A swampy retreat not too far from the madding crowd

In the 1990s, the Vietnam Institute of Archeology sent a team to Nhon Thanh Village in the Mekong Delta to learn more about the kingdom of Phu Nam and its people.
Their excavations yielded pots, bowls, stone statues and fashioned gold typical of the Oc Eo culture, and many of their finds are on display at Can Tho Museum.
This is the location of Da Noi-Cot Cau Swamp, where a group of Phu Nam people are known to have lived 1,500 years ago, and it’s a pleasant place for modern people to while away a few hours.
To get there takes four hours from Ho Chi Minh City via Can Tho. From downtown Can Tho City, take Vong Cung Road to Rach Sung Ferry and cross the Can Tho River to Nhon Nghia Commune. From there, it’s half an hour by motorbike taxi along the track that follows Muong Khai Canal to Da Noi-Cot Cau.
The area reverted to wilderness after the Phu Nam people moved on, but recently it was developed into a tourist park with the usual amenities.
You can still see big piles of wood and green stone blocks in the ponds, as have existed for ages, and these days there is a museum displaying porcelain, copper and gold objects together with the fossilized bones of large animals.
Overnight accommodation is available and worth trying just to hear the symphony of sound from the massed frogs, crickets and other insects that let loose after dark.
Anyone yearning for a break from city life and the traffic, noise and crowding will find Da Noi-Cot Cau an ideal place to relax. You can stroll along the shady path by the stream, walk under trees bursting with fruit, or simply gaze at the lotus blossoms, water lilies and cajuputs.
The park is often used for musical events at festival time, and it’s also popular with filmmakers thanks to the scenery.
For now, Da Noi-Cot Cau Swamp can only be reached by motorbike, but plans are afoot to build a proper road.