Spending a few days on boats and islands in the Mekong Delta was definitely a highlight both Debs and myself were looking forward to. We booked a great package that would not only give us a home stay on one of the many islands of the Mekong but also take us in to Cambodia by boat. Crossing a border by boat is a first for me.
An early start on a bus to the near by riverside in Saigon and we were soon a wobbly little 30 seater boat and heading off down the Mekong River at a leisurely pace. The number of people “living on the edge” quite literally is staggering. Their houses jutting out from dry land and precariously teetering on long wooden poles. Everything home made. The river being their rubbish tip and their toilet it seems.
The Mekong Delta or “9 Dragon Delta” as it’s known in Vietnam is a sprawling mass of small and large islands surrounded by thousands of busy boats ferrying everything from sand and rice to mopeds and vegetables. The “fut fut” sound of engines badly in need of a service is the soundtrack to this area.
We stopped at “Unicorn island” which unfortunately is a serious tourist trap with a never ending line of market stalls selling tourist crud all the way along the path as you explore. Our guide politely cajoled us from one rest stop to another, serving us fruits and vietnamese music while sellers tried to convince us to purchase some toot.
While on the island we tried “snake wine” which as far as i can tell is Rice wine with a massive dead snake in the bottle. It’s actually pretty good and tastes a lot like Whiskey… with a hint of snake. This island is also well known for it’s honey and our guide was kind enough to show us a local bee hive which was both interesting and frightening at the same time.
Back on the boat we headed to the mainland before being herded on to another bus which would take us further in to the Mekong Delta. An hour and a half later and we were back on another boat and floating towards our homestay for the evening. A quiet little island with very few inhabitants. We met the very polite and quiet family and settled in to our homestay. While the rooms were lovely and cooking our meal with the family was fun, that was our only interaction with the locals. They kept themselves to themselves which kind of defeats the point of a homestay. None the less we had a fantastic night with a heated debate with Americans, Spanish, Swiss and us Brits comparing political views and putting the world to rights.
We slept relatively well given that it was very hot and the threat of massive spiders was ever present (we saw a hideously huge one at dinner time). After a simple breakfast we were off on the boats again, first to a small village on one of the islands that had a confusing array of buildings. From tiny shacks made of wood and metal to huge elaborate houses complete with gate. It seems everyone lives side by side relatively happy with their own plot of land. We had a very brief visit to a Fish Sauce factory that absolutely stank. But then it would consider fish sauce is made from fermented fish!
We enjoyed circling the floating market a couple of times. Unfortunately getting their later than planned and rain falling around us (but never on us) meant that there was little in the way of action. Lots of selling, very little buying. The market we visited was clearly more wholesale so no doubt the bartering was happening much earlier. Never the less it was interesting to see how people work and live on their boats with their babies, children and dogs.
We spend much of the afternoon back on a bus, whizzing at break-neck speed along the highway to the “Floating Hotel” some 3 and a half hours away. It was a fairly tedious journey but did mean we were close to the Cambodian border. We were glad to arrive although not so glad our group of travel friends were split in two as there were two floating hotels! Arriving after dark meant a quick Vietnamese meal (i.e. more rice) and we were ready for bed.
The Mekong Delta is of course a must for anyone traveling through Vietnam. It’s a stunning place full of islands and bustling trade. The people are friendly and most smile and wave as you pass which is always nice. It’s worth checking out what the itinerary is for your package tour if you book one. The Vietnamese like to wake up early and expect people on holiday to do the same. We had other ideas but that makes little difference to them.
Our 3rd day started at 6am. From one boat to another until we reached the border with Cambodia. We spent much of the day chugging along with a scorching 34 degrees on us and no air conditioning. It was a very hot and sweaty boat ride which ended before we reached Phnom Penh in Cambodia. Another mini bus ride for an hour awaited us. But that’s for another blog!
Check out our Mekong Delta photos
Here’s a couple of very short videos
