The rowing boats
Through water-palm canals.
Bùi Thụy Đào Nguyên — CC BY-SA 3.0 · inra.dist — CC BY 2.0 · inra.dist — CC BY 2.0
Thoi Son is a river island on the My Tho River, a branch of the Mekong, and the most visited stop on day trips from Ho Chi Minh City to the Mekong Delta. It is the largest of four islands in this stretch that locals call the Four Holy Beasts; Thoi Son is the qilin, hence its other name, Con Lan, and it covers about 12 square kilometres of rich silt planted with fruit orchards. It has been a tourist destination since the 1990s, and the usual programme runs like this: a boat across the river from the My Tho wharf, a walk through the orchards, honey tea from a bee farm, coconut candy and seasonal fruit, a set of đờn ca tài tử, the southern folk music UNESCO lists as intangible heritage, and then a ride in a small rowing boat paddled by islanders along narrow canals shaded by water palms. My Tho is about 70 kilometres from Ho Chi Minh City, an hour and a half to two hours by road, and most people come on an organised day tour. The programme is touristy and busy in season, but it is the easiest taste of delta life for anyone without time for a night in Can Tho.
Through water-palm canals.
Southern folk music.
Fruit and honey tea.
My Tho River, off My Tho in the Mekong Delta
A day trip to Thoi Son gives an easy taste of delta life, but the big floating markets such as Cai Rang need a night in Can Tho, because they peak at dawn.