After a full day of cruising down the Mekong as we approached the border with Vietnam, certain differences were immediately apparent. The amount of infrastructure and activity along the waterways is notably higher. The Mekong Delta is home to over 20 million people, and rice agriculture is still the backbone of the economy because the harvest serves both domestic and export markets. In addition, aquaculture is another ubiquitous aspect of this part of Vietnam. Thousands of floating houses line the riverbanks, each with a mesh cage beneath the surface; tilapia and basa are the most common species. We visited one of these houses and got a sense of this livelihood, oscillating with the tides.
When we go ashore we see both the bustling wet markets of Chau Doc, and the more relaxed pace of the small farming village of My An Hung. Traditions still permeate all ways of life, with bicycle rickshaws, Mekong Delta blues music, and a live performance of the unicorn dance, that most auspicious of Vietnamese sacred animals. In the evening, Jahan weighs anchor and we continue downstream. Tonight we let our hair down, guests and crew alike, with a dance party and BBQ on the upper deck.
