Mekong Delta, Vietnam 19 to 20 March 2013

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We were staying in Saigon for another day and early the next morning we drove to Ben Tre, a southern province located in the Mekong Delta. The Mekong River passes through five other countries before its arrival in Vietnam where it turns into nine rivers before it flows out into the South China Sea, or the Eastern Sea as the Vietnamese call it.



We soon passed out of the city and on to the freeway which speeded up our journey as scooters are not allowed on this road and this really made a difference. We saw many rice paddies and fruit farms emerging alongside the highway as we left the busy city far behind. Rice is Vietnam’s second largest export and in the Mekong Delta they can have up to four crops a year as due to constant flooding the soil is extremely fertile. It was nice to be out in the countryside at last and we watched many agriculture workers farming the lands alongside the freeway. In the middle of many of the fields were highly painted gravestones, standing out on the flat landscape. Kha, our guide told us that locals always buried their love ones close by but this has now been banned as they have to keep the land for agriculture! Even though most Vietnamese like to be buried they are now turning to cremation because its cheaper, particularly now they cannot bury their loved ones near their homes.



We arrived at Chuong Duong waterfront pier and boarded our boat for a trip down the river and as soon as we took off we were in the middle of a busy Floating Fish Market with boats unloading their catch all around. We cruised by watching the unfolding Delta scenery of stilt houses and local fish farms dotted around the islands with names such as Dragon, Unicorn, Turtle and Phoenix. We transferred to a small raft so that we could cruise up one of the narrow inlets with water coconuts on both sides before landing on Turtle Island. We took a walk through the small hamlet and watched the local ladies making sweets by hand including individual wrapping each sweetmeat. We tasted delicious peanut coconut candy which was so nice that we had to buy some as well as sampling the local brew of Rice Liquor which was very strong but good nevertheless.....Finally we stopped at another island and enjoyed typical Mekong dishes al fresco surrounded by banana trees and butterflies diving in amongst the vegetation. We were amazed when they brought in the main dish of several large Mekong freshwater fish called Elephant Ear. These had been deep fried and were just delicious. One of the waitresses prepared the food for us by first placing rice paper on a plate, then adding some local salad leaves and herbs before placing a large chunk of the fish on top and rolling the rice paper around. These we ate with a palm leave and vegetable salad with an aniseed tasting dipping sauce - I must admit we have been pleasantly surprised with all the food we have been served in the Saigon area with both lunch and dinner offering so many different choices of local dishes.



After lunch we stopped at another island where we sampled freshly picked local fruits whilst we listened to a local band of musicians playing a variety of traditional music instruments from Vietnamese ethnic groups, the only one we recognized was a guitar but this only had five strings, others included, a string zither (Dan Tranh) which made a lovely sound and a two-stringed Vietnamese moon lute.



That evening we went out to a local Saigon restaurant called KATO, owned by Jimmy Pham who was aged two when, just before the fall of Saigon, his family fled the war-ravaged nation. They began a new life in Sydney, Australia. Years later, Pham’s working life began in a late-night sandwich shop in Sydney’s Kings Cross. In 1996, he returned to Vietnam a successful young man and a chance meeting with four street kids changed his and their lives. He set up KOTO, a small sandwich shop in Hanoi and gave nine street kids jobs, skills, a roof over their heads, food and money. KOTO stands for Know One, Teach One and reflects his belief that if you're in a position where you can help someone less fortunate, then you should help them and the greatest thanks you can receive is to one day see that person be in a position to do the same for someone else. Every six months KOTO takes about 25 disadvantaged youth into a two-year intensive course that teaches life, English language and hospitality skills. Trainees are given vaccinations and health checks, they are provided with uniforms, laundry, accommodation, lunch every day and ongoing health care. They are paid an allowance, which gives them security, a basis for saving and some extras to provide for their families. He now has two large successful restaurants one in Saigon and one in Hanoi. We had a thoroughly enjoyable and delicious meal prepared and served by the current trainee youngsters who were friendly but also very professional.





The next morning we headed to Cu Chi Tunnels which are located in an area known during the American War in Vietnam, as the 'Iron Triangle', on account of the strength of its Communist insurgency. The network of tunnels at Củ Chi is over 121 km long and it has been turned into a war memorial park by the government.



Cu Chi was also the conclusion to many caravan paths that traced down from the Chinese border, across mountain borders with Laos and into the Mekong Delta, which later became known as the Ho Chi Minh Trail. We had the unique opportunity to hear a first-hand account of what it was like to live in the tunnels during the American War as we are led through a talk on how the tunnels worked by a Cu Chi War Veteran who had lost an arm in the war. The network of tunnels, which is several storeys deep in some parts, included trapdoors, living areas, storage facilities, weapon factories, field hospitals, command centres and kitchens. I asked him how they found their way around these dark narrow tunnels, apparently each section of tunnel had a guide who showed those who were non locals the layout of their particular section.



