A Stop in the Mekong Delta

From Phu Quoc Island Mike and I needed to head back to Saigon, where Mike had his flight to the US on March 12th.  We were planning to take a ferry back to the mainland followed by a bus to Can Tho, the largest city in the Mekong Delta.  David, Laura, and Grace, the Brits we met in Nha Trang and again on Phu Quoc, recommended a small guest house where they stayed in Can Tho.  It was run by a friendly woman named Ms Ha who organized tours of the Delta.

From left: David, Ms Ha, Laura, one of Ms Ha's employees, and Grace

We wanted to leave the island on Sunday the 9th, but Grace, who was also trying to leave that day (for Cambodia) informed us that she was told ferry tickets were sold old.  Flights were considerably more expensive so Mike and I weren't sure what to do.  Staff at our hotel couldn't get the tickets we were after, but on Saturday evening at the night market we stopped in at a travel agent to check.  We were prepared to canvass the area, expecting a bunch of shops to be sold old or trying to overcharge.  The first place we looked, however, had exactly what we needed.  Grace had booked another ticket that involved an extra night layover of travel time, so we thought it best not to mention we got on the ferry she wanted!

Late Sunday morning Mike and I were picked up from our hotel and driven to the ferry terminal where we caught the Super Dong back to the mainland.  Yes, in case you were curious, the name of the ferry is the Super Dong.  Actually, Vietnam is full of funny names.  The currency is called the Vietnamese Dong, which trades at over 20,000 to one USD.  So at the ATM if you want to get the equivalent of $100 you'll be withdrawing over 2 million Dong!  Also I think the Vietnamese word for "cheers" is the coolest I've heard yet: I've seen it spelled dzô or vô but it's pronounced like "yo!" as in, "Yo, what's up?"

The Superdong ferry; actually we were on the Superdong IV

100,000 Dong, less than five US dollars!

Once Mike and I got back to the mainland we took the shuttle bus from the ferry to the bus terminal, then after a two hour wait got our bus to Can Tho (this was all included in our original ticket).  I kept thinking the one and a half lane, bumpy road we were on would eventually widen, but it never did.  Along the whole length of the road to Can Tho was a near uninterrupted string of houses and small shops.  The Mekong Delta area is only one third the size of Ohio but has over 17 million people, even more impressive (or crazy) considering the largest city, Can Tho, has only 1.2 million people.  All that adds up to not much open or undeveloped space.

By the time Mike and I reached Can Tho it was nearly 10 pm.  The ticket office at the bus station let us use their phone to give Ms Ha a call, who promptly sent for two moto drivers to pick us up.  My driver said the other guy already had a few drinks - I'm glad Mike was on the back of his bike and not me!  Actually we made it to the guest house without any problems and best of all the ride was free!  David, Grace, and Laura had mentioned Ms Ha provides free transport to her place, a great deal when the room is only $12.

main street in Can Tho

Entrance to Ms Ha's guesthouse, where she lives with her
sister and two nephews

Despite the late arrival Mike and I decided to book a tour of the Delta for the following morning, bright and early at 5:30 am!  The tour started with our guide, Wing, taking us to the docks and boarding a small boat, big enough to comfortably fit maybe seven people.  There was still plenty of room, since it was just Mike, Wing, the boat driver, and me.  In the morning we rode to two different floating markets.  Farmers bring their produce to the markets on boats, where local shop owners and business people buy in bulk to then resell on land.

The Mekong River runs through five countries - China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam before reaching the South China Sea.  Before reaching the sea it splits into thousands of distributaries, forming a fertile delta system abundant in ecological diversity and commercial activity.  Unfortunately the two don't often coexist well together.  Mike and I saw a fair bit of trash along the river, and the boat's propeller got caught in plastic bags numerous times during our trip.  As Vietnam continues to modernize and industrialize, preserving the precarious balance between development and sustainability will prove challenging.

floating market in the Delta; farmers bring their crops by boat to sell at the nearby towns and cities

Rice paper, often used to wrap Vietnamese spring rolls

After our trip to the market we visited a rice paper factory and walked through a rural area with small farms.  Before heading back to Can Tho we had lunch at a local restaurant, although it catered to tourists and most of the people there had been taken by their tour guides.  Our guide asked if it was okay to eat lunch with us, which we said was certainly fine.  Wing is a college student who also works as a boat guide and made nice company.

