Mekong Delta

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We went on a 3 day/2 night trip to the Mekong Delta which is about 2 hours south of Saigon. We left Saigon on a boat to travel down the Saigon River and onto the Mekong River. The journey to My Tho took about 3 hours but was facinating to see people going about their daily lives along the river. There were lots of men knee/waist deep in mud digging for what we think were cockles (or similar - the guide had difficulty explaining - they were fish snails apparently!!). Houses on stilts lined the banks and people were washing in the water. The water out of Saigon was black and very smelly but this changed as we joined the Mekong.

The Mekong Delta is the region in Southwestern Vietnam where the river enters the sea. There are lots of islands and towns around the Delta and we would be visiting many of them and travelling around them by a variety of boats! Our first boat stopped at My Tho where we tranfered to another boat and headed to Ben Tre. We visited a honey farm - tasting the honey wine, sweets and honey tea! We then watched a Vietnamese performance of singing and dancing whilst eating tropical fruits! Then we got on a small rowing boat (a sampan) to explore the narrow water ways around the island. We went to another island called Que Dua where we were shown how they make coconut candy. We then had lunch and went on a bike ride to explore the island and local village.

We got a bus to Vinh Long where we boarded another boat to Ah Binh Island where we would be staying with a local family. There were 4 of us doing the homestay and we weren't sure what to expect but when we got there we were pleasantly surprised! There were rumours we would have to bathe in the Mekong and sleep in hammocks in the same room as the family. However there was a shower block and we had a room for the 4 of us! In the evening we learnt to cook with the family and then had a chilled evening chatting before getting an early night!

After breakfast we caught a boat to Cai Be where we saw the floating market. This was more of a wholesellers market and only sold fruit and veg. The sellers put the fruit or veg that they are selling at the top of a bamboo pole so people can see what each boat has to offer! We then went to see some local products being made. About half of Vietnam's rice production is from the Mekong Delta. We saw how they made rice paper, rice bread/crackers, popcorn, rice crispies etc. They are very resourceful and were using old bombs from the war as rolling pins!! Of course after watching and tasting we had the opportunity to buy!! All tours in Asia seem to be mainly about what you might buy at the end!! We headed back to Ah Binh for lunch but because the tide was so low, we had to transfer to a rowing boat to get through the shallow water!

After lunch, we went back to Vinh Long where we caught a bus to Sa Dec. We then boarded a bigger boat which would be our home for the night! It had a great upper deck to watch the sunset and we had a nice dinner before going to sleep in a 25 bed dorm!! Whilst sleeping the boat travelled from Sa Dec to Chau Doc which is on the border with Cambodia. We woke up for sunrise, had breakfast and then went ashore to see Sam mountain. This has a Pagoda at the top and great views across both Vietnam and Cambodia. We then all got on sampans again and went to see a floating village, floating fish farm and then to see a minority Cham village. The Cham people are muslim and speak both Vietnamese and Arabic and are known for their weaving.

Then it was back to the bigger boat to sail 7 hours back down the Mekong to Sa Dec where we boarded a bus to drive the 3 hours back to Saigon. We really enjoyed the 3 days in the Mekong Delta - it was a great escape from bustling Saigon and a chance to see how vietnamese people live and make a living.

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