All Things Need To Know Before Travelling To Ca Mau Vietnam.

Ca Mau Peninsula the southernmost projection of Vietnam, lying between the South China Sea on the east and the Gulf of Thailand on the west, with drainage to each.

The flat, triangular peninsula, with lengths ranging from 110 to 130 miles (180 to 210 km), averages about 7 feet (2 m) above sea level and owes its configuration largely to shore deposits of the Mekong River, which are also responsible for the sweeping spit of Cape Bai Bung at the peninsula’s tip.

An area without vehicular roads until after World War II, the remote peninsula sweeps southward from a canalized plain to a dense, tropical mangrove swamp on whose winding streams the Vietnamese fish.

The villagers export and trade in rice, honey, wax, fibre mats, and charcoal made from hardwoods, all of which are staples of the economy of the town of Ca Mau (Quan Long). For many years after World War II much of the Ca Mau Peninsula was successively held by Viet Minh and Viet Cong guerrillas.

Ca Mau is located in the Mekong Delta of Southern Vietnam, and is the southernmost of Vietnam. It is 300 kms away in 7 hours driving by private car rental from Ho Chi Minh city (Saigon Vietnam) to the South via My Tho & Ben Tre, Tra Vinh, Soc Trang, and Bac Lieu. It is bordered to the north by Kien Giang and Bac Lieu, to the west by the Gulf of Thailand, and to the south and east by the East Sea.

If you book the taxi from Ho Chi Minh to Ca Mau here now: https://vietnamtrustcarrentals.com/taxi-ho-chi-minh-transfers-to-cau-mau-taxi-saigon-to-ca-mau.html will be discount for 10%.

Top All Things Need To Know Before Travelling To Ca Mau Vietnam.

1. Cape Ca Mau (Mũi Cà Mau) on Ca Mau Peninsula in Vietnam, is the southernmost point of the Vietnamese mainland. Add: Dat Mui commune, Ngoc Hien district, Ca Mau province. It is 113 kms away from the center of Ca Mau city.

2. U-Minh Ha National Park. Add: Vo Doi hamlet, Khanh Binh Tay Bac commune, Tran Van Thoi district, Ca Mau province. Tel: 0290 3910 020. It is 42 kms away from the center of Ca Mau city.

Bordered by Ca Mau, the largest mangrove forest beyond the Amazon basin covers 1000 sq km. Home to endangered mammals, including the hairy-nosed otter and the fishing cat, and 187 bird species.

3. Ca Mau Floating Market. Add: ward 7, Ca Mau city. It is 9 kms away from the center of Ca Mau city.

The Ca Mau floating market is located on the end of Ganh Hao river which is in center of Ca Mau. The floating market is as bustle as other floating markets in the Mekong Delta.
There are hundreds of big and small boats full of goods which are used for bargains and make exchange deals in the floating market.

No one knows the history of this floating’s establishment, everyone only knows that the dealing way on the river is a cultural identity of the Mekong Delta specialized by many rivers.

Like other floating markets, such as Phong Dien floating market, Cai Rang floating market, Cai Be floating market, Ca Mau floating market are used to exchange a variety of products including food-stuff and necessary tools, however, it mainly makes deals of fresh agricultural products, Mekong Delta orchards’ fruit with merchandisers.

After all, the beauty and typical features of Mekong Delta rivers still attracts the tourist to set foot on Ca Mau floating market even if just visiting during a short period of time early morning.

4. Lam Ngu Truong 184 of Nam Can Mangrove Forest. Add: Cha La hamlet, Tam Giang commune, Nam Can district, Ca Mau province.

The speciality in topography and geology is that a part is overlapped by sea-water and a part is affected by river-water. Therefore, only mangrove and indigo plants can live on it (these trees have a strong ability in areas covered by water).

Lam Ngu Truong has an area of 6.300 ha, and has a potential place of eco-tourism products. It is not only this place but also mangrove Nam Can forest has a various system of plants and animals with mangrove forest ecosystems typical features. The Multi-biology Preservation area comprises 252 ha of Lam Ngu Truong area that has over 44 kinds of plants in which there are some precious one such as, white ambarella.

