After spending the afternoon taking in the bustling city, we set out to enjoy a traditional Vietnamese meal and meet some fellow Americans John ran into while touring the city prior to our arrival. Nha Hang Ngon is one of Saigon's most popular restaurants. The restaurant offers a wide variety of local Vietnamese street food set amid an open air colonial style building. The concept behind the place is to remove the hassle of walking from one street vendor to another to pick up the various dinner courses that everyone is interested in eating.
Following our authentic and delicious Vietnamese dinner, we all made our way over to the Bitexco Financial Tower. Bitexco is the 124th tallest building in the world and the 52nd floor features Alto Bar, offering breathtaking panoramic views of downtown Saigon and wonderful cocktails. Our after dinner drinks were the perfect way to cap off our first day in historic Saigon.
No trip to Saigon is complete without visiting the Mekong River or its famous floating markets.
We set out early the next morning for a tour of the Mekong. The boys and I joined a small group of fellow travelers; a group of girls from Malaysia, a couple from Australia and one from America. After a three hour drive we arrived to the first town of the Mekong Delta, My Tho. We boarded a boat and set out onto the heart and soul of mainland Southeast Asia, the Mekong River. More than 60 million people depend on the Mekong for food, water, transport and more. Seeing pictures of the river online was no preparation for experiencing its scale in person. It was impressive to say the least.
My Tho is home to one of the smaller floating markets of the Mekong where boats anchor or cruise along the river selling fruits and vegetables in bulk. The easiest way to determine what each boat has for sale is to look at its antenna. The owners of the boat will place a sample of their fruit or vegetable on the antenna so its easy for customers to see what is for sale. As we cruised along the river we spotted boats selling potatoes, pineapples, turnips and more.
Along our cruise we de boarded and visited a bee farm, rice manufacturing and coconut candy factory in My Tho. Watching the manufacturing process of these staples of everyday Vietnamese cuisine was fascinating. My favorite was the rice manufacturing factory, where every variation of a rice based product was being made. If you thought Bubba Gump had a lot of varieties for shrimp dishes, wait until you visit a rice manufacturing facility.
With our visit to the stationary and floating markets complete, we boarded a smaller boat and traveled along the lush, green canals of the Mekong. This portion of the journey was a tranquil retreat and a very special part of the day. It gave us a more personal glimpse into the lives of the local people living along the Mekong.
With the day drawing to a close, we made our way to the dock and began the journey back to Saigon. Along the ride I couldn't help but reflect on how fortunate I have been over the past few months to see the Mekong river in five (Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam) of the six countries it flows through...too bad China wasn't part of this Operation Live Life adventure.
Navigating the canals of the Mekong River.
Jon, John and me during our photo shoot on the Mekong River.
Scenes of the floating market on the Mekong River.
I captured these two young boys out for an afternoon swim, it's life as usual despite living on the Mekong.
Jon and I handled the bees while visiting the farm on My Tho. I even got to stick my finger into the hive and pull out a drop of fresh honey.
Our tour group took a break from the Mekong and enjoyed a relaxing lunch.
The American Corner at Alto Bar in Bitexco Building as we enjoyed our after dinner drinks and panoramic views of downtown Saigon.
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