The Best Travel Guide Of Ca Mau Vietnam 2023

If you want to leave the noisy and bustling city to travel to the river waters for a few days, Ca Mau Vietnam will be the ideal choice.

Ca Mau is the southernmost province of Vietnam, bordering the sea on three sides. It borders Kien Giang to the north, Bac Lieu to the northeast, the South China Sea to the east and southeast, and the Gulf of Thailand to the west and southwest. In Ca Mau Vietnam, you can not only visit famous places but also enjoy many delicious dishes with the bold flavors of Ca Mau.  Let's explore the best travel guide of Ca Mau Vietnam 2023 right now!

1. What need to know before going to Ca Mau 

Ca Mau is the southernmost land of Vietnam with beautiful nature, fresh climate, unique culture, friendly people, delicious food, and many unique things… There are reasons you should visit Ca Mau at least once:

- Ca Mau has National Parks and mangroves - World Biosphere Reserve. Therefore, Ca Mau temperature is harmonious and pleasant. Coming to Ca Mau, you will like the fresh and peaceful weather.

- Ca Mau is the southernmost place in the country that every Vietnamese wants to set foot in. You can visit and take pictures of the Ca Mau Cape.

- Ca Mau Vietnam stands out for its community-based ecotourism. Visitors will experience the lives of indigenous people, and explore the unique cultural features with many activities in U Minh National Park Lowering or Ca Mau Cape National Park.

- When you arrive in Ca Mau, people will give you the first gift of smiles. They will enthusiastically advise you which restaurants are delicious and cheap, which hotels are good, and  what means of transport you should visit this tourist attraction, …

- When traveling, discovering food is always something that makes everyone excited. Ca Mau is famous for its typical, delicious, and nutritious dishes. Coming to Ca Mau, you will know more about the history, origin, cooking process, and journey to the dishes with bold flavors of the forest and the Southern sea.

- The pace of life in Ca Mau Vietnam is quite relaxing, and poetic. Gentle people and idyllic air will help you have time to relax, slow down and love more.

2. How to travel to Ca Mau from Saigon/Hanoi?

2.1 By plane

If you live in the northern provinces or you choose one of the destinations in the North as the starting point when traveling to Vietnam, like Hanoi, you should travel by plane. Currently, airlines have officially operated routes Hanoi - CaMau, HoChiMinh - CaMau... However, there are only 1 to 2 flights per day.

You can choose flights to Ho Chi Minh or Can Tho, then move to Ca Mau by public bus if you plan to travel to many places.

2.2 By public bus

If you are in the southern provinces such as Can Tho, Ben Tre, or Ho Chi Minh, you can travel by public bus to Ca Mau. Buses usually stop at the center of Ca Mau city. If traveling by bus, it will save more costs.

2.3 By private car

Driving from Ho Chi Minh City to Ca Mau takes about 7-8 hours depending on the time of rest. The road is quite beautiful, but there are many rivers and canals intertwined. The bridges over the canal are usually short, steep slopes, so you should run slowly. 

The best means of transportation in Ca Mau city is a motorbike, the second is a car. The third is ships, boats, and motorboats. This is the most popular means of transport due to the geographical location of Ca Mau with an interlaced system of rivers and canals.

3. Best time to visit Ca Mau 

Ca Mau's climate is sunny but not hot. This place is a quite fresh and cool breeze from the sea so you can visit at any time of the year.

The best time you should travel to Ca Mau is from December to April every year because this is the dry season in Ca Mau. At this time, the Ca Mau temperature is relatively comfortable, the weather is dry. You will have the opportunity to participate in many experiences and visit more places.

>>> You can also refer to the article: The best time to travel to Vietnam to choose the right time to come to Vietnam

If you enjoy the floating season, come here during the rainy season, usually from May to October. May is also a great time to hunt birds in Ca Mau Bird Sanctuary, U Minh Ha National Park & Forest, and many other places… In addition, you will enjoy a special seafood dish of this land.

