Rach Gia

Rach Gia

A prosperous seaport on the Gulf of Thailand and something of a southern development town benefiting from a serious injection of Viet Kieu money, Rach Gia is home to considerable  quantities of both ethnic Chinese and ethnic Khmers. Most  sightseers zip straight through for boats to Phu Quoc Island, but the beautiful waterfront and  bustling  backstreets are worth  journey.

With its easy entry to the sea and the  vicinity of Cambodia and Thailand,  fishing, agriculture and smuggling are  lucrative trades in this province. The area was once  famous for  supplying the large feathers used to make ceremonial fans for the Imperial Court.

 Sights

Nguyen Trung Truc Temple 

(18 Ð Nguyen Cong Tru) This temple is dedicated to Nguyen Trung Truc, a captain  of the resistance war of the 1860s against the newly arrived French. The first temple structure was a plain construction  with a thatched roof; over the years it has been  widened  and  rebuilt several times. In the centre of the main hall is a portrait of Nguyen Trung Truc on an altar.

Among other exploits, Nguyen Trung Truc conducted the raid that resulted in the burning of the French  warship Esperance. Despite repeated efforts to capture him, Nguyen Trung Truc continued to battle  until 1868, when the French took his mother and a number of civilians hostage and menaced  to  kill them if he did not  surrender. Nguyen Trung Truc turned himself in and was executed by the French in the marketplace of Rach Gia on 27 October 1868.

Phat Lon Pagoda 

(Chua Phat Lon; 151 Ð Quang Trung) This large Cambodian Theravada Buddhist pagoda, whose name means Big Buddha, was  built  in the 19th century. Though all of the priests  who live here are ethnic Khmers, ethnic Vietnamese also go to ragularly the pagoda. Inside the sanctuary (vihara), figures of the Thich Ca Buddha (Sakyamuni, the Historical Buddha) wear  pointed hats. Prayers are  held here  daily from 4am to 6am and 5pm to 7pm.

Kien Giang Museum 

(21 Ð Nguyen Van Troi;  7.30-11am Mon-Fri & 1.30-5pm Mon-Wed)  Housed in  an ornate gem of a French colonial-age building (once a private house), the collection here includes lots of war  photos and some Oc-Eo artefacts and pottery.

 Sleeping

There are clusters of hotels near the bus station on Ð Le Thanh Ton and near the boat pier on Ð Tu Do.

Kim Co Hotel $

(077-387 9610; www.kimcohotel.com; 141 Ð Nguyen Hung Son; r 350,000-400,000d) Centrally  located, trim and tidy Kim Co is a masterclass in pastel shade. Vivid  and happy rooms have tidy  bathrooms, but most face the lobby , so pull the shades for privacy.

Hong Yen HOTEL $

( 077-387 9095; 259 Ð Mac Cuu; r 150,000-250,000d) Stretching over four pink floors, Hong Yen is a  likable minihotel with sizeable, neat rooms and  outgoing proprietors. There’s a elevator  and some of the rooms have balconies.

 Eating

Rach Gia is famous for its seafood, dried cuttlefish, dried fish slices (ca thieu), fish sauce and black pepper.

Hai Au VIETNAMESE, INTERNATIONAL $

(2 Ð Nguyen Trung Truc; mains 60,000-120,000d; 6am-10pm) A fancy restaurant by regional  criteria , this cavernous  eatery with chandeliers has a  great site  by the Cai Lon River. Seafood is  popular,  including crayfish and crab, and Western-style dishes also feature.

Quan F28 VIETNAMESE, SEAFOOD $

(28 Ð Le Thanh Thon; mains 25,000-60,000d) Convenient for the bus station hotels, this is  lively by night and does  reasonable  molluscs – shrimp, snails, blood cockles and the like.

 Information

Benh Vien Hospital ( 077-394 9494; 80 Ð Nguyen Trung Truc) One of the better medical facilities in the Mekong Delta; privately  operated.

Kien Giang Tourist (Du Lich Lu Hanh Kien Giang;  077-386 2081; ctycpdulichkg@vnn.vn; 5 Ð Le Loi;  7am-5pm) Provincial tourism authority.

Main Post Office ( 077-387 3008; 2 Ð Mau Than) There are  the usual  attached internet services.

 Getting There & Away

Air

Vietnam Airlines has daily flights to and from HCMC (from 1,100,000d) and Phu Quoc Island (from 800,000d). The airport is 10km southeast of the centre, along Hwy 80 in the direction of Long Xuyen; a taxi into town will cost  around 80,000d.

Boat

Boats to Phu Quoc Island leave from the centrally located ferry terminal at the western end of Ð Nguyen Cong Tru.  Approximately three hydrofoils leave daily for Ca Mau (110,000d, three hours) from the Rach Meo ferry terminal ( 077-381 1306; Ð Ngo Quyen), about 2km south of town.

Bus

There are regular  services to Ca Mau (50,000d, three hours), Ha Tien (38,000d, two hours) and other cities in the  region from the central bus station (260A Ð Nguyen Binh Khiem) north of town. A taxi into town will cost  around 20,000d.

Car & Motorbike

Rach Gia is 90km from Ha Tien, 120km from Can Tho and 270km from HCMC.