The delta is revered as the most productive of all the land in Vietnam. Here there are rice paddies, coconut groves, nut tree plantations, fruit trees, vegetables and virtually anything that can be grown.
There are more than ten different varieties of rice grown here.
I was told there are two rice harvests a year with Vietnam being the number two exporter of rice in the world. Last year five million tons of rice was exported. All of the sand for the construction industry in Saigon and surrounding areas comes from the delta as well.
I was told there are two rice harvests a year with Vietnam being the number two exporter of rice in the world. Last year five million tons of rice was exported. All of the sand for the construction industry in Saigon and surrounding areas comes from the delta as well.
There are many boats plying the waters of the Delta with the majority of them being small boats carrying fruits, fish, nuts and vegetables. Cai Be city is a major wholesale hub for trade in the river delta. We saw large barges, small row boats, house boats with generations of family aboard, river cruise boats ferrying people to and from Cambodia.
The Mekong is an untamed river that still floods the delta and replenishes the soil with nutrients. The soil in turn feeds Vietnam in a literal sense.
Click on the photo below for a slideshow of photos from the Mekong Delta
Martha's Notes:
My notes for today ended up being short tidbits that don't necessarily connect together that well. Sorry about that.
Our trip to the Mekong Delta was a full-day event. We had a personal tour, so were able to ask lots of questions. During the 2 to 2 1/2 hour drive each way, our guide educated us on Vietnamese culture, customs, and even gave us a few new words in Vietnamese. Which brought my total up to about 6, but it's more than I knew before.
We heard repeatedly that the young people from the rural areas have been moving to the urban areas for education and more opportunities. Because we went on a Sunday, we ran into the masses of people returning to the city after a weekend "back home."
One sight we saw was the road lined with cafes that had hammocks as well as chairs. Our guide told us that you could go in, buy a coffee, and sit in the hammock for free for as long as you liked.
Please click the photo below to be taken to our video from the Mekong Delta. Please go to full screen (Lower Right of the video window).
When we got to Cai Be, we got on a boat and were greeted with a basket of fresh fruit.
The boat took us out into the river, and motored past the floating markets. Farmers bring crops to the harbor and anchor there, living off their boats while selling the crops.
We then visited a small workshop where the people made traditional Vietnamese foods, then packaged and sold them. We saw women and children working side by side. The factory was also a tourist spot, and people came in to watch them work. A small restaurant and retail shop were at the end of the tour, to give us a chance to contribute. We saw them making coconut candy, rice paper, rice wine (with snakes in it, reputed to enhance a man's libido),
popped rice,
 |
| Supposed to be an analgesic |
 |
| Google tells me that this is a weight-loss product |
Next, we went back to the boat and were greeted with coconut water, still in the coconut.
We then were taken by boat to a canal where we were ushered into a small rowboat and rowed through the canal by a woman. Let me tell you, there's no better way to feel like a clumsy American than trying to get off a boat into a rowboat that was so small, your knees are bent up to your chest as you're riding. After 20 minutes through the canal, it was even more fun trying to straighten your knees after being in that position so long. The ride was beautiful, though.
 |
| Farmers transporting fruit through the canal |
We met our motor boat on the other side of the canal, and he then took us to the islands where we had lunch in an orchard, and then toured the orchard. The lunch, like many of our meals in Vietnam, was a plethora of food with lots of variety. We had "elephant ear fish", which was deep fried and served with scales and head attached. We were shown how to use the rice paper and veggies to make our own fresh spring rolls. We also had shrimp, spring rolls, lemongrass chicken, beef and pumpkin flowers, and a couple of other dishes I can't even remember. Our lunch ended with a plate of fresh fruit (grown on the orchard).
Our guide then gave us a tour of the orchard before we got back on the boat and headed to Vinh Long, where our driver met us to drive us back to Ho Chi Minh City.
 |
| Jack Fruit |
 |
| Green papaya |
 |
| Purple bananas |
 |
| Orchids |
 |
| Pineapple |
 |
| Dragon Fruit |
On the way back, the guide pointed out rice warehouses along the way, packed with bags of rice. The warehouses had the largest, most elegant houses around. The guide told us that the "middleman" who bought rice from the farmer and then sold it to the stores made the most money.
Other tidbits of information we gleaned: They have fish farms in the Mekong River, and that may be where our tilapia comes from. I don't eat tilapia -- and now I have a good reason not to!
Most of the women in Vietnam wear long sleeves and long pants, hoods and masks during the day. The primary purpose is to protect their skin from the sun, as lighter complexions are considered desirable.
We saw a large temple that our guide said was for Cao Daism. He told us that Cao Dai takes the best parts of all religions and mixes them together, to basically teach people to be good. According to Wikipedia - "Cao Dai uses ethical precepts from Confucianism, occult practices from Taoism, theories of Karma and Rebirth from Buddhism,and a hierarchical organization (including a Pope) from Christianity."
Here's a Wikipedia link to more information - https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cao_Dai
- We went through road construction on the way back. Amazingly, much of the road work is still done by hand or with minimal equipment.
Vital Statistics:
Date - Sunday, September 20, 2015
High Temperature - 93 degrees F, Heat index 107.2 degrees F
Total Miles Traveled - about 300
No comments:
Post a Comment