Vĩnh Long is the capital of the Vinh Long province in the Mekong Delta

Mekong Delta

The Mekong Delta is the region in southwestern Vietnam where the Mekong River approaches and empties into the sea through a network of distributaries. The Mekong delta region encompasses a large portion of southwestern Vietnam of . The size of the area covered by water depends on the season.The...

 of Vietnam. The name was spelled 永隆 ("eternal prosperity") in the former Hán Tự writing system.

Vinh Long is on the Co Chien river, which branches out from the Mekong River at the narrows of My Thuan about 10 kilometers upstream, only to meet it later downstream. Across the Co Chien River from Vinh Long are the An Binh and Binh Hoa Phuoc islands, some 15 kilometers across, with the Mekong River on the other side. A number of canals run through Vinh Long, with tall vehicular bridges crossing them. Transport by boat is also possible, although parts of the town, particularly An Binh, become unreachable at low tide. A temple of literature is at the end of an old wet market along the canal Lavoo Nu.

Vinh Long is about two hours from the large city of Can Tho in the adjacent
Hau Giang Province

Hau Giang Province

Hậu Giang became Can Tho province during/after 1975. Can Tho was the capital of Can Tho province. It is located in the Mekong Delta of southern Vietnam. In late 2004, Can Tho and some surrounding cities became Can Tho Municipality . The remainder of Cần Thơ province became Hậu Giang province .Vi...

, and about three hours from Saigon. The
floating market town of Cai Be

Cai Be

Cái Bè is a river-land mixed town in Vietnam. It is a rural district of Tien Giang province in the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam. Along the river, there are docks that handle passengers and goods, and the floating market...

is on the other side of the An Binh
island and is the frequent destination for tourist boats from Vinh Long.