4. Best hotels to stay in Ca Mau

In Ca Mau, there are many resting places depending on the type of tourism you go to. If you go backpacking, you can find Ca Mau hotels for only 100,000 – 200,000 a night. In contrast, high-end services such as resorts will be much more expensive.  But certainly, the service is quite professional and a lot of utilities come with it. You should choose Ca Mau hotels in the city center for convenient transportation.  However, whichever Ca Mau hotel or accommodation you choose, you can be sure that you will have a wonderful stay in Ca Mau.

Below are top 5 Best Hotels in Ca Mau:

- Mường Thanh Luxury Cà Mau Hotel (5 stars)

Address:  Unit C3A, Ca Mau Administration and Political Center, Ca Mau

Cost: from 1.200.000 VND/night

- Thu Duy Resort (4 stars)

Address: 323 Ly Thuong Kiet, Ward 6, Ca Mau

Cost: form 900.000 VND/night

- The One Hotel (3 stars)

Address: Mg2-19, 20, 23, 24, Vincom Commercial Quarter, Ca Mau City

Cost: from 500.000 VND/night

- Ca Mau Bungalow – U Minh Forest Farmstay (3 stars)

Address: Hamlet 15, Khanh An Commune, U Minh District, Ca Mau

Cost: from 500.000 VND/night

- Sao Kim Hotel (2 stars)

Address: 03 Luu Tan Tai, Ward 5, VNPT Building, Ca Mau City

Cost: from 650.000 VND/night

>>> Related article: 5 things you can do in your Vietnam hotels

5. 10 best tourist attractions to visit in Ca Mau

5.1 Ca Mau Cape

Ca Mau Cape is a piece of land sticking out into the East Sea at the southernmost point of Vietnam. It is located in Mui village, Dat Mui commune, Ngoc Hien district, more than 100 km from Ca Mau city. This place has a sacred meaning. Rarely is there a place where you can watch the sunrise in the East and the sunset in the West at the same place on the mainland.

From Ca Mau city, you drive to Nam Can (60km), and rent a boat to visit Dat Mui (about 2 hours). Traveling to Vietnam, coming to Ca Mau Cape, you can visit the national coordinates, the miniature icon of a boat full of wind.

In addition, you can stand at the observation tower to see the end of the country. Don't forget to skip the restaurant on the sea to enjoy the delicacies of Ca Mau: salted fried crabs, and grilled clams with salt and pepper,... Delicious dishes will make your trip even more interesting.

5.2 Khai Long Beach

Khai Long Beach is an ideal Ca Mau attraction for people who like the sea. Ca Mau temperature seems to cool down when you get closer to the beach. Khai Long Beach is located in Khai Long Hamlet, Dat Mui Commune, Ngoc Hien District, Ca Mau. It is only 2 hours and 30 minutes from the center of Ca Mau city. You should choose the period from December to April next year. Because Ca Mau is the dry season at this time, don't worry about sudden rains, dry weather will make it easier for you to visit more tourist attractions.

Coming here, you will experience watching the sunrise of the new day, watching the sunset of the afternoon. In addition, you can also participate in many fun activities, enjoy the fresh and cool space and be close to nature.

5.3 Ca Mau Floating Market

Ca Mau floating market is a place that you must visit. This market is located on the end of Ganh Hao river, about 200m from Ganh Hao bridge in ward 8, the center of Ca Mau city. Going to Ca Mau market, you can explore the vibrant river culture. Many merchant ships loaded agricultural products and household goods. Coming here, you will have the opportunity to experience a stroll around the floating market in the early morning. 

In this Ca Mau market, they only focus on buying and selling all kinds of goods from food, necessities, fresh vegetables, and fruits from gardeners: guava, melon, papaya, mango, pineapple, rambutan... Don't forget to experience sitting on the boat, having breakfast, or drinking coffee. 

You can move from Ca Mau city bus to Ca Mau floating market only about 4 km. You can travel by taxi or motorbike taxi (xe om), to make travel more convenient. You also can choose to ride a motorbike by yourself for more freedom of movement in sightseeing.

