What more could make you forget the busy, perhaps crazy, life in the city than breaking free for a while and head to a haven that will allow you to encounter nature as it is - - - the countryside. A destination like no other, coming to An Giang province in the Mekong Delta will probably be among the best holiday moments one can ever experience.

As taking a break is all about taking things slow, stopping by to smell nature and appreciate the most neglected things in life, these are the very things this part of Vietnam has plenty to offer. Here, you can forget for a while all the modern-day comforts and discover that life can go on without them. Wake up to the rooster’s crowing instead of an alarm clock. Walk along unpaved, earthen pathways shaded by trees instead of driving around in the city highways. And to make the most of it, work in the fields along with locals, go fishing, or learn cooking a few dishes the traditional way. Forget about microwaves and instant meals. Here, you have to do things like how things are used to be done. Well, if you are pampered with the fast easy life, you may be taken aback by the thought of doing things without the shortcut. But it is not until you give it a shot when you would realize how much of the simplest things in life you have missed.

This tiny, quiet place 250 kilometers southwest of ${bigcity_Ho_Chi_Minh_City:”Ho Chi Minh City”} has recently become a popular destination for the many holiday-seekers. Or perhaps let us say the extra attention started pouring in beginning in September 2006 when the Vietnam Farmers’ Association opened a special tour in the province’s My Hoa Hung Commune offering more than the usual home-stay visit. But the effort to make the province more attractive to visitors is coming from all sides. Local families taking part in the farm tour project have all been assigned to take courses in advanced cultivation and foreign languages so they can receive tourists.

Its floating fish farms on the Hau River offers one the opportunity to learn the intricacies of breeding fish in a safe and hygienic way. Visitors are also given the chance to tend plants and livestock by themselves. But among the highlights of any visit to An Giang province and doing home-stays are the special dishes served by the locals. For starters, the traditional banh canh (southern noodle soup), lap xuong (Chinese sausage), and mam (fermented fish sauce) are commonly served to foreigners.

A locality in An Giang, My Hoa Hung will also amaze visitors with the places of historical interest it have cradles for a long time. It hosts the house of Ton Duc Thang, known also as Bac (Uncle) Ton, successor to former president Ho Chi Minh. The house was built in 1887 and recognized as a national heritage site in 1984. Next to the house is a memorial dedicated to Vietnam’s second president, which is a veritable museum that opened in August, 1998, on the 110thbirthday of Uncle Ton. Covering 160 square meters, the area houses many items attached to his life and work. Looks like a little history can also be learned here.

The Van Giao Commune in the Tinh Bien Area also offers an added-value attraction to the farm tour project in An Giang, offering visitors the chance to experience and be part of the ethnic Khmer community. And if tourists come at the right time, they can even take part in Khmer traditional wedding ceremonies and festivals and see first-hand their unique practices. Apart from the Khmer shops weaving brocade on the premises, a workshop founded in 1867 producing the renowned My A silk, a special fabric that was once exclusively used by only the wealthy, are also among the most-visited places in this commune.

A short trip to a town in the same province, Chau Doc, will be an equally fascinating experience. The place has several pagodas, temples, tombs and markets which present themselves in amazing architectural styles. This is another venue one shouldn’t miss as well. These, and many other surprises await any visitor in An Giang province - - - a truly great opportunity to play in the fresh air of traditional villages and meet people with a completely different lifestyle. Sure feels good to experience something different once in a while.