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Mekong Delta Journal
(Keith)
The Mekong Delta a world of water; everything revolves around the river and the
life it brings. The people of the Mekong live along the shores of the
river, in boats, and sometimes in the jungle. Getting information to these
people is nearly impossible via our Western standards, e.g. newspapers and t.v.
Therefore I think the Mekong Delta provides an interesting backdrop to discuss the communist propaganda methods. In Saigon you are immediately exposed to billboards that show happy soldiers and the Vietnamese flag alongside the hammer and sickle. You also see positive displays such as posters that portray the dangers of intravenous drug use, AIDS, etc. In addition to the print propaganda, there are numerous loud speakers dispersed throughout Saigon (a city of 7 million people). At 5:00 am every morning, these speakers come to life and exclaim, "Good Morning Vietnam" (the talking is in Vietnamese, we were told what they are saying) and then continue on for several hours with some discussion and music. Note: these speakers are loud and easily wake-up the soundest of sleepers.
Interestingly these posters and speakers are all over the country, even in the remote Mekong Delta; the government has gone through much trouble to ensure their message is passed to anyone who can see or hear. The picture of Lea on this page shows some of this propaganda; it was taken on a small island in the Delta.
After the Mekong Delta, we began traveling to the central and northern parts of Vietnam; we took a train from Saigon to Nha Trang. Two hours outside of Nha Trang (12 hour train trip), we heard screeching metal and the train came to a sudden stop. The conductors (there were three in our car) were lazily lounging around the car smoking cigarettes and talking loudly. They didn't at all seem concerned about the stop. Several other train employees came running through the compartment with flashing lights, crow bars, and some tools. After about 30 minutes, an announcement came over the train's speakers (the conductors continued to do nothing except chain smoke). There was a Buddhist monk (Quaa) onboard that I knew spoke English, so I asked him what was going on. Apparently the train had hit a bus and we were stopping to clean-up the mess.
After about 2 hours, we were finally on our way again. Once Quaa realized we were from the U.S. (he had been in a monastery in California and was visiting his family), he sat down to talk. Although we were 2 hours late in getting to our destination, it was great to sit and talk and play cards with a monk on Vietnamese train. When Quaa and I were playing cards, many of the Vietnamese passengers came to watch. I guess the sight of a Westerner and a Vietnamese monk playing cards was too much to ignore. As we have mentioned before, these are some of the friendliest people we have met.
(Lea)
"I still love you," crooned our Mekong tour guide, Thi, into a microphone
while on the bus. On our tour, Thi serenaded our group. He first sang a folk song in Vietnamese about
the Mekong - which was pretty nifty. Then, he decided to pour his heart out to
the tour group and sang a song he wrote (In English) for his first love, who
dumped him and married someone else. Thi told us he is now married to his second
love, but he still sings this song for tour groups (apparently his wife has
never heard it!). This made for quite an amusing bus ride.
We toured the Mekong Delta for 2 days and 1 night with a group, mainly on boat. It was a great chance to see some of Vietnam's natural beauty, a different lifestyle and a respite from the hustle and bustle (and noise) of Saigon. Also, Pete and Sare, who we met on the Thailand hill tribe tour, were there so it was great to spend some more time with them.
Friendly smiles and faces. The people in the Mekong are some of the friendliest I have encountered...it was like traveling through a small town in the US. As our boat floated down the Delta, parents would run into their houses and call their children, then the entire family would wave and shout "hello." The children loved to receive just a "hello" in return - not candy, treats or toys - just our "hellos" lit up their faces. We encountered the same when we walked around the small roads that line the towns by the water...everywhere a "hello" without any expectation except for a greeting in return. Just walking around made me smile because I could feel their genuine friendliness.
Lush green rice paddies. In addition to the people, the Mekong scenery is beautiful. Green trees, plants and fields line the Mekong's banks. We saw rice paddies everywhere, with the women in their conical hats working the fields. I learned the Mekong Delta people produce over 1/2 of all of Vietnam's rice crop and that Vietnam is the 2nd largest rice exporter in the world (While all the rice land was public, Vietnam actually had to import rice. When the government allowed the privatization of rice fields in 1986, Vietnam grew to be an exporter)
Floating markets with wares ranging from pineapples to shampoo. The river is the entire area's lifeblood. Not only is it needed for rice paddies and growing of fruits, but it is used for selling goods, washing clothes, bathing, and yes even drinking (but they are trying to improve this). Some people not only sell their goods on boats in the river, but also live on the boats.
And last, but not least, Snake wine. Like rice wine (re: moonshine) made in the Thailand hill tribes, the Mekong's people produce their own version...snake wine. Snake wine is a liquor made of different herbs and spices, but it gains its name from the addition of a Cobra into the jar the liquid ferments in. So did I try it? Of course...just a sip was enough though! Keith also drank a shot. We slept very well that night!
Check out more Mekong Delta Photos.