Page 424 - River cruises

Vietnam, Chau Doc

oday we had the choice of, either visit to a Moslem Cham tribal village and a cat fish farm in Chau Doc with our
Tguide or do our own thing and take off on one of our mountain bikes.
he main jetty is in the town centre next to the Victoria Hotel. We decided on a sampan trip to visit the Cham
Tvillages, it is a must to view the cat fish farms contained in great bamboo vats suspended beneath the floors of
the Cham houseboats.
he town itself retains a 'French' style charm with many old colonial buildings now housing offices of the Vietnam
TCommunist Party and its many branches.
he market at Chau Doc is excellent and well worth a wander through. The town is easy to walk around or you can
Tchoose to enjoy a cyclo ride. There is a rather groovy Catholic church with Jesus, the Virgin Mary and various
saints happily transmogrified with Vietnamese physiognomies. The Victoria Hotel is a pleasant place for a drink in
its river view bar which not only has a good billiard table but also wifi!
A fter lunch we cast off for the Cambodian border and the usual formalities.

Floating village on the Mekong