Mai's Happy Heart

In the beauty and nature of the Mekong River, Mai eliminates some of the ever present shyness and inhibitions of Vietnamese women. She paddled us in a sampan as she greeted her friends with laughter and sang along with our tour guide happily. Vietnam language seems more sung than being said! The words were such a delight to the heart and ears!

The tour guide told me Mai earned VND5,000 a day to paddle tourists around. When I wrote this, I thought could it be only RM1 a day or I could have listened wrongly, it was VND50,000 (RM10)? Whether it's 5K or 50K, Mai shows how happy and contended with what she is doing!

Cruising on a sampan through the narrow, tree-lined canals with water coconut palms, observing the daily activities of the local people was part of the Mekong Trip. The pleasant encounter with Mai had certainly delighted us!


The bus took us away from the bustling city to My Tho, one of the province of Mekong Delta. There, we boarded a motorized boat cruise cross Mekong river.


Cruising along Mekong brought many memories of my childhood days spent at our very own magnificent Rejang River. Yes, there is a river of life flowing out .....


We stopped at Ben Tre where we experienced some activities of Vietnamese daily life and their dependence on the river. Handicrafts, souvenirs made from coco wood, candies from coconuts, bananas and durians.

I even enjoyed some traditional music with the local people...

And I did not think I could even had a half an hour bicycle ride around village! Well, I did ride like a school girl, you will agree!

Mai's happy heart reminded me as I cycled -

The most wasted of all days is one without laughter. - E.E. Cummings