http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Mekong-River-Delta/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Asia , Vietnam , Mekong River Delta en-us Tue, 08 Dec 09 17:17:55 +0000 Tue, 08 Dec 09 17:17:55 +0000 Was soll man schon ber eine Trauminsel schreiben Phu Quoc ist das was Koh Pipi war bevor Leo bdquothe Beachldquo dort gedreht hat. Oder das was Koh Samui war bevor die Pauschaltouris es bernommen haben.Ein Rckzugsgebiet fr Naturliebhaber Aussteiger Backpacker und Hippies. Stressfreie Traumstrnde mit Kokospalmen Fisch BBQs und Bambus Bungalows. Leider stehen schon Plne fr einen Int http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Mekong-River-Delta/blog-457456.html Yesterday I spent in Saigon. First I took a taxi to the War Remnanats Museum what an upsetting experience. If you think Mai Lai was an isolated incident think again Quite how the Americans justified killing and disembowelling 3 boys aged 10 8 and 6 I will never know. Several war reporters witnessed civilians being shot by US marines. It seems to have been an every day occurrence. The Vietnames http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Mekong-River-Delta/blog-457352.html We set off early again and yet again we have an early 'toilet stop' at a handicapped persons Agent Orange victims handicraft centre us and 20 other coach parties. Unlike yesterday I'm really impressed with the lacquer work stuff that's made here. I didn't realise that all the patterns and pictures are made with egg shells and then varnished and lacquered. If I had the room and the baggage allo http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Mekong-River-Delta/blog-456905.html Up early and off at 0800 on a bus tour to Cu Chi. This place is famousinfamous and a place the French and the Americans who fought there will never forget. There are approx 200km of tunnels in this area dug in to red laterite clay which hardens like iron when dry and is pretty much the same when it's wet it was certainly rock hard walking on it today. I know we're close when we pass through http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Mekong-River-Delta/blog-456676.html I met a motorbike guide from Da Lat while waiting for the taxi ti the airport. Lots of people have told me thatb Da Lat and the Cental Highlands are the real Vietnam. Pete says so too he does tours all the way from Da lat straight up into the mountains and jungles up the Ho Chi Minh trail up past Khe Sanh and onto Ha Noi through the mountainous route. Sounds like I've really missed out not doin http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Mekong-River-Delta/blog-456480.html Cai be Floating MarketThe Mekong Delta is the southernmost region of Vietnam. It is often referred to as the rice bowl of Vietnam as it produces three harvests per year. The fertile Mekong Delta is also famous for its tropical fruits and flowers. The Delta area marks the end of a 4500km journey made by the Mekong River after having traveled through six countries. Traditional transportation in the http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Mekong-River-Delta/Vinh-Long/blog-449438.html The Mekong Delta is the southernmost region of Vietnam. It is often referred to as the rice bowl of Vietnam as it produces three harvests per year. The fertile Mekong Delta is also famous for its tropical fruits and flowers. The Delta area marks the end of a 4500km journey made by the Mekong River after having traveled through six countries. Traditional transportation in the Delta is by boat alon http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Mekong-River-Delta/My-Tho/blog-449434.html The Mekong Delta is the southernmost region of Vietnam. It is often referred to as the rice bowl of Vietnam as it produces three harvests per year. The fertile Mekong Delta is also famous for its tropical fruits and flowers. The Delta area marks the end of a 4500km journey made by the Mekong River after having traveled through six countries. Traditional transportation in the Delta is by boat alon http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Mekong-River-Delta/My-Tho/blog-448489.html This was supposed to be an early day as we wanted to catch the Cai Rang Market. So out at 6.30 in the morning and rush through breakfast to leave at 7. We boarded into small low boats which would take us to the market and then into the backwater canals. We weave through an entire market on boats trading fiercely between each other yet I feel 7 o clock is too late. We should have been here at http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Mekong-River-Delta/Can-Tho/blog-447236.html Morning rush to reach the Sinh Cafe booking office. Thankfully we can keep part of our luggage here so we carry one bag with us and leave the rest here. Good airconditioned bus a nice guide its comfortable even if both Anu and I hate package tours. 