Well, making a stop by this interesting destination in your Vietnam car rental service will properly be unforgettable with these recommended activities and the wonderful​ cuisine of Ca Mau. So what are you still waiting for but not booking a tour with this travel agency immediately to enjoy a joyful trip to Vietnam.

5. Bird Garden- Vuon Chim. Add:The Bird Garden is situated in Cultural Park or Lam Vien 19/5, Ca Mau city. This is a large entertainment area of 18.2 hectares with many miniatures including flower gardens, monuments, stilt houses, and fish ponds. Many animals that typically make their homes in mangrove forests such as crocodiles, turtles, monkeys, iguanas, pythons, and snakes also live here.

6.Hon Da Bac and Hon Khoai Islands.

Ca Mau has a lot of offshore islands such as Hon Da Bac and Hon Khoai Islands. Despite it being a little smaller than other sea islands in the country, the scenery in Hon Da Bac Island is great. With a background of the vast blue ocean, there are countless granite rocks piled up on each other which create many strange and beautiful shapes. The local people name them based on their shapes such as fairy hand, fairy foot, and fairy well.

7.Khai Long Beach.

Khai Long is a sandy beach that winds along the coast of Khai Long hamlet, Dat Mui commune, Ngoc Hien district. It takes around one hour by motorboat to get from Ca Mau city to Khai Long beach.

With an area of about 230 hectares, the coastline in Khai Long beach is 3,800 meters long. If you stand on Khai Long beach, you can have a full view of the majestic Hon Khoai Islands. Khai Long has a flat golden sandy beach and there aren’t many waves which is suitable for swimming. 

Where to stay at Cau Mau Vietnam?

Anh Nguyet Hotel. Add: 207, Phan Ngoc Hien str, ward 6, Ca Mau city. It is 8 kms away from the center of Ca Mau city. Tel: 0290 3567 666.

Phu Cuong Hotel. Add: 81, Phan Ngoc Hien str, ward 4, Ca Mau city. It is 8.5 kms away from the center of Ca Mau city. Tel: 0826 889 088.

Muong Thanh Luxury Ca Mau Hotel. Add: C3A, Khu trung tâm hành chính chính trị, ward 9, Ca Mau city. It is 9.5 kms away from the center of Ca Mau city. Tel: 0290 2228 888.

HomeStay 379 Ngo Quyen. Add: 379, Ngo Quyen str, Ca Mau city. It is 12 kms away from the center of Ca Mau city. Tel: 0290 2226 888.

Where to eat at Cau Mau Vietnam?

1. Van Thuy Restaurant. Add: 1 thang 5 str, ward 5, Ca Mau city. It is 8 kms away from the center of Ca Mau city. Tel: 0 290 3830 969.

2. Huong Viet Restaurant. Add: 126, Phan Ngoc Hien str, ward 9, Ca Mau city. It is 8 kms away from the center of Ca Mau city. Tel: 0780.365.9999.

3. Nhà Hàng Hải Sản Quạt Mo (Seafood Restaurant). Add: 14, Bui Thi Truong str, ward 5, Ca Mau city. It is 8 kms away from the center of Ca Mau city. Cell phone: +84 91 996 99 65.

4. King BBQ Buffet. Add: 9, Tran Hung Dao str, L1-10, first floor, Business Center of Sence City, Ca Mau city. It is 8 kms away from the center of Ca Mau city. Tel: 0290 3555 377.

5. Cua Thứ Thiệt (Sea crab high quality). Add: 57, Ngo Gia Tu str, ward 5, Ca Mau city. It is 8.5 kms away from the center of Ca Mau city. Cell phone: +84 90 309 80 65.

The Ca Mau local cuisine food and drinks:

1. DAT MUI CUTTLEFISH EGG CAKE: Buttery cuttlefish egg is a favorite food in Dat Mui, U Minh, Ca Mau province, Vietnam. Cuttlefish Egg Cake – a very unique dish is made right on the boat after catching cuttlefish to make sure the eggs are fresh and the cakes are delicious.

