The deck was spacious and each room had a banister and was equipped with air conditioning and windows for tourists to do some sightseeing. Being away from the mainland we really had time to relax, read books, and listen to music while some foreigners did some sunbathing in the cruise’s cape.

The Can Tho-Cai Be return route is a favorite of foreign tourists who choose to travel along the Mekong River.

Reaching Tam Binh District in Vinh Long Province, smaller boats picked us up and provided us with a bicycle to enable us to start discovering the countryside. The pebble path winds through orchards and interlacing canals. Nostalgia sneaked into my mind when I looked into evergreen rice fields and egrets hovering under the sunset.

Once back on the boat we continued drifting over Mang Thit canal to reach Mang Thit River then passed Lach Canal to get to Co Chien River and onto Tien River. The journey made it a really meaningful trip as we got to understand and appreciate the daily life of locals, culture and custom of the wetlands with images of selling products, catching fish and countryside markets. All the scenes seemed to bring back childhood memories.

In the distance, old houses, churches and pagodas built in varied architectural styles completed a poetic and peaceful delta experience.

On the way, we could hear chants of “Mot, Hai, Ba, Dzo, Dzo” from a wedding party and also saw some children sitting on boats or riverside houses waving to foreigners.

We reached Cho Lach Canal at 10:30 p.m. It was so quiet so that we can hear the sounds of people on the mainland and fish underwater. Lying on the deck and seeing stars in the sky in the stillness of countryside was an unforgettable moment for all of us.

The sounds of birds and boats woke us up at about 5:30 a.m. the next morning. The dawn welcomed us with such rustic and peaceful images of traders on boats selling seafood and fruit, fishermen busy with fishing nets and catches and women washing clothes on the river.