The Mekong Delta

Our next stop was the Mekong Delta, known as Vietnam's rice bowl. Accordingly, our expectation was to see huge, lush green rice fields with little construction and low population density. Unfortunately, in the parts of the Mekong Delta we visited, the opposite was true: there was no sign of rice terraces, but instead hotel after hotel, residential building after residential building. Our actual expectations were only met at the border with Cambodia, but more on that in the next blog post.

In the Mekong Delta, we visited two places: Ben Tre and Can Tho. Ben Tre is also called the Coconut Kingdom, as everything revolves around the coconut here. Whether it's drinking coconuts, coconut meat, or coconut water - here you can find everything your heart desires! During a tour, we were introduced to various traditional works of the local residents: Mrs. Giau showed us her drinking coconut farm and how to extract the juice and flesh from it. We then continued to a factory specializing in extracting coconut meat, which is then processed into products such as coconut candies or skincare products. In a brick factory, we were explained how even rice husks find their use: they serve as fuel for the bricks, and the ash produced during combustion is used as fertilizer for rice cultivation. Finally, Mr. Ba Tai showed us his rice wine production and offered us a taste, while Mrs. Sau introduced us to the production of rice paper.

Can Tho is known for the floating market Cai Rang. During a boat tour, we visited Cai Rang but didn't buy anything, as wholesalers sell goods from their boats to smaller traders who then sell the products on the market on land. What would one do with 100kg of sweet potatoes, for example? To identify the products sold by individual traders, they attach a sample product to a long pole - so everyone can see from afar who to approach when needed. To prevent hunger among traders and tourists at the market, there is even a floating snack bar. Additionally, traders and their families live on the boats with their pets like dogs and even ducks. Our guide also took us to a rice noodle factory where rice noodles in various colors are produced, and to a dragon fruit farm.

In the evening, we had street food at the market in Can Tho. We tried a bit of everything and discovered both delicious treats and culinary questionables... Who would even think of producing fake shrimps? And who buys and eats them as well?!