Thus, we hopped an evening bus to Can Tho, a small town on the Mekong Delta, after having one last meal in HCMC at a great restaurant around the corner from our hotel. We arrived fairly late in the evening after an interesting movie display of white and asian women doing Ku Fu fighting and a stop at a massive rest stop filled with an indoor market and small restaurants. Here is the short lived encounter with the raw meat wedding cakes. Instead, Rickie stuck to the dumpling you’ll find in the pictures. Mystery meat and hard boiled egg? At least it was cooked.

It was a relief to get off the bus since by the end it was filled with the stench of vomit, and there wasn’t a bathroom in sight. At the hotel we were instantly greeted by a small Vietnamese man who wanted to sell us a tour of the floating markets in the morning. Since it was so late, and we only wanted to stay a day in Can Tho, we didn’t have much choice but to try and negotiate a deal with him.

Our 5 am wake up call wasn’t too welcome, but it was totally worth it in the end. We made it out on the water before right as the sun was rising Our boat river, Hung, was super sweet. He did a great job driving (even through the thick weeds!!) and had a lot to share in terms of the nature we saw along the way, like how the leaves on garlic and lime trees, when crushed, smell like lime and garlic respectively.

Another neat activity was stopping to watch rice noodle production, and also got to see a rice paddy. The highlight of the trip might have been crossing the bamboo bridge…we weren’t sure it was going to hold!

The markets themselves were also really cool, although I had envisioned something else. Boats filled with produce pulled up together in certain spots, and men and women (majority women) passed their fruit or vegetables across to one another. It was a great event to be a part of.

Another thing I wasn’t expecting was the noise. The boats are all motor-run, and diesel to top it off. There was a constant puff of exhaust coming from Hung’s boat and every other boat that passed us.

The rest of the day was pretty mellow…lunch, a nap, and a hang at a hotel with effective wireless and delicious, exotic juices. We had to run around that night to figure out how we were getting out of Can Tho so we could continue our journey to Phnom Penh, and I wasn’t too thrilled to hear it would require us waking up at 3.45 the next morning…

Day 1 included: floating market (although we arrived after the action), coconut candy making (zeroing in on your fillings and doing their best to remove them! – we still have ours at the bottom of our bag), seeing how rice paper is made and then lunch at a local restuarant before arriving at the border town Can Tho.

Day 2: 5am wake up call and a knock at the door to a grumpy Tory (1hr too early!), a row boat out to the floating villages and fish farms (too many tourists nearly sank one house!), visit to a very touristy Champa village with a local old man posing in the window for photos and then a 3hr boat ride up to the border crossing.

Border crossing was simple (guards were having lunch and drinking Jack Daniels) and then off we went on a 4hr mini bus ride on some pretty bad roads to Phnom Penh.

One of them is Duong’s family house (also called as Binh Thuy Ancient House or Binh Thuy Orchid Garden), which has been recently recognized as a national relic for architect arts by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism since March 2009.

Binh Thuy Ancient House is located at 26/1 Bui Huu Nghia Street, Binh Thuy District, Can Tho City.

There are many reasons why visitors to Can Tho are recommended should not miss this place. It is a rare and perfect example of the character of the Mekong Delta. It is special thanks not only to an ancient house whose design is a combination of Vietnam and France with interesting involved stories but also a garden with various flowers and fruits, including a wide range of orchids and a record cactus.

The garden house covering about 6,000 square meters was built around the late 19th century or early 20th century. The house reflects the cultural exchange between the Orient and Western since the owner loved French designs and wanted to keep design characters of Vietnam, so he decided to invite artists from the North, Central and South to design the house. This is the reason why the outside appearance of the house has the French design while the interior brings Vietnamese characters.

The brick house is fronted by a wide flower garden and surrounded by rock-gardens and potted plants, and includes a three-door temple gate. Craftsmen used valuable woods which were red-lacquered and gilded or encrusted with nacre and fine carvings depicting water activities, trees and fruits.

The house is classified into five compartments. The two ends are for bedrooms and kitchen while the three central ones are for living room and worshipping, all equipped with sophisticated ancient wood furniture like beds or a large ancestral altar to valuable ancient things such as lamps, wash basin and jars.

One special thing of the house is that when building the owner asked to spread a 10cm-thick salt layer on the house’s foundation so that the wooden furniture has been able to use for long time; moreover, the house is always cool despite the hot season.

One more special thing of the house that has so far attracted a lot of local and foreign visitors, it is an exciting address for film directors. The famous French movie L’amant directed by J.J Annaud is an example. In addition, this house had captured in tens of other films such as: The horizon of that place (Chan Troi Noi Ay), The silt ways (Nhung Neo Duong Phu Sa), The Bac Lieu mandarin’s son (Cong tu Bac Lieu), the Hundred-knot Bamboo Tree (Cay Tre Tram Dot), Tay Do and Ban Mai, Can Tho Cacti (Xuong Rong Can Tho).

Tourists can study these stories by documents and images on the wall.

