If you want to schedule a Mekong tour from Ho Chi Minh City, these are some of the most recommended options for travelers, with local agencies to make it cheaper.
VISIT THE MEKONG DELTA IN TWO DAYS. FIRST DAY: MY THO AND THE MEKONG ISLANDS
At 8 o'clock in the morning we stayed at the door of the agency to go to the Mekong Delta. And there we are, punctual.
We must be about 35 tourists, half Vietnamese and half, foreigners. The guide, therefore, usually makes the explanations in Vietnamese and then in English. The bus is quite comfortable, and with enough space between seats, unlike what was read in other blogs.
We go to My Tho, which is usually the only place that visit the one-day trips to the Mekong Delta, but halfway we stop for about thirty minutes in a beautiful restaurant that has beautiful gardens that allow us to rest a little while we have a soda.
In another hour we arrive at My Tho, a city of about 200,000 inhabitants and which is usually the gateway to the Mekong Delta.
Before going to the port, we approach the beautiful pagoda Vinh Trang. The guide tells us that since this area of the Mekong Delta is so close to Cambodia, many of the Buddhist pagodas are of Khmer or Cambodian origin and rite, which is somewhat different from the Chinese origin. However, the pagoda Vinh Trang responds to the canons of Chinese Buddhism. In it we find three great Buddhas, several meters high. However, the most interesting thing happens when we go inside and find a lot of monks chanting their repetitive mantras. Later, they set out to eat, under the watchful eye of a couple of dozen travelers. They go to his, without disturbing our presence or in particular, our photos.
Now, we approach the river port of My Tho where we immediately take a barge to make a walk up and down the chocolaty Mekong River but taking, soon, the destination of one of the several islands that are in the middle of the riverbed at this level.
We went down in what is known as Unicorn Island, where beyond living several families, we found mounted a market of more or less handmade products that seems to have no end and that we walk in a somewhat borreguil, in order to address some of the visits we make on the island. First, we visited a honey farm, where we can taste the product, accompanied by tea. Then, they take us to a kind of pseudostaurante where they give us to taste several of the tastiest tropical fruits at the same time that typical of the country. Although we already know about other trips, the experience helps us to teach Marc, on his second day of travel, which is the mangosteen, the rambutan or the dragon fruit, for example. The truth is that the portions are somewhat scarce but good, something is something. The tasting, by the way, comes enlivened by a small concert that three girls dressed in a traditional costume offer us. According to what the guide tells us, it is typical music from the South of Vietnam, named Don Ca Tai Tu. Come on, ideal, that's why we're in the Mekong Delta.
Now is the time to enjoy one of the most exciting moments on a route through the Mekong Delta. It involves climbing a small rowing boat, which is driven by two rowers, one located on the bow and one in the stern, and walk the narrow channels of the Mekong Delta. These are the images that come to mind when we think of the delta and that we have had the opportunity to meet in a multitude of American films. Although at first the collapse of boats makes our hair stand on end, when the oarsmen start up (or in three or four minutes) the space opens and the truth is that we can enjoy a nice walk among the narrow channels of the Mekong Delta.
Usually a trip to Mekong delta is included to almost any type of Vietnam tour packages, the day trip ends at an artisan factory of coconut sweets. There we have the opportunity to know the ins and outs of the manufacture of these candies, which in addition to the coconut flavor can be mixed with various fruits, including the, for many, pestilent durian. The explanation of the elaboration of the candies is quite interesting too and at the end of the visit, we bought a small box for little more than one euro and with no selling pressure.
Time flies by so it's time to eat. To do this, we return to the motor boat to move to another of the Mekong Islands, which is a few kilometers away. In this case, we go down to what is known as Isla del Fénix.
This island had its moment of fame in the mid-twentieth century when it was installed in it that was known as a monk of coconuts, which owed its nickname to the legend that indicated that only fed on coconuts. The truth is that the monk promoted something like peace and harmony, with montera meditation. The monk was imprisoned several times by the government of South Vietnam who did not approve of his methods. The Monk of the Cocos ended up founding, in 1972, a religion or sect that got a good number of followers until the communist government ended up dissolving it.
On this island we eat in a simple restaurant. The food, as the guide had warned us, is rather scarce, although the truth is that it is enough for us. If you want, of course, you can order other dishes, including the elephant fish, which seems to be the star of the restaurant and which not a few people enjoy.
After lunch we have free time to go around the island, visit what is left of the Monk's temple of coconuts, take a bicycle ride (included in the price of the trip to the Mekong Delta), visit a crocodile farm , where a couple of dozens of reptiles do the loafer or do the same, in a series of hammocks arranged for such a need.
At the indicated time, we return to the barge that returns us to the river port of My Tho to take the bus that takes us, in a couple of hours, to our final destination during this first day in the Mekong Delta: the city of Can Tho.
First of all we leave all the travelers who have opted for the hotel option. Only one Swede and the three of us have opted to spend the night in the homestay with the promise of spending an evening with a local family.
The funny thing is that to get to this homestay we have to get on a new boat that will take us for almost 45 minutes and in the dark, through multiple channels of medium size. The houses of the Vietnamese are arranged on both sides of the canal along almost the entire route, until we reach the homestay, which turns out to be actually a beautiful guest house, with spacious rooms, shower inside the room and three fitted and comfortable beds with mosquito net. Come, although the accommodation is very acceptable, the truth is that the commitment to live with a local family does not exactly match what we live. Dinner, by the way, is very tasty and the night is short, because we must get up early to know one of the maximum attractions of the Mekong Delta: the floating market of Cai Rang.