My Tho
My Tho, the quiet capital city of Tien Giang province, is the traditional gateway to the delta, owing to its proximity to HCMC. Visitors on a whirlwind Vietnam tour often take a day trip here to catch a glimpse of the famous river. In order to visit floating markets, however, you’ll need to continue on to Can Tho. The town itself is an important market town, and its quaint but busy waterfront is easily explored on foot.

My Tho was founded in the 1680s by Chinese refugees fleeing Taiwan for political reasons. The Chinese have virtually all gone now, having been driven out in the late 1970s when their property was seized by the government. The economy is based on tourism, fishing and the cultivation of rice, coconuts, bananas, mangoes, longans and citrus fruit.

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Getting there & around
Contents
Bus & tram
Bus
My Tho is served by buses leaving HCMC from Mien Tay bus station and from the bus station in Cholon. Buses from Cholon have the added advantage of dropping passengers right in My Tho, as opposed to the bus station outside of town. The trip takes 1½ hours.

The My Tho bus station (Ben Xe Khach Tien Giang; 4am-5pm) is several kilometres west of town. To get there from the city centre, take Ð Ap Bac westward and continue on to Hwy 1 (Quoc Lo 1).

Buses to HCMC (18, 000d, two hours) leave when full from the early morning until about 5pm. There’s also daily bus service to most points in the Mekong Delta.

Car & motorcycle
Car & motorbike
The drive from HCMC to My Tho along Hwy 1, by car or motorbike, takes about two hours.

Road distances from My Tho are 16km to Ben Tre, 104km to Can Tho, 70km to HCMC and 66km to Vinh Long.

Boat
The car ferry to Ben Tre province leaves from Ben Pha Rach Mieu station about 1km west of My Tho city centre, near 2/10A Ð Le Thi Hong Gam (the continuation west of Ð 30 Thang 4). The ferry operates between 4am and 10pm and runs at least once an hour (per person/motorbike 1000/5000d). Ten-person trucks shuttle passengers between the ferry terminal and the bus station. A new bridge under construction (due for completion in early 2009) will link My Tho with Ben Tre by road, greatly diminishing travel time between the two towns.

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About Hanoi Vietnam | Around Ho Chi Minh City | About Halong Bay Vietnam | Ba Be National Park | Ba Vi National Park | Bac Lieu | Bai Tu Long Bay  | Bo Nau Cave (Pelican cave) |  Beaches North of Nha Trang |  Ben Tre | Buon Ma Thuot | Ca Mau  | Dien Bien Phu | Dong Hoi | Ha Giang | Haiphong | Halong City | Ho Coc Beach | Dong Hoi | Kon Tum | Kim Quy Grotto | Lang Son | Lao Cai | Long Hai | Luon Grotto | Long Xuyen | Mai Chau | Mekong Delta | Mui Ne Beach | My Tho | Phan Rang & Thap Cham | Phan Thiet | Phat Diem | Phong Nha Cave | Phu Quoc Island | Pleiku | Quang Ngai | Rach Gia | Soc Trang | Song Cau | Tam Coc | Tam Dao  | Tay Ninh | Thay & Tay Phuong Pagodas | Tra Co Beach | Tra Vinh | Tuy Hoa  | Van Don Island  | Vinh Long | Vung Tau |