A single day’s trip from HCM City can take you to green and tranquil gardens in the Mekong Delta.

Trade cafes and walks through the bustling city for a bus or bike ride to the islets in the lower region of Tiền River.

Down the river: Cruise around Thới Sơn Islet.

Thới Sơn Islet, also known as Lân (Kylin) Islet, is located in Thới Sơn Commune, Mỹ Tho City, Tiền Giang Province. The islet not only hosts abundant fruits, but has also become an ideal ecotourism site for weekend trips.

Sail away: A boat trip around Thới Sơn Islet.

The distance from HCM City to Mỹ Tho is around 70km. The road is fairly wide and convenient for travelling. Bus travellers they can one of the services offered by Mai Linh, Phương Trang, Thảo Châu and Thịnh Phát from the West HCM City Bus Station. Each bus ticket costs between VNĐ30,000-50,000 (US$1.3-2.2)

Dinosaur of the river: A crocodile farm on Phụng Islet.

Thới Sơn Islet is the largest islet on Mỹ Tho River, with total area of 1,200ha. Rồng (Dragon) Islet (also known as Tân Long Islet) and Lân Islet belong to Mỹ Tho City while Quy (Tortoise) Islet and Phụng (Phoenix) Islet — the smallest of the four — are located in Tân Thạch Commune, Châu Thành District, Bến Tre Province.

Residents of Lân Islet subsist mostly by raising fruit gardens, keeping bees, raising fish and aquaculture products.

Fancy feet: Fish massage service on Phụng Islet.

Visiting the islet, you can taste bee honey with tea and candy made from coconut while enjoy the garden atmosphere and local delicacies while watching đờn ca tài tử (amateur southern folk music) performed by locals.

Clip clop: A trip on horse carriage around Thới Sơn Islet. VNS Photos Thái Hà

Within a day, you can visit all four islets. From the West HCM City Bus Station, travel along National Highway 1A to Trung Lương Junction, about 60km away.

Day’s end: Sunset on Thới Sơn Islet.

From Trung Lương Junction, you turn into National Highway No 60, where you can see Mỹ Tho City signpost. Travelling on the road around 1km, then you turn right into Nguyễn Thị Thập Road toward Bến Tre District. You search for the signpost or ask for the way to Thới Sơn Tourism Site, where you can take boat trips to the four islets. The tour ticket to four islets costs 150,000 per pax for a group of ten.

Juicy: Tourists can enjoy fruits from local gardens on Thới Sơn Islet.

Travelling on a wooden boat, you can reach handicraft villages on the islets, watch a folk music performance, taste five types of fruits, take a horse-carriage and taste just-finished coconut candy.

You can even take a nap on hammocks under the tree shadows. — VNS