Ben Tre

Ben Tre occupies three large islands between branches of the Mekong and is the coconut province - around eighty thousand hectares of it, with the whole local economy built on the crop: candy made from the milk, oil, charcoal, coir matting, and boats moving copra along the channels. The standard visit is a boat into the small canals under water coconut palms, rowed rather than motored on the narrowest stretches. The problem the province now has is salinity: dry season saltwater intrusion from the sea has been reaching further up the branches, damaging orchards and coconut, and it is the delta's defining long-term issue.

What you actually see

• Coconut across the province - and every product made from it.
• Rowed boats in narrow canals - under water coconut palms.
• Candy and coir workshops - the crop processed locally.
• Saltwater reaching inland - the delta's central problem.

When to go

November to April, the dry season - which is also when the salinity is worst. Two days.

Honest expectations

The boat and workshop circuit is heavily packaged and the stops are sales-driven. The narrow canal sections are short. It is hot and humid year round. The salinity problem is serious and is affecting the farms visitors pass.

Nearby

My Tho is north over the bridge; Tra Vinh is south-east.