From Saigon we hopped a local bus for a three hour ride down to the town on Vinh Long in the heart of the Mekong Delta, a smaller town most organized tours pass. From its headwaters in Tibet the mother of all rivers is the backbone of life in the region as it flows through China, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia before meeting the ocean in southern Vietnam.
In the delta this mighty river breaks into nine main branches known as the nine dragons, each roughly a half mile across. The amount of water passing between these banks boggles the mind.
Life and the river are vitally intertwined
Most boats have these eye-like paintings on the bow giving them a spirit of their own.
Floating market--large merchant boats anchor in rafts and put up poles displaying their goods.
An extensive tangle of smaller channels characterize the region.
Harvesting morsels of the mud.
Snail garden
For the 12 dollars Adam and I got our own boat and driver for five hours on the water.
Rice on the move
Puffed rice in the making
Rice wine distilling
The Vinh Long market had some of the most quality and diverse offering I've seen yet.
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