A shocking start this morning at 7am with coffee from our newly bought Viet filter – pretty nice, actually – and quick showers

We scoot out to meet two guys and literally get scooted individually to meet a tour bus – Dave beats Daisy as his driver was more fast and loose with weaving and going through red lights ????

The bus is already mostly full and we wait a little longer for a couple more before setting off

Our guide, Tam, runs us through a bit of history about Vietnam:

• There are four counties that have contributed to Vietnam’s suffering over many years: the US, because of the war; China; France, because of their colonisation for over 100 years – Saigon was the capital of Indochina, called a “little Paris”; and Japan, who were the invaders of Asian countries during WWII
  
• Japan changed the rice fields into rubber trees plantations and only caused problems for a year but made people starve to death
• After the war, Japan were re-replaced by France – they defeated them in 1954 – they were loosing in Europe so generals were brought back to base and then lost their strength
  
• Upon loosing Vietnam, the French signed Geneva Agreement which split Vietnam and the South remained a French colony
  
• The North worked with Russia and China who introduced communism
  
• The US supplied all equipment for South Vietnam but no army; in 1965, the US army came to Danang – the Vietnamese people thought it was the same scenario they suffered with Japan (an invasion) so they lent even further into communism
  
• About 58,000 US soldiers died in the conflict and in 1973, the Paris Agreement was signed by Nixon; in 1975 the North took over the South
  
• Previously, Vietnam had free education and free hospitals but stopped…
• Today, North Vietnam is more communist-style whereas the South is more international
  
• Dengue Fever is very common from mosquitos – malaria is less of a issue with having a vaccine
  
• Snakes are common too – the Viper is very venomous and you have an hour to get some anti-venom
  
• The Dragon, Phoenix, Tortoise and Unicorn are holy animals in Vietnam – they’ve named islands in the Mekong River after them that we’ll be seeing today
  
• The Mekong River passes through six countries and originates from Tibet, China: it’s the 12th longest river in the world and the 3rd in Asia, at 4,800km
  
• China has a dam upstream where they hold water for drinking and power
• From the Delta, it’s only 50km to the sea so when they close the dam, sea water flows back up; the salt water is used for irrigation and it floods during wet season

We arrive into the port terminal, at Mỹ Tho, where we get a visual of what to expect from the next several hours

Onto a motorboat, we go, that takes us on the Mekong River – we’re popping to Unicorn Island

Here, we get straight to tasting their products they get from bees – we’re able to taste the honey that they make a tea of including pollen seeds too

We learn that you can take 5 products from bees and there’re three types of bee

The queen bee lives for an average of 7 years, compared to the worker bees 29 days

Laying around 2k eggs a day, she doesn’t leave the hive and eats the royal jelly

We’re then taken to see the pets they have here: we get to hold the 8kg year old Python – they have a large 20kg one but he’s just been fed so is having a nap

After, we’re sat with some live folk music, tea and some fruit – this includes watermelon, pink jackfruit, lychee, mango and grapefruit

The latter is paired with a chilli salt to reduce the bitterness and turn up the heat

We are then taken to another boat – this is a very low, canal-like boat that takes us through a palm forest where we get to see lots of Mudskippers on the banks as well as the other variation of coconut that exists here, the water coconut

The ride takes us back to where we pick up our original boat and we head for Coconut Island

This is where Vietnam sources 60% of all their coconuts – Tam shows us the process of getting into the coconut and then how they make coconut candy

We have the option to buy some as well as being shown their other products here: snake wine or snake bite

Davesy brave it with a shot each and then we’re walked round to another boat that takes us to a place for lunch

It’s a feast consisting of Elephant Fish, chicken, veggies, rice and chicken soup; we enjoy and then have some free time to wonder this restaurant that is also a farm of sorts

They have big ponds of crazy Catfish as well as a pit of snakes, and even Crocodiles – Crocodiles we’re native here but we’re killed off for fun as the French liked to hunt them, while they were in charge

Next, we’re walked to our next mode of transport: Tam jokes that they’re sports cars but one of the tuk tuk trucks is actually an Italian Lambro model

We get back to our boat on the Mekong and get back to the Northern side where we’re driven a little way to Vinh Trang Pagoda

This is a Vietnamese Buddhist temple – Tam goes into great detail in helping us all understand the basics of Buddhism here:

• Vietnam is split about 80% Buddhist and 15% Christian Catholic
  
• It’s believed that Buddha came to Earth to show people the way; you decide your destination but he’s a guide so you don’t get lost; he has no laws and is a student himself
• Karma isn’t made by Buddha: he wants to tell the truth but won’t tell you, just a guide however crazy it might seem – the law of Karma is a balance of cause and effect: a divine motor
• This temple was built in 1849 and has a combination of multinational architecture
  
• New Buddhism is observed here and originally came from North India – they worship three Buddhas: past, present, future
• The older, traditional Buddhism doesn’t allow females to follow it, but this one does
• The temple consists of these large three Buddhas: standing Buddha is at the front of Pagoda is Past Buddha, with his back is to the temple; lying down Buddha is Buddha of the present, showing that he’s died and is returning home to heaven; with the final, happy Buddha being future Buddha
• The multicoloured flag represents the many elements that are the core belief: 5 elements are Earth, Wind, Fire, Water and Electric Magnetic energy
  
• These are all “real”; other things, like us humans, are “not real” as we are made up of all of the elements and will reincarnate again

We get to stroll around admiring the grounds for a little bit – even spot some Terrapins in their ponds

After, we get in our van and make the journey back to HCMC

A shower and chill is needed briefly before we make it back out in hunt of dinner; we give Baba’s Kitchen Indian Restaurant
Baba’s Kitchen Restaurant a go

Our typical order of CTM, chicken jalfrazi, garlic naan and onion pakora but we get a poppadom each first as well as a tapioca dessert and watermelon is thrown in for free – very nice touch

One of the best and most familiar CTMs we’ve had in several months is a treat ????

Stuffed, we walk home and have Greenland on the telly before having an early night