Today, we took a break from globalization and economics to take a purely cultural visit to the Mekong Delta, and it was packed with fun memories.
After a 2 hour bus ride, we arrived at a dock where we hopped on a boat. We traveled along the Mekong River. If we wanted to, we could take this river through Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, and all the way through China up to the Tibetan highlands. As evident by the fact that I have cell service to publish this post, we did not do that. Instead, we went to a local Mekong Delta town. First, we explored some shops and appreciated some sights. This area had lots of honey and coconuts, and I got to try honey tea, royal jelly, and fresh coconut candy. All of these were indescribably fresh and delicious. I felt noticeably better after the fare I had here, as it was all also very healthy. We got to hold the bees and also some pet snakes.
After our first excursion, we spent some time eating some delectable fresh fruit with this spicy salt. This was probably my favorite snack of the day as salt on fruit is a trick I’ve known about for years but this was by far the best I’ve had. Our treat was accompanied with traditional Vietnamese music (string instrument + vocals — very good) and tea.
After this excursion, we took a horseback ride to the dock where we went canoeing on the river. This was an amazing experience. While I didn’t actually steer the canoe, I genuinely think I could drive a canoe along the Mekong for hours upon hours. It was so peaceful and serene and really signified many things I love about Vietnamese culture.
We took the canoe to lunch. Lunch today was delicious as always and featured some new dishes — namely elephant ear fish and squid. We ended the meal with some hot pot. This was a great way to refuel because at this point, we had been walking around outside for 2-3 hours and the Mekong sun is no joke.
After lunch, we went and had some fun, albeit not in the wisest of ways. There was a pond nearby, and we were able to go into these giant inflatable hamster balls and spin on the water. While a ton of fun, I was getting flailed around mercilessly. I’m surprised I didn’t end up like the fish in the picture above. In addition, eating lunch and then partaking in this activity was… not the smartest choice available. And not to mention the fact that it genuinely felt like a sauna. Still, I would do it again in a heartbeat.
After this, I went fishing. Or, a more accurate term would be crocodiling. I got to feed crocodiles some meat on a pole and it was just a hilariously fun experience. These swamp puppies are very patient but can be easily tricked, so I had a lot of fun teasing them with the meat before I fed them.
Something about the way they just sit there with their mouths open indefinitely is hilarious to me. After this, I got to feed some fish some food. These fish were not nearly as patient and magnitudes more greedy than their scarier-looking friends. This was still amazing though and it was so fun to see all the fish swarm me for the food, as if I was a deity to them. I bet they’re still talking about the giant human who came bearing food right now.
These recreational activities were the last of the day. After the fish drained my supply, I went back, enjoyed some sights, and got on the boat.
On the boat, I sipped on some coconut juice and enjoyed my ride while singing some karaoke. I know this sounds relaxing, but I can promise you it was way more relaxing than you’re imagining. It was a truly wonderful experience and one I wish could last forever.
While my cultural visit has come to an end, I still was noticing some pertinent things about the Vietnamese economy and life. The people in this region lived a very self-subsistent and agricultural and aquacultural life. It was also clear that their free time was devoted to artisanal crafts and preparing food as many of the wares in the markets I passed by were one of these two things.
Due to the river, this area is perfect for agriculture and this makes it an agricultural economic powerhouse (the Delta is called the rice bowl because it produces so much of Vietnam’s rice output). However, it is clear their economy is very export driven due to all the docks present in the area we toured and the nature of the agricultural economy in general. In addition, I felt that most of the infrastructure was very used and I worry about the effects of rising sea levels in this region.