Easter Mekong Tour, Vietnam

So I couldn't find the bird sanctuary, but at least I did find one of the places in the Lonely Planet so I was doing OK.

I drove past a primary school which had a load of colourful red tents erected in the school yard. I pulled over to take a look. Within seconds, the schoolkids started to pose:

I was still outside the school gate at this stage, but you don't really get a lot of foreigners in that part of Ben Tre, so they came up to take a look:

And pretty soon they were all over the bike:

Take some pictures in the West around a school and you would probably be arrested for being a pedophile, but VN is still a bit more innocent, so instead when the school principal and the teachers noticed there was a foreigner on a bike with 30 school kids all around (I guess I stood out a bit), they invited me in for lunch and to watch the school games. The games were the reason the tents were up.

Sack race:

I'm liking this thread! Keep the pics coming!

Ball race:

Thanks Josh, keep it coming.

Class photo. There was only one teacher there who spoke English. However I've always found even if nobody speaks English, if you are patient, smile a lot, use a dictionary and/or make hand signals.... everything normally works out.

The tents in the school yard were organised by classes. This is one class.

Note the framed picture of Ho Chi Minh in the background of the previous class photo.

Here are some future bikers:

It was getting to mid afternoon by this stage. It's a bad idea to ride at night in the countryside in Vietnam, so it was time to go so I'd make it to Tra Vinh in daylight.

So it was bye-bye to the school. As I was about to motor off, one of the teachers came out with 3 x watermelons to give me. Hmmm, almost full tank-bag and full tail box and 3 newly arrived watermelons to transport....

But I managed to get two of them in! Quite tasty too, I ate one later that same afternoon and I've just eaten the last one tonght about 2 weeks later. So thanks for the watermelons.



I took another ferry still within Ben Tre province but over another branch of the Mekong. Coming out of the ferry terminal I drove for a kilometre or two, when there was a sign pointing to "Tra Vinh", which was my destination and also a the biggest city for miles around. I wondered at the time why nobody else seemed to be going that way and instead were going in the opposite direction.....

My question was soon answered: that road was being sealed or something was being done to it and it was covered with half-fist sized rocks similar to the ballast you get on train tracks. It was quite tricky, esp considering I've only been riding a bike for 7 months.

Here's my bike on one of the few bits which were regular dirt, rather than that railway ballast. The thing on the right is a small brick works. I think this may have been a newish road, it wasn't on the map and I got a GPS track through the middle of nowhere.

Some local housing:

I arrived in Tra Vinh with a splitting headache - I think I didn't drink enough water and I was riding all day and it was hot, maybe 35 Celsius.

Does anyone else get headaches when riding when it is hot?

Anyway I passed out on the bed and woke up at about 9pm then went out for dinner.... pho again.

Next morning I checked out the temple in the middle of town:

And the inside:

Kitch:

Yup and a little nausea to go with it. Sounds like you had a touch of heat stroke. I don't go anywhere with out my Camel Back anymore.


I like Pho

Great pictures btw.

I'm definitely enjoying your report.

I've got a suggestion though. Instead of just attaching one picture to each post, you could sign up for www.smugmug.com and hot link multiple images in each post. BTW, smugmug is owned by the same guys that run this site. See my sig for a $5 coupon code off if you want to sign up for an account.

There is always photobucket too, but I like supporting this site.

Either way, keep up the great ride report.

This thread will tell you how to link your images in your posts.

Wow, great write up. I spent about 3 weeks in thailand about 5 years ago, but not by bike. These photos remind me to revisit my pics. Keep it coming.
Yeah I had a touch of heat-stroke a few weeks ago in Guatemala. Water intake is very important and like a sun-burn it will sneak up on you. Be careful and drink a lot of water.