3-week trip to Vietnam and Thailand

[Bodhisattva]

As always, my to-do list overwhelms my bandwidth to get tasks done. I'm a week or so behind schedule starting this thread. The purpose of the trip was to do some charitable work and, of course, play tourist. I've posted the charity-related activities in another thread (link); this one is for the touristy stuff.

We landed in Saigon where we focused on charity for the first few days. With our remaining time in the city, we rode with our friends on the back of their scooters and toured Saigon.

The church in the neighborhood where Lan used to live:






Chinese New Year. The Year of the Horse.







Post office and government-run souvenir shop. It is architecturally photo-worthy, but we don't buy from government-run shops, preferring to put money directly into the hands of the locals.










We'd spend the rest of the week in the Mekong Delta.

 

[Bodhisattva]

Vinh Trang pagoda in Southern Vietnam:

 

[OakMtn4Bama]

Wow!

 

[Bazza]

Love the photos - thanks, Bodhi!

 

[Bodhisattva]

Starting our private boat tour on the My Tho River in the Mekong Delta. This would be the first of many types of boats and other forms of transportation over the next several days.









Time to switch to a smaller boat.









Back on land and getting in an old school tuk-tuk.



Lunch by the river:



Post lunch nap:



We made a friend:

 

[Bodhisattva]

Another one of our many modes of transportation:



We went to a local "factory" that makes coconut candies. It's interactive. Here's Lan and our guide helping out splitting coconuts. We got to see each little step in the candy-making process.


















After loading up on varies flavored coconut candies to use as souvenirs, we were offered a locally made alcoholic beverage. Lan passed, but I had to try it. It didn't taste as good as I thought it would. But I may now have superpowers.

 

[Bazza]

 

[Bodhisattva]

Back on the water ...



The next place sold tea, honey, cocoa and assorted fruit. This young lady provided a sampling, and we bought several different items for ourselves and for souvenirs. She was fun to talk to, as she spoke English well but with a strong New Zealand accent.






We were also entertained by local musicians and singers.



And Lan, an accomplished singer herself, was asked to join in.



Heading to our hotel, with a coconut for the road river.

 

[dtgreg]

Love the photos - thanks, Bodhi!

Yes, thank you!

 

[Padreruf]

Love the photos as well...Do you encounter a number of tourists? Are the majority from USA or other countries?

Thanks again for what you are doing.

 

[Bodhisattva]

Love the photos as well...Do you encounter a number of tourists? Are the majority from USA or other countries?

Thanks again for what you are doing.

Not many. We interacted with a small number from the US, Australia, France, Germany, etc. I heard a fair amount of Chinese being spoken.

 

[Bodhisattva]

After a long day on and off the river, we made it back to our hotel in Can Tho, which is the largest city in the Mekong Delta.

Our view from our room at the intersection of two streets. You can see two temples: one right across the street (right side of the photo) and another on the other side of the road a half-block down. There is a third a couple of streets over. We'll visit them all.



It soon got dark, so we went out to explore the neighborhood and get dinner. Chinese New Year is being celebrated, so lots of items are red.







Lan bought some ao yai (traditional Vietnamese dresses) for Lily, her niece, and her sisters.









That was the end of a very long and very awesome day.

 

[Bodhisattva]

While a full night's sleep, after such a long day, would have been welcomed, Lan and I are light sleepers when we are in a bed that is not our own. And while the monks' chanting at the temple across the street was at a low volume, it awakened us. And since we were excited to see and do as much as we can while on vacation, forgoing sleep was an easy choice. So, we began our day at 4:00 a.m. and start by visiting the temple.

 

[Bodhisattva]

Shortly thereafter it was morning and the city was waking up. Time to wander and get street food for breakfast.













Anyone care for snake for breakfast?

 

[Bazza]

Thanks once again for posting these wonderful photos, @Bodhisattva ! And your narratives make it even more interesting.

I can't help but ponder how different their street culture is from ours. Would be interested in hearing your thoughts on that, whether in this or the political forum.

 

[Bodhisattva]

Thanks once again for posting these wonderful photos, @Bodhisattva ! And your narratives make it even more interesting.

I can't help but ponder how different their street culture is from ours. Would be interested in hearing your thoughts on that, whether in this or the political forum.

Thanks for the kind words, Bazza.

The street food scene that I've experienced in Vietnam and Thailand is a lot of fun. And with my background in business, I'm fascinated watching how markets work. What to sell? Where? What price? A shop or a cart? Seeing the interplay at the markets on the river is wild. That part of the story is coming soon.

I have a lot of admiration for people who bust their butt everyday to wake up early to get their food from wholesalers, to get their carts loaded up and in place for the breakfast crowd, to stress to see if they'll make enough money to provide for their family for the day, to pray that bad weather doesn't ruin their plans. And through all this, they happily interact with their customers and each other.

I am in a fortuitous position because my wife can translate for me. The locals are always curious about Lan and me. Lan is a curiosity because she lived in Vietnam until adulthood before escaping. So, the locals are always asking about what Lan's experience was before she left, as well as what life is like in the US. The conversations are always loud with a lot of laughter.

But, these vendors have a tough life. The tax structure in Vietnam is largely informal. Governments everywhere exist to varying degrees to fleece the people. Vietnam is essentially run like the mafia. Taxes are collected at the local level by the party thugs, and everyone up the chain gets their cut. How much in taxes? How much do you have? What is taken is everything just above subsistence living. Like most places in the world, the government keeps most people from prospering, which keeps the entire country from progressing as much and as quickly as it should.

 

[Bodhisattva]

At mid-morning, we took a short drive to catch another boat for a tour that reminded me of the Everglades.






We stopped to walk around some rice paddies ...





and an impressive flower and vegetable garden.






And then we had a late lunch by the river with our tour guide.

 

[Bodhisattva]

After returning to base in the late afternoon, we went to explore a second temple down the street from our hotel. This one was built for Khmer (Cambodian) residents of the city centuries ago and is call Chua Muniransay..

 

[Bodhisattva]

In the evening we walked down to the Chinese sector of the city and visited a shrine dedicated to the legendary general Guan Yu, who served the Eastern Han dynasty nearly 2000 years ago.






Those score of coils hanging from the ceiling are burning incense. It was a little smokey in there.

 

[Bodhisattva]

The next morning ... early ... have a long way to go on the river ...








... to get to the Cai Rang floating market. Practically any kind of food, beverages, and trinkets can be found on any of a score of small boats. There are even wholesalers - larger boats loaded with assorted goods to sell to the retailers. And what kind of fruit/vegetable is a particular boat selling? They advertise that on a pole at one end of the boat. (The retailer will usually have one or two items on the pole. The wholesaler could have between one and a half-dozen.) Practical and charming!











Elderly women also sell snacks, coffee, soup, etc. We partook in everything. I'm not even a coffee drinker, but if someone was selling, I was buying. I admire the industriousness of these people.





And our morning was just getting started!