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T
he Mekong River, which runs
through Cambodia, Laos, My-
anmar, Thailand, Vietnam and
China, is the longest river in
Southeast Asia. I recently spent two
days on a traditional river cruise, travel-
ling upstream.
The traditional sampans which are
seen in the Mekong Delta are small
flat-bottomed boats, propelled by
oars, but travellers aren’t expected to
don a conical hat and row themselves
around. The sampans used for these
new Mekong tours are larger, luxury
versions of the smaller traditional ves-
sels which feature two bedrooms and a
living room and offer a relaxing way to
cruise the waters.
Sampans used to be the vehicle of
choice for locals on the Mekong Delta,
which is filled with wide waterways and
meandering rivers and canals. Now the
sampan has proved to be suitable for
tourists, with many visitors from Europe
taking the sampan tours.
The two-day tour creates chances
for us to see and live with the local
communities on the water and land by
floating through the Mekong Delta’s
provinces of Tien Giang, Dong Thap
and on to Can Tho city. We can join
locals on the banks of the river, feast
on local cuisine in lush tropical gar-
dens, visit handicraft villages and travel
down the tributaries.
Our sampans start at around 10am,
setting off on the Tien River from the
town of Cai Be. Each boat carries a max-
imum of four tourists along with the
crew. The sampan also tows a smaller
junk, which is used to penetrate deep
into the delta’s many narrow canals.
Cai Be town is surrounded by co-
conut trees, so after a bellyful of co-
conut treats, the boat embarks for Cai
Be floating market, cruising among
the local barges that are stocked with
fruit and vegetables, before heading
upstream on the Tien River toward Vinh
Long and Sa Dec.
Sa Dec town in Dong Thap prov-
ince has a long history. The village has
changed a lot during the last decade.
Houses with roofs made from coco-
nut fronds now increasingly have roofs
made from sheet metal. But the lo-
cal people still keep their lifestyle and
tradition of hospitality. People are so
friendly here that visitors can feel free
to stop at any house they like, where
hosts often offer tiny cups of rice liquor.
Our first lunch is served at an old
house in Sa Dec dating from 1890,
with the spread of food including dishes
made from fresh vegetables and fish
caught in the river by local fishermen.
With the sampan anchored nearby,
tourists have two hours to walk around
and explore the pagodas and houses in
the area.
Sa Dec is like a small, Asian-style
Venice, with numerous narrow canals
crisscrossing the land. There’s a local
market, which forms the lively centre
of town. The town’s narrow streets
still have many beautiful French hous-
es and Chinese temples, built in the
19th century.
After exploring the town on foot,
dinner is served late in the evening at a
local house. Then, it’s time to get back
on board the sampan to cruise down to
Can Tho.
At night, the crew anchors the ves-
sel in a peaceful part of the river.
Most families in the Mekong Delta
make their living by catching fish. “It’s
not unusual to see entire families liv-
ing on small boats in the delta,” says
our guide Hung. But for those on the
sampan tours, there’s plenty of room
to stretch your legs. The boat’s bed-
rooms with their timber furnishings
are cosy and romantic. Blankets are
provided to keep travellers warm as
the Mekong’s breezes can make the
night-time quite cool. But with the
boat gently rocking on the water, a
good night’s sleep is guaranteed.
The second day starts early in the
morning. Breakfast is served on board
while approaching Cai Rang floating
market – the largest in the Mekong
Delta. The sampan cruises through the
large cluster of boats selling everything
from sand and rice to fruits, vegetables,
fish and flowers. We are advised to bar-
gain with the locals, but in fact they do
not overcharge us as most trading here
is wholesale.
The cruise ends around 10am in
the morning, when the boat stops at
Ninh Kieu Wharf. We hit the road to
have lunch in Can Tho, before cycling
around the large town. The attractive
city quickly bewitches us fully so we
decide to stay for a night in the city
instead of making a four-hour bus trip
to Ho Chi Minh City in the afternoon.
Well-known as the western capital
of the Mekong River Delta, Can Tho city
belongs to Hau Giang province on the
south bank of the Hau River, the bigger
branch of the Mekong River.
The name Can Tho city means the
river of poems. The city makes me feel
calm thanks to the leisurely lifestyle
of the city dwellers. After the first af-
ternoon cycling, the next morning I
change to a motorbike to discover the
city and its outskirts.
Nearby the wharf, Can Tho Market is