From the windows, tourists can experience a wide range of flowers planted in the garden. Duong Van Ngon (1905-1985), the fifth generation of Duong’s family, loved orchids. He tried to collect various kinds of orchids as much as possible, as well as other flowers. Since that the house also has name of Binh Thuy Orchid Garden. His descendents have kept the invaluable property in this garden, including a 40-year-old 10-meter cactus named Kim Lang Tru.

After having a short tour to understand details of the over-one-hundred-year-old garden house, tourists can have a seat on two sets of stone-made tables and chairs under giant trees in the yard to have a general look at the house.

The house has been granted as the national vestige so more and more people will visit to understand the house. The provincial government and descendants of the owner are trying to keep the house the best and make it become more and more well-known all over the country.

In addition, coming to Binh Thuy, leisurely walks along winding village roads and across bamboo bridges can be relaxing. The bamboo bridges have been preserved to serve eco-tourism. Many tourists, especially foreign tourists are attracting by the special feelings while on these bridges.

The orchard tours by skiff on rivulets are also very popular. Reaching from the boat, tourists grab star apples, mangos, papayas, pomelos and oranges from the water’s surface. Charming ladies in traditional dress, sweet smells of fruits, fresh air and a poetic atmosphere make the day seem like part of a fairy tale.

My driver and guide, Bay, strolls with me through the tombs of Thoai Ngoc Hau, where colorful flowers grow wild between ancient stones. We climb higher where countless temples and pagodas pepper the trailside; small and seemingly make-shift buildings with corrugated tin roofs, these tiny, modest structures reveal their Chinese influence in the characters framing the darkened doorways. Weary from hundreds of miles of driving, Bay returns to our hotel for a well-earned nap, giving me the freedom to climb this enchanting mountain on my own. Enjoying my solitude, I creep through an inviting yellow temple and poke my head into an incense-filled shrineroom. Turning around, I am startled by a wrinkled and storied face looking at me calmly. Motioning with his hands and speaking his best broken English, a brown-robed monk tells me of his difficult path to monastic life, having spent three years in prison while serving during the war. Although past hardship is revealed in his aged face, there is an unmistakable gleam of peace in his eyes. We bow before I continue up the mountain where dogs and chickens communally dart across the trail looking for morsels dropped by tourists but I am the only visitor.

Further up, I stumble upon a little girl diligently doing her homework along the trail. Undisturbed by my presence, she continues her studies as I look closely. I can’t help her. I also can’t help but notice her school materials: a weathered book, a thin notebook and a small leather book bag. It reminds me of the bare bones conditions of the schools I had visited earlier during my journey through the delta, where students sit four to a wooden bench and pencils are a rare commodity. Yet, like the other students I observed, this little girl remains undaunted in her task, bare feet and all.
Carrying the precious image of the little girl’s face up the mountain, I encounter harder faces at an outdoor cafe near the top. A group of men, including an officer in olive drab khakis sporting red shoulder patches, are drinking and smoking and carrying on. Matching those red shoulder patches, the officer’s glance seems particularly menacing as I sip a Coke and look out on the vast horizon to Cambodia.

“Have a drink with us,” he demands in surprisingly well-spoken English. Avoiding the alcohol, I join the group with my Coke and share my experiences of the Mekong Delta. The officer’s face lights up when I talk of my school visits.
“Come with me!” he commands, escorting me to a motorcycle while his friends nod and smile. My God! What did I say? We peel off to the top of the mountain as the officer tells me of a school he wants me to see. We stop at an army outpost at the top of the mountain where he runs in and out in a hurry, perhaps getting permission from a superior to perform his civic duty. As we twist and turn down the dirt road, I clutch the red shoulder patches of the officer, trying not to think about how much he has had to drink.

Containing my nerves, I arrive safely on the other side of Sam Mountain at Truong Trung Hoc High School. We are greeted by the principal and vice-principal, both of whom, to my pleasant surprise, are women. With other staff joining us, including an English teacher who interprets for the principal, we sit and talk over lemonade as I learn of the enormous drop out rate among Chau Doc students: 40% at the middle school level, another 20% at the high school level, and finally only a handful actually going on to university. I also learn that teachers earn between 20 and 40 dollars per month, not including any emergency funds they are required to pay by the state–for example, in case of floods. Lastly, noticing a mural of a hammer and sickle on the wall, I ask, “Do you teach only Marxism?”

“Of course we teach Marxism,” she explains through the interpreter. “But we teach all philosophies.” The soldier nods and smiles.

Saved by the bell, school is out and uniformed students collect their bikes and start for home. Curious boys in red ties and girls in graceful white ao dai dresses stop to smile and wave as I quickly tour the stark library before being whisked away, back to my hotel–the officer was late for duty. How many of these students will graduate from college? Will the little girl back by the trailside of Sam Mountain make it to middle school? The soldier–I never learned his name, but he went through a transformation from an authority I wanted to avoid to an indispensable guide–delivers an informal salute and heads off, leaving me with many questions and an unforgettable experience.