When we asked for the bill, however, we realized that the restaurant had included Wing and the diver's meals on our check.  Only then did I understand what asking if they could join us for lunch meant.  That seemed dishonest to me and Mike; the boat driver hadn't even eaten at our table - she just ate with the other drivers.  The restaurant itself was also overpriced.  $4 or $5 might not seem pricey, but we knew we could get the type of basic meals on their menu back in town for half that.  I was willing to pay and just be done with it, but Mike said no and in the end they only charged us for our two meals.

I was later told that paying for the guide and drivers' meals is customary, but if so they should have mentioned that beforehand.  I'm sure it's not the first time this sort of thing has come up.  It also didn't help that the restaurant was making a handsome profit (by Vietnamese standards) off not only our meals but the ones Wing and our driver were eating.  At the end of the tour I offered to pay Wing for the meals, but she refused, saying it was okay.

Tipping varies greatly from country to country,
and many tourists don't do proper research.
In Vietnam, except for high-end establishments,
it's not expected.  It can be nice to tip your
tour guide, but I'd much rather give them a
couple bucks directly than pay for a meal at
a restaurant where they'd never normally eat.

Once we got back to the guesthouse we were worn from such an early start - a few days on Phu Quoc we didn't get out of bed until noon - so an afternoon nap was in order.  Refreshed by early evening, we headed over to the night market to see if there were any good clothing deals.  Mike wanted a dress casual shirt but even the XL sizes didn't fit!  And I should mention that Mike is smaller than me - six feet tall and thin.  I didn't even bother looking for clothing!

Next to the market was a typical row of street vendors selling various meats on a stick, spring rolls, rice with chicken, kebab sticks, Banh Mi sandwiches, and Nuoc Mia (sugarcane juice), among others.  The clothes shopping may have flopped, but the street food was worth it.  For a couple dollars you could get dinner and a tasty Nuoc Mia to wash it down.  I'll take street food over an overpriced tourist trap any day!

Lots of assorted meats on sticks!

a few kebab sticks, lots of chicken feet

Some street staples: Pho, classic noodle soup; spring rolls wrapped in rice paper; and Banh Mi sandwiches

Nuoc Mia, aka sugar can juice; check out this video
to see how the juice is squeezed out of the cane stalks.

That night Mike and I got beers at two different bars along the riverfront.  Although the street was crowded with pedestrians and vendors the bars weren't exactly hopping.  As we headed back towards the hotel rather early we stopped in at one last place for a final beer.  Or that was the plan.  Sitting next to our plastic table and chairs was a group of Vietnamese guys drinking local vodka, and with some liquid courage they invited us over.  A few of them already had a glazed over look but loved to encourage Mike and I to continue taking shots.  They were from out of town  and most of them spoke little English, but that didn't stop us from having a conversation.

We got on well - probably too well - and once they invited us to their hotel to continue drinking in the wee hours of the morning Mike and I decided it was a good time to ditch the gang.  They seemed nice and all, but I we both had enough to drink and felt a bit strange going to a random hotel with guys we just met.  Before getting to Ms Ha's guesthouse we searched for a late night food stand, but nothing was open.  Better to get home hungry than not get home at all!

No more Vietnamese vodka!!

The following day, hungover, I swore off any more of the local vodka.  We didn't manage to do much that day, which was better for my recovery.  In the evening Mike and I took a long walk around the city.  We didn't see much  of interest but got more cheap street food and explored a less touristy area of town.  Thanks to my lingering hangover I resolved to make it a quiet night and we got to bed much earlier than the last one.

On the 12th, after two days and three nights in Can Tho, it was time for Mike to leave.  This time we didn't have any cushion, as his flight was due to depart from Saigon that evening.  The bus ride only takes 3.5 hours and Mike had booked his ticket the day before (our recovery day).  I hadn't really planned anything out in advance, but it's not like I had much free time myself; my flight to Bangkok was departing on two days later.  I decided rather last minute to rent a motorbike and get some country riding in before I had to make it back to Saigon.  I guess I'll leave it there for now!