From Northern Vietnam we flew to the south to experience the Mekong Delta and get a small taste of Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). The contrast between the two parts of the country is very noticeable. The hot and humid south is filled with fruit orchards, coconut trees and the many tributaries of the Mekong.
The Mighty Mekong
We only spent 2 days and 1 night in the Mekong Delta – but boy did we ever pack in the activity (or I should say the tour company packed it in for us). We spent time at the Vinh Trang Pagoda, biked through small villages, got rowed around local waterways, toured fruit orchards (and of course enjoyed samples) and learned how to make everything from coconut candy, puffed rice, and rice paper. Turns out I also have a bit of a knack for making rice noodles – I nailed perfect execution on my first attempt making them. So I may have a fall-back career!
But I think my favourite experience, during our time in the Mekong Delta, was getting to engage with one of the vendors at the Cai Rang Floating Market. This woman in the video only sells pineapples – we boarded her boat and she prepared the pineapple spears for us and we sat on the top of her boat eating our juicy, yummy, fresh pineapple!
So one last fun story – Lisa and I ended up being in the right place at the right time to catch a glimpse into the Vietnamese nightlife in the town of Can Tho. After walking along the waterfront we noticed a restaurant/bar just around the corner from our hotel and decided to check it out. We ordered a round of beer and then all of this food started to arrive at our table. We were a bit confused, indicated we hadn’t bought the food and the waiter said “don’t worry – all of your food and drinks are free tonight – this is our grand opening”. Woo hoo!!! So what we thought would be a quick round – turned out to be a full evening of fun!
The Streets of Saigon
During this trip to Saigon our itinerary didn’t leave much time for sightseeing – but I will be back later in my journeys and will share a few more pictures of the city. But living up to its reputation, the streets are chaotic – and crossing the street here feels like you are in a video game, weaving in and out of cars and motorcycles. Unfortunately at this game you on only have 1 life – no do overs 😂 Here is a video of what we needed to deal with to get from one side of the street to the other!!!
Well now it’s time to say goodbye to Lisa – and I’ll head off to the Philippines to meet up with another friend!!!
To think we sometimes can’t get across Hwy 60 to continue our walks is now literally a walk in the park. LOL. Great capture on your videos! It was like I was right there with you! I see noodles in my future.