My uneventful hike up a hill had become a mountain of insight into the people of Chau Doc, and a fitting end to a magically educational journey through the Mekong Delta.
(Source: www.thingsasian.com)

General information:

Area: 1,401.6 sq. km
Population: 1,139,900 habitants (2006).
Administrative divisions:
- Districts: Ninh Kieu, Binh Thuy, Cai Rang, Thot Not, O Mon
- Rural districts: Phong Dien, Co Do, Vinh Thanh, Thoi Lai.
Ethnic groups: Viet (Kinh), Khmer, Hoa, Cham…

Location:

Can Tho Province is located in the centre of the Mekong Delta on the south bank of the Hau River, 170 km southwest of Ho Chi Minh City. It is bordered by Dong Thap and Vinh Long on the northeast; by Soc Trang on the southeast; by Bac Lieu on the southwest; by Kien Giang and An Giang on the northwest. Can Tho city, for over 200 years the provincial main town, was once known as Tay Do, or Capital in the West.

Weather:

Can Tho has a complex of rivers and canals such as Hau, and Can Tho rivers, Thot Not, O Mon canals. Among them, the Hau Riveris considered a benefactor of this region, since yearly floods deposit large quantities of alluvia to the rice fields. Thank to that Cantho becomes “the green lungs of the Mekong Delta”. The climate is harmonized with few of storms. It is hot, humid all year round. Rainy season lasts from May to November, and dry season lasts from December to April. The annual average temperature is 27oC.

Transportation:

Can Tho is 34 km from Vinh Long, 62 km from Long Xuyen, 63 km from Soc Trang, 104 km from My Tho, 116 km from Rach Gia, 117 km from Chau Doc, 170 km from Ho Chi Minh City and 179km from Ca Mau.

- Highways: Can Tho has National Highway No.1A, 91, 80 linking to An Giang, Kien Giang provinces.

- Waterways: Can Tho has Cai Cui international seaport. The city is the centre of waterway network of Mekong Delta. There are daily hydrofoils between Ho Chi Minh City and Can Tho City. Cruising on small tourist boat to visit villages and floating markets is an exciting activity when traveling in Can Tho.

- Airways: Can Tho has Tra Noc Airport which will be upgraded to become an international airport by 2010.

Tourism:

Can Tho is over its 200 years as the main town, once known as Tay Do and now one city of Vietnam. All of economic, culture activities closely relate to river and canals which like the ’street’. Can Tho has simple, poetic beauty with well-off villages under shade of coconut trees. It is wonderful to take a boat trip along the riverbanks on fine weather days. On the east bank of Hau River is Ninh Kieu Wharf, which is well known for its beautiful location.

Can Tho Tourist Gardens are a series of modern tourism gardens have appeared on every land and water route in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho. The gardens of My Khanh, San Duong, Ba Lang and Tan Binh extend along the arched highway, as well as on the waterways of hong Dien and Phung Hiep rivers. Other gardens in Long My, Vi Thanh, O Mon and Thot Not are also developing. The My Khanh Gardens occupy 2.2 ha and feature more than 20 species of fruit trees and flowers, as well as diverse species of birds, fish, tortoises, snakes, crabs and shrimp. Under the shade of lush green trees, there are small rong houses to provide visitors with a place to rest for the night.

Other interesting places are Bang Lang Stock Sanctuary, Binh Thuy Ancient house and floating markets.: Cai Rang Floating Market (6 kilometres from Can Tho); Phong Dien Floating Market 20 kilometres southwest of Can Tho, the best floating market in the Mekong Delta; Phung Hiep Market close by Can Tho (Soc Trang direction). Bustling floating markets on the Hau River at Con Khuong, Con Son and further afield, Con Tan Loc in the more prosperous Thot Not District. Cai Rang is the largest floating market in the Mekong and the traders are more motorised, but the markets at Phung Hiep and Phong Dien are more relaxed and less crowded.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Can Tho municipal People’s Committee informed reporters on November 25, 2008 that the event aims to preserve and promote the cultural identity of the Khmer people, thus enriching their cultural life and contributing to socio-economic development in Khmer-populated areas and the entire nation as a whole.

The festival will embrace six themes, encompassing all aspects of traditional Khmer life, ranging from amateur art performances to a costume fashion show, folk games, traditional cuisine, and cultural exhibitions and exchanges.

Most worthy of note is the Ghe Ngo racing, in which the Khmer people will display their skills in racing these long, thin, traditional boats, often carved from the hollowed-out trunk of a single tree, with each boat capable of holding up to 50 men. These races are the most popular and eagerly-anticipated event at important Khmer festivals.

The festival will offer an opportunity for Can Tho City to promote its local culture and tourist activities.

Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Le Thanh Phong said that the city has invested more than VND 70 billion in the construction of a cultural and sports centre.

He added that the municipal travel industry has taken the initiative in collaborating with travel agents across the country to promote typical local tours and activities, such as orchard tourism, eco-tourism, tours of floating markets and one-day home-stays with local farmers.

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