MEKONG DELTA of VIETNAM
ABOUT MEKONG DELTA
The Mekong River is one of the world’s major rivers. It is the world's 10th longest river and the 7th longest in Asia. (discharging 475 km3/114 cu mi of water annually). Its estimated length is 4,350 km (2,703 mi), and it drains an area of 795,000 km2 (307,000 sq mi). From the Tibetan Plateau it runs through China's Yunnan province, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. All except China and Burma belong to the Mekong River Commission. A South- and Southeast Asian regional association, the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation, is named after this river and the Ganges river. The extreme seasonal variations in flow and the presence of rapids and waterfalls have made navigation extremely difficult.
The Mekong Delta (Vietnamese: đồng bằng sông Cửu Long “Nine Dragon river delta”) is the region in southwestern Vietnam where the Mekong River approaches and empties into the sea through a network of distributaries. The Mekong delta region encompasses a large portion of southeastern Vietnam of 39,000 square kilometres (15,000 sq mi). The size of the area covered by water depends on the season.
One of the world’s most fertile areas, the Mekong Delta is home to countless rice fields and tributaries across thousands of square miles of flat land. An overnight cruise in the Mekong Delta is definitely worthwhile, for the experience of awakening in the early morning to find floating markets and villages floating around you is incredible. The small sizes of the Song Xanh Sampans and Cai Be Princess are perfect for glimpses into the local ways of life while relaxing in the comfort of a floating boutique hotel. The restored colonial vessels of Pandaw and Bassac are great for Mekong Delta cruises between Saigon and Phnom Penh.
Biking Vietnam
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