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Mekong Eco Tour- Tan Lap Floating Village

Tan Lap Floating Village

Tan Lap Floating Village has been planned into the eco-tourism site with the core zone of more than 135ha and the buffer zone of 500ha, including 5km-long path through cajuput forest, 10-floor observation tower with the height of 38m, and many other functional areas such as environmental education, natural reserve, wild animal migration, floating houses on stilts, park, pier… Of which, the path through cajuput forest and observation tower have been put into operation and are considered as the highlights of the eco-tourism site.

Because the region is located near the border with Cambodia, it was previously under the strict control of border guards. Over time, the place has been renovated into an ecotourism zone with the distinctive name “Tan Lap floating village”. Visiting Tan Lap, guests can relax by fishing, boating past lotus and water lilies, picking wild vegetables to eat with grilled fish, watching birds and visiting the local farm to see how they grow pineapples.

Visitors are guided to explore the forests flooded in alluvial water, which gives it a reddish tint. They enter the vast cajeput forests and ride power-boats to admire the tremendous lotus lagoons. On the waterways that curve like silk bands, the visitors’ boats weave between cajeput trees that are hundreds of years old and emit subtle scents from white petals.

Since the cajeput forest is submerged year-round, a concrete road has been built over the water, which passes through the lush mangrove forests. Cajeput trees are protected and have been planted in the last 10 years, creating a vast green space in the region.

In the flooding season, the surrounding fields are underwater. If you stand high above to look down, Tan Lap floating village resembles a floating raft or a green island over the water. But that is not how the “floating village” got its name. As explained by the locals, residents are accustomed to “living with floods”, and they have built houses on the high wooden poles.

When the province developed the eco-tourism area, they rebuilt these floating homes to serve tourists. Visitors can bring tents to stay in the tourism area, or stay in guest houses and hotels in Kien Tuong town, about 5km from the place.