Referring to Tra Vinh, people think of the land of ancient Khmer temples and historical sites bearing many legends and legends, associated with the journey to explore and build the South. The thousand-year-old Ba Om pond relic is one of the prides of the people here.
By Thomas Vietnam at vemekong.com | Official Tra Vinh Visitor Guide
1. Better to Know as a Tourist
Ticket: Free
Spend-time: One hour (approx)
Hours: Dawn – Dusk
Food: Yes
Shop: Yes
Parking lot: Yes
Blog: https://vemekong.com/ba-om-pond-tra-vinh/
Address: Located in Ward 8, Tra Vinh city.
Added values: Coming here, you can not only admire the poetic beauty of nature but also feel more clearly the unique cultural values of Tra Vinh land through the story with bold Khmer colors in the South.
Nearby attractions and hidden gems: Looking for places to stop on your way to and from Ba Om Pond? Or maybe you found it too crowded here? We’ve got some ideas! Check out our list: Vam Ray Pagoda (39 km), Truc Lam Zen Monastery Tra Vinh (56 km), Con Chim Islet (18 km), Tra Vinh Market (12 minutes), Ba Dong Beach (58 km)…
2. Travel Guide to Ba Om Pond
Ba Om Pond, or Square Pond, is located next to National Highway 53, inward 8, Tra Vinh city (formerly Ta Cu hamlet, Nguyet Hoa commune, Chau Thanh district), about 5 km West of Tra Vinh city center.
According to the legend of the past, in the land of Tra Vinh every year during the drought season, fresh water is scarce, the fields are arid, the trees are dead, and the people in the area because of the drought fall into misery. To save the people from poverty, a prince in the area gathered his relatives to dig a pond to find a source of water.
Incidentally, in the area at that time, there was also a difficult dispute about men and women, who should marry whom, and who should bear all the costs of the wedding ceremony? On this occasion, the prince divided into two sides, a man and a woman, and held a contest to dig a pond. The side that digs deeper, bigger, and finishes first wins, the losing side will have to get married.
The male side dug a round pond in the west and the female side dug a square pond in the east. The female side, led by Mrs. Om, a Khmer woman, saw that she could not stand the strength of a man, so the female side used a “plot”: They sang and danced at the same time so that the boys would quit their jobs and run to watch. At midnight, Mrs. Om cut a very long bamboo tree, hung the lantern, and put it in the East. According to the appointment, when the morning star rose, they had to stop working, when the south saw the lamp thinking it was the morning star, they invited each other to rest. Meanwhile, the female side dug until morning and finished the work first. The male side is lost in the “admiration and obedience”. In gratitude to the wise woman, people named the pond after her name, since then the pond women drug is called Ba Om pond. And the tradition of men marrying women, children must take the mother’s last name in the Khmer ethnic group also started here. It was not until later when the French ruled our country that the son took his father’s surname.
Also explaining the name of Ba Om pond, there is another story: Once upon a time, there was a very cruel prince who took over the land of Tra Vinh, forcing the people to give him beautiful girls, anyone who disobeyed would be punished. This prince forced women to bring gifts to men. One day, a beautiful girl came to the prince to protest against this unreasonable custom. Attracted by the beauty of the girl, the prince wanted to please the beauty, and at the same time wanted to abolish his custom by opening a pond digging contest. Then everything happened as described above.
According to historians and folklore researchers, there are about 10 versions to explain the place name of Ba Om pond, including all genres of folk tales such as fairy tales, folk tales, legends, and stories. It can be said that this is the most hypothetical case of place names in the Mekong Delta. In terms of content, most of the stories revolve around 3 main topics: Explaining the name of Ao Ba Om, explaining why men marry women and why Khmer people have the custom to follow their mother’s last name? The stories are all products of the imagination imbued with cultural imprints of the Khmer people in the South.
Next to the pond is Ang Pagoda, one of the oldest Khmer temples in Tra Vinh built-in 990, and the Museum of Khmer Culture is also located here.
Ba Om Pond was recognized as a national historical and cultural relic by the Ministry of Culture and Information in 1994. Along with the cultural museum and Ang pagoda, this set of 3 scenic complexes is one of the must-see spots when visiting Tra Vinh. If you are wondering about finding a destination for your upcoming vacation, then Tra Vinh with Ba Om Pond is an ideal destination for travelers.
3. What to Do – See – Eat at Ba Om Pond
The first impression when visiting Ba Om pond is the feeling of coolness in front of the blue sky and water. The pond has a rectangular shape, 300m wide, and 500m long (because it is close to the square, so it is also called Square Pond) visitors will be surprised because the pond is so big, it should be called a lake.
Surrounded on the banks of the pond are ancient forests, most of which are hopea trees (cây sao), hundreds of years old dipterocarpus alatus ( cây dầu rái) trees, with rough roots that rise to one meter from the ground into strange shapes in four seasons, creating a dark atmosphere. peaceful, quiet time.
There are roots so large that they can form a unique cave, and children can enter and play. Another set of tree roots becomes a seat for guests to rest. The natives explained that the massive roots, entwining each other and lying high above the ground like today are due to the land around the pond sinking low, the roots exposed and growing over time. The huge size and strange shape of the tree roots in Ba Om pond make many people think of a fairy forest.
If the season is right, the pond is also adorned with romantic pink lotuses and water lilies. When the afternoon sun falls on the rows of tall, dark, long trees, Ao Ba Om is the most ideal place to hang out in Tra Vinh city. On both sides of the main road leading to Ao Ba Om is a bustling and crowded culinary “flea market”. Visitors can take a walk to admire the scenery and when feeling “heartbroken”, stop at a street vendor, or a compact restaurant to enjoy famous dishes of Tra Vinh such as shaved ice, vermicelli soup, cake soup, curry vermicelli, jaggery cake… which is very cheap.
