24 April 2010 - Cần Thơ Bridge opening

This was unplanned and unexpected. We were going to Can Tho to continue our Mekong Delta tour when we noticed that traffic was becoming jammed. And then our guide announced: we were going to witness the opening of Can Tho bridge.
Some dry facts about the bridge: it is currently the longest main span cable-stayed bridge in Southeast Asia and the most expensive in Vietnam. It is 2.75 km long.
This is how it started:

23-26 April 2010 - Mekong delta trip. Chùa Hang Pagoda

It was day 3 of our Mekong Delta tour. I did not remember any mention of Chùa Hang Pagoda when booking the tour, so it was a pleasant surprise, especially after a few hours spent in the bus.
Chùa Hang Pagoda is located on Sam mountain, in Chau Doc, close to Cambodian border. Let me tell you, it was probably the most peaceful place I have been to...

23-26 April 2010 - Mekong delta trip, or life on the water. Rice noodles and coconut candies

During our trip along Mekong Delta, we had several stops. One of them was to demonstrate a traditional method of making rice noodles. Do you know how they are made? I had no clue. Now I do.

Once the 'dough' is prepared, it is spread in a large circular and super thin sheet:

Then it will be covered and left to be precooked for a few minutes:

23-26 April 2010 - Mekong delta trip, or life on the water. Part 2

As we were waiting for our boat, I took a picture of those boat operators enjoying their morning 'siesta'. It was already hot at 9 a.m.

Boats, scooters, and bicycles, everywhere, anywhere. Note pioneer's red scarves (hello from the Soviet Union!)

23-26 April 2010 - Mekong delta trip, or life on the water. Part 1.

Our next destination was Cambodia, and we thought that the best way to get there and explore a bit of Vietnam would be Mekong delta trip. It lasted for 3 days and two nights, and I am so grateful to Thierry for persuading me into the trip as I had some doubts due to my most-likely-seasickness. All went well! No seasickness victims onboard.
Here are some shots of what I saw. More to follow.

19-22 April 2010 - Ho Chi Minh (Saigon), Vietnam

Early in the morning we took another AirAsia flight, now to Ho Chi Minh, with a transit in … Kuala Lumpur. Third time in Malaysia! Visa and passport control was smooth and quickly (we used "visa upon arrival" with a LOI arranged in advance). Welcome to Vietnam!

I was not particularly enthusiastic about going to Vietnam, and I never thought that Vietnam would become a country I will miss, and where I want to come back to. Now that the trip is over and we have 9 countries behind us, Vietnam is my No.1 in the wishlist of future travels in that part of the world.

The most amazing thing about Vietnam for me is its people. Vietnamese start their day with sunrise (where else you can find a travel agency open at 7 a.m?) and work till late, and even though they work so hard, I can’t remember an instance of seeing someone grumpy or impolite. Vietnamese are strong in spirit. We saw many people physically handicapped: they were selling cards, books, but none of them was begging for alms. I do hope that economy in Vietnam will grow, and so will the standards of living. Vietnamese deserve it.

We arrived in the evening, and I could not help taking a picture of evening Ho Chi Minh: