Map
20 December
The Mekong Delta is one of the most fertile regions of the world, thanks to the sediments accumulated by the river during its long journey across seven countries. Arriving in Vietnam, the river divides into nine arms (called ‘dragons’) until reaching the China sea. Vietnamese harvest rice three times a year, a huge difference from the rest of the world where they do one, maximum two harvests a year. Being a countryside girl, I couldn’t wait to discover the Vietnamese rural life and its renown abundance.
From Saigon to My Tho by car
Leaving Saigon behind, we drive along a lotus flowers-covered canal that was built by the French.
During the couple-of-hours-drive, I can observe the intense green of the rice paddies, the hard work of the cultivators, tamarind street vendors, more overloaded scooters, and monuments celebrating communism.
Boat trip on the Bao Dinh natural canal
Situated on the Northern arm of the Mekong River, the city of My Tho acts as a portal to Northerners into the delta region. We are going to take a scenic trip on the part-natural part-manmade canal called Bao Dinh. The view on the fishing wharf is splendid, with large and colourful trawlers and fishing boats. The one we board is also cute, but smaller.
On the right-hand side, a floating village composed of floating farms: underneath the house, a tank allows families to grow fish.
Some trawlers carry sand that has most possibly been taken from the bottom of the river, although it is prohibited. They’re really flat-shaped and their floating line looks dangerously level to water. Kun, our guide, reassures me that this is normal, but later on I see some seamen scooping out water.
We take a small passageway into a coconut tree forest whose feet are bathing in the river. The branches of the trees are impressively high and, falling graciously, they protect us from the vivid sun.
The Ben Truc orchard and its delicious fruits
We arrive quietly at the Ben Truc orchard which can be visited. The earth is so fertile here that apple and mango trees grow pretty close to each other. The main difference with our European orchards is that tree lines alternate with small canals retaining monsoon rainwater in which fish can grow. It’s very green and full of life.
We got to taste these delicious, juicy fruits. In fact, they’re so sweet that they eat it with salt and chilli! It’s tasty as well, although I prefer them nature. Meanwhile, a music band play some cheerful Vietnamese songs, but also some French ones. They sang us ‘Ce n’est qu’un au revoir’ (this is just a goodbye) as we left, which I thought was thoughtful.
The Ben Tre village in horse-cart
On the other side of the orchard, we join a small road full of activity. Horses are still in use, especially to transport tourists looking for a nice picture. The number of motorised vehicles is increasing though, says Kun. We therefore board a tiny horse-cart, led by a man who seems a bit poor, and go through the village.
Houses are very pretty, full of large plants and colourful flowers. Although people don’t look rich by any means, life seems very nice and peaceful. Kun explains to us that nature is so abundant in this area that people tend to be passive. Since they’re never short of delicious, nutritive food, they have little to no interest in money. They don’t have savings, which turns out to be an issue when the time comes when they have to buy equipment, get medical help or send their children to school.
Punting on the Tan Thach natural canal
At the end of the clay road, we reach the Mekong River and are invited onboard a tiny barge, punted by a woman with a conical hat. I had expected that moment since I had seen this typical scene on pictures, and there I was, finally! I let myself sink into this moment of absolute calm. In the shade from the leaves, with the river quietly cradling me, the barge was going at a slow pace in near silence. What bliss!
This charming moment only lasted for about ten minutes though, after which I took my time to exit from this stage of deep relaxation. A little bit more and I would have fallen asleep.
Lunch at the Tortoise Island
We go back on our motorised boat and make our way to another orchard island for lunch. We got to try a local speciality: grilled fish. Despite the fact that this one looks positively unattractive, its flesh is delicious. It’s served in a rice thin pancake rolled by a waitress – we must have looked clueless!
Back to the boat, I have another surprise: coconut juice in a freshly open nut. Delicious despite looking like alien egg, fresh and not too sweet.
Coconut sweets factory
The shortest production-delivery line I have ever seen. Less than ten metres separates the coconut trees from the shop, including cooking and packaging! We get to taste them while they’re still warm and wow how tasty it is. The texture is close to that of a toffee, warmly melting on the tongue.
On our back to the wharf, I’m amazed by a beautiful, modern and long bridge. Kun tells us that it’s only five years old, which occasioned a small revolution for the region which had been solely reliant on boats.
We then drive to Can Tho, the delta capital, a large city built in a large part by the French, in order to develop global trade.
Can Tho homestay
Tonight, I leave behind the comfort of a hotel to spend the night in a guesthouse, something I had specifically requested to our travel agency. Vietnamese welcoming is legendary so I wanted to get close to the locals. Not such a usual choice, apparently, as Kun seemed a bit horrified at the idea of leaving us on our own in this neighbourhood away from the centre. At the sight of our room, open to the outside and without air conditioning, he tried to convince us to go to a hotel. My mind was set, however, and I couldn’t imagine letting our hosts down: they had already prepared everything for us. Also, their garden and the fact that the room was on stilts had already seduced me.
This turned out to be the most beautiful evening of our entire trip.
Cooking course with the locals
We were meant to take a cooking course but as the family didn’t speak English, they seemed a bit embarrassed to make us do any work. Our only task ended up rolling up and deep-frying a couple of spring rolls. Meanwhile, I could observe the mother and her grown-up daughter preparing a delicious banquet, while listening to the rest of the family playing and laughing in the room next door.
We all shared a good laugh when a cute mischievous girl, who had no desire to get dressed after her bath, started to run naked all around the house to escape her parents. This scene could easily have shocked back home but here it made everybody laugh.
We were then invited outside to take the meal under a tree. That’s when I discovered that the banquet was entirely dedicated to us ! And turned out to be the best one I have tasted. Recipes were simple but prepared with care and with ingredients that were unbelievably fresh. The meal was composed of : spring rolls with the succulent white flesh of a fish, a delicious white vegetable I could never find the name of, another fish baked in caramel (at the forefront of the picture) and a pumpkin soup. That is far too much, I protested, but we finished it all.
Night stroll by the river: meeting the locals
After a personal banquet, one desperately needs a digestive stroll. It’s another moment I will never forget. It was pitch-dark outside, and the tiny pedestrian street lining up the Mekong river was only lit by the houses. As we entered more deeply into this shady world, we were greeted by absolutely every person we walked pass: passers-by and inhabitants dining outside, all seemingly amazed by the sight of these white-skinned curiosities. Children were running all around us and asking us, ‘Hello!’, ‘How are you?’, ‘What’s your name?’ All proud to be have the opportunity to practise their English. An orgy of smiles and positive vibes.
Once tucked under the mosquito net, I was pleased to feel the efficiency of a high power fan; I nearly got cold during the night! I also congratulated myself not to have forgotten ear plugs: after nightfall, it’s as if a jungle of toads, dogs and chicken wakes up.
I had all the elements necessary for a good night sleep. However, once again, my excitement at the prospect of tomorrow kept me away from sleep. We will be visiting the early lanterns-lit floating market
