Soc Trang Tour – Mekong Delta travel Destinations
Capital: Soc Trang Town
Districts: Ke Sach, My Tu, My Xuyen, Thach Tri, Long Phu, Vinh Chau
Ethnic groups: Viet, Khmer, Hoa
Festivals in Soc Trang _ Mekong delta Vietnam
Oc-Om-Boc Festival
Khmer Pagoda soc trang VietNam travel tips
This ritual ceremony s conescrated to the moon by the Khmer of Nam Bo and is often held on the 15th of the 12th lunar month. The main purpose of this festival is to ask the Moon God to bring abundant crops and catches from the rivers and good health for the villagers.
When the moon start appearing on the 15th day, people put trays of offerings composed of green rice flakes, ripe bananas, fresh coconut, and potatoes in the pagoda yard.
dragon boat racing
Ngo Boat Race _ dragon boat racing festival
The Ngo boat, in Khmer language tuk ngo, is carved from the trunk of a tree in the shape of a lozenge with curved ends. The navigation of such a boat requires practice and skills because it can easyly be capsized.
This happy festival, organized thoroughly as a cultural sport, attracts hundreds of thousands participants and spectators. Moreover, the Khmer celebrate another festival named “Eating Green Rice Flakes” that takes place during the Khmer New Year. This form of celebration for the new rice is common to many other ethnic griups; these festivals are organized to thank Buddha and show gratitude to the Mekong River that brought water for irrigating the crops.
Tourist attractions in Soc Trang _ Southern Vietnam
Dat Set Pagoda in Soc Trang_ travel to vietnam
Buu Son Tu Pagoda
Almost 2km from Soc Trang is a pagoda that is visitec by many local and overseas tourists. Buu Son Tu pagoda, also called Pagoda of bats or Ma Ha Tuc pagoda, is visited by pilgrims who come to burn incense and see the precious items displayed in the pagoda such as the thousand Buddha statues and the four sacred animals made in clay ( dragon, unicorn, turtle and phoenix). The main attraction of this pagoda being, of course, the bats in the garden.
Kh’leang Pagoda
Kh'leang Pagoda in Soc Trang
As one of the most ancient pagoda in Soc Trang, the Kh’leang pagoda features an architectural style similar to the pagoda in
Cambodia. It was built in 1533, and was originally made of wood and had a roof thatched with palm leaves. It was then reconstructed
with brick and its roof covered with tiles.
The pagoda consists of the central chamber and a range of wooden stilt-house. These are used as a place for holding traditional
ceremonies, and for houses of the pagoda’s monks. Additionally, there is a tower containing ashes of the dead, a cremation chamber,
guesthouse and the Pothi School for teaching the Khmer language.
The Kh’leang pagoda also houses writings from ancient books, which tell of the origins of Soc Trang and the pagoda. In the early 16th century, an administrative mandarin in the Soc Trang area named Tac built a house from which he governed the people.
He called the land under his administration Srock Kh’leang. When the emperor arrived, the name was changed to Soc Khalang, and
then eventually to Soc Trang. Later, in 1532, Tac obeyed the orders of Emperor Ang Chan (Chan Lap) to built the pagoda. It is
of the Buddhist Hinayana faction worshipping Sakyamuni.
Doi (the bat) Pagoda (Ma Toc Pagoda, Mahatuc Pagoda)
Chua Doi or Bat pagoda in soc trang
Just about 2km from town of Soc Trang, there is an pagoda that attracts both domestic and foreign tourists. Doi Pagoda is also
called Ma Toc Pagoda or Mahatuc Pagoda and was built nearly 400 years ago. According to monk Kim Rong, whose Buddhist title is Rattana
Sowadnak, and who has managed the pagoda for a long time, people come here to worship Buddha’s statue and the clay statues of
the four Noble animals: Long (dragon), Ly (Lion-dog), Quy (Tortoise) and Phuong (phoenix). People also come to the pagoda’s
garden to see flocks of bats. Over 1 million bats and crows live here. They cling to tree branched all day, and at night fly
away to seek food, and return the following morning. They never eat the fruit in the garden. The pagoda, which is very simple
with natural scenery and incredibly crowded flocks of bats and crows, will surely interest tourists.
Banh Pia cake _ Soc Trang specialty
My Phuoc Islet guides
Located in the middle of Hau River, about half an hour away by boat, My Phuoc Islet, which is also called “Con Dien” Islet or “Bun” Islet, has many tropical fruit trees. The river islet, which is in refreshing and cool area with a beautiful river landscape, is an attractive tourism spot in Soc Trang Province.
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