MEKONG DELTA
As we did not have much time in order to do it by ourselves, we decided to take a 2-day tour to the Mekong Delta. The company we booked it with was Delta Adventures Tours
http://www.deltaadventuretours.com/English/Default.aspx
The price was US$35 per person. We took a hotel upgrade in Can Tho, which added US$55 more for the 3 of us, so the final price was US$53 per person. The quality of the tour in general was good.
We were taken by bus to HCMC harbour and we took a boat there. Leaving the city by the Mekong River happened to be one of the highlights of the trip, as it gave us a completely different perspective of the surroundings of HCMC. We had the chance to see the floating slums and it was very impressive.
After some 3 hours in the boat we arrived at My Tho. It was really hot and humid in the delta. My Tho itself did not have much to see apart from the river area and some islands that are in the vicinity (Dragon Island, Unicorn Island and Tortoise Island). They gave us a tour around this islands and then stopped at Unicorn Island, where we visited the coconut candy workshops, went for a (short) ride in a canoe, had lunch and we could explore around a bit with rental bikes .
Once we were done with the day activities we took a bus to Can Tho, the main city and capital of the Delta. The city had a relaxed atmosphere, with life completely dominated by the presence of the river. There was not much to see but still it was nice to go for a walk around and experience such a different environment. The hotel was very good (seems the upgrade, though expensive for VN prices, was worth it, as the other provided hotel we were told it was gloomy).
Next day we visited Cai Rang, the biggest floating market in the Mekong Delta and one of the main reasons we decided to go to this area.It was really interesting, packed with lots of boats of different sizes and shapes. The bigger boats selling wholesale fruits and veggies had a long pole with a sample of what they were selling hanging from it. There were smaller boats everywhere going to the big ones and making transactions. We went around for an hour or so, from one side to the other side of the part of the river taken by the market. After that they dropped us so we could walk around the inland market, also interesting.
After lunch we got on a bus for a ride back to HCMC (around 3 hours). During the ride back one of the guides took the microphone and told us stories about life in the Delta (like for example that the way to spot a wealthy person was checking how many boats he had, rather than a big car or even a big house).
The tour is ok to have an insight, if brief, into the Mekong Delta area and how people live there. Still, I found it a bit disappointing, a bit too touristic…definitely not used to group tours. Not sure if it is worth it visiting the area for just 2 days.
Eating at Can Tho:
We had dinner at Mekong restaurant (38 D Hai Ba Trung, recommended by LP).The place did not look anything special but the food was good and cheap.
The following day we had lunch at Nam Bo (50 D Hai Ba Trung, nambo@hcm.vnn.vn, also recommended by LP), a well known restaurant. Beautiful colonial house, good views over the river and the silver statue of uncle Ho (better sit in the second floor) , and also excellent food and atmosphere. Try not to miss it.
PHU QUOC:
We flew to Phu Quoc with Vietnam Airlines, return tickets were 120$. Plane was an ATR72 propeller plane, flight around 55 min.
When we arrived at the airport people from different hotels were around in the lobby offering their services. We decided to stay at the Tropicana Resort (recommended by LP among other guides). The ride to the hotel was free and took around 15 min. The hotel was a little bit outside Duong Dong, the closest village to the airport and lined up with other resorts along Long Beach.
The bungalows by the beach costed US$35 per room. Garden view bungalows (off the beach) were US$20. The rooms were good, big and clean. Breakfast was included and it was good, just a little bit not enough amount (at least for me). The hotel had some amenities (pool, darts, board games) all for free.
http://www.vietnamstay.com/hotel/tropicana/
There were not many tourists as it was not high season. It was not possible to do scuba diving as all the diving companies were closed. In general the weather was just good but not great, but worth noting that in the west side of the island (where Long Beach is) it was more windy and unpleasant than in the west side.
Next day we rented a semiautomatic motorbike for US$8 and set off to explore the island. We went all the way down south to the fishermen village of An Thoi, quite picturesque. Roads were ok. On our way up by the east side we stopped at Bai Sao, a very beautiful and quiet beach, hardly anyone else there. We had lunch in the waterfront restaurant, the food was good and prices slightly higher than in other places inlands. Most of the island is hilly and with tropical vegetation, very good to enjoy while riding a motorbike.
The following day, together with a group of friends, we tried to rent a 4×4. Price was 700000 VD and we could not get it any cheaper. Finally we decided to rent a mini van with a driver for 10 people at the hotel. The price was 1100000 for the whole day. First we went south, again to An Thoi and Bai Sao, where we had lunch. While at the hotel the weather was rainy and unpleasant at Bai Sao was much better. After that we headed to the northwest tip of the island, Bai Dai beach. It felt very remote and non touristic at all. The tide was very strong and we could not swim, but the views were worth the ride.







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