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March 9, 2024
Vietnam: Mekong Delta


The Mekong Delta

Today we began a massive two-day excursion out of Ho Chi Minh City into the Vietnamese countryside. The good news is our van picked us up from our hotel. The bad news is our van picked us up at 6:15 am. This was necessary because it would take several hours to drive to our destination: The Mekong Delta.

Our van was comfortable and air-conditioned. There were seven guests plus driver and guide in a 16-person van. Our guide was Tom, a friendly 20-something man who says he learned English only two years ago from watching movies and YouTube. (We had no idea if he was kidding, but his English was excellent.) Our driver’s Vietnamese name means “fast,” and he was terrific at weaving through traffic.

Along the way, we made a stop for coffee (and toilet) and a stop at a Vietnamese temple. Cao Đài is a Vietnamese religion that incorporates aspects of Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, Islam and Roman Catholicism. Founded in 1926, the religion currently has about 2.5 million followers.


Driving through towns


A shoe store


We were impressed by the variety of things that people can carry on their scooters, including a large-screen television. Vietnam has the highest rate of scooter riders in the world.


The deceased are buried in the family fields and rice paddies. This is so the spirits of the dead will continue to bless the living.


There are roadside stops along the highway. Toilet facilities vary, including this unique arrangement of men’s urinals.


The syncretic Cao Đài temple. Note the swastikas on the pillar.


Women enter the temple on the left and men enter on the right. The altar features deities from various religions, including Jesus Christ and Buddha.

We finally arrived at the Mekong Delta at mid-morning, where we left our van and boarded a boat to motor us around the region. We visited numerous stops around the area, including manufacturers of coconut candy, popped rice, crafts, fruit and snake wine.

A highlight of the day was boarding small sampan boats to travel up narrow rivers. In populated areas, women row these boats with double oars. In other sections, they use little outboard motors.


We started out in a “large” powered boat


Halfway through our day, we boarded smaller sampan boats to navigate the narrow rivers


Every piece of coconut candy is wrapped by hand


Rice paper being made


Rice wine being distilled


Snake wine is flavored with actual snakes. It’s taken for medicinal purposes – it makes your kidneys stronger. Last year we bought a bottle. We don’t recommend it – it tastes like snakes.


A craftsperson makes Russell a bracelet


A fruit vendor. Durian is an Asian fruit that smells like rancid feet, but tastes sweet.


We took a snack break to watch singers perform traditional Vietnamese folk music


Life in the Mekong Delta

We ended our day at Bamboo Eco Village. This is a beautiful clearing in the middle of the jungle, where a couple built a lodge right before COVID shut them down. Fortunately their business has survived. Here we had dinner and spent the night in cozy, air-conditioned private bungalows. The atmosphere and experience greatly reminded us of our time in Africa years ago.

Tomorrow our Vietnamese adventure continues, with a meeting time of 7:00 am.


To reach our evening destination, we boarded a small electric cart and drove down a backcountry road



Bamboo Eco Village


Dinner after a very full day

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