The Mighty Mekong Delta, the rice-bowl of Vietnam
Often referred to as the ‘rice bowl of Vietnam’ the Mekong Delta is an area rich in vividly colored vegetation and verdant green rice-paddy fields. This area earned its nickname by being Vietnam’s chief agricultural source, it produces more rice than Korea and Japan put together! Tradition holds strong in this area and it’s one of the best places to capture quaint images of conical-hat wearing farmers planting or harvesting rice. Other everyday scenes feature local children perched on the back of water buffalo or cycling between picturesque lanes flanked by towering coconut palms, fruit orchards and sugar-cane groves; and of course the colorful floating markets and villages that most characterize this watery region.
The mighty Mekong River ebbs and flows through this region, making it a wonderful water-world. The vast Mekong River is the twelfth longest in the world, flowing from China through Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and ending in Vietnam. In Vietnam this wonderful waterway has created a mesmerizing maze of small canals and rivers interspersed with villages and floating markets. Life in the Mekong Delta revolves around the river and many of its residents live, sleep, work and eat on its waters.
Our activities in the Mekong Delta are great for gaining an insight into traditional rural life, including; paddle-boat river cruises, cycling, visiting famous floating markets, learning how to cook local dishes and eating and sleeping in the home of a Mekong family at an authentic homestay.
