Xin Chao! Started the day off with a lovely bowl of pho for breakfast. Always a sign of a good day ahead!
Today was the highly anticipated Mekong Delta Tour. Our tour started with a short boat ride across the Mekong to have honey tea with the locals. After tea we had our first wildlife encounter of the day where we got to hold a python and bees. Holding the pythons was so cool and I was impressed by how calm they stayed while being passed from one tourist’s shoulders to the next. If i could’ve chilled with the python all day I would’ve.
Next, we enjoyed various fruits and traditional Vietnamese music for a little bit before riding in horse-drawn carriages to our next destination. Riding in the horse-drawn carriages was an interesting and unexpected experience. I was nervous at first when the carriage tilted completely when I stepped on, but I came to appreciate the rhythm of the horse’s footsteps after my nerves calmed. Possibly my favorite part of the day was the canoe ride we did next. The canopy of leaves over the canal formed the perfect sunroof above us, letting in stray rays of sunlight but shielding us from its heat. The calm sway of the water as we floated along created the most peaceful moments of the entire trip. I was honestly disappointed when we got to our destination because it meant I had to leave that euphoria behind.
Next up was lunch. Today we had a traditional Vietnamese lunch of fried elephant ear fish, squid, hot pot, and various other dishes. This lunch wasn’t my favorite meal but it was an interesting experience that I’m glad I tried. The scales of the elephant ear fish had a unique crunchy texture that I enjoyed. My favorite part of the meal were the chicken and sticky rice dishes whose contrast in textures made for a great bite. After lunch was the most eventful part of the day. We got to go in inflatable bubbles on the river. I had seen these inflatable bubbles many times on tv or social media and I was excited to run in them like a hamster wheel. We quickly found out that that task was much easier said than done. The most anyone was able to run for was a couple seconds before losing their balance and tumbling over. It was hilarious watching everyone tumble and summersault while trying to stand up in the bubbles. Then when I tried it myself I did the exact same thing. After the bubbles our wildlife adventures continued with feeding the baby crocodiles and fish. While feeding the baby crocodiles we turned it into a game of who could get the most baby crocodiles to bite at the bait without taking it off the string. Sadly, our day at the delta was finished after that.
Reflecting on the socioeconomic aspects of the region, there were definitely some differences between them and people in the city. First, the infrastructure in the region that we visited was limited so their access to technology was limited. Second, the vendors were much less predatory than at the markets in the city. They were much more polite and had lower prices. This is most likely because they don’t get as much tourism and don’t want to risk pushing them away by pouncing on them with higher prices, so they play it safer. It was an interesting contrast to the city.