Posted under Vietnam
The Mekong River begins in the highlands of Tibet, where the melting snows run down the mountains and flow 4,500 km through China, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam to the South China Sea. Its delta is one of the world’s largest, producing more than enough rice to feed all of Vietnam as well as fruit, coconut, sugarcane and abundant fish. Indigenous villages of farmers and fisherman are woven into the densely populated network of canals and rivulets. The Mekong River is the lifeblood of this fertile and industrious region.
We took a day trip from Ho Chi Minh City to cruise the Mighty Mekong and absorb some of the local village culture. Much to our dismay, we stepped out of our hotel that morning to find a large tour bus – the exact kind of bus that we see in every tourist area and thank God that we’re not on it. A group of that size ensures a lot of time getting herded around like cattle and waiting for people to get organized. It is usually the least desirable option. However, it was 7am and the money had been collected so we climbed onto the bus with the other cattle and kept our disgruntled “moos” to a minimum.
Throughout the day, we endured a succession of tourist sideshows such as a local music performance, a horse cart ride, a coconut candy shop run by indigenous people, and the usual handicraft stalls, for the privilege of floating the Mekong. It was definitely worth it! We cruised slowly along on wooden motorboats with shaded, open-air seating to take advantage of the gentle breeze on the river.
The Mekong is wide and murky; it is notoriously silt-laden and the shape of the land is constantly changing due to the large silt deposits. Boats are everywhere: fishing vessels varying in size from wooden rowboats to commercial shrimp boats; cargo barges propelled by tug boats; tourist cruisers; and family-owned houseboats. Women in narrow wooden boats, resembling gondolas, navigate the waterways, transporting people and goods between land and large boats, floating villages or fish farms. Dilapidated industrial buildings and residential shacks line the riverbanks and some fishermen have even constructed their homes on floating platforms in the middle of the river.
The highlight of our cruise was floating through one of the thousands of narrow canals fed by the Mekong. As we glided through the opaque brown artery, barely wide enough for two boats to pass, the banks were obscured by lush water coconut plants shooting up from the water. In small clearings amid the greenery, we spotted individual wooden boats – the main mode of transportation for the local villagers – and small houses built on bamboo stilts to avoid rising flood waters. Young children waved and then squealed and ran away at the sight of our tour boat, indicating that tourism has yet to completely alter the authenticity of the experience.
Despite the sideshows, some of which were quite enjoyable, the Mekong trip was a day well spent. Several other members of our tour group stayed on to delve deeper into the delta for another night or two. We opted to head back to Ho Chi Minh City, thankful for the pleasurable day of cruising and culture, but ready to defect from the herd.
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