Touring the Mekong Delta, Vĩnh Tràng Temple, Saigon Skydeck
Monday we went to the Mekong Delta with a tour group. We got to explore a bit the region called My Tho, including a well known Buddhist temple site called Vinh Trang. We took several boat rides, including one on a small boat called a sampan down a canal through some coconut trees. It was a pretty nice excursion!
Patton booked the Mekong Delta tour on GetYourGuide with Vietnam Adventure Tours. There was a half day or full day option, and I’m glad we did the full day.
Monday, August 5
We had to get up at 6:30 and out the door by 7:00 in order to take a Grab ride over to the tour start point by 7:30. The process of picking up the rest of the participants, who were staying in nearby hotels, was slow and a bit painful. It took about an hour for the bus to make its way through traffic to the various pickups, and some of the people could not be located at all. But eventually we were on the road. In the end we had a group of 18 people and the drive was about 2 hours to the Delta.
Waiting outside Vietnam Adventure Tours for the tour of the Mekong Delta Patton booked online through GetYourGuide.
In rural My Tho within the Mekong Delta region, we visited Buddhist temple Vĩnh Tràng, completed in 1850. It “features a blend of Vietnamese, Khmer, and Chinese influences”. There were a number of Buddha and related statues, some very large. There was also a nice eight level pagoda. Some monks were on site working in the kitchen and worshiping, I think, but we were encouraged to give them space and stay on the outskirts.
In rural My Tho within the Mekong Delta region, we visited Buddhist temple Vĩnh Tràng, completed in 1850. There is an eight level pagoda and several large Buddha statues.
In rural My Tho within the Mekong Delta region, we visited Buddhist temple Vĩnh Tràng, completed in 1850. There is an eight level pagoda and several large Buddha statues.
In rural My Tho within the Mekong Delta region, we visited Buddhist temple Vĩnh Tràng, completed in 1850. There is an eight level pagoda and several large Buddha statues.
Laughing Buddha, as seen at the Buddhist temple Vĩnh Tràng in the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam.
Laughing Buddha in the background at Vĩnh Tràng Temple.
Laughing Buddha, as seen at the Buddhist temple Vĩnh Tràng in the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam.
The reclining Buddha, moments before passing into Nirvana, as seen at the Buddhist temple Vĩnh Tràng in the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam.
In rural My Tho within the Mekong Delta region, we visited Buddhist temple Vĩnh Tràng, completed in 1850. There is an eight level pagoda and several large Buddha statues.
In rural My Tho within the Mekong Delta region, we visited Buddhist temple Vĩnh Tràng, completed in 1850. There is an eight level pagoda and several large Buddha statues.
The reclining Buddha, moments before passing into Nirvana, as seen at the Buddhist temple Vĩnh Tràng in the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam.
In rural My Tho within the Mekong Delta region, we visited Buddhist temple Vĩnh Tràng, completed in 1850. There is an eight level pagoda and several large Buddha statues.
I think this might be Guanyin, at Buddhist temple Vĩnh Tràng.
In rural My Tho within the Mekong Delta region, we visited Buddhist temple Vĩnh Tràng, completed in 1850. There is an eight level pagoda and several large Buddha statues.
Then we traveled by boat to an island in the Mekong River, where we had some tea with honey from local bees and took pictures with a shelf from a beehive. The bees seemed quite small, but they were numerous. Jack, our very funny tour guide, posed with me.
Getting on a boat in rural My Tho to tour part of the Mekong Delta, Vietnam.
Tasting some local fruits and honey on Thoi Son Island in the Mekong River in Vietnam.
Then we went onto much smaller boats with guides, who were all women, who took us up the channel to an area where we had fruit and listened to traditional dance. The channel was lined with coconut trees, and was very nice, though the ride was fairly short. I think it was 10 or 15 minutes. We were told ahead of time to tip them around 20K dong.
Touring part of the Mekong Delta, Vietnam, by a small boat called a sampan.
Touring part of the Mekong Delta, Vietnam, by a small boat called a sampan.
Snakes in bottles of drinking alcohol for sale in an area called Tân Thạch, Châu Thành, Bến Tre, Vietnam.
A rural Vietnam chocolate production line, in an area called Tân Thạch, Châu Thành, Bến Tre.
