Mekong Delta

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30 October 2006

Mekong Delta - My Tho

Today I set off for a two day group tour of Mekong Delta - with limited time, group tour is the best option - whole today trip cost only US$18/person including most meals and one night in hotel. We started around 8:00 am from Saigon and around ten thirty arrived at our first exploration area, My Tho.

The mighty Mekong River originates in Tibet and then runs for 4,500km through China, Burma, Laos, Cambodia and finally through Vietnam to South China Sea. Near Phnom Penh in Cambodia Mekong splits into two branches: Upper Mekong and Lower Mekong. The Upper Mekong River splits into further 5 branches after entering Vietnam and My Tho is located on the northern most branch of the Upper Mekong River. We set off in a motorised boat to explore the northern most branch of the Upper Mekong River and many canals and islands around My Tho.

Coming from Bangladesh I have seen the greatest delta on earth - but Mekong delta is somewhat different - it is criss-crossed by 1000s of natural canals, every square inch of it has been put into productive use by the hardy Vietnamese - and the whole delta is buzzing-bristling with commercial activities of every kind - fishing, floating fish farms, transportation, ship building, boat building, rice fields (Mekong Delta produces half of Vietnam's rice) and where possible mangrove forests all along the canals has been turned into various fruit plantations using dykes (blocking out tidal waters) and irrigation systems. Coconut plants are just about everywhere - short water coconut plants lines water's edge every where particularly along the narrow and shallow canals - little away from the water's edge there are land coconut plants - and then there are all kind of natural tropical plants and the fruit plantations.

Simple innovative methods employed by the Vietnamese are remarkable, for example - I saw a heavily laden boat and asked the guide what cargo is it carrying? - he said fish - I asked again, is the boat refrigerated or they are using ice blocks to preserve the fish cargo - he said, no they are transporting live fish in water tanks in the boat's hold, which has netted opening below the water level on both side of the boat . As the boat travels, water is continuously circulating through the hold.

We could not help notice that all the boats plying around us have 'eyes' painted on both side of their bows - the guide explained, it is a local custom or prejudice whatever we may call it - those eyes are supposed to be some kind of magical lookouts for the boats and bring good luck.

Around My-Tho we visited a small island with a Longon fruit plantation with dykes and irrigation system - another with a family run Coconut candy making factory. We travelled through larger canals in a smaller motorboats and narrower and shallower canals in pedalled boats.

I was amazed by the economic vibrancy of the Mekong Delta - I was dumbstruck when I saw BP style gas stations along the riverbanks with high tide sloshing over its floor - boats coming along and taking fuel just like cars.

Late afternoon we got off the boats at My Tho and headed for Can Tho by bus. Can Tho is on the Lower Mekong River. It took about three hours. All along the route there are signs of new Dynamic Vietnam - highways and new bridges are being built - miles after miles of huge sprawling modern factories and manufacturing plants are being built, each in a well landscaped settings and with its individual colour combinations.

We arrived at Can Tho around 7pm and booked into our hotel. Before turning in I went for dinner and had a an half a metre long fried Mud fish with rice noodles - that gorgeous dinner cost me about US$5.

31 October 2006

Mekong Delta - Can-Tho

Today we visited the famous floating market of Can-Tho before heading back to HCMC.

It is amazing how big and how dynamic this floating market of Can-Tho is - Hundreds of of boats selling various vegetables and agricultural products with their items on sell displayed on a long bamboo pole for everyone to see. Buyers ply in smaller boats to these big selling boats to purchase - then there are smaller selling boats which goes from house to house to sell their goods. There are numerous smaller service boats also, who sell, drinks, foods, breakfast and lunch to all sellers and buyers in that market. Some of the larger selling boats are also house boats - which come from distant places up the Mekong River to bring their goods to Can-Tho's floating market - those families live on the boats equipped with most basic creature comforts.

In the afternoon we headed back to Saigon via My-Tho.