Chau Doc is home to a couple of easily reached Cham villages which make for an interesting excursion for a few hours, both to enjoy a slightly more rural setting, and to observe a Muslim way of life in the Mekong Delta.
Passing Cham villages, the most profound impression on us is the ancient architecture of Masjid Cathedral and the old wooden stilt houses. The old houses show us about the prosperity of their owners which are built in the architecture style regulated by their ancestors.
Cathedrals are the places for parishioners including youngster above 15 and men come to practise rituals and listen about the way of leading a good life. At present, there are around 2500 households with above 13000 Cham people living in 9 villages of An Phu, Tan Chau, Tan Phu, Chau Phu and Chau Thanh districts, An Giang province.
The Cham in An Giang follows the environmentally friendly living style, based on fishing, brocade weaving and small business. At present, a group of people here know how to do tourism business and provide tourist services.
Religious life
The Cham in An Giang does not build temples as their ancestors did in the Central region but build a cathedral for ritual practice. They follow Muslim, so all of their religious activities related to cathedrals.
All the cathedrals have the symbols of the sun and the crescent moon. The doors and roof are in arch shape with the major colour of white. Each village has its own cathedral. The large village has a big cathedral and some smaller ones for the locals come there conveniently. The size of the cathedral is various from village to village, but they all have some features in common.
One of the most famous cathedrals with the unique architecture of An Giang Cham Village is Mubarak in Chau Giang, Phu Hiep commune. This cathedral’s architecture is similar to those in cathedrals in Islamic states with arch roofs, 4 towers at 4 corners. Standing on the shore of Chau Doc River or floating on Chau Giang Ferry, you can see this cathedral which has been recognized as an architectural relic. Besides, there are many other cathedrals built by the Cham on two sides of the road leading to Tan Chau and An Phu.
Among the 9 Cham villages in An Giang, Chau Phong is the largest village with more than 500 households and above 2500 residents divided into 7 small groups. Each group has its own small cathedral where the locals come to practise every day.
On Friday only, all the people must come to the large cathedral (Chau Phong) at 12:00 o’clock to pray. Women, on the other hand, pray at home.
Related tour
HCM – Sa Dec – Chau Doc – Ha Tien – Ca Mau – Soc Trang – Can Tho (6D5N)
