Contents
1/ Overview
The kingdom of water and rowing boats
Coconut forest and water coconut creeks
The cajuput forests and "eating" honey
Floating markets, the world full of colours and sounds
Floating village and riverside village
Lotus fields
Rice bowl and tropical fruit kingdom
The kingdom of water and rowing boats
Coconut forest and water coconut creeks
The cajuput forests and "eating" honey
Floating markets, the world full of colours and sounds
Floating village and riverside village
Lotus fields
Rice bowl and tropical fruit kingdom
2/ Photos: Unique fairs in the flood season
3/ Fast facts
1/ OverviewThe kingdom of water and rowing boats
Every year, about 475 billion cubic meters of Mekong river water flows through Mekong delta before discharging into East sea, make it a water world where boats are the main transportation vehicles of local people in daily life.
There are so many words used to call “the water transportation vehicles” that even the Vietnamese sometimes feel confused. Among them, the most popular ones are: Đò chèo (small rowing boat); tắc ráng (small, narrow motorised boat specifically used in long, straight canal); xuồng ba lá; xuồng tam bản; thuyền ( medium or big boat); phà (ferry); cano (canoe)…
While Mekong delta’s infrastructture is quite poor, its may parts can’t be approached without boats. Using ferries to cross big rivers and rowing boats along zigzag canals are very popular in everyday life.
Without motorbike, its really hard for a Saigonese to move around the city. Without boats, the Mekong delta people feel being stuck in the water ways. If Saigon has motorbike taxi, Mekong delta has taxi boat.
Streets, boulevards, national highways run along rivers. Houses, restaurants, hotels, markets with doors open to rivers, canals, creeks. And the boats waiting in front of every house door. “Tren ben, duoi thuyen” - On (the land) there are piers, under (the land) there are boats (Local people saying)
The boats are main asset. Almost every family has one boat. They stay on the boats. They use boats to go to work, to school, to friends’ houses. They have boats to go to markets. They get married on boats… And they call them “house boat”! They love moving with boats. Getting to stay on land will make them feel “boat sick”.
The life and the boats. Music, poem and the boats. Boats, especially the rowing boats under shadow of coconuts are the symbol of Mekong delta. What makes Mekongnese miss when they stay far away from home is the boats…
Small motorised boat along Tien river
Coconut forests and water coconut creeks
Children's smile in floating season. Photo credit: vietnamguidebook
Coconut forests and water coconut creeks
Famous poet Le Anh Xuan wrote:
“Toi lon len da thay dua truoc ngo
Dua ru toi giac ngu tuoi tho…”
(The coconut trees have been in front of the door since I was a child
They lulled me to sleep and dream…)
Coconuts are everywhere in Mekong delta, become the symbol of this southernmost countryside. They make the dotted lines around rice fields. They stand along riverside. They have seen the life of many Mekong delta people generations. Especially, they have been planted as the green forests in Ben Tre province. Wherever Mekongese go, the images of coconuts are in their hearts. Lying on the hammock under shadow of two coconut trees and enjoy fresh air are the great experience when visit Mekong delta.
Mekong delta is also famous for water coconut creek. The leaves of water coconut at bothside of the creek “meet” each other, make them become the natural green umbrellas. Get onbard the rowing boat and let your mind free when a lady rower wearing conical hat take you along zigzag water coconut creek is an unforgettable experience .
Cajuput forests and "eating" honey
In Mekong delta, there is about 100,000 hectares of cajuput forest which is home to more than 252 species of flora, 202 different insect species, 24 animal species, 37 kinds of fish and 185 kinds of birds, many of which are rare, some have been listed in the red book.
Take a boat trip into the forests, you will immediately feel like you are harmonizing with nature because of all of the impressive pictures of cajuputs, the fragrance of the flowers and the music-like noise of birds, insects and animals.
Honey is the special product of cajuput forests, especially in U Minh Ha cajuput forest of Ca Mau province.
Cajuputs are the bee plants and give flowers around the year. Local people “build” many homes for bees coming to stay in the middle of December. About two months later, in February, they come to visit and “eat” honey. On average, each beehive gives 5 to 6 litres of honey.
“Eating” honey has a history over 200 years in U Minh Ha cajuput forest.
Photo: Thanh Nien newspaper
The “Eating” honey video of Tuoi Tre newspaper
Rowing boat in the green water coconut creek
Photo credit: Vietnamguidebook
Water coconut creek. Video credit: vietnamguidebook
Tra Su cajuput forest, An Giang province. Photo and video credit: vietnamguidebook
In Mekong delta, there is about 100,000 hectares of cajuput forest which is home to more than 252 species of flora, 202 different insect species, 24 animal species, 37 kinds of fish and 185 kinds of birds, many of which are rare, some have been listed in the red book.
Take a boat trip into the forests, you will immediately feel like you are harmonizing with nature because of all of the impressive pictures of cajuputs, the fragrance of the flowers and the music-like noise of birds, insects and animals.
During the floating season (Mid August to beginning of November), many canals in forests are like grasslands as they are covered by wolffia, water hyacinth, lotus, water lily. Take a rowing boat "surfing" on grassland while listen to the chorus of many kinds of birds and storks is a great experience.
Cajuputs are the bee plants and give flowers around the year. Local people “build” many homes for bees coming to stay in the middle of December. About two months later, in February, they come to visit and “eat” honey. On average, each beehive gives 5 to 6 litres of honey.
“Eating” honey has a history over 200 years in U Minh Ha cajuput forest.
