Mekong Delta “DIY” Tour > busing to Can Tho, Chau Doc & Ha Tien

Over the next few days we are conducting a “DIY” tour of the Mekong Delta where we hope to get a good sense of how this agriculturally rich area looks from a slightly less touristic point of view….we are not really going “off the grid” but what the heck it’s a start:

December 2nd,

A good breakfast and decent weather sets us up to leave the frenetic pace of Saigon and head to the Mekong Delta. We head to the “mini” bus depot by Grab, purchase our tickets and then are waved to a holding area, within minutes a van arrives we cram aboard and are transported to the main FUTA depot, about a 20-minute drive away, whence our 3.5-hour drive commences.

We are told to wait but quickly identify our bus ….our ticket has the bus number & license plate number > which makes it simple …there are dozens of orange FUTA buses coming and going. At the door of the bus, we are issued plastic bags to put our shoes in and everyone parades on board in bare feet or socks. This is a sleeper bus …a normal bus but 2 levels with 3 rows of beds (these are made for Asian folk…although I am not a large man, as we lie down I find that I cannot extend my legs..if I crank up the “seat” my head hits the roof ….thank god I am not 6′ plus, and there is a TV screen which is playing Vietnamese love songs ….I can turn off the screen but the sound remains, as we depart exactly on schedule !!

…Annie seems much more comfortable than me…. hmm size matters…

There is one pit stop …..nice western toilets and plenty of eating and buying opportunities (including Russian vodka & champagne) we grab a very decent banh mi and some donuts in the shape of elephants and penguins, filled with a creamy substance … quite good, then back to the sleepers.

Arriving at the Can Tho Bus Station we are anticipating our ride to the Green Village Mekong Lodge (not a lodge in our sense of the word but rather a homestay). We had e-mailed a photo of our ticket en route so they could track the bus arrival time. The idea was to stay in the countryside to try and get a better feel for life in the delta, rather than Can Tho (a city of almost 1.5 million). Sure enough, a guy comes over and points to his smartphone…there we can see our names… so all is good, luggage in the trunk and 20 minutes later we are at the homestay. Welcome drink, fruit platter, hand over our passports and we are led to our room … another very smooth transfer…we are staying in thatched cottages with an ensuite  (hot water on demand) but no a/c although there is a fan…

Lunch is at the Lodge …

….after which we head out for a walk on the local paths, “to see what there is to see”…..locals are friendly and smiley and the kids all yell hello…

Dinner is included, and everyone gets the same unless they have dietary issues, which the staff try really hard to accommodate ….nice dinner: soup, whole fish with rice and salad, followed by a fruit platter and of course chased by some beers…very good meal ….

….some chit-chat with the other guests and back to our room, sort out the mosquito netting and we are early to bed as tomorrow is an early morning. A good first day.