Mekong Delta cruise

Mekong Delta is the southernmost region of Vietnam which marks the end of a 4,500km journey made by the Mekong River after having traveled through six countries (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmmar, Thailand, Vietnam and Yunnan in China).

It is often referred to as the rice bowl of Vietnam as it produces three harvests per year. The fertile Mekong Delta is also famous for its tropical fruits and flowers. Traditional transportation in the Delta is by boat along a vast network of canals and channels.

We joined the day tour that took us along the maze of waterways of the Mekong Delta. Though it only costs US$4 for the entire trip, I felt that the journey there and back was too long... especially driving through the jam-packed streets of Ho Chi Minh City where we were stuck in traffic for so long!

The river view wasn't that rewarding, maybe not worth all that trouble. Well, see for yourself...

We waited together with loads of tourists in Ho Chi Minh City to board the bus that took us on a long journey to the Mekong Delta some 200km away.

We toured the Mekong River on a wooden boat like this.

These boats are used to transport goods along the river.

Each boat usually sells one particular item, whether it is pumpkins, pineapples, sugar cane etc. This one here sells pumpkins. Can you see the pumpkin hanging right at the top of the bamboo pole? That's how shoppers identify the product the boat is selling.

Gliding on the busy waterways, we had the opportunity to to see how people went about their daily lives.

From our boat, we were able to closely observe the daily rituals of river life and the bustling commercial activities. We made a short stop at the local home factories to catch a glimpse of how rice paste, coconut candies and other regional specialities are made.

We were lucky to come across a family having a wedding ceremony that day!

The kids are so used to the hordes of tourist invading their little handicraft village every day.

Observing how rice sheets (for Vietnamese spring rolls) are made.

The rice sheets drying in the sun.

Removing longan flesh from the seeds. They are then left to dry and sold as dried longan meat.

Traditional Vietnamese hats.

Our boat brought us through the lush green vegetation of the canals to an orchard, where we were treated to a simple Vietnamese lunch.

After disembarking from the boat, we walked to Vinh Long town for a quick tour. This shop sells dried shrimps, fish and cuttlefish.

The markets at Vinh Long.

Beautiful flowers seen at the delta.