Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Southern Vietnam – Mekong Delta

The Mekong River originates in China (Tibet), where it is known Lancang River (澜沧江). It flows through Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. In Southern Vietnam the mighty river flows into South China Sea.

A visit to southern Vietnam is incomplete without a tour to the Mekong Delta. Many tour agencies in Saigon arrange for tours to the delta. A typical tour lasts for one, two or three days. I joined a two-day tour. Here we go, let’s see what is interesting there…


Coconut trees are abundant in Mekong Delta. This is a factory producing coconut candy…


What is this lady making? The tools she uses resemble those for making kuih kapit in Malaysia, but much larger…


Can Tho is the largest city in Mekong Delta. This is its river front. Note the conical hat worn by the women on the left…


This is Can Tho’s floating market (but I think I still prefer the one in Damnoen Saduak, Thailand)…


Vietnamese students in their traditional costumes – ao dai. There are NO fat women in Vietnam!


I haven’t been to Northern Vietnam, but it is said that Southern Vietnam is more prosperous. There are a few reasons which explain this:

Firstly, infrastructure in the North was destroyed by the Americans during the war. Secondly, the North had been ruled by the Communists since 1950s, but the South was a capitalist country until 1975. When the Vietnamese government engaged in economic reform in 1980s, Southerners adapted to market economy better than their counterparts in the North. And finally, former boat people, now residing in Western countries, return and invest in Southern Vietnam.

25 comments:

  1. All white, must be hard to keep the clothes clean!

    ReplyDelete
  2. no fat women? wow, i wanna move there, maybe we get more fit then :p

    is it maybe have no fast foods? do they?

    ReplyDelete
  3. simply liking the white outfits of the ladies.

    From me to you, suejean =)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Neo
    Students in Malaysia also wear white.

    kikey
    You're thin enough.
    Maybe this is because of food.

    SJ
    OK, will go to your site.

    Grass
    I do know a lot of female Vietnamese work in factories. Not sure about males.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Coconut candy? Must be yummy huh! Yum! Yum! Yeah..it does look like our "love letter"! But theirs are of course bigger. :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wow, you seem to go to Vietnam pretty often eh? I wanna go in February... any idea what's the weather during that time? :) And according to you, it's better to go to Southern Vietnam yes?

    ReplyDelete
  7. wow..cyclists n bikers wearing mask..

    ReplyDelete
  8. tekkaus
    I didn't try the coconut candy...

    witch
    I didn't say Southern Vietnam is better. I just say it is overlooked, as compared to Halong Bay.
    Regarding the weather, you're advised to read the Lonely Planet. North and South are very different.

    wenn
    That's before the H1N1 scare.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I would love to boat on the river.

    And indeed, the women look very thin! Mmm.... I'd feel fat around them again.

    ReplyDelete
  10. 越南妹也长得蛮好看的。。。^_^

    ReplyDelete
  11. I always thought the Vietnamese ladies look great in white. =p

    ReplyDelete
  12. Maybe they have a healthier diet. They eat lots of vegetables don't they?

    ReplyDelete
  13. Zhu
    Vietnamese women make everyone else feel fat, LOL...

    花木兰
    那里都有美女啦,不过广州相对的少了些。

    Shingo
    Like fairies?

    Mei Ting
    I am not really clear about their diet. All I know are the Vietnamese beef noodle (pho) and spring roll.

    ReplyDelete
  14. weird. no fat women? must be the food they eat. i think the last color i would want for my uniform is white, imagine all the sweat and dust...gosh

    ReplyDelete
  15. SBA
    Thanks.

    xin
    But the students in Malaysia do wear white, not?

    ReplyDelete
  16. yeah but pinafore is blue mah, at least is blue n white. not completely white (except for those private sec sch)

    ReplyDelete
  17. Interesting post. Thanks for sharing.

    How do they cut the molten candy in the top picture. That brown patch bottom left is candy, is it not? Also, if it is, I'm wondering why is it just placed on the table.. Just curious.

    ReplyDelete
  18. xin
    But Muslim girls wear white baju kurung wor...

    Happysurfer
    I don't remember what they used to cut the candy. Yes, the brown patch is the uncut candy.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Are there a lot of tourists in HCMC? I heard USD is being used during transactions for foreigners...

    ReplyDelete
  20. so, what is that woman doing with that kuih kapit tool?? and why isn't there fat woman in vietnam?? haha~~ :)

    ReplyDelete
  21. baoru
    There are a lot of tourists in HCMC. But Hanoi may have more because it is the gateway to Halong Bay.

    Back in 2005, USD was widely accepted. But dollar has since depreciated, so I'm not sure if Vietnamese still like it.

    SK
    She must be making Vietnamese style kuih kapit.
    Diet may explain why Vietnamese people are thin.

    ReplyDelete
  22. This could cause them to grow less, flower less, and maybe
    even die. If you are working on a riding mower or a mower
    with an electric starter, you will also want to disconnect the
    battery as to prevent any accidental startups while servicing your machine.
    Depending on the density of the mulch, one should lay two to six inches of mulch over topsoil
    in the vegetable garden.

    Also visit my web site ... mulching

    ReplyDelete
  23. One part compost to two or three parts potting soil would be a sufficient combination.
    They don't control every bad bug, but it will help you have better success gardening. Without fertilizing additives (natural or chemical), plants will be stunted and unhealthy.

    Visit my website nacre

    ReplyDelete
  24. The Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas' recent drastic reorganization of the national security is one sign to this effect. Some Local News papers/journals/ tabloids/Magazines focus on regional happenings and target local audiences/ readers. That may be, the temperature that is certainly most effective for catching fish. Generally Tuyetkegel Blognic could be consisted of any types such as social, economic, political, art, cultural, terrorism, suicides, religious, health, technology, science, business, marketing, and disaster news. Just save your old newspapers, or get some from friends and neighbors and start packing.

    Look into my web-site - click here

    ReplyDelete
  25. At that time, I was a very ordinary promoter at a small company,
    of course, I earned not much money which was just enough to support
    myself. Known by Argentineans as Salta la Linda (Salta the Fair) this bustling
    city is a fine mix of the old and new, where European café culture and fine colonial
    architecture interacts daily with a central American flair for
    art and living; creating an ever-changing personality and identity for this entertaining city which, as of yet, has
    been little altered by the tourism wave. Yeast Infection No More Book By
    Linda Allen is a 150 page downloadable e-book, jam-packed
    with the whole set of blueprint all-natural yeast infection treatment solutions,
    distinctive highly effective methods as well as the
    step by step holistic yeast infection process. Yet again, new advances and
    engineering make these procedures rapid and helpful, and this
    cuts down on the value tremendously. The doctor will ask
    about symptoms of metabolic disorders such as fatigue, headaches,
    cramping, mood changes, shortness of breath, and chronic diarrhea.


    Review my webpage ... overseas housing allowance navy

    ReplyDelete