Meandering along the Mekong
As the plane to Ho Chi Minh City banked to the right in preparation for landing, I was presented with an astonishing panoramic view of the spectacular Mekong Delta, stretching hundreds of kilometres in all directions.
Through these fertile lands runs one of the world’s most incredible creations, the mighty Mekong River. This giant body is a swirling mass of brown water peppered with large clumps of hyacinth plants ripped from the banks by its powerful currents.
Known locally as the Mae Nam Khong (Khong, the mother of water), the Mekong extends more than 4300km from its source high on the Tibetan plateau to the vast delta in Southern Vietnam, where its journey ends as it empties into the South China Sea.
On its southward journey, it passes through China’s Yunnan Province, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, eventually draining into the South China Sea. To put this into perspective, if this river were in the United States, it would stretch all the way from Los Angeles to New York.
After a few days exploring the throbbing metropolis of Ho Chi Minh, I was collected from the charming colonial Majestic Hotel to take the four-hour road trip to Can-Tho. This bustling river town is one of the main ports for all of the tourist and commercial traffic travelling along this stretch of the river.
Travelling at a sedate six knots, life on the river passed gently by and I was afforded an up close and personal view of fisherman hauling in their catch or conical-hatted women tending to their crops along the fertile banks of this life-giving river.
Our journey took us on a long, looping run via towns with almost unpronounceable names, Vinh-Long, Sa-Dec, Cai-Be and Cao-Lanh before we crossed the border into Cambodia and a straight run to Phnom Penh.
Once we reached the border, we began traversing the Cambodian Mekong which is altogether different to its neighbour. Here the river widens to become a vast body of water and runs in a relatively straight line towards the capital. River traffic on this stretch is light and the hustle and bustle that we witnessed on the Vietnamese side is all but non-existent.
From here on downstream, the terrain is flat and a little featureless. After a few hours or so the skyline of the city comes into view where a swathe of high-rise apartments dominates the skyline. There are so many stretches of this majestic river still to explore and I’m already consulting maps and making plans for my next trip.
- STORY PAUL WALTERS
- PHOTOS GETTY IMAGES
Discover the heart of Vietnam and Cambodia in style and comfort aboard a boutique river ship with Travelmarvel. Experience the local way of life on shore excursions and sample culinary delights as you cruise between Ho Chi Minh and Siem Reap. Visit RACQ Travel or call 1300 188 713 for details.
Related topics
-
The information in this article has been prepared for general information purposes only and is not intended as legal advice or specific advice to any particular person. Any advice contained in the document is general advice, not intended as legal advice or professional advice and does not take into account any person’s particular circumstances. Before acting on anything based on this advice you should consider its appropriateness to you, having regard to your objectives and needs.
Insurance products (excluding Travel Insurance) are issued by RACQ Insurance Limited ABN 50 009 704 152 (RACQ). Conditions, limits and exclusions apply. This is general advice only and may not be right for you. This information does not take your personal objectives, circumstances or needs into account. Read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and any applicable Supplementary PDS before making a purchase decision on this product. You can also access our Target Market Determinations on this website.
Banking and loan products issued by Members Banking Group Limited ABN 83 087 651 054 AFSL/Australian credit licence 241195 trading as RACQ Bank. Terms, conditions, fees, charges and lending policies apply. This is general advice only and may not be right for you. This information does not take your personal objectives, circumstances or needs into account. Read the disclosure documents for your selected product or service, including the Financial Services Guide and the Terms and Conditions, and consider if appropriate for you before deciding.
Except for RACQ Bank, any RACQ entity referred to on this page is not an authorised deposit-taking institution for the purposes of the Banking Act 1959 (Cth). That entity’s obligations do not represent deposits or other liabilities of RACQ Bank. RACQ Bank does not guarantee or otherwise provide assurance in respect of the obligations of that entity, unless noted otherwise.
RACQ Operations Pty Ltd (ABN 80 009 663 414 AR 000234978) and Members Travel Group Pty Ltd (ABN 45 144 538 803 AR 000432492) are acting as an Authorised Representative of the issuer of the insurance, Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co., Ltd. (ABN 80 000 438 291 AFSL 246 548). Any advice set out above is general in nature only, and does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Before purchasing any travel products, please consider the RACQ Travel Insurance Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and the Target Market Determinations (TMDs) that apply to these products. Whilst the PDS outlines the Terms and Conditions of these products, the TMDs outline the intended class of customers that comprise the target market for these travel products. This will allow you to consider which products best suit your objectives, financial situation and needs and consider the products appropriateness to your personal circumstances. TMDs also outline matters involving the distribution and the review of these products. The PDS, Supplementary PDS and TMDs for each travel product can be found here.