The Mekong Delta in southern Vietnam is a vast maze of rivers, swamps and islands, home to floating markets, Khmer pagodas and villages surrounded by rice paddy fields. Boats are the main means of transportation. Pancake flat but lusciously green and beautiful, the Mekong Delta was formed by sediment deposited by the Mekong River, a process which continues today. The land of the delta is known for its richness, and almost half of it is under cultivation. The area is known as Vietnam’s “bread basket” although “rice basket” would be more apt. The Mekong Delta produces enough rice to feed the entire country, plus a sizeable surplus.
The small city of Can Tho acts as the access point to the Mekong Delta. This city was seven hours travelling from Phu Quoc Island. Before we left, we had to say goodbye to our good friends, the Shackletons, who were returning home after spending two weeks travelling with us through Cambodia and into Vietnam. It was sad saying our goodbyes – it will be another five months before we see them again.
We travelled firstly by mini-van to the port, followed by a 2.5 hour ferry ride and a 3 hour car journey. We were tired when we eventually arrived at Green Village, our home for the next two nights.
It’s an early start to the day in order to catch the floating markets of the Mekong Delta in action. At 5 am, before the break of dawn, we met our guide Dustin. We were taken to the river, where we boarded our long wooden traditional boat. The five of us climbed in, taking our seats on cushioned benches, and we were off. Unfortunately the rest of the trip didn’t quite go to plan!
After about thirty minutes on the boat the engine started spluttering and then died. The driver managed to restart it. This happened several more times until the engine died completely. The boat driver tied us to a bamboo pole sticking out of the river and we waited for another boat. Unfortunately, we bobbed about for about an hour before the replacement boat turned up! We all transferred to the new boat, this time we were sat on hard wooden sets with no cushions. It was only another five minutes to our first floating market, Cai Rang, but by now it was past 7am. The sellers were all here but the buyers had all but disappeared.
The boats hang what they are selling on a bamboo pole for all to see.
Eventually, we reached our second floating market, Phong Dien. This was a small market, much more intimate. Again however, we were too late. Most of the buying and selling seemed to have finished for the day! Our boat drifted in among the selling boats and our guide bought some fruit for our much awaited breakfast.
From a small building perched on the riverbank we sat and ate breakfast. We had to wait for more soup to be purchased and heated as the cafe had already finished serving breakfast by the time we arrived! For breakfast we ate traditional Vietnamese soup along with pineapple and mango purchased from the market.
After seeing the two floating markets we cruised on the smaller canals. Houses on stilts lined the waterways and people were going about their day.
We stopped at a snake farm that dries and sells anaconda skins. About twenty large snake skins were stretched out on planks and nailed in place to keep the skin taut. Men were cutting the skins from the snakes as we watched. We then entered a large building housing well over fifty anacondas of different shapes and sizes in small mesh cages. Each cage was approximately 1x1x0.5 metres and housed one to two anacondas. Most were sleeping but others were poking at the cages, looking for a way out. It was a depressing sight. These beautiful animals are living in cages much too small for them, only to be killed in the near future so someone can have a snakeskin purse, belt or shoes.
Before heading back down the river to Can Tho, we made a brief visit to a rice noodle factory, where we learned how rice noodles were made.
Unfortunately, on the way home our driver and guide got lost and a forty minute journey ended up taking over two hours. We were all tired, cranky and uncomfortable when we returned to Green Village. We had been sat on a small wooden boat for the best part of eight hours.
Our day had not gone to plan. We were really looking forward to the floating markets of the Mekong Delta but they were such a disappointment, to the most part because we arrived too late due to our broken boat engine. Getting lost on the way home only served to darken our moods.
It’s a fact of life that things go wrong. In eight months of travel, it is unavoidable to have a few minor disasters along the way. Travelling is not always blue skies, sunshine and perfect memories. Sometimes its broken down boats and getting lost..!
WHERE WE STAYED
We stayed for two nights at Green Village Homestay, near Can Tho. Accommodation is in simple bungalows with basic furnishings. Bathrooms are small and showers were cold throughout our stay. The rate includes breakfast and dinner which is simple Vietnamese cooking.