Later we walked through a forested area which during the war was completely devoid of trees and any sign of life above ground. However now it was good to hear birds singing in the trees although we never did actually see any, in fact throughout this trip the wildlife was very absent which was a shame. The forest was dotted with hatchway doors into the ground which when opened would lead into the tunnels but when they were covered in leaves they were completely hidden from view. Believe it or not I volunteered to go down into one and it really was quite a tight fit, the locals are really small and although it was quite easy to lower myself in it was a different story trying to get out!!!! When I closed the lid down it was completely dark and very eerie. Later we walked along a small sections of one of the tunnels and it was indeed very cramped . you had to walk with your back completely bent and we were so glad to come out of this dark underground after only a few minutes, yet these tunnels were lived in day after day. Above ground attractions at the memorial park included a shop selling Ho Chi Minh souvenirs as well as a shooting range where visitors could fire a number of assault rifles, including the M16 rifle or AK-47, as well as a light machine gun such as the M60 but all for a price.........the noise was deafening so we moved on.......it was quite a moving experience visiting the park but I am glad that we decided to come.





We drove on to Tay Ninh stopping to visit to the Cao Dai Great Temple (or 'Holy See'😉 at Tay Ninh. The Cao Dai religion, which has over two million followers, was founded in 1926 by a Vietnamese man who promptly elected himself the first Pope. It combines the philosophies of Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity and Islam. The 'Holy See' is one of the most striking and unusual structures in all of Asia, blending the styles of a Western cathedral, a Chinese pagoda and the lurid colours of a Disney cartoon. We removed our shoes and ran across the hot tiles and into the temple. We were led upstairs to a gallery that looked directly down on the ceremony below. The high ceiling was painted blue with fluffy clouds and shining stars and the floor tiles had busy patterns. There were 28 pink dragon encrusted columns that ran the length of the nave representing the 28 manifestations of the Buddha. The layout reminded me of the Hypostyle Hall of Karnak in Egypt. One of the most memorable sights was the arrival of the worshippers all dressed in flowing pure white robes who assembled in orderly rows, men sat on the right and women on the left. Men with the rank of priest and higher had brightly coloured robes reflecting their spiritual allegiance: yellow (symbolizing Buddhism and virtue), blue (Taoism and pacifism) or red (Confucianism and authority). An orchestra and a choir lead the service in prayers and hymns which sounded very western, but the accompanying music was traditional Vietnamese. A very unique experience and not to be missed if you ever find yourself this way.



On the way back to Saigon we stopped at a local restaurant to sample yet again some excellent vietnamese cuisine. The restaurant was owned by a infamous ex-vietcong general who was still quite a formidable women ensuring that the service was in a precise manner, clearing the tables as soon as you put down your chopsticks and then making sure we all paid for our drinks promptly.....



There are 10 million people in Saigon (90 million in Vietnam) and nearly everyone owns a scooter, many have two! With approximately 130 million scooters on the roads it really is a sight to behold as you travel around. The fumes of the traffic and in particular the scooters was strong and one could understand why they all wear face masks, which look quite strange with their helmets perched on top. I think the locals will be delighted when the city opens its first ever subway in 2015 - hopefully it will alleviate some of the pollution problems in the city but I expect many of the stalls will move into the subways.....



As we reached the edge of the city we were bombarded by thousands of locals on scooters returning home after a day’s work in the city. All along the roadsides makeshift stalls, selling just about anything spilled out over the pavement, making it very difficult to walk along. Locals eat most of their meals on little seats and tables on these pavements with food being cooked as they wait. Life is literally lived on the streets with youngsters playing amongst the cooking pots and roads but they all seem to be very streetwise which is just as well. Crossing the road is a nightmare you just have to step out amongst the traffic and keep walking whilst the scooters shoot in front and behind you, luckily they always seem to miss.......There are no crossing points anyway and if there were I do not think anyone would stop! The aromas of freshly cooked foods are always pungent in the air - a real explosion of sights and smells which is everyday life in Vietnam. Saigon has indeed been an interesting start to our journey here and tomorrow we fly north to Danang - see you all there.

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Comments

[Charmian]

Explosion!
Wow, you seem to have captured an explosion of colour, noise & mayhem with the lifestyle of the local people. It sounds like sensory overload in some respect, but at the same time very vibrant & interesting. The tunnel experience must have been interesting, but as you say, not built with Western Civilisation in mind. xx