Mekong Delta Village Visit

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In January, Fulbrighters took a tour of the Mekong Delta as part of our orientation. We drove about 2 hours outside of HCMC to take a boat for a 30-minute 'cruise' up a small river to the starting point of our 7 kilometer bicycle tour along shady back roads over tiny canals, past fruit gardens and sleepy villages. Mid-morning we arrived a a family-run orchard where diverse tropical fruits were grown. We were welcomed by our local host, a gentleman of many talents. He and his family welcomed our group on a trip to the Mekong Delta - The owner who was a former war veteran, welcomed us with tea and then led us through a labyrinth of narrow canals in the back waters of the river to a spot where we tasted a delightful array of sweet luscious tropical fruits to one of the shallow muddy canals where we waded in the muddy water, bailed out water to get to the mud, and tracked and caught snake-head or mudfish with our hands. Back to the house for appetizers -- grilled mudfish, snails, and greens to enjoy Vietnamese rolls. For more photos, click here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/127017499@N08/sets/72157650210629910/

As if we were hungry after that delicious grilled fish, we bicycled to a stunning 100-year old house which was architecturally a mixture between traditional Vietnamese and European designs. We had a Vietnamese lunch of dishes that are only served in the Mekong Delta. Then we bicycled to the river where we took a small sampan boat back to the bus for our return to HCMC.

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