Mekong Delta

It was a four hour bus journey from Ho Chi Minh City to My Tho, where we boarded a boat and began our tour of the Mekong Delta. A few facts about the Mekong River; it is 4,350km in length, it's the 10th longest river in the world, and it flows through six countries including China, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam, where it meets the South China Sea.

After changing to a smaller boat and rafting through the mangroves, we stopped at a coconut candy mill where we learnt how the locals made the delicious sweets. We then had the chance to sample a fresh batch of coconut and peanut candy. We couldn't help but buy some - it was seriously good stuff!

After lunch we made another stop at a different island, where we enjoyed some exotic local fruits whilst listening to the (terrible) performance of traditional Mekong music - think cats in a sack! Our next stop was for a lovely cup of honey tea at a bee farm, where we also had the opportunity to taste some of the local spirits and bar snacks - the lotus seeds were our favourite!

We then made our way back to My Tho before boarding the bus to Can Tho, where we would be staying overnight. The following day we were up at 6am in order to be on the river and get to the famous floating markets whilst they were still in full flow. We still probably arrived a little late. However, it was still quite a sight to see so many different goods all being traded boat to boat.

We thought we should contribute so we bought a 'donut' from the lady pictured below.

After visiting two floating markets, we made a brief stop at the house of a family who are famous in the area for their excellent vermicelli noodles made from rice. We then turned around and made the very long journey back to Ho Chi Minh City.

Overall, we had a great experience and gained a real insight into the way of life in the Mekong Delta. Next stop Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and another early morning!