The Mekong Delta - A Day in Rural Vietnam

Our last day in Vietnam... how did the trip go so quickly? We are spending the day in the Mekong Delta, a countryside south of Saigon that I had not seen.c

A little background on our destination --the Mekong River begins in Tibet, flows through China, Burma, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam before reaching the sea. It is divided into the northern and southern Mekong Rivers. The Delta has recovered from the bombing and defoliation of the war and produces lush vegetation – farmland dominates the landsape like a patchwork quilt of green rice paddy fields, banana and mango trees, pineapples and many others all fed by nourishing brown waters of the Mekong River as it flows through them.. We passed numerous small villages with friendly locals eager to wave at us.

Arriving in Cai Be, we boarded a typical small Chinese junk boat and began cruising through these waters. This river is truly the commercial hub of the region. Everywhere on the main tributary we saw boats of every size and description.

The photo above shows a sampon entrepeneur in the back selling thatch for roofs  while the woman in the foreground  is selling watermelons.  A lot of the sampons served as dwellings for their occupants.

Having seen the commercial side of the delta we turned down a smaller tributary.Here and there we would see a woman paddeling a sampon or...

children smiling at us as we passed by.

Water hyacinth was ever present and as welcome as kudzu in the southeastern US!

Our first stop was at a small factory (and I use that term loosely) that produced various candies from local products. It was fascinating to see how rice becomes puffed rice cereal by tossing it briefly in hot oil. This could then be added to a caramelized sauce which is mixed briefly with the puffed rice to make another candy. Using coconut milk creates a coconut toffee. I couldn't resist these goodies and bought several bags

.

About 30 minutes later we docked again and climbed ashore at a fruit orchard where a local family served us a delicious lunch. Each table was presented with a whole 'elephant' fish that had been fried.After time for fish photos, the hostess used chopsticks to pick morsels of this incredibly delicious fish and place it on rice paper topped with herbs and salad. She then rolled it in the shape of a spring roll. Believe it or not, this was definitely yummy!

We cruised along the river passing more rural life and glimpses of a society virtually unknown to most Americans. Arriving at the Vinh Long pier, we boarded our waiting bus and drove back to Saigon.

Back at The Caravelle by 5p, I sprinted a few blocks away for final purchases. Our Farewell Dinner was at the acclaimed Nam Phan Restaurant and was an appropriate ending to “The Phenomenal Vietnam Fam.” We'd become 'family' during our journey through Vietnam and were all sad to say good by.

Before I end this last blog, I want to tell you about a very special person who is making a difference in this world, one child at a time. I've been on a lot of fam trips and led many myself, but Chris has been the funniest, patient, compassionate, organized and knowledgeable tour leader I have ever known.

But that's just one side of Chris. As we got to know him better we saw photos of the 14 children from war-ravaged countries in Southeast Asia that Chris has taken into his home. . We gained insight into the stories of several of these children and all were heartbreaking. He rents a 9-bedroom home in northern Thailand and provides a wonderful environment for children whose own society has abused or deserted them. I wish I had more time and space to tell you about how well each child is doing, but suffice it to say it is truly heart warming to learn how one very special person.is making a difference in this world.

I hope my tales of Vietnam have painted a vivid picture of this wonderful country and will encourage some of you to see it for yourself. Although I'll miss Vietnam, I am ready for a hamburger and some good old Tex-Mex!

Signing off from Saigon,

Linda.