5.4 U Minh Ha Forest

Coming to Ca Mau, you should come to the U Minh Ha national park. This is one of Top 8 Vietnam National Parks that we recommend you to experience when traveling to Vietnam. U Minh Ha stands out as the Melaleuca forest ecosystem - a typical tree of the Mekong Delta, formed in flooded conditions, alum, on peat soil. This forest was recognized by UNESCO as one of the three core zones of the World Biosphere Reserve.

U Minh Ha National Park is in the west of Ca Mau province, within the administrative boundaries of 4 communes in 2 districts of U Minh and Tran Van Thoi. U Minh Ha is about 40 km from the center of Ca Mau city and can move by car.

Moving on a canoe along the forest, you will learn about a typical wetland ecosystem with diverse flora and fauna. There are nearly 250 species of plants, 250 species of plants, 182 species of birds, 20 species of reptiles and amphibians, 40 species of mammals, and many other species of insects. There are many species of them in the Red Book.

5.5 Silver Stone Island

Going to Ca Mau Vietnam without going to Silver stone island is a big mistake. Only about 50 km from the center of the city, Ca Mau people call it the Pearl Eye of the West. Hon Da Bac with an area of about 6.43 hectares, is a beautiful island cluster including three large and small islands located close to each other: Ong Ngo Island, Da Le Island and Da Bac Island. According to many recorded documents, Hon Da Bac is about 180 million years old (mid Jurassic - Mesozoic). This place is considered the most beautiful scenery in this land. 

Around there are many granite stones stacked on top of each other, creating unique shapes. From a distance, the island will look like silver inlaid, sparkling in the sun. Especially, there is the skeleton of a whale. It is adored here to commemorate Ca Ong who saved fishermen in distress.

In addition, you can also learn and explore the life of the sea people, and experience catching oysters, fishing, and squid fishing, ... and the scene of the red sun gradually sinking.

5.6 Thi Tuong Lagoon

Going down the direction of Ca Mau - Nam Can is about 40 km from Ca Mau City, 7 km from National Highway 1A is the large Thi Tuong Lagoon. It is one of the largest fish and shrimp farms in Ca Mau. It is also the largest lagoon in the Mekong Delta because of its length of 12 km. This place contains extremely valuable and huge resources of marine ecosystems.

Unlike other Ca Mau tourist destinations, Thi Tuong lagoon does not have restaurants, entertainment areas... Instead, the rest stops are the houses on stilts of fishermen right on the surface of the lagoon. Traveling on the lagoon, you will be extremely interested in the fishing activities of the Ca Mau people. Do not forget to enjoy the many delicious dishes from this river region.

5.7 Ca Mau Mangrove Forest

To get here, you have to travel 60 km from the city center and after more than an hour by speedboat, you will see the Ca Mau mangrove forest. This is the second largest mangrove forest in the world, after the Amazon forest in South America. It will be the place to create the most exciting feeling when coming to Ca Mau.

Ca Mau mangrove forest is the most diverse and typical ecosystem among the forest systems. It prevents erosion, on the one hand, helps to accrete the sea, and on the other hand, increases the area of our country. In addition, the Ca Mau mangrove forest is also the green lung of the Southeast region, playing the role of climate regulation, ecological balance, and environmental protection. This will be a place worth experiencing for you when coming to this Ca Mau region.

5.8 Ca Mau Bird Garden

Ca Mau has many bird gardens, with hundreds of species of birds, many rare species which should be preserved. Among them are: the Ca Mau City Bird Garden, Cha La Bird Sanctuary, Dam Doi Bird Sanctuary, and Ngoc Hien Bird Garden, ... Because Ca Mau temperature is very suitable for plants and animals to grow, it is a rare place where species of storks, herons, and birds live... Ca Mau Bird Garden is suitable for people who love nature and animals.

5.9 Quan Am Ancient Temple

Ca Mau has a series of famous landscapes and relics associated with the land reclamation period. Among them is Quan Am Ancient Temple, a unique spiritual architectural relic. Quan Am Co Tu is located in Hamlet 2, Ward 4, Ca Mau City, about 1.5km from the center of Ca Mau City to the West. From the Airport or Ca Mau Bus Station, it is about 5 km from Phat To Pagoda.

Almost all objects in the temple are still preserved. It is a testament to the development of Buddhism in the Vietnamese with three ethnic groups Kinh, Hoa, and Khmer in Southern Vietnam. The spacious campus of the pagoda arranges in harmony, with a statue of Quan The Am standing on a lotus, holding a vase in his hand.

5.10 Monivongsa Bopharam Temple

Monivongsa Bopharam Pagoda is located in Ward 1, the center of Ca Mau city. This is a Khmer temple with the typical architecture of Theravada Buddhism and is the largest temple in the city. Visiting the temple, you will have pictures like in Thailand - the land of golden pagodas or Cambodia.

6. Best "must-try" food in Ca Mau 

6.1 Ba Khia

Ba Khia is considered the most characteristic and famous of this land. Rach Goc is famous for this dish because only this locality is delicious and attractive. Ba Khia can be made into a salad to eat with sticky rice and boiled or roasted tamarind with salt, pepper, and lemon. This food has a characteristic and irresistible meat flavor. It is a delicacy not to be missed when coming to Ca Mau Vietnam.

6.2 Grilled Vop clams

Vop clam is similar to a clam but is larger and usually lives in mudflats, estuaries, and mangroves. Vop in Ca Mau is usually chewier and sweeter than in other regions. It can be cooked with sour soup, boiled, steamed, fried, or grilled with onion, ... Coming here, you can't miss this dish.

6.3 Ca Mau Crab

Coming to Ca Mau Vietnam, visitors should reward themselves with Ca Mau crabs because this is the famous specialty of this river region. Connoisseurs often buy natural crabs because the meat is delicious and much sweeter than farmed crabs. Crab at Ca Mau shrimp lagoon is always fresh and affordable. 

6.4 Young bee salad

Young bee salad is known as the most attractive in Ca Mau. After harvesting beeswax, it is then processed into dishes such as porridge, stir-fried bee pupae, or salad. The greasy taste of the bee pupae blends with the sour and spicy taste of the salad to create an amazing dish.

7. Best Ca Mau souvenirs to bring home

You can bring back fresh and cheap seafood: sea crabs, Rach Goc Ba Khia; or well-known dried types: dried snakehead fish, dried croaker, dried sardines, dried mudskippers; or fish sauce.

The most special is pure honey from the U Minh Melaleuca forest - a famous specialty of Ca Mau. U Minh forest honey is not only a functional food that helps to nourish the body, and strengthen the resistance but also has the effect of beauty. The price at stores is about 500,000 - 1,000,000 VND/liter…

>>> You can refer to bring back from Vietnam in the article: What to bring back from Vietnam?

Dua Bon Bon in Ca Mau is also often bought as a gift by tourists when coming to Ca Mau Vietnam. At first glance, you will see that the tree is similar to lemongrass, but the taste is completely different both crispy and sour. This dish can be eaten with rice or stir-fried with meat depending on your preference.

Dos and don’ts for your trip to Ca Mau Viet Nam

You should:

- Bring sunscreen and mosquito repellent when you go sightseeing

- Ca Mau is a river area. If children travel with you, you need to look after them carefully to avoid getting lost or falling into the river.

- Maintain hygiene in public places and attractions.

You shouldn’t:

- Although Ca Mau temperature is always comfortable, limit wearing bulky clothes, and wear cool fabric pants.

- Carry a lot of cash on you. 

Ca Mau Vietnam has a wild beauty and unique landscape. If you are looking for a relaxing beach vacation or an adventurous exploration of the area's natural wonders, Customized Vietnam tours & holidays packages by Vietnam Original Travel make your trip as memorable as possible.

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