Sa Dec is a sprawling port city in the Mekong Delta in southern Vietnam. The city is more focused on business and agriculture than tourism, but that gives visitors a chance to see an authentic Vietnamese town.
Sa Dec has a population of roughly 200,000, and a significant number of residents are Chinese, whose ancestors immigrated there hundreds of years ago.
Marguerite Duras, a famous French novelist, spent part of her childhood in Sa Dec, while her mother taught at a primary school. The town is the setting for her autobiographical novel, The Lover. Fans of the book/film can overnight in the house and explore the festive market selling everything from live ducks and turtles to cabbage, flowers and conical hats.
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