Blogs from Vinh Long, Mekong River Delta, Vietnam, Asia

We headed off south in the morning rush hour, making our way towards our homestay in the Mekong Delta. It was just over a 4-hour drive, and as the journey progressed the rice fields became more prolific and greener, and the roads were lined with coconut and banana trees. We drove over what Mr T told us was the longest bridge in Vietnam, but I can’t find it on t’internet, so I’m not able to confirm that fact. Around half of all the rice produced in the country is grown in the Mekong Delta region, and there are numerous fish farms, the region being hugely important for food production. It’s a vast maze of rivers, swamps and islands, the main form of transportation being boats. There are nine rivers flowing to the East Sea, and they’re ... read more

I've been walking the town a bit to see what is out there. More of the same so far; street -side stalls, cafe's by the dozen, hole-in-the wall shops, old French colonial government buildings now used for Vietnamese Government things, including the Post Office. I had wanted to send some liitle things to my three grand daughters; they enjoy mail arriving with their names on it. I bought identical packets of colouring pens and large notebooks for them to draw in and went to the Post Office. They parcelled them up for me there and wrote down a cost for postage, 230,000VND (about NZ$13) so that was fine. After filling in 2 separate forms in triplicate with carbon paper as well, for each parcel, including passport number, I was informed that the cost would be 305,000VND ... read more

A few more.... read more

Some shots of the place I'm at.... read more

I'm off tonight for 5 weeks in Vinh Long Province, Vietnam. It's about three hours south of Ho CHi MInh City on the Mekong Delta. I'll be teaching English and doing some admin work in a language school - AGES - Advanced Global Education Strategies which is run by a Canadian chap called Eric Gibb. He's wanting to set up links with Kapiti Colleges and wanted someone to go across to teach and promote Kapiti. Lyn suggested me (2 weeks ago) and here I am; about to fly off via Canberra and Singapore arriving tomorrow at 11.00a.m. Vietnam time. Nervous? What a stupid question. Excited? Ditto. Vinh Long is a small city on the Delta. River traffic makes up a large part of it's commerce and it is the fruit bowl of Southern Vietnam. Not very ... read more