One thing we have learned in Vietnam is that last minute planning is quite alright, and actually cheaper than booking online. The Mekong delta tour is a very popular tourist activity, do there are many options to choose from. At our homestay there was a brochure for the "luxury" cruise which takes tourists down the river in a speed boat. It also offered a bit different tour than the other options so we opted for luxury. We were glad we did.
Early in the morning we were picked up near our homestay and taken to the river. There we joined 8 other people and our guide, captain, mate and helper. The luxury service included breakfast (a cheese sandwich - really the only mediocre thing about the tour), lots of fresh fruit and unlimited drinks (water, pop, and ice tea) and a traditional vietnamese lunch.
There were some ship yards on the river
There are also a myriad of different types of boats travelling along this waterway carrying many different cargos. The most common we saw were barges and "barge-like" boats carrying sand and rock for construction. There were also cargo ships for food and other goods and then the small fishing and cargo boats.
Barge-type cargo boat.
Barge with crane
Barge and tugboat
Cargo boat
Boat loaded with lumber. Our guide told us that people will often overload these boats in order to make more money. So our captain always slowed down to keep the wake waves smaller and not rock them too hard. The wood they are transporting is melaleuca wood which they use when constructing their houses along the river. This type of wood will last about 15 years in the water.
The sheer number and variety of boats was astonishing as was the variety of goods they were carrying.