We listened to villagers perform traditional music, held a big snake and tried locally produced coconut candy in an area called Tân Thạch, Châu Thành, Bến Tre, Vietnam.
Oh, and there was a large snake. I think it may have been a Burmese python. Anyone who wanted to got to hold it. I don’t think I ever held such a large snake before, so it was an interesting experience. I tried not to pull its scales against my skin despite them quickly shuffling it on and off each of us. I wonder what the snake thought of this.
We got to hold a large snake, which I think might have been a Burmese python, in a rural Vietnamese village called Tân Thạch, Châu Thành, Bến Tre.
We got to hold a large snake, which I think might have been a Burmese python, in a rural Vietnamese village called Tân Thạch, Châu Thành, Bến Tre.
We got to hold a large snake, which I think might have been a Burmese python, in a rural Vietnamese village called Tân Thạch, Châu Thành, Bến Tre.
Next we took a kind of tuk tuk for about 20 minutes winding through narrow jungle village roads to a restaurant where we had a very filling meal. But first we got a demonstration of processing coconut into coconut candy, and Patton ended up buying a painting for $235 from a local artist who had work on display there. He got a small discount off the displayed price. We also tried shots of alcohol steeping with a dead snake.
Transportation between stops in Tân Thạch, Bến Tre, Vietnam, was via motorbikes adapted with a covered trailer holding about 6 people.
We listened to villagers perform traditional music, held a big snake and tried locally produced coconut candy in an area called Tân Thạch, Châu Thành, Bến Tre, Vietnam.
We listened to villagers perform traditional music, held a big snake and tried locally produced coconut candy in an area called Tân Thạch, Châu Thành, Bến Tre, Vietnam.
Patton bought his friend a painting from a local artist, with the contingency that I'd buy it if the friend didn't like it. Well, the friend wanted something with more green in it. :-)
We got to try shots of the snake booze in a rural Vietnamese area called Tân Thạch in the Mekong Delta region.
The meal was part of the tour package, but we could opt to buy drinks and special kinds of meat. I decided to try rat, and the other family at our table ordered crocodile. Somehow there was confusion and he got the rat and I got two crocodile plates. This was unfortunate because the crocodile was quite expensive and I didn’t really enjoy eating it. The meat was tough to chew and not that flavorful, like a think tendon.
We took the boat to another island and ate a large lunch with crocodile and rat meat at a restaurant called Nhà Hàng Diễm Phượng, on the Mekong Delta in Vietnam.
This is rat meat, at a restaurant called Nhà Hàng Diễm Phượng, on the Mekong Delta in Vietnam.
We took the boat to another island and ate a large lunch with crocodile and rat meat at a restaurant called Nhà Hàng Diễm Phượng, on the Mekong Delta in Vietnam.
We talked with some of the folks on the tour. There were a couple from San Francisco area and the rest were from various European countries. Then we took boats back to the bus, and went back to the city.
A fishing boat loaded up with nets on the Mekong Delta, Vietnam.
The boats on Vietnam's Mekong Delta have eyes painted underneath the front, in part to protect the boat from evil spirits and monsters.
Patton and I walked over to a high observation deck called Saigon Skydeck. They didn’t have an outdoor area, it was entirely enclosed but 360 degrees. The shape of the building was not perfectly circular though on account of the helipad a few floors up, so the windows were a bit inconsistent. It was worth checking out, though; I love looking at cities from high up.
Saigon Skydeck, Vietnam.
Checking out the city from above at Saigon Sky Deck in Vietnam.
View of Landmark 81, the tallest building in Vietnam, from the Saigon Sky Deck.
A strange, partially constructed skyscraper as seen from the Saigon Sky Deck in Vietnam.
Checking out the city from above at Saigon Sky Deck in Vietnam.
Checking out the city from above at Saigon Sky Deck in Vietnam.
We stayed till after dark, and then went back to the apartment!
Entries in this series
- Touring Phú Quốc, Vietnam, by motorbike! (July 31-August 3)
- Saigon shopping and nightlife (August 3-4)
- Touring the Mekong Delta, Vĩnh Tràng Temple, Saigon Skydeck (August 5)
- The Củ Chi tunnels and a messy Saigon run (August 6-7)
- My first tattoo, in Saigon, and a gay party (August 8-11)
- Biking, boating in Tam Coc, climbing Mua Cave (August 12)
- My first X-ray, in Hanoi (August 11-13)
