Another tourist attraction outside Ho Chi Minh City is Mekong River, which is the lifeblood of the country as it is the source of water that runs throughout Vietnam. Covering an area of 15,000 square miles, Mekong Delta is the place where the Mekong River ends its journey from the Tibetan plateau to complete its route to the South China Sea. The area around the delta is often referred to as the “rice bowl” of Vietnam because of its lush, tropical and fertile lands that produce a very high amount of rice crop production. Exploring the river and the islands is a relaxing activity because it is a suitable place to retreat from the hustle of the city. Visiting the site also provides insight into local life. Together with our friend’s family, we joined a local tour to explore the river. We set off early morning to gather at the meeting point. Then, we got into the bus and departed for My Tho. The journey took only two hours. As soon as we arrived there, we boarded a motorized boat along the river to go to Phoenix Island where we would observe coconut candy workshop and visit bee and honey farms.
This is the starting point to board the boat
There were many motorized boats ready to carry visitors along the river
Inside the boat, there were many Western tourists. Maybe only six of us were Asians. There was a local English-speaking tour guide who explained about the site to us. 
From the boat, we could see floating villages and boat repair workshops. There are four tiny islands in My Tho that are named after four mythical Chinese creatures known as Dragon, Unicorn, Phoenix and Tortoise Islands, but we only visited the Phoenix Island which is famous for its coconut candies.
Finally we arrived at the Phoenix Island. This is the place where we got off the boat and started our exploration of the village 
Visiting one of the villages in the Mekong Delta provides you an insight into local life
We also visited the coconut candy workshop
We observed how the coconut candies were made. We were shown and explained each process of the production. 
The man was stirring the coconut dough on a hot stove. He had to keep stirring it so the dough would not stick.
After the stirring process, the coconut dough would be spread unto a flat container until it cooled down and was ready for the next cutting process. 
The local Vietnamese women were cutting the solid coconut dough into small rectangular pieces. 
At the workshop, there were also stalls selling various Vietnamese souvenirs. Most of the items here are sold with a cheaper price than in big cities like Ho Chi Minh City. 
One of the famous local specialties, rice wrapper, which is often used to make “lumpia”.
This is how they make the rice wrapper by drying it under the heat of the sun.
The view of the modest village
A tourist holding up a python. I did not dare to do that. 
Paintings of Vietnam’s beautiful sights were sold in the village too
After exploring the village, we then had our lunch in this beautiful garden. The view of the village is very different from the garden, which looks more organized, clean and modern.
A photo with a Vietnamese girl wearing Vietnamese traditional dress 
Giant coconut statues emphasize the importance of coconuts in this area 
A photo of six of us: my husband, I, Yen Linh, her husband, and her parents 
A typical house structure in the village
After the lunch, we were taken to see the honey and bee farms. However, the bees were not many. There was only one box filled with bees inside. I wonder how they could produce a large quantity of original honey with that limited number of bees. 
We were served with a glass of rice wine mixed with honey, which is a healthy drink. However, this was not given for free as we were expected to buy some of their proposed products. 
Leaving the Phoenix Island, we went to another village. To reach there, we had to board on a small canoe and travel through a small canal in that village that is shaded by big gently swaying coconut trees. I was a bit scared as the boat was rowed by two old women and it was a bit shaky. I feared of any alligator down the river. But the women told us that there was no alligator in the river, as if there is any, the Vietnamese will excitedly hunt for it and sell it. 
Once again we stepped our feet on another village. There we were served with freshly picked tropical fruits and entertained with folk music.
Souvenir shop selling various items
Finally we had to leave the village to go back to Saigon. This is the place where we boarded the boat to go back to My Tho then Saigon.
After one-day tour of the Mekong River, we were exhausted yet refreshed. Though actually there was nothing special in that area, we enjoyed our fellowship with the locals and the surrounding nature.
Sources:
Personal experience and additional information from other online articles
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