Two Perspectives
Wherever I travel in Southeast Asia, the Mekong is never very far. China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam - all are part of the river's large watershed and, with the exeption of Myanmar, also on my itinerary. Entering Vietnam, I have already visited Cambodia's Tonle Sap lake, whose water level changes dramatically from season to season, breathing in the rhythm of Mighty Mekong[1]. Later, my route is going to lead me towards the North, crossing the Mekong then and again, before I finally lose its sight somewhere in the Himalaya.
For the time being, however, I'm starting at the end. The last bumpy Cambodian road, a lonely border crossing on the riverbank, and I find myself in Chau Doc, Vietnam, the entrance gate to the Mekong Delta. This vast plain, one of Vietnam's rice baskets whose extensive paddies provide food for half of the country's population, is going to be the only part of Vietnam I am going to explore on two wheels while on the way to HCMC/Saigon and the biosphere reserve Can Gio. The Mekong fans out, forming long channels and fertile islands, before it finally meets the sea and dissolves in the Big Blue.
Red flags with yellow stars adorn the roadside in preparation for the country's National Day and the famous conical hats don't leave any doubt that crossing the border even in this out-of-the-way location meant a change in ethnicity - and politics, of course. The Vietnamese on this side of the border, I read, have a reason for proudly displaying their nation's colors. The Khmer Rouge reclaimed delta territory taken over by the Vietnamese centuries ago and their border raids in 1978 hit the villages hard, providing a justification for Vietnam's invasion of Cambodia a year later.
During the three days on my way to Ho Chi Minh City I pass innumerable rice freighters, brick workshops, 125cc motorcycles, noodle stalls, school girls wearing the traditional aodai, drying incense sticks, temples and churches. The reactions of the local population to the foreign cyclists range from disbelieving gazes to roaring laughters. At least a dozen locals offer me their time to make conversation - but the language barriere keeps any exchange to a minimum: Only a few Vietnamese words find their way to my memory. At least they help to irritate food sellers that are so surprised by my appearance that they tend to give me the Vietnamese price. 0.12$ for a sandwich with meat? Great.
After reaching Saigon and visiting Can Gio's mangroves [2], the Biosphere Tour makes another three-weeks-break, during which me and Celine follow the classical backpacker trail down the Vietnamese coast from Hanoi. Halong, Ninh Binh, Hue, Hoi An, Nha Trang have seen an influx of foreign visitors during the last decade and the local population has developed a distinctive enterprising attitude. Prices increase and fluctuate according to estimated income - and we do our best of remaining in that role by not learning the language and thus staying separated from most of the population. Our journey ends - again - in the Mekong Delta and as I leave the country on a 52h train-and-bus ride to Vientiane in Laos, I know: Before I come back, I will learn Vietnamese.
[1] Read more about the unique natural phenomenon of Tonle Sap in the article"The Fishermen of Boeng Chmaar".
[2] Can Gio's history - its complete destruction and rebirth - can be read about in the article"A New Lung and Kidney".
18.06.2006 14:15h
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