Ha Tien

Just 8 km (5 miles) from the Cambodian border, Ha Tien has some interesting sights, such as a network of caves that have been converted into makeshift temples with Buddha images and psychedelic background lights. The town's busy waterfront, with its bustling market, is charming. Under Khmer rule Ha Tien was a thriving port, and in the 17th century the Nguyen lords gave it to a Chinese lord, Mac Cuu, as a private, protected fiefdom. For the next 40 years the Khmer, Siamese, and Vietnamese all struggled for control of the port and the trade that would come with it. Ha Tien finally became an outpost of the Vietnamese Lords of Hue in 1780.