The “Eating” honey video of Tuoi Tre newspaper
Floating markets (Chợ nổi)
The culture of Mekong delta is the culture of living with water. As the delta is like a water world, local people from long long time ago has organised their markets on many rivers, canals, creeks…
Among present floating markets, famous ones are: Cai Rang floating market and Phung Hiep floating market ( Can Tho city), Cai Nuoc floating market (Ca Mau province), Vinh Thuan floating market (Kien Giang province), Chau Doc floating market (Chau Doc town, An Giang province), Tra On floating market (Vinh Long province)…
At floating markets, local people sell, buy, exchange many kinds of products like tropical fruit, vegetable, lotus, water lily, fish, crab, chicken, pig, duck, snake, firewood and… simcard, loterry. They also offer breakfast with Vietnamese bread, noodle soup, soft cake, coffe, tea… There are two kinds of floating market. One is like supermarket with big motorised boats for wholesale. One is like Vietnam traditional market with rowing boats for retail sale. The second is more beautiful and attracts a lot of tourists.
Coming to Tet, traditional new year in Vietnam, which is usually in the middle of February, the floating markets are very colourful with many boats carrying many kinds of flowers.
The floating markets are also the world full of sound as the boats’ engine “run” like a loud speaker and local people calling each other, the cocks cooing and the dogs barking…
Visiting floating markets is the good way to learn the local people daily life. There are usually two generations live on boats. The boats are like movable houses.
The floating markets often take place in early morning and finish when the sun is high on the sky.
Floating villages and riverside villages
Thousands of rivers and canals are thousands of beautiful quiet riverside villages. Local people not only stay on many leafy islands where you have to approach by boats but also live their lives on floating houses.
Under floating houses, local people also raise fishes, especially cat fish. Exporting cat fish is earning billion USD every year for Mekong delta.
Lotus fields
Lotus is Vietnam national flower and in Mekong delta there are many vast lotus fields. Especially, lotus has long been a particular plant of Dong Thap province, which is now invested to plant in centralization to take seeds for export.
Get onborad a rowing boat and listen to the sweet Dong Thap chantey on borderless lotus fields are great experiences when visiting Mekong delta
Pic of lotus field: Tuoi Tre newspaper
Rice bowl and tropical fruit kingdom
Mekong delta is one of the most fertile deltas in the world. The area produce 21.6 million tonnes of rice and export more than 7 million tonnes, account for 90% of Vietnam rice export.
Its also the kingdom of tropical fruit. Not only the foreigners like but also the Vietnamese people in other parts of country love. There are many kinds of fruit. Each kind has many species.
Photo credit: dongthap.gov.vn
2/ Photos: Unique fairs in the flood season
VietNamNet Bridge - In the flood season, special markets appear in the southwestern region, selling animals that are caught thanks to water rising, such as eels, snakes, turtles, rats, snails, and crabs. When the flood recedes, the markets also close.
Snakes are sold in many places in the southwest, from large to small markets, but the largest markets are those in An Giang province. Snakes are available at Khanh An market in An Phu district and An Giang from July through November, said Mr. Nguyen Van Tuan, a snake trader.
Mrs. Luong Thi Cua, a snake trader at the market of Vinh Hoi Dong, An Phu district, An Giang province, said this product had sold very well. In the flood season, she sells several hundreds of kilos of snakes a day to traders from HCM City and southwestern provinces. The prices range from VND110,000 to VND550,000 per kilo, depending on species.
This year, besides usual snake species, some Cambodian sell red-tailed vipers for making medicinal alcohol at prices from VND50,000 to VND100,000/snake.
Lizards are sold from VND80,000 to VND90,000/kg. This species is largely imported from Cambodia.
Rare turtles also appear at the market, with prices ranging from VND280,000 to VND350,000/kg. Customers are mainly restaurants.
Mrs. Ngo Phuong Mai, who sells turtles at Khanh An market, said in the flood season she travels to Cambodia to buy turtles for sale. The prices fall by half in the flood season.
Phu Dat market in Binh Long commune, Chau Phu district of An Giang province is the biggest field-mouse market in the south. Each day the market sells tons of field mice to restaurants in the Mekong Delta and HCM City.
Prices are VND45,000 to VND55,000/kg for live mice and VND90,000 to VND120,000/kg for slaughtered mice.
Truong Xuan is the biggest field-crab market in the south. It is located in Thap Muoi District, Dong Thap Province. The market supplies over 100 tons of crabs/day for HCM City and neighboring provinces.
Mr. Nguyen Truong Canh, from Tan Hung District of Long An Province, said that every day he catches 400kg of crabs to sell to traders.
The field-snail market in the town of Long Binh, An Giang province, is the largest of its kind in the south. It sells tens of tons of snails a day.
The largest market of "linh" fish is in An Phu district. Many Cambodian fishermen bring fish to sell here.
There are also markets selling vegetables and flowers of the flood season along the Vietnam-Cambodia border in An Giang and Dong Thap provinces.
Dien dien flowers are the most popular product at these market, priced at about VND40,000/kg.$1 = VND21,000
Getting to An Giang province: http://vietnamguidebook.blogspot.com/2012/03/chau-doc.html
(Source: Zing/VNN - http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/vietnam-in-photos/112195/photos--unique-fairs-in-the-flood-season.html
Fast facts
1/ Population: 17.2 million (year of 2009)
2/ Annual rice production: 21.6 million tonnes
Annual rise export: 7 million tonnes ( 90% of Vietnam rice export )
Rice productivity: 6.3 tonnes/ha
3/ Tropical fruit garden: 400,000 ha
Annual tropical fruit production: 3.5 million tonnes (70% of Vietnam fruit production)
4/ Aquaculture area: 736,400 ha (70% of Vietnam aquaculture area)
Aquaculture productivity: 1.9 million tonnes
5/ Export value: 9.3 billion USD
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