Mekong Delta (2 days/1 night)

Having spent a few days accustoming ourselves in Saigon, Chloe and I decided to head off on our first real foray in to the traditional Vietnamese way of life.We booked a two day/one night trip venturing deep in to the heart of Vietnam's 'rice bowl' - the Mekong Delta.On our journey, we would meander through five of the Delta's 13 provinces by bus, boat, bike, and any other means necessary.

This was booked through Sinh Café on De Tham, at a lowly price of $33 each.This included an extra $8 per person to stay in a homestay rather than a hotel, as well as all transport, most meals, and an English speaking guide.There were even lower prices being banded around (as well as much higher through some rip-off merchants) but we opted against risking a few bucks for a lesser known company, seeing as though we had absolutely no idea what we were getting ourselves in to.

We began the day relatively early, as we had to check out of our hotel and hop across town to board the bus by 7.30am.We were joined by a small group of Asian girls and an Aussie couple, all the way from Melbourne - my second home.We drove from HCMC through to Ben Tre, Ben Tre Province where the first large-scale military action of the Viet Cong occurred during the Vietnam War.

We swiftly boarded a small wooden boat and cantered off across the Hau River to our first stop - a local brick factory.This cute set-up gave us a wonderful insight in to the manual industrial world that many of the locals had to work in, day in day out. This included heavy, tiring work for both the men and women of the area.Each brick would then be sold for just 700VND - a whole 3c.

From here, we floated further down the river and in to a tiny, local honey farm.Here we were treated to some honey tea, fresh tropical fruits and traditional folk music - performed by four of the villagers that lived here.One of them, a young boy, was born without eyes as a result of the aftermath of Agent Orange - a defoliant dropped on this region during the Vietnam War. This left people disfigured and disabled, even born years later.He was still able to play the guitar though, a true testament to the will and determination of this region.

We worked our way deeper in to the Delta, through the beautiful waterways lined with lush, green foliage - only broken up by the wooden shacks and coconut farms dotted along the edge. Perched on the back of the boat, saw some magical images - from old, weathered Vietnamese men fishing from their tiny, battered boats to young children playing freely along the riverbank.Picturesque is an understatement.

Our last stop on the first leg of this intrepid adventure was to a coconut candy farm, where a large group of women would work basically every available second to produce up to a thousand candies per day.This included smashing open the coconuts, squeezing every last drip of juice from them, heating & stirring the mix, chopping, and packaging - ready to be taken to the region's markets for sale. Here we were given the opportunity to wrap our own, which Chloe just about succeeded in achieving! We also got to the taste the candies and indulge in some coconut wine, which tasted like a mix between vodka and kahlua and was incredibly strong! Enough to knock many off their perch, and according to our guide, was responsible for the Mekong Delta's baby boom!

Having finished up on the boats for now, it was time for lunch. However, if we thought it was just a wander round the corner to a restaurant we had another thing coming! Instead we were hustled on to the back of two open-top tuk tuks and raced through the bumpy back roads to a small stream.Here we boarded a very slender paddle boat and given our first chance to try for size a Non Quai Thao, the traditional woven hats seen everywhere. We slid gently through the water before arriving for lunch.

Having already done a few organised tours during my time in Australia, I wasn't holding out for too much in the way of a decent feed. However, to my pleasant surprise, we were greeted with a huge feast - a blend of the old (spring rolls), the new (seasoned fish), and the unknown (which turned out to be catfish).We all had a little play on a monkey rig before boarding the bus back to Can Tho City.

It was here that we split from those that'd opted for the hotel, with only me, Chloe, and a Korean lady named Sok having chosen the homestay.We were whisked off to the village through the manic city traffic on the back of motorbikes, which was literally the first time I had EVER been on one and it was pretty hair-raising stuff! Not so for Tin, the young son of the family we would be staying with. He effortlessly navigated us through the chaos of motorbikes, trucks, buses, and people that littered the streets - whilst I held on tight, eyes narrowed to avoid the dust and heart pumping faster than Usain Bolt with the wind behind him.Chloe and Sok followed behind, each experiencing their own unique ride through town.

After around ten minutes, we arrived at our homestay in the village of Minh Viet.Banked up along the river, it was just magical.We really weren't sure of what to expect when we booked the tour but we couldn't have asked for anything more.The whole place was laid out like a small getaway resort - with hammocks, dining areas, beer on ice, and fresh juices aplenty.There were six guest rooms in total, made up like country-style cottages with thatched roofs and wooden doors.Inside were two double beds with fully-fledged mosquito nets, an en-suite bathroom with shower, and electricity.

