Enroute south to Vinh Long, we stopped to take pictures of rice planting. Notice the tomb in the rice paddy. Like many other people in Asia, Vietnamese want to be buried where their families are so they will be remembered and cared for. This was a major reason why the "strategic village" program, seeking to move villagers to more "secure" areas, was deeply unpopular among the Vietnamese - it required them to abandon their loved ones.
The bus dropped us off at a restaurant by one of the branches of the Mekong and there we boarded our launch. The restaurant is built on a platform that was a landing zone for helicopters during the war.
We saw no traces of the previous war time use of the area -- until we looked down while boarding the launch. Beneath our feet was a piece of the metal on which helicopters once landed.
From the river we could see how people lived and moved about. Here we're looking at a "monkey bridge" -- a bridge made of one pole to walk on and one pole to hold.
We travelled up a narrow channel. Such channels could be deadly during the war. and we would clear the foliage as far back as possible on each bank.
Our first stop was the farm of a former Viet Cong political officer for the area, who calls himself Mr. Tiger. In his 80's, he now entertains tourists, especially Vietnam war veterans, with rice wine and tales of wartime adventures.
Here Mr. Tiger posed with me. He gave me his business card for "Green Island Tour". He now has an email address.
We also met Mr. & Mrs. Tam, two other former Viet Cong. He was a unit commander and she, like many of the women, served as a courier, carrying messages from one unit to another. Both roles were very dangerous. Now they enjoy telling American tourists, especially those who are veterans, tales of how they won various encounters by trickery.
Our resting place for the night was called "the house on stilts." These are our dormitory style accomodations.
After dropping us off, our launch left for the night. It was still hot, and several of us went swimming in the same water.
In the morning a grocery boat arrived, and the lady of the house negotiated purchases. This woman and her husband are Protestant Christians and the church they attend has an attendance of around 400 on Sunday mornings.
Leaving the "house on stilts", the boat took us to a village where Sanctuary, Dr. Ed Tick's organization, has paid for a kindergarten to be built. The village is reached by a narrow path.
Today is the dedication of the kindergarten. A wall plaque has been installed. Dr. Tick stands beside it, holding one of the children.
During the ceremony, Ed Tick gives a speech.
Speeches over, a formal ribbon cutting took place. Four young women with the "ao dai" traditional Vietnamese dress have arranged this. Also pictured above are the head of the district "Peoples' Committee" (second from left), Ed Tick (center), and the Director of Educational Programs for this district (second from right.
The children go inside and take their places, entertaining us with recitations and songs. The Americans respond, to everyone's delight, with a surprisingly complete rendition of "I've Been Working on the Railroad"
We return to the river. We pass a number of work boats with power designed for these shallow waters--at one end the traditional propeller, connected to a long drive shaft connected to a truck engine. As the truck engine is raised or lowered, the propeller is lowered or raised to the desired depth.
We come to a floating market. Each boat sells something different and has a sample of what it sells on a pole.
This boat sells watermelon.
We stop at an area where candies are made of popped rice. Like many Vietnamese homes, this one has a family altar.
