Vietnam - Ho Chi Minh City

We arrived at our hotel, Hôtel des Arts quite late last night and its the first hotel on our trip that we don't like - a luxury high rise building with windows that don't open, so we have to sleep with aircon on all night which I hate. 

This trip for me was about the people, their history and their culture which is why we chose to spend minimum time in cities doing city sights. In the past we loved doing city visits when we rush around ticking off the list of things Tripadvisor said you must see. However when you get home after a trip like that you soon forget one building from another, but hopefully the memories of the warm and welcoming people we have encountered on this trip will endure.

We woke up early as we had an 8am pickup to drive to the Mekong Delta. Our travel agent chose for us to go further into the delta than where most tourists go as he said it would be more authentic, and it certainly was. We had a 2.5 hour journey out of Saigon (the Vietnamese prefer to refer to the city as Saigon and only refer to it as Ho Chi Ming City when talking about it in official terms) and enjoyed seeing the countryside as we reached the delta. It is considered the food basket of Vietnam as it produces the most rice and many other crops. Our guide told us that the six main crops of the delta are coffee, rubber which were both introduced by the French), and then coconuts, rice, banana, and bamboo of which they use every part of the plant. 

We drove to the the Bên Tre region where we boarded a boat to cross the river to Tam Hiep island. Boarding and disembarking the boat was not always easy as we had to walk on a hastily laid plank from the boat to shore. We were the only tourists there, and we went with our guide to a family where they make sticky rice. Many families run small cottage industries from home where the process is entirely manual and labour intensive. Two women were mixing the rice with either mung bean paste or crushed pandan leaves then covering it in banana leaves before steaming it in a large vat - the result was absolutely delicious, it is my favourite desert. Then we walked back to the boat and went to the other side of the river to visit a coconut charcoal industry. The hairy outside of the coconut shells is removed to be used for matting etc, and then the shells are burnt in a wood fired kiln to make charcoal. It was a Dickensian process with two men working in hot conditions, stripped to the waist as they shovelled the charcoal onto a conveyor belt to be packed into large sacks. The smoke fumes were awful and our guide tells us they earn US$10 per day which is US$2 above the normal rate to compensate them for the health risks of working there. The government want to mechanise this industry as it causes so much air pollution, but the people do not want to lose their livelihoods so nothing has been resolved yet.

The delta region is at risk as water levels rise due to global warming and also the land is sinking. It is estimated that 40% of the Mekong Delta will be submerged by 2100. The young people are also not wanting a future as farmers or fishermen anymore, and prefer to move into Saigon to study and get better jobs. However university fees are very expensive - our guide tells us it costs him about $1000 a term for his daughter’s academic fees at university (she lives at home). He also gave us an excellent summary of the political history of the country, living in Saigon when the Americans were here and then later when the communist leaders from North Vietnam took over. His father was a policeman during the 1960’s and when the North and South Vietnam were reunited after the war, his father was sent to prison by the Northern Vietnam authorities so he could get re-educated as a communist. His uncle who had a more senior position in the South Vietnam government was sent to prison for 5 years, and when he was finally released he left the country, as one of the ‘boat people’ that risked their lives to escape the new communist regime in South Vietnam.Visiting counties like Vietnam and Cambodia just reaffirms that communism is such a failed policy.

We also visited another family where we were given delicious jasmine tea with honey and a selection of fruit that grows locally - logan berries, jackfruit, dragon fruit, papaya and guava. They were so hospitable and gave us dried logan fruit to take home. We were taken on a sampan journey through the waterways which was very enjoyable. Then we had a tuk-tuk ride to another farmer who grows Sâm leaves (Tiliacora triandra). He gave us baskets and we helped pick some leaves, then he showed us how he blends them with water to make a jelly - it sets in about 5 minutes and with added sugar syrup is a very delicious pudding. It’s also good as a face pack!

Then back to the boat and we went further around the island to another family where they had made us a delicious lunch - elephant ear fish wrapped in rice paper rolls with fresh mint and leaves, chicken baked with lemongrass in a clay pot, prawns, rice, a pho, it was all amazing food. We were very privileged to sit there in their home and enjoy such a meal.

Finally it was back in the boat across the river to the car and back into Saigon to the hotel. We walked around the city for a while, the Christmas lights and decorations are very pretty, and we saw the main buildings of the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Post Office and the City Hall.

We were meant to go out for dinner but were feeling a bit pooped so had a drink in the lounge with snacks and then ordered room service, a delicious beef and green mango salad.

Tonight is our last night of our holiday! Tomorrow we have a full day out before going to the airport in the evening. By sheer coincidence while we are travelling back to London, Adam will also be travelling long haul from San Diego back to London and Tommy will be flying from London to Australia. Luke will be the only family member with his feet firmly on the ground!