Soc Trang

Soc Trang is a city in the Mekong Delta.

Understand
This modern city has a very high Khmer population. The many temples here are in the Cambodian Khmer-style, and the culture is highly influenced by this. It is a bustling town with a population of around 120,000. Very few people speak any English here, and tourists are few and far between, although they are well received.

By road
Soc Trang is 231 km from Ho Chi Minh City, 60 km from Can Tho. National Hwy 1A links the province and Can Tho, Bac Lieu.

By bus
There are services to Soc Trang from HCMC (5 hr) leaving from the Mien Tay bus station.

Soc Trang is about 1 hour from Can Tho by local bus.

Local buses from Tra Vinh only leave in the morning.

Get around
You can walk anywhere in this town in under an hour. Xe oms are readily available, look for guys relaxing by their motorbikes on a street corner. Make sure to make the price very clear before you go.

Eat
Soc Trang, despite its small size, has a good selection of restaurants serving traditional Vietnamese food. If you head over to Võ Thị Sáu St, there are a few restaurants specializing in hotpot (100,000-150,000 dong) and other countryside delicacies (snake, rice paddy rat).