3 hours to Cai Be and the rain god plays with us. We buy very flimsy raincoats 7 dongs each. On to a boat in Cai Be and on the Cai Be river pass http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Mekong-River-Delta/Can-Tho/blog-447233.html During my trip in Saigon I went on a day trip to the Mekong Delta. After taking a bus two hours to the bay we got on a boat and went along the river to a bee factory where we got to try some honey tea and banana wine which was nasty. After the bee factory we took a row boat down a canal listened to some traditional Vietnamese music and then went to ride bikes through the village... This is http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Mekong-River-Delta/My-Tho/blog-444592.html 26 September 2009 After traveling for 2 hours by plane from Hanoi to C7847n Th417 4 hours by bus from C7847n Th417 Sc Tr259ng B7841c Liu C Mau and then 2 hours by water taxi to the southern tip finally I stepped onto the C Mau cape M361i C Mau which is the southernmost point of Vietnam. This is one of my dreams that came true. As some of you have not been to http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Mekong-River-Delta/Ca-Mau/blog-442202.html I decided to go for a trip to the Mekong Delta. Having been unimpressed with Saigon Tourist previously I decided to go with Sinh Cafe this time.The Mekong Delta is one of the biggest rice regions in Vietnam. Growing enough rice there to feed the whole country and more. It is not just about rice farms though. There is a lot of local produce with many fruits coming from here. The river itself flow http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Mekong-River-Delta/My-Tho/blog-441924.html 26 and 27 September 2009 We spent a night in B7841c Liu town after visiting the southernmost point of Vietnam. In this blog I don't have beautiful photos of landscape or temples. I will write about two men in B7841c Liu province who were very famous during the first half of the 20th century. What I write here is more familiar to Vietnamese so I will try to explain what I know with my http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Mekong-River-Delta/Bac-Lieu/blog-441393.html 25 and 27 September 2009 We left C7847n Th417 and went south to C Mau which is the southernmost province of Vietnam. On the way we stopped in Sc Tr259ng and B7841c Liu provinces for visiting some sites. There are 13 provinces in the Mekong Delta and its population is 17 million people of which Khmer people make up 25 Chinese 30 and the remaining are Vietnamese according to ou http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Mekong-River-Delta/Soc-Trang/blog-440957.html The Mekong River is one of Asia's most prolific waterways extending from the Yunnan province of China through Burma Thailand Laos Cambodia and Vietnam and emptying into the South China Sea. Parts of the river have an infamous past as a major thoroughfare during World War II and more notoriously the Vietnam War but today the Mekong makes for more leisurely pursuits as visitors choose to cr http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Mekong-River-Delta/Can-Tho/blog-440660.html 24 27 and 28 September 2009 I was back in C7847n Th417 city which is the biggest city in the Mekong Delta and it was my 3rd visit to this city. On this trip I would go further south through 4 provinces and reach the southernmost point of Vietnam. I decided to book a 5day tour with a travel agent in Hanoi Vietran Company and the tour cost VND 3.9 million US200. If I traveled on my http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Mekong-River-Delta/Can-Tho/blog-440653.html Can ThoWe took an early bus to Can Tho about four hours away from Ben Tre. Ben went in search of a hotel while I looked after the bags and a lady selling goods on the street invited me to sit with her. I watched as people came and went on their motorbikes to buy drinks or even a single cigarette. One lady came by and said she thought I was beautiful pointing to the fact I had a pointy nose and http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Mekong-River-Delta/Can-Tho/blog-439371.html My ThoWe had a bit of a stressful journey from Saigon to My Tho being overcharged and refused to be let of the bus lesson learnt even if it is pouring down with rain and thundering which it was and you are being ushered into a bushellipcheck the price first Agro over the bus did drop us in My Tho and thankfully we had left the rain and thunderstorm and rude bus drivers in SaigonWe http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Mekong-River-Delta/My-Tho/blog-439345.html A Rough Schedule Read Nap Sleep When we left Dong Ha we were exhausted both physically and mentally. Our teaching schedule was fairly rigorous and I was sick our last week there. We were tired of talking to students to teachers to friends and even to each other. We were also treated to numerous farewell celebrations. We left Dong Ha around 9pm on Saturday night in a car that drove http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Mekong-River-Delta/Phu-Quoc-Island/blog-438965.html