Tet holiday visit Thi Tuong lagoon to enjoy spring night

Sunset on Thi Tuong lagoon - Photo: Tran Van Thoi district website

Until now, we have only heard of this place, read about it 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 reached 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 - 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 out into the middle of the lagoon in the middle of the silent night. All around was pitch black, just water. The group of 6 people, complete strangers to the sea and the world, sat happily on the boat being steered by the captain, speeding like an arrow. The feeling of fear, excitement, and eagerness to discover new things made our group have unforgettable experiences.

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 widest part of the lagoon is about 3km, 10km long, with 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 along the lagoon for a while, the boat finally pulled into 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, snails that were still snapping - the 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 purposes.

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 water is vast and the sky is pitch black, there is no way to know which direction to go in…

The spring breeze blew across the lagoon, sounding cool. Without saying a word, everyone felt regretful for not having come here earlier, to have had the chance to witness the sunset on the lagoon, to have had 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 prepared neatly, looked delicious, had the right taste, and were reasonably priced.

We were all tired and hungry after a long day's journey from Ho Chi Minh City, so we ate happily and enjoyed the delicious food. The feeling of eating fresh, locally caught food, combined with the cool air of a house on the lagoon, is something that is hard to find in any other tourist experience.

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, rereading the works of the writer Dat Mui, I love even more the land at the end of the Fatherland, the place that left unforgettable moments of the Year of the Dragon!

Households do 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 that should not 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.

A photo contest that highlights the beauty of a place, place or region you have visited. This is an opportunity to tell about 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 khoangkhactet@tuoitre.com.vn.

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.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tet-ghe-dam-thi-tuong-thuong-thuc-dem-xuan-2024022109172312.htm