Sunset on Thi Tuong lagoon - Photo: Tran Van Thoi district website
This place name has only been heard of and read in the essays of the famous writer Nguyen Ngoc Tu, Dat Mui, and everyone is excited.
Thi Tuong lagoon (or Ba Tuong lagoon) is a natural lagoon in Ca Mau province, located on the border between Tran Van Thoi and Phu Tan districts. This is the largest lagoon in the Mekong Delta, known as the "sea lake in the middle of the delta", located 40km southwest of Ca Mau city.
We had to drive, check Google Maps, and call around to ask for directions. Luckily, we found the right phone number of the person in charge of the culinary tourism area on the lagoon. So the whole group was given detailed directions and instructions by him.
Looking at it, it took more than a dozen phone calls back and forth, the car went past the turn, and had to turn back and forth 2-3 times before we got to our destination. We parked the car in the brick yard of an acquaintance (introduced by the owner), and we climbed onto the composite plastic boat when it was already dark, and when we raised our hands in front of our faces, we could no longer see anything.
Mr. Ba Hung - the person who guided us over the phone - carefully told us to park the car in that yard, someone from the lagoon would come in a boat to pick us up.
A sampan at night on Thi Tuong lagoon (Ca Mau) - Photo: NGUYEN THANH BINH
The boat turned away from the shore and headed straight into the middle of the lagoon in the middle of the quiet night. All around was pitch black, all water was water. The group of 6 people, complete strangers to the water, sat on the boat being driven by the captain as fast as an arrow. The feeling of fear, excitement, and eagerness to explore new things gave our group an unforgettable experience.
Since it was everyone’s first time here, everyone took the opportunity to ask the boatman more about Thi Tuong lagoon. I learned that the lagoon was deposited by alluvium from My Binh River, Ong Doc River and many canals of three districts Phu Tan, Tran Van Thoi and Cai Nuoc (Ca Mau). The lagoon’s widest point is about 3km, 10km long, and has a water surface area of about 700ha.
This Thi Tuong lagoon was originally a shallow lagoon, the deepest point was only about 1 meter, in the dry season in April there were places with about 20cm of water. Hearing about the water level, everyone sitting on the small boat in the middle of the lagoon felt somewhat reassured!
After zigzagging around the lagoon for a while, the boat finally pulled up to a wooden house built high in the middle of the lagoon, about 2 meters above the water. We climbed up together, followed the path to the floating house, below were nets holding all kinds of fresh fish, shrimp, and snails - products exploited from the lagoon to serve this "culinary restaurant".
Calling it a restaurant is a fancy way of saying it, but it's just a wooden stilt house built roughly in the middle of the lagoon to serve tourism.
We took the opportunity to walk around to admire the view. According to the captain, Thi Tuong lagoon is most beautiful in the early morning and at sunset. Now, the surrounding area was vast with water and the sky was pitch black, there was no way to know which way to go…
The spring wind blew across the lagoon, feeling cool. Without saying anything, everyone felt regretful for not having come here earlier, to have had the chance to witness the sunset on the lagoon, to have more chill photos.
After asking Mr. Ba Hung and hearing a brief introduction about Thi Tuong lagoon, the kitchen started serving the food. The dishes were neatly prepared, delicious, authentic in taste, and reasonably priced.
Almost all of us were tired and hungry after a long day's trip from Ho Chi Minh City, so we ate happily and enjoyed the delicious food. The feeling of eating fresh, locally caught food, plus the cool air of a house on the lagoon is something that few other tourist attractions can offer.
After finishing our meal and resting a bit, we were taken back to the shore by the same boat as before, returning to the same place. After circling around as if to say hello to the "floating restaurant", the boat sailed back into the dark night, until the lights on the restaurant disappeared, then we returned to the dock, where we parked our car in the afternoon.
Returning to Ca Mau city at night, searching the Internet to read more about Thi Tuong lagoon, re-reading the work of the writer Dat Mui, I love even more the land at the end of the Fatherland, the place that left unforgettable moments of Tet Giap Thin!
Households doing spontaneous tourism on Thi Tuong lagoon - Photo: VOV
February 24 (full moon of the first lunar month) is the deadline for receiving entries for the contest "My Tet Moments"
My Tet Moments contest is an opportunity for readers to introduce the most beautiful moments and unforgettable experiences during Tet with relatives and friends.
Each article should be a maximum of 1,000 words in Vietnamese, and should include photos, photo albums or videos.
Contest entries share ideal destinations and unique lands . Through your stories, you will help many people have the opportunity to know new lands and places not to be missed when traveling during spring.
It could be an article recording the moments when friends and relatives gather, celebrate Tet and have fun together.
These are notes and recounts of personal experiences from trips and business trips away from home during Tet that you have experienced.
The photo contest highlights the beauty of the landscape, place or land you have visited. This is an opportunity to recount the vibrant colors and beautiful scenery of Vietnam or the countries you have visited.
From January 25 to February 24, readers can send their entries to [email protected].
The award ceremony and summary are expected to take place in March 2024. The prize structure includes 1 first prize (15 million VND in cash and gifts), 2 second prizes (7 million VND and gifts), 3 third prizes (5 million VND and gifts).
The program is sponsored by HDBank.
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