I love the way the river is woven into everyday life in Can Tho. It also has some of the greenest landscapes. The people in...
Not only does it have many beautiful beaches, great mountain ranges, and enormous national parks but Vietnam is also a land of flowers. If you are hunting flower landscapes in Vietnam, there are many famous places you can visit such as Quang Ba Flower Market, Sung La Valley, etc. However, if you are traveling to the Mekong Delta, the one place you should drop by is the Sa Dec Flower Village.
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Introduction to Sa Dec Flower Village
Sa Dec Flower Village (Dong Thap province), or Tan Quy Dong Flower Village, is a traditional craft village more than 100 years old, located on the banks of the Tien River. It is also known as the land of ornamental flowers.
To date, the total flower growing area is more than 500 hectares, with over 2,300 households, and 2,000 different ornamental flower species, becoming one of the largest ornamental flower gardens in the Mekong Delta and Southern Vietnam.
With the development of technology, Sa Dec flower gardens have prospered and received infrastructure investment, adding many new and rare flower varieties, building a tissue culture breeding center, and establishing a wholesale market to consume ornamental flowers, which helps Tan Quy Dong flower village enter its golden age.
The Kingdom of Flower
Sa Dec flower garden grows many beautiful flowers such as raspberry chrysanthemum, tiger chrysanthemum, gerbera chrysanthemum, petunia, auspicious, marigold, 10 o'clock flower, coconut flower, multiflora, purple evening primrose, pink willow, firecracker shell, etc. Among them, there are about 50 rose varieties for export.
This land is also famous for its ornamental plants, including rare plants that are nearly a hundred years old, in addition to very simple and familiar plants such as star fruit, areca nut, fig, apricot tree, and apricot tree. Van Nien Tung in particular is a trendy plant that gardeners humorously classify as the "king" of ornamental plants in Southern Vietnam. From the species Son Tung, Ngoa Tung, Amber Tung, and Japanese Tung to Kim Tangerine, Nguyet Quoi, Yellow Apricot, Thuy Mat, etc., the artisans have constantly created beautiful shapes, containing artistic values of ornamental flower shaping and profound philosophies.
Sa Nhien – Cai Dao flower street
The main axis is the Sa Nhien - Cai Dao flower road, more than 2km long with thousands of ornamental flowers, all types, colors, and fragrances. Guests can choose to walk, take a tram, or rent a motorbike taxi or motorbike to visit.
The most noticeable difference between Sa Dec flower village and other flower villages is that the flower beds are planted on high trellises, the bottom is flooded and flower growers have to wear boots or use small boats to care for or pick flowers. According to flower growers here, this helps save costs because most of the flower growing land is renovated rice field land, therefore, it is easily flooded due to low terrain.
Sa Dec Flower Village Coffee Shop
This place also attracts tourists with Sa Dec flower village cafes with wide open spaces, eye-catching decorated with dinghies, buggies, monkey bridges, thatched tents, etc., filled with lovely flowers.
At the beginning of the street is the Flower Village Assembly Hall, with a consultation counter, explanations about Sa Dec flower village, introduction of specialty products, souvenirs…
Flower homestays
Currently, some households have designed their flower gardens into interesting Homestay tourist destinations such as Frog Flower House, Rose House, and Phong La Vent..., where visitors can stay, relax, and learn more about life in Sa Dec Flower Village.
Tourists can spend the night experiencing life with the homeowner, listening to artisans introduce the stages of growing and caring for different types of flowers, looking at how the farmers personally take care of each flower cluster, or enjoying delicious rustic dishes such as chopped dough soup, banh xeo, fish sauce hotpot, duck cooked in congee, etc.
Flower festival season
When spring comes, the air is cool and flowers begin to bloom. The whole flower village seems to be filled with the rich colors of thousands of blooming flowers. This is a tourist destination you cannot miss in Sa Dec Dong Thap every Tet holiday.
According to the locals, from the full moon of December, Sa Dec flower gardens begin the harvest season for the traditional Tet holiday. The atmosphere is bustling throughout the area, convoys of vehicles rushed to transport ornamental flowers. Along the riverbank, on the wharf, and under the boats, there are also busy flower markets.
The small alleys around the village are also filled with ornamental flowers. In the garden, flower pots are blooming, arranged in long rows on bamboo trellises, forming brilliantly colored carpets. It can be said that Sa Dec ornamental flower village has become a poetic spring flower festival in Southwest Vietnam at the end of the year.
The best time to visit Sa Dec Flower Village
Coming to visit Tan Quy Dong flower village in Sa Dec, no matter what month of the year you can admire the flowers and take photos to your heart's content. Especially in spring, the air is cool and flowers begin to bloom. The whole flower village seems to be filled with the rich colors of thousands of blooming flowers. This is a tourist destination you cannot miss in Sa Dec Dong Thap every Tet holiday.
Tourists visiting Sa Dec Flower Village need to pay attention because, after December 23 in the lunar calendar, almost all gardeners have shipped flowers to other provinces and cities. Therefore, to fully see the beauty of the flower village, you should visit the village before December 23 in the lunar calendar.
How to get to Flower Village
From Ho Chi Minh City, traveling to Sa Dec Flower Village is quite easy, on convenient national highways you can take a bus, car, or motorbike to get here. Sa Dec is only about 140 km from Saigon with nearly 3 hours of travel.
Go to Mien Tay bus station to buy a bus ticket from Saigon to Sa Dec. There are many bus companies and they all depart every hour, so you don't need to worry about the bus's running time. Reputable bus companies are Phuong Trang, Phu Vinh Long, Loc Dien,... The average ticket price ranges from 80,000 VND to 105,000 VND.
If you are in Hanoi or Da Nang because the distance is quite far, the best means of transportation is by plane, you should book tickets early to get cheap prices. The stop you should fly to is Can Tho instead of Saigon. Because Can Tho is only more than 40km away from Sa Dec.
Tips:
The flower road of Sa Dec Flower Village Tourist Area is up to 2-3km. So prepare a good pair of walking shoes.
The weather in the Mekong is quite sunny, you should wear an umbrella, hat, and sunscreen.
People visiting the flower garden should be careful not to break or step on the flowers.
Remember to buy a few flower pots to commemorate or give as gifts to relatives. Flower prices here are very cheap and there is absolutely no price cutting. After buying, you should ask how to take care of the flowers!
Photo by Vinh Gau
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