Today we took a trip down to the Mekong Delta. We did the tour of the river on a boat and visited some islands. Our first stop was on an island where we tried fruit such as mango, pineapple, jackfruit, and finger bananas. We also had some tea and listened to Vietnamese music. My favorite part was seeing all the fruit growing around us while we walked. We saw pineapple, bananas, and jackfruit. Next we saw a place where chocolate was made and another that produced honey. At the chocolate place, there was a large snake that everyone got the chance to hold. However, I decided against holding it. At the honey place, we were given kumquat tea with honey. Trying all the different foods on the tour was a great way to experience the culture of the Mekong Delta. Another place we went had coconut candy and we saw how they were made.  After a short trip in a horse pulled cart, we got to a boat and took a boat ride in a small river. It was a very pretty trip and it felt like you were surrounded on all sides by plants. We learned that the fruit from the plants were called water coconuts. The boat trip was a great way to see the beauty of the Mekong close up and it made me realize what’s at stake when upriver dams are built. The dams prevent the fertile soil from reaching the delta and they cause the delta to become more salty from the ocean. This has the potential to cause irreversible damage to the delta. The natural beauty and culture of the Mekong would be destroyed and the food it provides would be gone too. All the rice, fruit, and fish we tried today may no longer come from the Mekong in the future if action is not taken. This trip was a great way to see the culture that we had read and heard so much about. Another impressive aspect of today’s trip was the coordination of the entire tour. All the parts of the day were run by separate people who came together to offer tours to foreigners and bring money into the local rural economy. It’s a great example of the cleverness of the Vietnamese people and their ability to work hard. They are very  smart business people and the rapid development we have seen this entire trip is a direct result of that.