The cuttlefish eggs are kneaded with duck eggs, pork, pork liver, and spices until the mix reaches a degree of smoothness and stickiness. After that, form the mix into round pieces, dry them under the sun and put them into cold storage.

Cuttlefish Egg Cake can be grilled or fried and turns tender, crunchy inside and crispy outside, tasty and fragrant after cooking. Grilled or fried Cuttlefish Egg Cakes are served with rice paper, vegetables, herbs and dipping “Nhi” fish sauce (or sauce from salt, ground black pepper, lemon juice). Just use a sheet of sticky rice paper to wrap a piece of Cuttlefish Egg Cakes, some fresh herbs and vegetables and eat with sauce.

2. U MINH HOT POT WITH FERMENTED FISH:

Fermented Fish Hot Pot With Wild Vegetables In U Minh - Specialty foods of Ca Mau.
U Minh – a district in Ca Mau province, South Vietnam is famous for hot pot with fermented fish. The comfortable, flavorful and healthy Lau mam rau rung from U Minh can satisfy those hard to please.

The rich and fragrant broth of fermented fish hot pot in U Minh is cooked from Fermented snakeskin gourami (Mam ca sac). In U Minh, Fermented fish hot pot is served with rice noodles, many types of fresh fishes (snakeskin gourami, snakehead, tilapia which live in rice fields, rivers, swamps, and lakes), a wide range of vegetables (tomato, water lily stems, okra, polypody plant young shoot, centella, passiflora foetida young shoots, ludwigia prostrata).

The viscous polypody plant young shoot which is considered as the king of all vegetables in South Vietnam is the soul of U Minh fermented fish hot pot. Dinners cook the above ingredients at their tables while eating. Dinners can dip cooked foods in special fish sauce (with chili pepper) to enhance the flavors.

The dish has five tastes: salt, sweet, sour, hot, bitter. There is no reason to miss Fermented fish hot pot – one of specialty foods of Ca Mau province.

3. TOASTED TURTLE WITH SALT:

Toasted turtle with salt - Specialty foods of Ca Mau.
Ca Mau people created a very famous recipe from turtle – Roasted turtle with salt (or Rua rang muoi) can win the heart of the most difficult dinners. To bleed the turtle, they use a sharp point knife and cut the blood vessels quickly in order to get the fresh blood. Wine mixed with fresh turtle blood is very good for your health. Then the whole turtle is poached in boiling water to remove dirt, slime, and odor. In Ca Mau, they roast turtles in clay pots and with unrefined salt.

The ratio of the turtle to salt is 1, it means the cook should use 1 kg of unrefined salt to roast 1 kg of turtle. Put salt and the turtle into a pot and cover the lid. While cooking, there are explosive sounds.

When the cook cannot hear the sound, it is time to get the turtle out of the pot. The last step is removing the shell and guts.
Turtle taste is a mix of seafood, chicken, duck, beef and sheep tastes. Roasted turtle with salt is distinctively tasty and seductively fragrant. The dish is usually served with a mix of salt, black pepper, lime juice and herbs such as Vietnamese mint. Some prefer to wrap turtle meat in rice paper and dip in sweet-sour fish sauce dip.

Although turtle meat is weird, it could not be missed in the list of Specialty foods of Ca Mau.

4. Mantis shrimp of Ca Mau

Mantis shrimp flesh is sweet and salty, comfort and seductively fragrant so that it is a favorite food of many people. It is called mantis shrimp because it looks like both mantis and shrimp. The simplest and quickest way to eat mantis shrimp is boiling it, dipping in a mix of salt, ground black pepper, lime juice and eating with aromatic herbs.

