Getting to know Ca Mau
Mainland Vietnam runs out of land at Mui Ca Mau, more than 100 kilometres south of Ca Mau city and reachable by road or by high-speed river boat. Three markers cluster at the point: GPS0001, the national coordinate marker; a 21-metre observation tower built in the shape of a ship’s bow; and Km2436, the southern end of the Ho Chi Minh Road that begins far to the north. Mangrove forest, mostly đước and mắm, grows outward from the shoreline here rather than retreating, one of the few stretches of Vietnamese coast where the land is still gaining ground on the sea.
Inland, U Minh Ha National Park protects a different kind of forest: melaleuca growing over peat soil, reached mostly by motorboat through narrow channels between the trees. Bird colonies nest here in real numbers, and gac keo ong, the traditional practice of hanging wooden frames in the forest for wild bees to build hives on, is still worked by local families and shown to some visitors on the water.
Since the 1 July 2025 merger, Bac Lieu is now part of Ca Mau province, which brings the Cong Tu Bac Lieu mansion, a monument to a famously extravagant early-twentieth-century landowner, along with a strong don ca tai tu music tradition and rows of coastal wind turbines, into the same province as Mui Ca Mau and U Minh Ha.
Things to see and do
GPS0001, the national coordinate marker
The official marker recording Vietnam’s southernmost mainland coordinate, and the single most photographed point at Mui Ca Mau.
The ship-shaped observation tower
A 21-metre tower built in the outline of a ship’s bow, with a viewing platform over the mangroves and the open sea beyond.
Km2436, end of the Ho Chi Minh Road
The southern terminus of the road that begins far to the north near Hanoi, marked at the point where it meets the coast.
Mangrove forest at the coastline
Stands of đước and mắm mangrove actively extending the coastline outward, one of the few places in Vietnam where new land is forming rather than eroding.
U Minh Ha melaleuca forest
A national park of melaleuca trees growing over peat soil, explored mostly by motorboat along narrow forest channels.
Bird colonies
Seasonal bird colonies nest within the park in large numbers, best seen with a local guide who knows where they are gathering.
Gac keo ong, wild honey harvesting
A traditional practice of hanging wooden frames in the forest canopy for wild bees to build hives on, still worked by local families around U Minh Ha.
Cong Tu Bac Lieu mansion
The early-twentieth-century house of a landowner known locally for extravagant spending, part of Ca Mau province since the 2025 merger, along with Bac Lieu’s don ca tai tu tradition.
Bac Lieu’s coastline is also lined with wind turbines, a newer landmark that has become part of the drive out toward Mui Ca Mau for anyone approaching from that direction.
Good to know
| What | Detail |
|---|---|
| Distance to Mui Ca Mau | Over 100 km from Ca Mau city, by road or high-speed river boat |
| New province (since 1 July 2025) | Bac Lieu is now part of Ca Mau province |
| Getting there by road | The Can Tho-Ca Mau expressway reached technical completion on 19 December 2025, with full commercial operation pushed to January 2026; confirm current conditions before you travel |
| Saltwater intrusion | Ca Mau sits at the end of the river system and sees the region’s heaviest intrusion, peaking late March to April |
| Currency | Vietnamese Dong (VND) |
Trips that include Ca Mau
Ca Mau works best added onto a longer delta trip rather than visited alone. Tell us your travel dates and how many people are travelling, and we will send back a day-by-day plan with hotel options.