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Published: July 16th 2009
Now, for those who’ve asked why the heck would we want to visit Vietnam on a vacation, these pictures should answer the questions…okay, not the snake one.
Arriving in the heavily populated Saigon, we made quick plans to catch the city sights later and escape to the mighty Mekong river which supports a great deal of people throughout 6 countries. We visited the riverside towns of My Tho and Can Tho offering us boat tours of the river. We didn’t know what to expect and couldn’t imagine what was extraordinary about this river above all others but it was quickly realized the beauty really lies in the daily life that skirts the river’s edge. When offered the opportunity to either sleep in a hotel or rustic riverside home with a family…we jumped at the chance with the latter. The night there was spent learning some local cooking and partaking in international toasts of rice wine with a few fellow travelers. The moon reflecting off of the calm river surface and dancing fire flies will be an image we hold on to for many years. The first light of morning gave us an amazing look at the farmers commuting by boat with
their fresh harvests of fruits, vegetables and sometimes small livestock for a long day at the market. Entire families joining the labors of organizing, marketing and carrying out transactions with passing boats of all sizes in this floating parking lot. Like crude billboards, sample inventory is tied to large bamboo masts advertising the days available inventory. We also took small hand rowed vessels up narrow river ways with only a few small communities breaking up the dense vegetation of the rivers edge. We stopped at a small coconut candy operation where 4-5 people made and packaged the tasty candy primarily for customers in China. The candy was so natural and preservative free, with even the the rice paper packaging ready to eat. Another 3 hour mini bus ride was made infinitely longer due to the excruciatingly loud music played by the driver. It is quite common to find yourself surrounded by locals singing along to sappy ballads and tinny string section accompaniment. The wet knaps provided often with meals here also double well as wadded up ear plugs in such cases of captive audience torture. Okay..enough ranting. We then jumped a ferry for 3 hours to the island of Phu
Quoc which is the Southern most island of Vietnam and lies in the Gulf of Thailand an eye shot from Cambodia. The beaches were rumored to be the best in the country and being the self proclaimed authorities on beaches that we are,…we had to check it out. The island of Phu Quoc was used as a prison for Viet Cong soldiers during the American and French wars and many ex-prisoners still make the pilgramage. It is here that we indulged in fresh seafood meals, daily massages, scuba and breathtaking sunsets. The white sand beaches and crystal clear water gave this island our stamp of approval and it's a spot we highly recommend for true R&R for those less dependent on paved streets and international chains.
Thanks for joining us on our Vietnam adventures and we look forward to catching up now that we're home!
Again, a special thanks for everyone who helped in our JustGiving campaign
! A special thanks to our recent contributors Lisa Pleiss and Terra Morales for their generous donations. We'll be continuing this drive via the link for the next year. Every dollar helps in funding the Kianh Foundation in Hoi An where this hard working charity relies entirely on personal donations. This trip to Vietnam has once again opened our eyes to the incredible good fortune and blessings we all enjoy in developed countries.
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Jen
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Always amazing, incredible stories and pics. Thank you for sharing!