Other more difficult recipes are Steamed mantis shrimp with beer, Steamed mantis shrimp with coconut water, Steamed mantis shrimp with lemongrass,

Grilled mantis shrimp, Stir-fried mantis shrimp with garlic. They also make dry mantis shrimp to store it longer. Grilled dry mantis shrimp is attractively smelling, crunchy and sweet-salty. Dishes from mantis shrimp and dry mantis shrimp pair well with beer/wine.

5. Date palm Worm of Ca Mau.

Date palm Worm could not be missed in the list of Top specialty foods of Ca Mau. In the breeding season of beetles such as rhinoceros beetles from October to February in the lunar calendar, the beatles find a hole in the palm heart and lay eggs which grow into worms. Eating the young date palm, these worms are white, fat, as big as a little finger.

There is only one worm on one palm. Not all of the palms have worms so that this kind of food is very rare. To catch date palm worm, local people must go deeply into mangrove forests fo find wild date palms with worms.

After discovering the worm in the palm, they use a sharp knife to cut the young part of the date palm and bring home. The worm only is got out of the palm when cooking to make sure the worm is alive.

The milky, tender and a little chewy date palm worm can be eaten raw. Some popular dishes from this worm. Bathing date palm worm: put the worms into fish sauce and chili pepper, then eat one by one with chopsticks. Grilled date palm worm which is wrapped in veggies, dipped in tamarind fish sauce dip.
Porridge with date palm worm. Fried date palm worm in wheat flour with butter.

6. Grilled Vop: Vop is a bivalve, it is 3 times bigger than scallop. In Ngoc Hien district, Nam Can district in Ca Mau province, there are many Vop whose flesh is sweet-tastier, crunchier than the flesh of Vop in other places. Vop should not be cooked for too long. Otherwise, its flesh will be too crunchy. Vop is also used to cook a lot of delicious dishes:

Boiled Vop dipped in sweet and sour fish sauce,
Boiled Vop with ginger,
Braised Vop with lemongrass and chili pepper,
Soup with Vop and fermented steamed rice,
Salad with Vop and banana blossom,
Grilled Vop with onion oil,
Porridge with Vop,
Grilled Vop with fermented tofu,
Sweet and sour soup with Vop,
Steamed Vop with minced pork.

7. Crab Blood Pudding of Ca Mau

It has been said that some fishermen had not any fresh water to drink so that they break the sea crab legs and drink the liquid inside the legs to survive. The liquid which has a little salty taste, special smell has become a food since then. Crab blood pudding  (Tiet canh cua) is a very famous dish in Ca Mau. 

To make Tiet canh cua, we need 2 alive sea crabs, one for getting the blood, one for getting meat. Firstly, boil a crab with wine, get the flesh out of the shell, seasoning the flesh and mix with minced herbs. The win enhances the smell and taste of the crab flesh and makes the flesh more tender.

Secondly, tie 4 big legs of the crabs and use a sharp pair of scissors to cut quickly and strongly so that the crab blood drops into a bowl. Get the crab-roe and put it into the bowl of crab blood. When the blood and crab-roe turn thickened and bloating, carefully use a spoon to get Tiet canh cua out.

Top the dish with crushed toasted peanuts and cilantro. Similar to other kinds of Tiet, Tiet canh cua is eaten with herbs (heartleaf), green star-fruit, green banana, rice paper.

8. Salad with Young Bee of Ca Mau

Bees in U Minh forests in Ca Mau eat nectar on cajuput flowers, its honey is rich-nutrient, tasty and smelling distinctly. Young bees in U Minh forests are bigger, greasier than others of its kind. The healthy and tasty U Minh young bees are used to make the delicious Salad with young bees.

Young bees are soaked in boiling water, drained off and stir-fried with deep-fried shallots, fish sauce, pepper, and sugar. The young bees should not be overcooked. Otherwise, they will turn dry and not juicy.

A must ingredient for the dish is banana blossom which is shredded, soaked in vinegar water. Other herbs such as coriander, Vietnamese basil, garlic chives. Mix the young bees and veggies with a sweet and sour dressing from fish sauce, sugar, lime juice. carefully so that young bees are not crushed. Top the dish with crushed toasted peanuts and decorate with some leaves of herbs or flower made from chili pepper.

