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Vietnam (South) South East Asia

Bec
2004-09-20 18:36:32

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Ho Chi Minh City
I flew in from Phnom Penh early in the afternoon and went directly to the Kim Cafe that had been strongly recommended by other backpackers in Bangkok.

The usual tourist amenities were lacking, because Vietnam had only recently opened its doors to foreign visitors but the lack of infrastructures was largely compensated by the warm and spontaneous welcome of the Vietnamese people.

Now that it was allowed, private entrepreneurship popped up overnight everywhere like mushroom after rain. Thi Kim and Sinh cafes in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), and a myriad of private minibus firms were examples of this paradigm shift.

I took a room near Kim's cafe (5$US), and set out to explore the city starting by the National Museum (previous photo), where I met this group of shy, giggling schoolgirls who just could not refrain from staring at the oddity of a westerner.

Kim's cafe and the Sinh cafe were full of backpackers from all over the world. There was a wonderful feeling of camaraderie between us for we were aware of being pioneers or trailblazers, opening up Vietnam to tourism.Countryside
After a couple of days in Saigon I joined a group to visit the Mekong delta. The group had been put together by the enterprising owner of Kim's cafe who had bought a minivan on credit and started a tour company to satisfy the needs of his backpacking customers.

Here is a view of a rice field from the minibus window as it was crossing a bridge.

Tien Giang
After flowing 4500 km through China, Laos and Cambodia, the mighty Mekong splits into the Tien Giang or Upper Mekong River and the Hau Giang, also called the Bassac River. Both enter Vietnam where they further divide into the many rivers of the delta. This is the Tien Giang near Mytho, 70 km southwest of Saigon.

Rivers replace roads in the delta. South of here, the Tien Giang divides ...