Ben Tre

For Vietnamese, Ben Tre is famous for its coconut candy. For baby boomer western tourists, Ben Tre is the city that US troops  "destroyed" to "save" in fierce conflict in 1968. Happily, coconuts abound in modern day Ben Tre and there are few signs of the terrible battles that wrought such misery here four decades ago. Ben Tre is a great place for a short one night foray into the Mekong Delta, or a good starting point for an extended expedition to include other places like Tra Vinh, Vinh Long and Can Tho.