For years, we often talked about having a Ngo family reunion. However, it wasn't until our get-together in Hawaii for Tammy's wedding in late 2024 that we seriously discussed making it happen. A year later, we agreed on travel date and tentative itinerary, and the planning started taking shape. We decided on a 10-day trip touring the Mekong Delta with main stops in Cao Lanh/Dong Thap, our mother's birthdplace, and Rach Gia/Kien Giang where our father came from. We realize the Delta has changed a lot over the last several decades, especially with recent province mergers, name and boundary changes. We might no longer be familiar with parts of it, but we are still so excited for our upcoming journey in 2026.
There are 19 of us from six siblings and our families at last count: Tien & Paul; Phuong; Hoang; Tan & Lieu + Kim, Steven, Lynn, Claudia (friend); Oanh & Chin; Dien & Kim; Minh & Hiep; Amy & Peter + Angeline. Fortunately, we managed to recruite Dien's brother-in-law, Bao, who lives nearby in Saigon to be our tour leader. Bao organized everything, from transportation and lodging to meals on the road. What a great job he did!
Our logistics included two transport vans and a 10 day itinerary with hotel stays in Ha Tien, Phu Quoc, Rach Gia, Can Tho, Saigon and Mui Ne.
.jpeg) |
Map of Vietnam's Mekong Delta, located in Southwestern area, also known as the "Western Region".
|
|
Cao Lanh / Dong Thap Province:
At 5:00 am, on March 10, van #1 (aka " English speaking" van) picked up everyone in Saigon. An hour later, we met up with the second van before hitting the road. It was a long first day, covering over 325km to our hotel in Ha Tien.Our first stop was the Mekong Restaurant, a popular local dining and rest stop for breakfast. The restaurant is located on the border of Long An and Tien Giang provinces in the Mekong Delta.
 |
Our first group picture.
A picturesque landscape surround the Mekong Restaurant.
|
Our main stop on the first day is Cao Lanh. This is where our mother's family comes from, and many of her relatives still live in the area.
 |
| On the way to relatives' houses. |
 |
The road to visiting our relatives
.JPG)
Our cousin, chi Hai Be's tiem tap hoa (shophouse) . |
 |
| With our relatives in Cao Lanh, the Mekong Delta on March 10, 2026. Picture taken in front of our cousin's tiem tap hoa (shophouse). |
.jpeg) |
Old picture of our first trip to Cao Lanh and the Mekong Delta in 1995.
|
 |
Having a snack at a relative's house. Tuyen (in the yellow blouse)- granddaughter of Chi Hai Be - was the youngest, pictured in the front-left middle of this 1995 photo.
Minh, Dien, Tan, Hoang, Phuong, Tien, Amy with Chi Hai Be (in middle), the oldest cousin living in Cao Lanh.
Before saying goodbye, Tan was offered some "jackfruit" for the road.
| Lunch stop at Dong Thap, famous for its rice fields. Dong Thap Province ranks among the top in Vietnam for both rice cultivation and production .
|
 | | Rice fields of Dong Thap. |
 | | Winding through the coconut groves and rice fields of Dong Thap. |
|
Chau Doc / An Giang Province :
After Cao Lanh, we headed to our next stop, Chau Doc. Although we have relatives living there, we didn't have time to visit them this trip. Pressed for time, we only made one quick stop at "Ba Chua Xu" Temple at the foot of Sam Mountain, about 10 km from the Cambodian border.
 |
Fruit stands near the temple.
|
 |
| Steps leading to the temple entrance. |
 |
Back stairs to the temple.
|
 |
| "Ba Chua Xu" Temple. |
 |
Ba Chua Xu Temple - corner view.
|
 |
| The altar and offerings. |
 |
The temple ground.
|
 |
Thoai Ngoc Hau Mausoleum, across from the temple.
|
 |
| "Thoai Ngoc Hau" Mausoleum |
 |
| Sunset drive to Ha Tien. |
It took about 2 hours to reach Ha Tien, a coastal city on the Gulf of Thailand. We arrived at our hotel quite late in the evening. Although it was a long day, we accomplished a lot. Our visit with relatives in Cao Lanh was undoubltedly the highlight.
*****
.jpeg)
.JPG)
.jpeg)
