A fair warning: this blog will not do this day justice. We journeyed to the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam. The Mekong River is the third largest river in Asia, starting in China and ending in Vietnam. This river is so important to the Vietnamese people because of the agricultural areas where rice and other foods can be grown. We started our day by getting on a long, wooden boat with a motor and taking a ride across the river onto an island. The Mekong Delta has four islands named after the four holy animals. When we arrived on the island, we were taken by horse and carriage to some vendor areas. Going through the village was extremely interesting because the island was very compact. There were some cars in driveways that were 30 feet away from boats for the waterways that cut through the island. We were able to go and eat fresh fruit while locals performed traditional music and dance. Easily some of the best fruit of my life!! After this, we took a long, wooden canoe that fit six people through a connecting waterway. This was such a cool experience because the canoes were steered by the locals. Being able to see houses on the riverbanks put many of my problems away. These people, who were all smiling and happy to share memories with us, have difficult lives but prevail through it all. It is inspiring to see.

For lunch, we traveled back on the motorized boat to a different island and ate. This island also had many shops and activities to do, including feeding alligators! There were dozens of alligators in an enclosure, unfortunately used for food and their skin. We were able to feed the alligators, which was horrifying yet super thrilling. After this, there was an area where we could get into hamster balls on the water and run around. This was such good bonding time with my American and Vietnamese peers. Yes, it is great to visit business and gain all of that knowledge, but the fun times on the day trips mean so much more to these developing relationships. When you think about the tourism revenue in this region, you have to account for the wet season. When it is rainy every day for months, there aren’t as many tourists that come through and generate revenue. This puts the lives of these people at risk. Economic troubles caused by geographical location are sometimes overlooked, but it was clear that these people are trying to make the most of the touristy season. I was able to buy some souvenirs from the locals, bargaining the price down which was fun. It was a great day that showed me how beautiful this area is and also how potentially difficult it is to live here. I had an amazing time with my peers and I think I vote this the best day of the trip!