Mekong Delta Travel Guide

Pancake flat but lusciously green and beautiful, the Mekong Delta is the southernmost region of Vietnam. It was formed by sediment deposited by the Mekong River, a process which continues today; silt deposits extend the delta's shoreline at the mouth of the river by as much as 79m per year. The river is so large that it has two daily tides. At low tide in the dry season, boats cannot even move through the shallow canals.

The land of the Mekong Delta is renowned for its richness, and almost half of it is under cultivation. The area is known as Vietnam's 'bread basket', though 'rice basket' would be more appropriate. The Mekong Delta produces enough rice to feed the entire country, with a sizeable surplus.

When the government introduced collective farming to the delta in 1975, production fell significantly and there were food shortages in Saigon (although farmers in the delta easily grew enough to feed themselves). People from Ho Chi Minh city would head down to the delta to buy sacks of black-market rice, but the police set up checkpoints and confiscated rice from anyone carrying more than 10kg, in the aim of preventing 'profiteering'. All this ended in 1986, and farmers in this region have propelled Vietnam forward to become the world's second largest rice exporter after Thailand (also see the boxed text 'Rice Production').

Other products from the delta include coconut, sugar cane, fruits and fish. Although the area is primarily rural, it is one of the most densely populated regions in Vietnam nearly every hectare is intensively farmed. An exception to this is the sparsely inhabited mangrove swamps around Camau Province, where the land is not very productive.

The Mekong River is one of the world's great rivers, and its delta is one of the worlds largest. The Mekong originates high in the Tibetan plateau, flowing 4500km through China, between Myanmar and Laos, through Laos, along the Laos-Thailand border, and through Cambodia and Vietnam on its way to the South China Sea. At Phnom Penh (Cambodia), the Mekong splits into two main branches: the Hau Giang (the Lower River, also called the Bassac River), which flows via Chau Doc, Long Xuyen and Can Tho to the sea; and the Tien Giang (Upper River), which splits into several branches at Vinh Long and empties into the sea at live points. The numerous branches of the river explain the Vietnamese name for the Mekong: Song Cuu Long (River of Nine Dragons).

The water now in the Mekong begins to rise around the end of May and reaches its highest point in September; it ranges from 1900 to 38,000 cubic metres per second depending on the season. A tributary of the river that empties into the Mekong at Phnom Penh drains Cambodia's Tonle Sap Lake. When the Mekong is at flood stage, this tributary reverses its flow and drains into Tonic Sap, thereby somewhat reducing the danger of serious flooding in the Mekong Delta. Unfortunately, deforestation in Cambodia is upsetting this delicate balancing act, resulting in more floods in Vietnam's portion of the Mekong River basin.

Living on a flood plain presents some technical challenges. Lacking any high ground to escape flooding, many delta residents build their houses on bamboo stilts to avoid the rising waters. Many roads are submerged or turn to muck during floods all-weather roads have to be built on raised embankments, but this is expensive. The traditional solution has been to build canals and travel by boat. There are thousands of canals in the Mekong Della keeping them properly dredged and navigable is a constant but essential chore.

A further challenge is keeping the canals clean. The normal practice of dumping all garbage and sewage directly into the waterways behind the houses that line them is taking its toll. Many of the more populated areas in the Mekong Della are showing signs of unpleasant waste build-up. One can only hope the government will take stronger measures to curb this pollution. Estuarine crocodiles are found in the southern parts of the Delta Rivers, particularly in the Hau Giang River. These creatures can be dangerous and travellers are advised to keep a healthy distance from them.

The Mekong Delta was once part of the Khmer kingdom, and was the last region of modern-day Vietnam to be annexed and settled by the Vietnamese. Cambodians, mindful that they controlled the area until the 18th century, still call the delta 'Lower Cambodia'. The Khmer Rouge tried to follow up on this claim by raiding Vietnamese villages and massacring the inhabitants. This led the Vietnamese army to invade Cambodia in 1979 and oust the Khmer Rouge from power. Most of the current inhabitants of the Mekong Delta are ethnic- Vietnamese, but there are also significant populations of ethnic-Chinese and Khmer as well as a few Chams.

A major activity in the Mekong Delta is boating. Indeed, the only way you're really going to get a close look at the delta is to tour through the canals by boat. However, several provincial governments in the Mekong Delta, such as in My Tho and Vinh Long, have essentially banned private entrepreneurs from renting boats to Foreigners. Police regularly patrol the river in high-powered speedboats to catch those who have violated these rules. Not every provincial government is so restrictive, though there are several places in the delta, Ben Tre for one, where you can simply rent a boat and go where you like.

Related Mekong Delta Tours

3 Days Mekong Waterways
Tour Code: VES 11
This tour will give us a taste of life on the Mekong River and its tributaries. This tour starts in Ho Chi Minh City and from there we travel to heart center of Mekong delta through small channel...

2 Days Mekong Delta Home Stay
Tour Code: VES 10
This 2 day Mekong Delta home stay tour offers us to deep in and experience the daily life of the vibrant Mekong Delta region in the South of Vietnam...

2 Days Mekong Delta Highlights
Tour Code: VES 09
This 2 day trip allows us to explore the fertile and lush flood plains of the Mekong Delta within 2 days and witness the fantastic highlights of the Mekong Delta at a pace ideal for soaking up its many splendors...

Day Tour Mekong Delta - Vinh Long
Tour Code: VES 08
The Mekong Delta is the southernmost region of Vietnam. It is often referred to as the rice basket of Vietnam as it produces three harvests per year. The fertile Mekong Delta is also famous for its tropical fruits and flowers...

Day Tour Cai Be Princess - Mekong Delta Boat
Tour Code: VES 15
Our one day private cruise excursion starts from Ho Chi Minh with a drive to Cai Be - Phu An where we will board the Cai Be Princess at around 10.00AM. Upon embarkation on Cai Be Princess junk boat...