Bac Lieu - Provincial capital

Only few international visitors travel to the provincial capital of Bac Lieu. There is a beautiful bird sanctuary close by and also the town itself is well worth a visit. You will find some very well-preserved buildings from the French colonial period. Many Chinese and Khmer are living in and around Bac Lieu and influence the culture and feel of the area.

Agriculture in this region is very difficult, because the soil is really salty. This is the reason why residents focus more on fish farming, shrimp farming and salt production. About 7 km outside of Bac Lieu is the Xiem Can Pagoda, a Khmer pagoda which was built in 1887. A few monks still live here.

A little further along the coast is the tower ruin of Vinh Hung, which is supposed to be the only Khmer relic of the Angkor period from 892. However, it is not clear if it is from the Cham or the Khmer. Every day at 4am and 4pm monks gather here to pray at the 9 meter high brick ruin, a very peaceful sight.

With over 50 different bird species (including the rare white Chinese egret) the Bac Lieu bird sanctuary is very popular with Vietnamese tourists. So far international travellers are quite rare. The best time to visit the bird park is either during the rainy season from May to October or the breeding season from November to January. During the remaining months the birds are hardly seen.