On the annual holidays and New Year of the Khmer people, Ba Om pond becomes the place of bustling community activities of the whole region, especially during the Ok Om Bok Festival held on the full moon of the 10th month of the lunar calendar, attracting thousands of visitors. People from all over come here to attend. Together they danced, watched, and sang … tightened the solidarity and harmony of ethnic brothers in the Mekong River region. And when night falls, the Ao Ba Om area shimmers, fanciful, bustling with the Wind Lantern Festival, there are many kinds of lanterns of all sizes that are released into the sky carrying prayers, wishing heaven, and earth to deliver peace, good crops, peaceful and good health.
4. Free Itineraries from VeMekong
As a local travel expert, we have some ideas for you to think about.
From Tra Vinh center:
Route 1:
Route 2:
Route 3:
If you do not have much time left, it is easy to check out spots in one full day by boat or with bike or with motorbike and car. But there are much more than tourist sites like these in Tra Vinh. Make sure you have more time to feel and explore more about the hidden gems and the culture, food, night life, wildlife and forest as well. Top tip: Stay in a homestay nearby, so you have more chances to visit it and surroundings. If you are looking for the package Tra Vinh daily tour with local, you can contact www.vemekong.com or Hotline/WhatsApp/WeChat/Zalo +84939888559; email: hello@vemekong.com
5. Google Maps of Ba Om Pond
Google Maps made a name for itself helping people travel from one place to another, avoid traffic (You probably know the route from your hotel to the gas station by heart, but what you can’t be sure about is gridlock), measure a distance, get back to the hotel on time, share the location…
6. Visit Ba Om Pond by yourself
Solo traveller? Travelling on your own means you will get out of any difficult situations by yourself. This, in turn, leads to more satisfying travel experiences and helps you improve your problem-solving skills. These days we rarely get the chance to sit with ourselves and simply be. That’s why you should consider the time you spend alone on your trip as a gift.
It is possible for solo travellers to use google maps and do it alone. But sometimes they need to update local maintained roads and bridges which close and lead you a longer road than the road from google maps. It is just about the time. It takes more time to find the correct garden to come. Adventure is always fun. Wifi is strong in Tra Vinh village! The locals find it hard to speak English as well. Top tip: Sticking to one canal and keeping going along it which gives you more things to see and avoids getting lost. Contact vemekong.com to hire a car, scooter with English-speaking-guide or cycling tours in Tra Vinh.
7. Responsible Travel and Advice to Visit Ba Om Pond
Don’t get us wrong. But we assure you that you totally agree with us. “Do not give candy and things to the children when you plan to visit any local villages”, the kids will leave the school and follow the sweets and later they find some things to give you or sell to you. The garden is a little forest, don’t pick and touch the flowers or fruits without the local’s smiles. We deal with traveling green and leaving green behind, not plastic. Top tip: Vemekong.com are some of the companies that care a lot about responsible travel and local respectation.
8. Amazing Video flycam/drone of Ba Om Pond (4k)
If a picture says a thousand words, it stands to reason that the video says many times more.
9. Incredible Tips for Photography, Specialists, KOLs, Media and Influencers
To get the best of the best for your unique writing, featuring, photo, video and insider’s stories. We do recommend you to have a local travel expert, the one who always gets more ground information and makes sure every single element is solved perfectly. Vemekong (very exclusive Mekong) team is your priority choice. Email and have a private talk with them to customize your journey smoothly, personal and the most ultimately amazing. You can contact www.vemekong.com or Hotline/WhatsApp/WeChat/Zalo +84939888559; email: hello@vemekong.com
10. Pro Tips
Tra Vinh Khmer pagodas are solemn places, so you should choose beautiful clothes that are still polite and discreet. In the temple grounds, there are many animal statues such as elephants, snakes, etc. If you go with the children, please remind them not to climb because these are sacred symbols of the Khmer people.
The monks don’t ask for money, although donations won’t hurt.
If you plan to extend your tour to Tra Vinh homestay, do not forget to bring mosquito repellent cream.
Visit Tra Vinh or do any customized tours, please choose reputable providers with boat trips equipped with lifebuoys, jackets, motorcycle and cycling tours with the helmets. Safety is a priority! Choose Tra Vinh responsible tours which help you give back while traveling. It’s a cliché, but it’s true.
Tra Vinh food & drink guide ranges from street food, authentic, fancy to fusion foods. As a tropical land of many fresh vegetables and homegrown gardens, which always make Tra Vinh cuisines fresh, close to nature and very traditional. If you are a food lover, don’t hesitate to put other bites onto your food lists such as Cong Cake, Tra Cuon’s Sticky Rice Cake, Bun Nuoc Leo Tra Vinh’s Noodle Soup, Macapuno Coconut…
Bring your hat, sunglasses, and sunblock, scarf to wear when visiting temples, pagodas, and the cathedral.
Bring the raincoat if you’re planning a trip to Tra Vinh in the rainy season, as Tra Vinh always looks fantastic in the full rain and full sun.
Tra Vinh tourist attractions are magnificent itself, but if you have enough time, don’t forget to put other places onto your bucket lists such as Hang Pagoda, Nôdol Pagoda (Stork temple), Khmer minority people’s museum, Ba Dong Beach, Ba Om Pond, Ang Pagoda, Vam Ray Pagoda, Truc Lam Zen Monastery Tra Vinh, Cau Ke Ancient House or Huynh Ky Old House, Kampong Ksan pagoda, Con Chim islet – community-based tourism…
Hopefully, the above tips will help you to come up with a great plan for your adventure in Tra Vinh, Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Have a safe trip!
“Sleep less, travel more, respect more” – Thomas Vietnam – Local travel expert.
Thank you
