The Mekong delta weekend trip was definitely one to remember. The weekend started off driving to the Mekong delta and getting ready to play water games. I was nervous for the games but wasn’t quite sure what to expect at first. Changing into the traditional outfits began to make the experience come to life. 

Going into the first game I was nervous about having to jump into the water. Playing rock paper scissors shoot I ended up being the last player on my team against 3 on the others. Obviously I lost and had to jump in. I was not expecting the water to be so shallow and so muddy on the ground. The next game on the swinging bridge was a bit of a struggle for me as I don’t have the best balance. 

After we finished up with all the games we headed back to the hotel for some free time. This was easily the most relaxing part of the trip as we all just put on our bathing suits and hung by the pool for a while. The weather was perfect and just what was needed after the water games.

The next day we woke up bright and early for the floating market. I was excited but tired going into this because in my experience things on trips that you have to wake up early for are always worth it. On the tour we mostly watched and observed. Got to see all the vendors going boat to boat selling their fruits, coffees, and noodles. Being able to watch both the vendors and the buyers enjoying the experience was nice to see. 

It was interesting to hear about how this is one of a handful of floating markets that still runs around the world. Tuan told us also how many of the vendors on the larger boats also live on them. We could see their products stacked on the one side of the boat with their clothing racks on the other. 

We ended the weekend by walking around a bit before grabbing lunch and heading back to Ho Chi Minh. I was super curious about trying the fruit Duran because I have heard that it’s an acquired taste, however I really enjoyed the fruit and thought it was super good. Having the weekend to transition more into the countryside was eye opening as it allowed me to see just how different life is there compared to the city.