Saigon to Can Tho

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We said goodbye to Saigon for the last time this morning and headed east along the road. The first setback was at the end of the new dual carriageway when there was the mother of all gridlocks. Imagine buses, lorries, vans and cars all sounding their klaxons as they move forward and backward, drivers out of their seats assessing their chances of bettering their position and, amidst all this, mopeds wriggling between the vehicles in all directions!

We escaped eventually and headed out of the city through Chinatown and the roadworks that reduce the road to a bottleneck every 500 metres. After a couple of hours we made stop at a roadside rest stop that was better than any service area we've ever seen - anywhere. Spotless tables, high ceilings, different dining areas, immaculate gardens and excellent service (photos - to follow).

Vinh Long eventually loomed and we made for the waterfront. Our boat and captain awaited us and we headed across the river towards the Mekong. The floating "wholesale" market was fascinating with the boats displaying their wares aloft from bamboo poles (photos - to follow). We headed down a small tributary, seeing other commercial boats carrying everything from grain to stone. We stopped at what was described as a rich man's former house - or was it a formerly rich man's house. There we drank jasmine tea and watched a small musical act that featured tableaux with four singers and three musicians. They were playing guitar, and kind of lyre and something that could best be described as being like an oriental violin. With their toes, the musicians played a single percussion instrument, similar to a small castanet. (photos - to follow)

Back onto the boat we moved further down the narrow river to a house which provides home accommodation to tourists. They fed us well, with the highlight being "elephant's ear fish" a large flat fish, the flesh of which we eat with leaves in rolled rice paper.

We headed off to the main river where we approached the city of Can Tho - a contrast of traditional fishing vessels floating on front of waterfront shanties with the stark skyline of modern office blocks. (photos - to follow)

An hour's journey, of little more than a mile, took us to the ferry. The queue was besiged by vendors of everything - items that were recognisable were sticks of sugar cane, sunglasses and drinks. We also encountered our first instance of serious begging - from boy chancers to legless or sightless adults.

The ferry trip gave us the opportunity to be told about the new bridge under construction which we could see on the horizon, two sections of which had collapsed killing 50 workers and injuring many more.

A short trip took us to the Victoria Can Tho Resort which seems very comfortable. We were greeted royally with the general manager in particular, one Raymond Marcel Zuest, making a particular impression on my impressionable wife!

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