Vietnam: Mekong Delta

My day at the Mekong Delta was, by far, my favorite part of the whole trip to Vietnam.

You can't really tell from this picture but the street was flooded, all the scooters just drove through the deep water like it was nothing.

 It all started with a three-hour bus ride. The tour guide kept us entertained for a while, telling us about some fun facts. Like, did you know Vietnam is one of the most populated countries in the world? The government has set up a plan for population control. All government workers can have no more than two children, or they will not get any promotions or benefits for the rest of their lives. Pretty intense.

         After explaining the plan for the day, I realized there weren’t any empty seats for the tour guide. Not to worry, he pulled a beach chair from the overhead compartment and opened it up, right in the aisle by the door! I only hoped we didn’t make a sharp turn or he’d go flying right out!

         

We made a quick rest stop on the way. It was basically just a big covered area with a bunch of small tables, hammocks, and a little stand selling drinks and snacks.

         Then we were back on our way. We arrived at the first stop and moved from the bus to the boat, getting our first glimpse of the Mekong Delta (or as the Vietnamese call it, The Nine Dragon River Delta).

A local shuttle from one of the islands

         It was amazing to see how the people live off the delta, living in small shacks right on the water, making their living catching fish or making boats.

Doing the laundry

         Unfortunately we were too late to see the famous Floating Market but there were still a few boats left over. The big boats display whatever they are selling on the top of the boat and then customers come by on their own small, traditional boat to buy from the vendors. A lot of what is being sold is wholesale, so many restaurants shop here. The floating market here is very much for the use of the people of the community and would still be in operation even if there were no tourists, unlike the Floating Market in Thailand which is all for the tourists (at least that’s what the tour guide said).

         Our first stop on the boat was a “factory” where we got to watch (and sample) a bunch of specialties of the area. First, was the rice wine.

         Then, we saw some popped rice being made. They showed us step by step how it’s made, and then we got to try some delicious, still warm, popped rice.

         The last thing we saw being made was the coconut candy.

       

         We got back on the boat and drove around the Delta for a while before heading to the smaller canals where we had our lunch. 

After the boat docked we walked a little through the forest to a restaurant in the middle of the woods. 

Our tour included lunch, chicken and rice, but we could pay a little extra (came out to like $4) to get fresh Elephant Fist caught from the Delta that day. I went for it, when else am I going to get a chance to try it?

         It was delicious, made into spring rolls.

         After lunch we went on the traditional boats and were rowed down the small canals. We were split up into small groups and even got to wear the awesome hats! And let me tell you, those hats do wonders against the hot sun!

         If you’re lucky enough when you go traveling you get on of the Oh My God moments where you just can’t believe you’re there, actually doing what you’re doing. This was my oh my god moment of Vietnam. It was so peaceful and serene. It felt like a dream.

         The boat ride was about a half an hour and then we got back on our original, bigger boat. Everyone on the tour was in their own little zone, all of us in awe of what we just experienced.  

         We began our long journey back to HCMC, the tour guide again, pulling the beach chair down as we took off. There was so much traffic on the way back because there is only one highway in all of Vietnam, and it gets crowded at night (also a Friday night).

         As we were driving back, the bus driver pulled over and got out of the bus, looking under the bus as if something was wrong. We sat there for about 20 minutes, not sure what was going on, until finally the bus driver got back on the bus and said, “It’s just the brakes,” and started the bus again. JUST THE BRAKES?!? Isn’t that pretty much the worst thing it could be? Thank god it wasn’t the horn!

         Luckily, we made it back, even without brakes. We were back in the outer area of the city when the bus driver stopped the bus in the high-speed lane of the “highway” and let a Vietnamese couple and their five-year-old daughter out in the middle of the road, in the pitch black. All the other westerners on the bus were freaking out at this, but apparently it’s a normal thing you do.

         It was an amazing day, I only wish I had more time to spend in the Delta. Next time, I’ll take a two-day tour and sleep on one of the boats!

         More pictures here...

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