Today was an eventful day! We started the day off at 7:20am with a two hour roadtrip to the Mekong region. Along the way, we saw the suburban and rural areas of the country, and significantly less traffic. Upon arrival at the dock, we boarded on a small wooden ship that carried us to the first island. The ship rocked with the waves and I felt so close to the water.
At the first island, we first had some tea-tasting paired with a snack of dried bananas. The guides then brought out honeybees and snakes for us to hold. Although I could only admire from afar, it seemed like a very fun and rare experience to interact so closely with these animals!
As we walked further down the island’s trail, we were met with many street vendors that sold toys, food, and souvenirs. We also experienced a cultural music session partnered by tropic fruit platters. The songs were sung live by the women while the men played the instrument accompaniment. I did not expect to enjoy these older songs that much!
Finally, just before leaving the island, we went on a canoe trip to truly experience the Mekong Delta. Two locals rowed the canoe while we took in the beautiful view. The canoe took us back to the start of the trail, and we boarded the ship to go to our next island for lunch, which is always my favorite part of the day.
The lunch today was phenomenal and my favorite lunch yet. The dishes ranged from fish hotpot to grilled chicken and whole fried fish. It was a great meal that had us stuffed. However, I saved some room for durian as dessert. I love the durians in Vietnam. They are always so sweet, fresh, and ripe!
Afterwards, we were free to explore the island and play fun games, such as water ball, as a group. I decided to relax in a hammock and enjoy the beautiful views and weather. I also took advantage of the freshly-squeezed sugar cane juice on the island, as well as the fresh coconuts that we got on the ship back to the dock. To end the afternoon off, we sung karaoke on the river. It was lots of fun!
To reflect on what we learned about the Mekong river today, it seems like most of the region have labor intensive jobs, such as the locals that rowed the canoes. There were many vendors that sold speciality items or souvenirs, as well as many farmers that sold their products of fruit, meat, and fish. There did not seem to be any highly profitable or expensive products in the region for the locals to take advantage of. This means that, especially during the upcoming rainy season when tourism revenue starts to dwindle, these sellers on the islands might struggle with business, particularly those who sell fruits and perishable goods that cannot be kept for long. However, exports definitely also make up a large portion of the revenue for these businesses, so they will not be in too much trouble during rainy season.