Vietnam
My Tho
Mỹ Tho: Vĩnh Tràng Pagoda and Noodle Soup on the Tiền River
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Good to know
Where Ships Stop
River ships call at Mỹ Tho on the Tiền River, the name for the Mekong's mainstream in Vietnam; your cruise line will tell you where your ship moors. The center is walkable, and boats leave from the waterfront for the river islands.
- Mỹ Tho was a city and the capital of Tiền Giang province until July 1, 2025, when the province was merged into Đồng Tháp. The former city's area is now made up of wards, among them Mỹ Tho and Mỹ Phong.
- Ho Chi Minh City is about two hours away by express bus.
- Bag-snatching by thieves on motorbikes is common in Vietnam, so carry bags on the side away from the road.
Mỹ Tho on Your Own
Mỹ Tho's center is compact, and almost everything in it is within walking distance. Vĩnh Tràng pagoda, in Mỹ Phong ward, is the main sight to plan around.
- The waterfront: Boat trips to the islands in the river leave from here. Touts on the waterfront offer trips for less than the official rate; agree on the route, the time and the price before you board.
- Vĩnh Tràng pagoda: The pagoda stands on Nguyễn Trung Trực street in Mỹ Phong. Look for its two gates inlaid with Chinese and Vietnamese porcelain, the gilded statues inside and the large white standing Buddha in the grounds.
- Taxis: Use pre-arranged transport or an official taxi-hailing app that supplies licensed cabs, and book the whole journey in the app.
- Getting back on time: All-aboard is usually about 30 minutes before sailing, and your ship posts the exact time. A ship will not wait for passengers touring on their own.
Food
Mỹ Tho's own dish is hủ tiếu Mỹ Tho, clear, chewy rice noodles in a broth made from pork bones, sold in restaurants and by street vendors. On the far bank, in the former province of Bến Tre, banana candy is the local sweet to look for.
- The noodles are made from fragrant rice, traditionally the Gò Cát rice of Mỹ Phong, and are firm and chewy. They are blanched in separate boiling water rather than cooked in the broth.
- The bowl is topped with sliced and minced pork, bone and pork liver; some cooks add dried shrimp to sweeten the broth.
- It comes with bean sprouts, fried shallots, lime, chili, pepper and soy sauce on the side.
- You can also order it dry, with the noodles tossed in soy sauce, vinegar and sugar and the broth served in a separate bowl.
- Street vendors sell a cheaper version known as hủ tiếu gõ.
Tipping in Vietnam
Vietnamese people do not usually tip, and a tip is generally not expected, though it will not be refused if you offer one. Pay in đồng.
- Payment is almost always expected in đồng.
Culture and Local Life
In Mỹ Tho itself, Vĩnh Tràng, a 19th-century Buddhist pagoda well known across southern Vietnam, mixes Asian and European architecture. On the far bank, Cồn Phụng island in the former province of Bến Tre was the base of the Coconut Religion, founded there in 1963.
- Vĩnh Tràng holds more than 60 statues of wood, bronze, terracotta and cement, most of them gilded, and a set of eighteen arhats carved by southern Vietnamese craftsmen in the early 20th century.
- Its landscape paintings date from 1904, and a temple bell cast in 1854 survives, though it no longer rings after years lost underwater.
- The pagoda was listed as a national historic site in 1984.
- The Coconut Religion was founded by Nguyễn Thành Nam, a chemical engineer trained in Rouen, who lived mainly on coconuts. He blended Buddhist and Christian teaching and kept cats and rats together in one cage as a sign that enemies could live in peace. The religion is not recognized by the Vietnamese government today.
History
Mỹ Tho's great market quarter was founded by Chinese settlers in the 17th century, and the town became one of the two largest trading centers in the south. A battle on the river in 1785 ruined it; it later became a French provincial town linked to Saigon by railway and served as a provincial capital until 2025.
- The name: Most explanations trace the name Mỹ Tho to an older Khmer place name.
- Chinese settlers: In 1679 the Nguyễn lords allowed about 3,000 Ming loyalists led by Dương Ngạn Địch to settle here, and they founded the great market quarter of Mỹ Tho.
- A trading center: In the 17th century Mỹ Tho was one of the two largest trading centers in the south of Vietnam.
- The battle of 1785: On January 20, 1785, Nguyễn Huệ, whose headquarters was at Mỹ Tho, ambushed an invading Siamese fleet on the river at Rạch Gầm and Xoài Mút and almost destroyed it. The fighting ruined the market town, and many of its merchants moved to Saigon.
- A new citadel: In 1792 the seat of the province moved to the Mỹ Tho market, where a citadel was built.
- French rule: Under the treaty of 1862, the province of Định Tường, which included Mỹ Tho, was ceded to France.
- The railway: The 71 km railway from Saigon to Mỹ Tho opened on July 20, 1885. It was badly damaged during the war against the French.
- Tiền Giang: In 1976 Mỹ Tho became the capital of the new province of Tiền Giang, a role it kept until the province was merged into Đồng Tháp in 2025.
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