The Mekong on its last meters

Published: 02.12.2023

The Mekong is the twelve longest river in the world and flows over 4000km through six countries. We have already spent a lot of time with him on our moped tour through Cambodia, were on his shores in Laos and Thailand last year and now we have visited him again on his last meters towards the sea on the delta. The delta extends over a huge plain and the river forks into several arms, canals and small waterways. Until a few years ago, trade from the plantations in the delta and supplies to the villages also ran via the waterways.

We wanted to see the awakening of life in the villages early on. So at 5:00 a.m. we went onto the Mekong with a young guide and boatwoman and to the floating Phong Dien Mart. Since we didn't need any bowls or stinky fruit, we had a very tasty vegan noodle soup from the breakfast boat and fresh coffee from the bar boat. What you can cook and brew on a tiny boat without a motor!

We continued to the Cai Rang wholesale market, where it quickly became apparent that only a few goods were handled here because it was quicker to travel by road. Our guide usually lives as a market woman and was very familiar with what grows in the Mekong, so we were also able to experience a lesson in fruit growing.

Climate change is very real here, in the breadbasket of southern Vietnam. During the rainy season, the water level of the Mekong is so high at high tide that almost all the houses on the bank are flooded. So you have to clean twice a day. The financial resources to simply build new and slightly higher buildings are not available in rural communities. The water level here has risen by one and a half meters in the last few decades. If things continue like this, you'd rather not imagine what things will look like here in 20 years. Not to mention how rice, fruit and vegetables will then be grown.