Planes are an option too, but only when someone wants to travel to a different region in Vietnam or to a different country. There is also no airport in Soc Trang, so taking a bus is a common and cheaper way to get to places that are not nearby. In Soc Trang, there are local buses that people can take to get to other parts of the province or to the center of provinces that border Soc Trang like Can Tho (a city to the north) and Bac Lieu (a province to the south). For people who do not use motorbikes or bicycles or for people who would rather not drive, these buses are convenient. When someone wants to travel or deliver something a long distance, they can travel by coach bus. These buses are larger than the local buses and can seat more people. Traveling by coach bus is arguably more comfortable because the buses are air conditioned and because many of the coach buses in Vietnam are "sleepers," or buses that have bed-like seats so that people can lie down during the ride. The most popular coach bus company in Vietnam is called Phương Trang. You can spot a Phương Trang bus easily because they are really big and bright orange. You can sometimes hear people say something like, "mình sẽ đi bằng Phương Trang" ("We'll go by Phuong Trang") to mean that they will travel on one of these buses.
Besides getting around on land, a lot of people in Soc Trang get around on water too. For fishermen who live and work near a river or other water that is inland, long and skinny wooden motorboats are common. People also often use these boats in tourism to show travelers around places that are difficult to get to without a boat. Fishers who mainly catch fish from the sea use larger and taller boats.
