Mekong Delta

waiting for the tour boat in My Tho

We started our 2 week Tet holiday with a day tour of the Mekong Delta with Randy and Heather Kline, visiting from Oakville.
     The Mekong River has its source in Tibet. It is 4500 kms long, and meanders through China, Burma, Thailand, Loas and Cambodia, where it gathers silt. It splits into tributaries as it enters Vietnam, giving the delta its triangular shape and fertile, alluvial deposits.
     This part of Vietnam has seen its share of conflict including French and Cambodian occupation and defoliation during the American War (Agent Orange). In spite of this, the region supports one of the most important rice producing areas in Vietnam. Forty-seven percent of the country's grain production occurs in the Delta, with the cultivation of rice accounting for more than half of the country's total output. The area is also know for growing fruit (coconut, longan, mango) and vegetables.

View towards My Tho

One of the 2 female rowers of our 'xuong ba la'

The Mekong is also Vietnam's most important fishing region. Life on the river has remained unchanged for centuries, and since many villages are accessible by water rather than road, we chose to experience the area by boat.

There are over 2800 kms. of canals in the Delta. Local people use narrow wooden boats to navigate the canals and to earn money from tourist dollars. The boats are a little like a dugout canoe made from a hollowed out log, but tree trunks are not readily available now, so the dinghies are made from wooden planks.








Although the Mekong's lush habitat is home to
a variety of plants and animals, including
monkeys, crocodiles, storks and cobras, all
we saw was this quite tame python.  They are
often raised on farms for consumption.

One of the stops on the tour included a visit to a honeybee
farm and snake charming.

Everyone had to wear the cone hats. The canals are narrow and overgrown with lush vegetation. Then women rowing our boat were fast and strong, however, and we soon pulled ahead of the crowds. Although the tour was definitely designed for tourists, it was a good way to see life along the river. We passed a few homes that were nothing more than some bamboo lashed together, planks and tin or thatched roofs. One of our women rowers pointed to one meager home, dirt floor and all, and told us it was hers. We wondered if it really was her home, or she was hoping to prey on our empathy to receive a bigger tip.

It was quite crowded with tourists when we started. Only 4
people (plus 2 rowers) per boat.