The Mekong River runs through six countries namely China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia & Vietnam. It is the 7th longest river in Asia and 12th in the world!
I did a full day Mekong River Tour for my third day in Ho Chi Minh. If I remember correctly, I paid VND 335,000 and that includes bus rides to and fro the venue, boat rides and lunch. The call time was 7:30 AM but as expected, we didn’t leave on time. The journey was about an hour or two, and it was past 11:00 AM when we got there.
You will find shops of local products at the docking station. Of course I cannot not buy the cone-shaped hat! It was also perfect for protection from the sun!
Our first stop was the Unicorn Island. Here you can find the floating market with sellers and buyers bargaining and exchanging their goods from their boats. We rode a smaller boat and cruised on the canal maze for a more authentic experience of Mekong River.
I was paired with those local girls, and they were kind enough to oblige when I asked for a group photo! After Unicorn, we went to another island. There we were served some crystallized ginger and banana chips, tea with natural honey and bee pollen, and got to be up-close and touch a honeycomb and a snake! Quite interesting experiences.
I kinda looked terrified but I wasn’t! Haha On our next island stop, we were served platter of tropical fruits and some locals also performed for us! I met two bubbly girls from Norway named Martha and Martina (hope I got it right!) and chatted with them for quite a while. You’d probably think they’re sisters, just like I did, but they’re not! They’re just classmates and were on a school break.
Second to the last stop was the coconut island. There they make candies & other food and stuff using coconut. Our tour guide showed us first how to open one, and also tried shaving it. After that, we saw how the candies were cooked, cut and packed. We also tried some other food made with coconut.
At the last island, we finally had lunch at almost 3:00 PM. As I said earlier, the payment already included lunch, but you have to add some more money for some of the food they offer. Their specialty is this gigantic Elephant Ear fish captured from the Mekong River. I thought it was a bit expensive so I stuck with the default set meal.
We had the chance to roam around and rest before we headed back to catch our bus for the city. There were some interesting activities and sights to see, and my favorite were the grass sculptures!
Overall, I liked the chill vibe of this tour so it was perfect for a quick getaway.
I flew back to Singapore the next day. Short & sweet trip! Thank you Ho Chi Minh for a memorable one!
