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My Tho, the quiet capital city of Tien Giang province, is the. closest city in tile Mekong Delta to HCMC, and visitors on whirlwind 10-day Vietnam tours come here tot day trips to catch a glimpse of the famous river.In order to visit floating markets, however, you'll need to continue on to Can Tho.
Being located so close to booming HCMC, one would expect My Tho to have profited handsomely from the country's economic reforms. Sadly, this is not the case - My Tho is one of the poorest cities in the Mekong Delta, though it is said tc have the richest government and one of the strictest police forces.
My Tho was founded in the 1680s by Chinese refugees fleeing Taiwan for political reasons. The Chinese have virtually all gone, now, having been driven out in the late 1970s when their property was seized by the government. The economy - or what's left of it - is based on tourism, fishing and the cultivation of rice, coconuts, bananas, mangoes, longans and citrus fruit.
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