We had just enough time to drop our bags before being led to the local market by Tin, this time by bicycle.Now I hadn't ridden a bike in years but I must say this was simply fantastic.Away from the madness of the city, we bumped our way through the narrow streets down to the village market.Most of the stalls were closing up for the day at this point, but we were promised we would return in the morning.We carried on, taking all the tiny, winding paths that swathed their way through the dense forestry and along the river that the people of Min Viet relied so heavily on.Everywhere we turned, we were greeted by the friendliest of smiles and a chorus of 'HELLO!' from every man, woman, and especially child that was in our path.For these people, the sight of Westerners right outside their front door was as exhilarating for them as it was for us.The children, half donned in fake football jerseys, rushed to see us from every angle, eyes illuminating on sight of this tall, hairy, white guy on a bike waving frantically at them.

Finally we arrived back to our home for the night, with dinner awaiting us.We tucked in to a feast of prawn cracker rolls, soup, and some sort of seasoned fish cooked in a claypot.I have absolutely no idea what it was (which could be for the best) but it was a delight.Nothing beats mum's cooking, even if it's someone else's mum! As the people are so driven to make use of every last drip of sunlight each day, the entire family packed themselves off to bed by 8pm and we were left to drink and chat the night away.Perched along the river's edge and under a blanket of stars was a fitting way to end what had been the most sensational of days.

It was 5.45am and our alarm was going off. Despite this early hour, the rest of the village had already been up and running for some time and it was straight on the bicycles and back down to the market.The place was buzzing with the sound of locals trading everything under the sun - from jumping fish and pig's heads to an array of fruit and veg like you've never seen.Again we were greeted with a vociferous welcoming, with beaming smiles and waving hands everywhere.I felt alive.We forayed around the small stands, heaving with goods, as the sun pierced through the canopy above before heading off for another cycle around town.This time however we were led straight in to the early morning traffic and forced to tackle the many motorbikes zipping around everywhere!Surprisingly though, we slipped straight in and it was a breeze. No doubt though the locals could spot the two Westerners a mile off and gave us a wide berth!As we moved from the beaten track and back along the river we witnessed Viet women weaving rugs from grass, a shop with a pulley-system across the river for money/goods trade, and the 'public' toilet - an open wooden shack perched precariously over the edge of a deep swamp, with which to do your business!

There was just enough time for a quick breakfast of eggs, bread, bananas, & fresh pineapple juice before we headed back to Can Tho to meet up with the rest of the group.We zoomed back on the motorbikes and waved goodbye to the beautiful family that had taken us in to their own for a day.They had been fantastic.The rest of the group looked rather drained and tired and we were told that the hotel they had been staying in was as basic as they come, dirty, and full of creepy-crawlies.The decision to choose the homestay really had paid off!

Our first destination today was to be Cai Rang Floating Market, 30 minutes boat ride from Can Tho.The floating market here is one of the largest in Vietnam, with hundreds of boats descending on to the river to buy and sell the many products of the Mekong Delta.The market begins at the crack of dawn, with wholesale sellers arriving in their droves to purchase huge quantities of stock from farmers and tradesmen alike.The chain of events then begins, with smaller retailers arriving to buy from the wholesale sellers - who in turn either return to their homes to sell at the market/in their shop or to even smaller buyers arriving by boat later in the morning.The entire morning is a continuous procession of buy and sell, trade and swap - conducted entirely by boat.We found ourselves right at the very end of the chain, with a few rowing boats pulling up beside us selling drinks and fruit.One boat in particular, carrying three absolutely adorable little boys, managed to pull off a deal with myself - a bunch of bananas for 20,000VND (just under a buck). I was probably hugely ripped off but I wasn't to care, it was great to play a tiny part in the whole procession. We snuck in amongst the rest of the boats, taking up the wonderful opportunity for some photo-taking and soaking it all in.It really is quite a spectacle, especially when you see just the vast amounts of everything being chartered from boat to boat.

We spent around an hour checking out the floating market, before it was time to head off once more to our next destination.Following a 30 minute cruise, we arrived at a tropical fruit farm and it was time to take a rest from the near-unbearable heat of the midday sun.We were given ample opportunity to chow down on an array of mango, jack fruit, grapefruit, and papaya and rehydrate for the journey ahead.It was another hour by boat back to Can Tho for lunch before boarding the bus and beginning the long hike back to Saigon.

There was still one last stop on the way - at Vinh Long Market.Now having seen my fair share of markets since my arrival in Vietnam, coupled with the tiring effect of the past few days, I wasn't really that hyped to drag myself around just for the sake of it.However, I wasn't to be beaten and even managed to pick myself up my very own Non Quai Thao! Maybe around two days too late, but better late than never!This market - like all I had witnessed so far - had absolutely everything up for sale. One rather depressing sight was the line of chickens and hens strapped up, fighting helplessly as they awaited their inevitable conclusion.

That was to be our last stop on the two day/one night Mekong adventure and another three hours later we were back to the hustle and bustle of HCMC.Chloe and I had an absolute blast on this trip and it was fantastic to witness just how Vietnamese life was like outside of the major cities.The people are endearing, the land charming, and the Mekong sincerely dominating.It is a hard but beautiful world out there.