The Mekong Delta, what images does that name congur up for you? For me it says American movies, drugged up and mad service men. My favourite was The Deer Hunter. Dirty little bars in the harbors of Sigion, Russian roulette, willing to blow thier brains out for the next fix!!! Well the Mekong is huuuuuuuge so the only place I can imagine the troups wadding waist high in brown water, is through the coconut groves. As we went through on the little rowing boats, you are ALMOST waiting for Al Pachino or Jon Hurt to jump out at you, but that is the end of the similaritys. Really there is no evidence of any war in "recent" years, except every now and again an old face, way older than thier years, has a look of a hard life and you Think and wounder, what did they go through and WHY!!!! The Mekong is big, green and fertile. Everywhere you look there is crops growing or little industries thriving. The people are so friendly, waving as we go by and happy to show us how they make a living. The cynic in me says of course they do, they want you to buy, and yes we do, but not until they have worked for it, and I have knocked the price in half!! The sad thing is they openly beg, our boat "rower" asked for a tip as we were about to land, and yes we would have tipped if he hadn't asked, but it puts my hackles up so I firmly said NO and stuck to it. Tips are given as an acknowledgment of good work or service and not to be asked or begged for. But the Mekong for me was everything I expected. Ho Chi Minh is still being called Sigion by the locals, it's almost like they want every one to know that a name won't change the people that they are, mostly happy and mostly proud. It is only the few that hold thier hands out! The streets are busy and chaotic, colourful and load. It's the type of place that never sleeps. (and keeps us up all night) tomorrow we visit the tunnels, but I won't be crawling through any!!!!