMC (5 hr) leaving from the Mien Tay bus station.
You can walk anywhere in this town in under an hour. Xe oms are readily available, look for guys relaxing by their motorbikes on a street corner. Make sure to make the price very clear before you go.
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Can Tho · International · VCA
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