Sa Dec Cruise Port

Sa Đéc is a former provincial city in Đồng Tháp province in southern Vietnam’s Mekong Delta. Located on the Mekong River, it is a river port and an agricultural and industrial trading centre, as well as a stop for river cruises travelling between Ho Chi Minh City and destinations farther upstream towards Cambodia. The city had a population of approximately 202,046 as of January 2018.

For cruisers, Sa Đéc offers a look at everyday life along the Mekong. The waterfront is busy with sampans, trading boats and local commerce, while narrow streets lead past colonial era buildings, small temples and pagodas. Market stalls sell fresh produce, ceramics and flowers, with the region particularly known for its flowers. The town has a low rise character that gives visitors a very different view of southern Vietnam from the larger cities.

Sa Đéc also has a literary connection through the French writer Marguerite Duras, who lived in the town between 1928 and 1932. Her mother ran a school at the corner of Hùng Vương and Hồ Xuân Hương streets, where a school still stands today. During her time in Sa Đéc, Duras met Huỳnh Thủy Lê, the son of a wealthy Chinese family, and their relationship later provided the basis for her 1984 Prix Goncourt winning novel, The Lover. His former home at 255A Nguyễn Huệ Street has been open to the public since 2007, with guided visits available in French, English and Vietnamese.

The Mekong Delta has a tropical and humid climate, with heavy rainfall during the wettest months and a dry season from November to April. The river rises and falls with the seasons, an annual rhythm that has shaped life in the delta for generations. For river cruisers, Sa Đéc provides an opportunity to explore the riverside communities, markets and history of this important stretch of the Mekong.