VietNamNet Bridge – Countryside markets, flower villages and fruit farms are among the bustling places in the upcoming Tet holiday (Lunar New Year). Saigontourist Travel Service Co. is offering tours called “Traveling before Tet, bringing spring to home.”

A view of Sa Dec flower village

The tours especially target overseas Vietnamese who want to recall their memories of the countryside. Those short tours costing from only VND679,000 are ideal choices for those who want to travel to the southern region with their family members to enjoy the busy atmosphere before Tet and buy local specialties.

Those tours are available from January 10 to 24 (from the 13th to the 27th of the 12th lunar month). They are Binh Dong Port-Phu My Hung-3D Artinus Museum-Reunification Palace-Bitexco Tower one-day tour at VND779,000 per guest which departs on January 20, 22 and 24; My Tho-Thoi Son Islet-Spring flower market one-day tour at VND979,000 per guest which departs on January 21 and 23; Cai Be-Vinh Long one-day tour at VND979,000 per guest which departs on January 22 and 24; Go Cong-Tien Giang one-day tour at VND679,000 per guest with departure on January 20 and 22; Sa Dec flower village-Lai Vung pink tangerine garden one-day tour at VND979,000 per guest which departs on January 10, 12 and 14; Sa Dec-Cao Lanh two-day tour at VND1.979 million per guest which departs on January 10, 12 and 14 and Ben Tre-Lach market-Vinh Bac flower village two-day tour at VND1.979 million per guest which departs on January 14 and 21.

Attractive tours of the Mekong Delta

The atmosphere of Tet is not only about busy markets on the last days of year but also colorful flower markets and tastes of local specialties. Traveling to the Mekong Delta to watch locals preparing for Tet and enjoy scenery in the pre-Tet period will be unforgettable experiences.

Around this time of year, families in the countryside gather to prepare ingredients such as rice, meat and banana leaves to make banh tet (round glutinous rice cake). Tourists may stay at the homes of local residents to learn how to cook banh tet and taste typical Tet dishes.

The final lunar month is the busiest period of floating markets in the Mekong Delta as they turn into the wholesale markets offering a wide range of local specialties, remarkably fruits and flowers from all localities of the delta. When visiting the markets these days, tourists can buy many kinds of typical fruits such as star fruits, pink tangerines from Lai Vung, mangos from Cao Lanh, grapefruits from Phong Hoa, and longans from Chau Thanh. Local specialties like coconut jam from Ben Tre and nem (Vietnamese fermented pork rolls) from Lai Vung are also available as gifts for friends and family.

Binh Dong Port flower market

The flower market at Binh Dong Port is a new destination of the pre-Tet city tour program offered by Saigontourist this year. The port is home to boats selling flowers from the Mekong Delta, which reminisces of Saigon in the old days.

There are tours of well-known flower villages and gardens in Sa Dec, Cai Mon and My Tho, providing flowers to HCMC during Tet. The Ben Tre-Lach Market-Vinh Bac flower village tour allows tourists to buy green-skin grapefruits or beautiful flowers at the famous flower village in Ben Tre Province. On Cai Be-Vinh Long tour, tourists will visit the Cai Be floating market and the century-old house built by the French on An Binh Islet. Especially, tourists will be shown how to make banh tet with local people.

Meanwhile, the tour of Go Cong will take tourists to the famous craft village making altars in Tien Giang Province while with tour of Sa Dec flower village-Lai Vung tangerine garden or tour of My Tho-Thoi Son, tourists will gain great experiences such as a visit to Tet flower markets and the two-hundred-year-old Vinh Trang pagoda, taking a horse-drawn carriage ride and boat tour, or listening to don ca tai tu (southern amateur music).

The tour operator is running a promotion program entitled “With Saigontourist, Have a happy Tet, Win great tours and Lucky VND100 million.” Prizes include a five-star cruise tour package for two people, a gift voucher worth VND100 million and much more. Tourists will have options from more than 300 inbound and outbound tours. Bookings can be made at transaction offices or branches of Saigontourist or at www.dulichtet.com or www.saigontourist.net. For more details, please call 0912.984.279 (inbound tour) - 0917.650.179 (outbound tour).

Sa Dec flower market by a river       Foreign tourists in Vinh Long Province - Photos: Courtesy of Saigontourist

SGT