| Châu Đốc | |
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| Location in An Giang Province | |
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Châu Đốc
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Vietnam |
| Province | An Giang Province |
| Area | |
| • Total | 38.6 sq mi (100 km2) |
| Population (2003) | |
| • Total | 112,155 |
Châu Đốc is a district and town in An Giang Province, bordering Cambodia, in the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam. As of 2003 the district had a population of 112,155.[1] The district covers an area of 100 km².[1]
The town is located by the Hâu River (a branch of the Mekong River flowing through Vietnamese territory) and Vinh Te canal. Châu Đốc is situated 250 km west of Hồ Chí Minh City. It takes about six hours to travel by bus from Hồ Chí Minh City.
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The site of Châu Đốc was long in history a territory of the Kingdom of Funan (Vietnamese: Vương quốc Phù Nam). The territory became Vietnam’s about 300 years ago. The town is near the picturesque mount of Sam where the Sam Mountain Lady (Vietnamese: Bà Chúa Xứ Núi Sam) is worshipped. The Sam Mount Lady Ceremony is held every April of lunar calendar (May) every year.
"Mort Chrouk"(Khmer:មាត់ជ្រូក) was the Cambodian name Vietnamized in Chau Doc.
In 1957 the town was the site of the Chau Doc massacre.[2]
Vietnamese, Champa and Khmer live together in harmony. The three main religions in this region are Mahayana Buddhism (Kinh/Vietnamese, Hoa/Chinese); Theravada Buddhism (Khmer/Cambodian), and Sunni Islam (Cham). The total population is around 120,000 [1] with a vast majority of Kinh (Viet) and some Khmer Krom.
Châu Đốc is famous for its variety of fish sauces (nước mắm) and mainly "mắm tai", a kind of anchovy. The local economy is based on culture of basa catfish export and on tourism. The town is a busy trading center due to its border position with Cambodia.
The Phuoc Dien Temple is located in Chau Doc. It is an official historic monument of Vietnam. The Victoria Hotel is the only notable hotel in the area. There are other hotels that are situated near Nui Sam. There are a couple of new hotels on the road to Sam mountain. A worthwhile option to consider is a night (or two) on one of the floating hotels (there are 2, one reachable via footbridge, the other via boat).
Sam Mountain is a famous mountain in Chau Doc, about 7km from the city. Its summit is about 1000 meters above sea level.