Tet in the Mekong Delta

The day after I arrived in Ho Chi Minh City, my friend/guide invited me to join him on his trip into the Mekong Delta to visit his work friend at his wife's family's rice farm. Wow! We rode on his motorbike 3+ hours to the village (yes, me! and a sore butt to prove it!). It was fantastic. Elderly (80's?) grandparents, half a dozen children, and one grandchild. A bamboo house full of happiness! They served a wonderful holiday meal and root beer - on ice! The beef and marinated eggs were just like Lieu's (our sponsored VN family in Spokane), and was really nostalgic. Later, they took me to the son's rice paddy, where the family earns its yearly income of a few hundred dollars. After a delightful time, especially with the 5 yr old grandson, we left for Ho Chi Minh City. We were too tired to make it, and it was dark, so we stopped at another friend half way there. This couple fed us dinner! We headed back the next day (my sore butt thanking my guide!) What a wonderful experience of hospitality and friendship typical of the VIetnamese people. Here photos of the trip.