9. Porridge With Mudskipper of Ca Mau

Although there are some delicious dishes from this kind of fish such as Braised mudskipper with black pepper, Hot pot with mudskipper, local people usually cook Porridge with mudskipper thanks to its comfort, easy and quick recipe.

It is totally simple to cook Chao ca keo. Just cook rice in water until the rice is tender and broken, season with salt, fish sauce. Wash mudskipper carefully, no need to remove the organs of this fish. The greasy and buttery organs of mudskipper are favorite of many people. Some prefer to eat the organs than the fish meat.

Then put the prepared mudskipper into the pot of porridge on the oven, cook until well-done but not too tender. Add some green onion stalk to the porridge. Serving the dish in a soup bowl right after cooking is better. Top it with some chopped green onions, coriander, ground black pepper. Fish sauce for dipping, sliced/minced ginger, lime wedges and sliced chili pepper are not missed.

How to get into Ca Mau Vietnam?

1. Fight: there is a domestic airport named Ca Mau Airport. Add: Ly Thuong Kiet str, ward 6, Ca Mau city. It is 10 kms away from the center of Ca Mau city. It takes 1 hour flying by plane from Ho Chi Minh city to Ca Mau.

There is only one flight operated by Vietnam Airlines from Ho Chi Minh City to Ca Mau. The departure time is 5:55 AM daily and it takes one hour to get to Ca Mau. The average price is around 77 USD per ticket.

Today, The Bamboo airway of Vietnam also operated the flight service from Ho Chi Minh to Ca Mau and flight fare is a bit cheaper than the Vietnam airlines from 5$-9$USD/per ticket.

2. Vehicle from Ho Chi Minh City: Ca Mau is 300 kms away in 7 hours driving by private car (in 9 hours driving by public bus) from Ho Chi Minh city. so you may see the cheapest taxi fare from Ho Chi Minh to Ca Mau here:https://www.vietnambudgetcarrental.com/private-car-transfers-from-ho-chi-minh-to-ca-mau-vietnam.html
3. Vehicles from the near-by cities, such as: Can Tho, Bac Lieu, Rach Gia, etc.

By Bus public:

Futabus and Ngoc Anh bus are highly recommended. Besides a normal sleeper bus, Ngoc Anh also runs a high-quality bus. This bus has a private bed with a massage machine, television, headphones, and USB charging ports.

Futabus buses service

Address: Mien Tay Bus Station, 395 Kinh Duong Vuong Street, Binh Tan District, HCMC
Running Hours: 7 AM to 11:30 PM (every hour)
Ticket Price: 200,000 VND
Phone Number: 1900 6067

Ngoc Anh buses service

Address: No.162, 5nd Street, Phong Phu Ward, Binh Chanh District, HCMC
Running Hours: 9 AM, 10 AM, 8:30 PM, 9 PM, 9:30 PM
Ticket Price: 150,000 VND – 170,000 VND – 270,000 VND (private bed)
Phone Number: 028 543 10 105  – 0916 00 77 74 

By Motorbike (not recomemnd).

The route from Ho Chi Minh City to Ca Mau is quite easy. You only need to ride along Highway 1A (QL1A) until you reach Ca Mau. On the way, you will ride through Long An, Tien Giang, Vinh Long, Can Tho, Hau Giang, Soc Trang, and Bac Lieu, seven provinces of the Mekong Delta.

What is the best time visit the Ca Mau Vietnam?

Ca Mau Vietnam is the same with other areas of Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, it is also the land of mild climate and pleasant weather, so it’s deemed to be an ideal destination to visit all year round.

The climate in Ca Mau Vietnam is split into two seasons: rainy season (normally from May to October) and dry season (normally from November to April). Like other provinces in the Mekong Delta, Ca Mau also has two seasons. The rainy season is from May to November and the dry season is from December to April.This is the best time to visit the Ca Mau Vietnam.

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Sourse: internet.