Rach Gia
Introduction
Rạch Giá is a ward in An Giang province, and it serves as the location of the province's administrative center. It is one of the communes, wards, and special zones that make up An Giang following the 2025 reorganization.
Getting there
Rach Gia is served by long-distance buses and minibuses from several directions. Services run to and from Ha Tien and Hon Chong, each taking around two and a half hours, as well as Can Tho, Long Xuyen and Ho Chi Minh City. If you travel with FUTA bus, a shuttle to your hotel is included; ask any bus staff with your hotel details to arrange it. Coming from the Cambodian border, you can hire a moto to Ha Tien and pick up a bus to Rach Gia there. Mai Linh's green mini-buses are the faster option on that route because they do not stop to collect passengers along the way, while the marginally cheaper local bus also plies the route if the mini-buses are full. It is best to wait for the bus in one of the cafes on the road leading out of the bus station, since the bus crawls out of the station at the scheduled departure time but takes another ten to fifteen minutes to reach the main road as it tries to drum up more passengers.
Rach Gia Airport (VKG) has flights on Vietnam Airlines from Phu Quoc and Ho Chi Minh City, both under an hour. By sea, hydrofoils and fast ferries run to Phu Quoc, operated by at least three companies, leaving roughly once an hour through the day and taking two and a half to three hours. Ticket offices cluster near the port, and you can also buy from your hotel or online. Hydrofoils to Ca Mau depart from the Rach Meo ferry terminal, about two kilometres south of the town centre.
Getting around
For getting around town, motorbike taxis are the main option — they will take you from your hotel to the bus station and on similar point-to-point trips. Regular taxis are also available, though less numerous; most of them wait in front of the market, about 300 m east of the bus station. Walking works for short hops in the central area, but the town is spread out enough that you will likely combine walking with motorbike taxis or taxis for longer trips. The market area and the streets around the bus station are the most convenient on foot.
There is no rail, metro, or tram network, and no local city bus network that a visitor would use to move between hotels, markets, and attractions — the buses that exist are long-distance and regional connections, useful for arriving in or leaving town rather than for getting around within it. If you travel with FUTA bus, an included shuttle can take you to your hotel; ask any bus staff member and give them your hotel information to arrange it. On the Ha Tien route, Mai Linh's green mini-buses are faster because they do not stop to collect passengers along the way, and if they are full a marginally cheaper local bus also runs the route. A practical tip: wait for the bus at one of the cafes on the road leading out of the bus station, since the bus leaves at its scheduled time but can take 10–15 minutes to reach the main road as it tries to pick up more passengers.
Where to stay
Rạch Giá's accommodation is concentrated in the Vĩnh Lạc and Vĩnh Thanh wards, close to the waterfront and the harbour area. A handful of small guesthouses and hotels cover the basics, with air-conditioned rooms, flat-panel TVs and fridges among the typical in-room features, and several places throw in free WiFi plus a shared computer in the lobby for guests without their own device.
- Khach San Phuc Hung (Lạc Hồng, Vĩnh Lạc) — a nice place near the ocean, though rooms come with no views. Rooms are nice and brand new, with flat-panel TVs; free WiFi and a free computer in the lobby.
- Phuong Hong (Tu Do, Vĩnh Thanh) — near Phu Quoc harbour. A new building, but rooms are rather hot. Rooms are clean, with fridge and TV; free WiFi and a free computer in the lobby.
- Lang Du Inn (Nguyen Cong Tru, Vĩnh Thanh) — simple double rooms with their own bathroom.
Food & drink
Rach Gia makes eating easy: street stalls, small restaurants and cafés are spread all over town, so you are never far from a quick meal or a place to sit with a drink. Rather than seeking out a single address, wander and follow whatever looks busy. The café culture here is as much a part of daily life as the food, and you will find coffee shops scattered through the streets alongside the stalls and eateries. Keep your expectations simple and local — this is a town for grazing your way through the day rather than for destination dining.What to see and do
In Rach Gia, you can pay your respects at the Nguyễn Trung Trực temple, the final resting place of the fisherman who fought French colonial forces in the Mekong Delta in the 1860s. Other sites worth seeking out include the Tam Quan Gate, Tam Bao Pagoda, and Phat Lon Pagoda, a Khmer pagoda. The Kien Giang Museum is also in the city if you want to learn more about the area.Three days in Rach Gia
Day one: Arrive at Rach Gia Airport (VKG), served by Vietnam Airlines, or come in by road with FUTA or Mai Linh from Can Tho, Long Xuyen, Ha Tien, Ca Mau or Ho Chi Minh City. Settle into the Vĩnh Thanh or Vĩnh Lạc area, where guesthouses such as Khach San Phuc Hung, Phuong Hong, Lac Hong and Tu Do offer rooms with TVs and WiFi. Spend the afternoon walking the waterfront and the streets around Rach Meo, then eat at one of the local places along Phuong Hong or Tu Do.
Day two: Take a hydrofoil to Phu Quoc, or head to Hon Chong or Ha Tien for the day. Back in Rach Gia, walk through Vĩnh Lạc and Vĩnh Thanh in the evening, when the streets fill with food stalls and coffee shops. Services such as FUTA and Mai Linh can arrange onward tickets if you plan to continue to Can Tho, Long Xuyen, Ca Mau or Ho Chi Minh City the next day.
Day three: Use the morning for the market and the lanes around Rach Meo, then visit the temples and old houses of Vĩnh Thanh. Have a last meal of local seafood before catching a flight from Rach Gia Airport or a bus onward. If you are heading to Phu Quoc, the hydrofoils leave from the Rach Gia pier; if you are continuing overland, FUTA and Mai Linh run regular services to An Giang, Can Tho and beyond.