5 Best Sights in Sa Dec, Mekong Delta

This house is famous for being the home of Huynh Thuy Le, upon whom French novelist Marguerite Duras based the title character of The Lover, a 1984 semiautobiographical book about a schoolgirl's love affair with a rich Chinese man. The house, built in 1895 by a wealthy Chinese family, was used as a government building for many years (which meant the 1992 film The Lover was shot at another colonial house in Can Tho). But it's been restored reasonably faithfully—without the original gold leaf decorations—and it's possible to stay in one of the bedrooms for about $25 a night, including dinner and breakfast. The architecture is interesting—French colonial on the outside but ornately Chinese on the inside—with many photographs of the "The Lover," both in real life and as he was portrayed on screen.

A riot of color, this Cao Dai Temple, on the far side of the river, off Lac Hong, is pale yellow, with sky blue, red, and green accents, and inside the floor tiles change color from one to the next. At the front of the temple, on a carved wooden table with drawers, sit thick gilded candlesticks and offerings while ceramic egrets stand on either side. Established in 1926 in the southern Vietnamese city of Tay Ninh, Caodaoism is a monotheistic religion, and this temple is similar to the one in My Tho; both are branches of the main Cao Dai Temple in Tay Ninh, also called the Holy See Temple. Adherents worship Cao Dai, whom they believe is the creator of the universe. From the temples towers, take in the view of the river and surrounding countryside.

A Chinese-style pagoda built in 1838, Huong Pagoda sits behind teal wrought iron gates with a hint of art deco. Beautifully and brightly painted, the pagoda has red doors with gold floral designs, intricate scenes painted on the short walls between the second and third upturned roofs, and, resting on top, colorful animal figures. If you're lucky, a monk will be there and you can sit for tea and persimmons.

For more than 100 years, people in this little village on the southern bank of the Tien River in Sa Dec have grown flowers, herbs, and ornamental plants, transporting them to markets around the region by river. The flower farms line a 2-km (1-mile) stretch of road, and most are open to the public. The village is at its most spectacular in the lead-up to Tet, the lunar new year.

This is a very typical Mekong Delta market where locals come to stock up on groceries, clothing, and homewares. To see how people really shop and earn a living, this is the place to come, and get here early. There's a wide variety of fruit and vegetables here, as well as snails, fish, eels, eggs in several sizes, chickens and ducks squawking and quacking, dry goods, and spices. Stop by the fruit stalls in front of the market, or wander inside for a bowl of something cheap and tasty.