In 1815, King Gia Long (formerly Nguyen Anh) of the Nguyen Dynasty ordered the construction of Chau Doc Fort on the western bank of Chau Doc river. A Chinese mandarin named Diep Hoi was assigned as head of Chau Doc and he went about trying to tempt farmers and artisans to settle and work on these wild, wet lands. To encourage settlers the King’s government would grant loans for immigrants to reclaim land or set up businesses.

Three years after Chau Doc Fort was built, Gia Long launched another scheme to stimulate economic development of the Mekong Delta as well as reinforce his defenses against Siam troops, should they attack. Nguyen Van Thoai (also known as Thoai Ngoc Hau) supervised the construction of Thoai Ha and Vinh Te canals which cleared the waterways between Chau Doc and Rach Gia and Ha Tien ports.

The project took six years. The Vinh Te canal alone required a labour force of 80,000 hard working Vietnamese and Khmer men. When completed it was 91km long, 25m wide and 3m deep. The two canals proved to be the great visions of the Nguyen Dynasty as they still serve trading throughout the region.

As the head of Chau Doc Fort from 1816 to 1829, Thoai Ngoc Hau also oversaw the development of a number of civil building projects and roads in the area. Chau Phu Temple was built in honour of Nguyen Huu Canh, considered to be the father of the land reclamation efforts and Chau Doc itself.

With the establishment of canals and roads, Chau Doc also attracted more and more settlers. In his book History of Reclaiming the Southern Lands, Son Nam, it says whoever wanted to reclaim a piece of land and settle there could easily obtain ownership by writing a letter to Thoai Ngoc Hau and simply asking for his approval. This is why Thoai Ngoc Hau is also respected as the second founding father of Chau Doc.

How to get there Leaving from Mien Tay bus station, Ho Chi Minh City, the Mai Linh Express Bus takes seven hours to Chau Doc. Tickets VND105,000. Call 08 3929 2929 for schedule.

There are also boats running every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from Bach Dang Wharf which take six hours to Chau Doc. Tickets VND250,000. Call 08 3821 4027 for more info.

VNN/Time-out