Blogs from My Tho, Mekong River Delta, Vietnam, Asia

As we set off in the bus the next morning 'Hairybody ready? Phat boy slim group, let's go! Cool Banana! Yes!' we reflected on how quickly the two weeks had flown by, this being our last full day together before we all headed off in different directions, some carrying on into Cambodia, me and a couple of others off home, one going on a farm stay for a few days and a couple going for some rest and relaxation on a lovely Island. For our last trip we were heading off to the Mekong Delta region, very humid, hot and jungley. We heard some fascinating snippets about the region from Phat, who had grown up in the area before moving to Ho Chi Minh City (where he said he couldn't sleep at first it was so ... read more

Saigon can only be digested in increments and so I had to get out for a few days. In Vietnam, making money is the ultimate goal in their rising economy but unfortunately this new love for capitalism has brought with it an increase in swindling and a decrease in morality, particularly considering tourists. Vendors in the street sell pirated everything and their uniformed brothers are no better: organized tour companies have found a skill in wording advertisements so I think I'm in for an adventure but really just purchased a seat on a rickety bus or overheated boat. And though I've found it difficult to temper by cynicism, overall the experience of getting cheated and taken is one I am glad to have had. I'm telling myself it's all for educational purposes... So, back to my ... read more

We left Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, on Sunday by speedboat to set as on our way down the Mekong River towards Saigon, the capital of Vietnam. The Mekong is one of the largest rivers in the world and passes through 6 countries starting in Nepal. It is a busy and thriving river with various forms of water transport such as large cargo ships transporting goods such as rice down to small man made canoes containing a solitary fisherman going about his business. We were there for leisure but most of those on the river were there for their work or trade. The speedboat took us to our first overnight stop at a city called Chau Doc, being on the Vietnam side of the border. We stayed at the Victoria Hotel overlooking the river and ... read more

Leaving Saigon at 7:45 am, the only piss stop on the 2 hour ride to My Tho city was at a location that was made just as a stop for tourists, as all it consisted of was small manmade ponds and wayyy overly priced drinks and food. At this point we thought we were in for a very touristy next 3 days in the Mekong Delta... we turned out to be PARTIALLY correct. (Very touristy, commercialized places, in which all they want to do there is sell you stuff, is not our cup of tea.) The scenery on the way to My Tho city was fascinating, as we were driving through all the suburbs of Saigon, seeing many ponds, rice fields, men peeing in the river off the side of the road! After arriving to My ... read more

The Mekong Delta is the largest river in Southeast Asia and an adventure down this is something you must do when you visit Ho Chi Minh City. It’s a massive brown river with a dense green jungle that sits along side it. For this trip down the Mekong on Wednesday 10 November, we booked a private tour so it could just be the tour guide, Paul and I. This way we could ask as many questions as we wanted to and stay as long as we wanted at certain sights. Our tour guide was named, Long, and he was quite lovely. We were picked up from our amazing hotel, the Grand Saigon, and drove two hours south to a place called, My Tho – the gateway to the Mekong Delta. Our day of exploring the Upper ... read more

Ursprünglich wollte ich nach My Tho mit dem öffentlichen Bus fahren, der billiger ist, als ein Bus einer tour-Company. Jedoch liegt der Busbahnhof einige Kilometer entfernt, so dass das gesparte Geld für die Taxiahrt drauf gegangen wäre. Also habe ich mir das mit 4 $ günstigste Ticket bei einer Reiseagentur besorgt. Wie sich herausstellte, handelte es sich bei dem Bus um eine der regelmäßigen geführten Touren ins Mekong-Delta, nur wurden ich und zwei weitere Passagiere, die nur die Fahrt nach My Tho gebucht hatten, vor Ort abgesetzt, während die Tourteilnehmer in ein Boot umstiegen. Obwohl täglich hunderte von Tourtelnehmern in My Tho ankommen, ist die Stadt selbst die untouristischste, die ich bisher in Vietnam erlebt habe. Es gibt zwar mehrere Hotels an der Uferpromenade, aber keine richtige Bckpackergegend. Man muss bzw. darf in lokalen Restaurants essen ... read more

The adventure begins with an early start and this sets the scene for the whole adventure on the Mekong - early mornings! We were debating how to attack the Mekong (not literally) adventure, do it on our own or through a tour. So to cost things up we stumbled into Delta Adventures and a tour cost about 18$ US per day each including accomodation, some meals and with some cool activities, so we decided to go with that, we planned a four day three night trip with a home stay and the plan was to abandon the tour in Chau Doc and make our way to Ha Tien for the ferry to Phu Quoc. We had to be at the office for 7am for our minivan to the port and like everything in Vietnam you spend ... read more