From the lush Mekong Delta to beautiful beaches and high-energy Ho Chi Minh City, the south of the country is a feast for all the senses, says Genevieve Roberts
Travel
The Mekong Delta
‘This is Vietnam’s equivalent of Starbucks,’ laughed Linh, our tour guide. It was 6.30am on the brown soupy waters of the Hau River in the Mekong Delta, and we were sailing past a tiny wooden boat from which a woman was selling warm cups of coffee.
Her boat is part of the bustle of Cai Rang floating market. Instead of shop signs, each boat has samples of the goods on sale strung up on a flagpole – watermelons, pineapples and the occasional potato. Some sellers sail their produce many miles to the market, living on board until they have sold out. One boat, decked in purple, was selling noodles. ‘You can even buy lottery tickets,’ Linh explained.
We picked up coconuts, with straws for drinking their sweet water, and sailed past makeshift homes in the city of Can Tho to our hotel. We were staying at Azerai Can Tho, which is nestled on a small islet surrounded by the rivers and canals. The rooms are set in gardens with banyan trees, and are simply designed from rattan and wood, with remote controlled blinds. The attention to detail made us feel we were being enveloped in a hug, from the jars of candied coconut shavings in our bedroom to the gifts left on our pillows each night.
The food is French and Vietnamese. Chef Nguyen Xuan Nhut, who learned his craft in Saigon, Australia, the Philippines and Singapore, sources many organic ingredients locally. Breakfasts are a mixture of Vietnamese food including pho – rice noodle soup served in beef broth – and French-influenced Western delights, from croissants to smoked salmon and eggs.
Dinners include fresh summer rolls filled with mint leaves, basil and pickled vegetables; sweet sea bass cooked in a pot, and banana blossom salad with crunchy peanuts. My favourite French dishes on the menu included beef pastrami with parmesan crisps, and salmon carpaccio with seaweed salad on avocado. A salty-sweet sesame mousse served with red dragon fruit was one of the most delicious desserts I have ever eaten.
It almost felt like we were on safari. At night, as I floated off to sleep, I could hear frogs croaking, geckos squeaking and crickets chirping. In the distance there were occasional sounds of river traffic: the Mekong never completely sleeps.
On a trip to the Vinh Trang Buddhist
