When to Go

The best time to tour the Mekong Delta is during the dry season, from October to May. During the rainy season, from May to September, a large portion of the region is under water and inaccessible. The Khmer communities in Soc Trang and Tra Vinh hold the three-day Ooc Om Boc (or Ok Om Bok) festival each year on the 13th to 15th days of the 10th lunar month. The highlight of the festival, a combination of moon worship and prayers for a good harvest, is the racing of slender, wooden, snake-shaped Ngo boats. The Khmer communities in Soc Trang and Tra Vinh also celebrate the Khmer New Year, Chol Chnam Thmay, usually in mid-April (the date is determined by an ancient Khmer calendar, not the lunar calendar that guides most other celebrations in the region.)