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March 10, 2024
Vietnam: Floating Market


Our excursion group at Bamboo Eco Village

Vietnam is famous for its floating markets. In the Mekong Delta, numerous families live full-time aboard their boats. They also use their boats for business, selling their goods to others on both land and water. A few years ago, chef Gordon Ramsay make the floating markets famous for declaring their noodles “the best I’ve ever had.”

Sadly, the floating markets are slowly disappearing as Vietnam builds up its land infrastructure. One of the few remaining is at Cai Rang, which was our destination this morning.

Our call was 7:00 am, and Russell set his alarm for 5:45 am. Unfortunately, Gail’s smart phone was set to automatically convert to Daylight Savings Time back in the US. In the middle of the night, her clock went forward an hour. This morning, she jumped up in a panic, thinking we had overslept. We actually got up an hour earlier than we needed to.


Bamboo Eco Village


Our bungalow at Bamboo Eco Village

Sunrise over the Mekong Delta was exotic and beautiful, as boats gradually started appearing. We took a 30-minute boat ride from the Bamboo Eco Lodge to Cai Rang. Unfortunately, our tiny boat was not equipped to carry seven Americans plus a guide and oarsperson. By the time we arrived, the riders in the back had their feet in several inches of water. Fortunately, we were able to switch to another, larger boat.


Sunrise over the Mekong Delta


We continued to be stunned by the way the locals live


The Mekong River is a combination of beauty and pollution (a huge problem that Vietnam is still trying to solve)


Our original boat was little larger than a sampan


In the front, Russell and Tom (our fantastic guide) had a terrific view
In the back, Gail’s feet were under water!

In the meantime, we got to experience the floating market on both land and water. On land, we docked and saw markets where they make rice paper and noodles. On water, we boarded a pineapple boat and sampled their wares. We visited other boats to get coffee and noodles.

(In Vietnam, locals eat huge breakfasts of meat, dim sum and bowls of noodles. This is because farmers traditionally needed to rise early and work hard all day.)


The Cai Rang floating market


Some of the vendors at the floating market: fruits and vegetables, mangosteen and durian, and soft drinks


You buy from a vendor by tying your boat to theirs


Gail peels a mangosteen


Russell with a Vietnamese noodle bowl


The pineapple boat advertises its wares on a high pole


We tied our boat to the pineapple boat in order to climb aboard


The pineapple lady prepares a snack for us
Meanwhile, Gail perches on a tiny, precarious bench



The pineapple vendors live with their daughter aboard their boat


At a land market, Gail learns how to make rice noodles

We were up and out so early, it was only mid-morning when we returned to Bamboo Eco Village. This gave Russell an opportunity to take a bicycle ride around the area. He stopped at a local vendor who was selling red dragon fruit.


Russell’s bicycle ride


Normal dragon fruit has a white interior. These fruits have a red interior!

Back at Bamboo Eco Village, everyone participated in a cooking class. We learned to make Vietnamese spring rolls and pancakes, which we had for lunch. We were sad to check out and depart this beautiful setting.


Cooking class


Spring rolls and pancakes

The three-hour van ride back to Ho Chi Minh City marked the end of our multi-day excursion. We have opted to stay one more night back at the Silverland Yen. This gave us an opportunity to check on our custom-tailored clothes. (We needed a few more alterations, so we won’t pick things up until tomorrow morning.) Gail was exhausted and had an early evening. Russell treated himself to a Vietnamese massage – 90 minutes for $23 US!


Russell with Lucy, his masseuse

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