Chau Doc is a port town near the Cambodian border. The city's 60,000 residents are an intriguing cultural mix of Chinese, Cham, Khmer and Vietnamese people and this is reflected in the town’s architecture. Each community has their own distinctive temples and pagodas. The town has a thriving cross-border trade with Cambodia and is also renowned for its fish breeding industry. Fish are raised in ingeniously designed underwater cages kept underneath peoples’ floating houses on the river. Floating houses are kept afloat by a combination of empty wooden drums and wooden stakes.

SAM MOUNTAIN
Sam Mountain is 7km from Chau Doc. There are dozens of pagodas and temples around the base of the 260m mountain, some of which are set in caves. Peak climbing is the highlight of a visit to Sam Mountain and from the summit you can see the Cambodian border.

TAY AN PAGODA
The pagoda is renowned for its fine wooden carvings. Its facades reflect Hindu and Islamic influences and the pagoda dates from 19th century.

LADY CHUA XU TEMPLE (BA CHUA XU)
Sam Mountain’s most famous temple is Ba Chua Xu, founded in the 1820s. The original structure was made of bamboo, though most is now concrete. The temple is very popular with pilgrims, particularly in the fourth lunar month of each year. Votive offerings sometimes include roast whole pigs providing an interesting photo opportunity.

TOMB OF THOAI NGOC HAU
Thoai Ngoc Hau was a high-ranking mandarin who served the Nguyen Lords and later the Nguyen Dynasty. In early 1829 he ordered his tomb to be constructed at the foot of Sam Mountain. The site includes the tomb of Thoai Ngoc Hau, his wives and some of his officials.