Châu Đốc

Châu Đốc is a city in An Giang Province, bordering Cambodia, in the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam. As of 2013, the city had a population of 157,298, and cover an area of 105.29 square kilometres (40.65 sq mi).

The city 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 kilometres (160 mi) west of Ho Chi Minh City. It takes about six hours to travel by bus from Hồ Chí Minh City.

History

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 around the 17th century. 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 Châu Đốc massacre.

Population

Vietnamese, [[Cham[]] and Khmer live together in harmony. The three main religions in this region are Mahayana Buddhism (Kinh/Vietnamese); Theravada Buddhism (Khmer), and Sunni Islam (Chams). The total population is around 120,000 with a vast majority of Kinh (Viet).