Where to from HCMC

We have 19 days in Vietnam.  I reckon the trip to the north will take longer than I think.  I hear that travel is very slow and it can sometimes take hours to cover 100km by bus because the roads are bad.  That should be extra fun with the 5 children.  Add to that the 50% chance of contracting vomiting and diarrhoea bugs, and it's starting to turn into a real adventure!  The beauty of a blog is that I can capture all of this on film.

Anyway.  Despite the fact that this may put me back a bit time wise,  I've half decided to go backwards from Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC- I can't be fagged writing that name anymore) and travel down to the Mekong Delta on day 3 in Vietnam.

For anyone as dumb as me:  The region is famous for growing rice - half of the total output of rice from Vietnam in fact.  It is the region where the Mekong River approaches and empties into the South China Sea through smaller distributaries.  We have a choice of stopping at My Tho which is a 1.5 hour journey by bus from HCMC and is apparently the "gateway to the Mekong Delta" sitting on the northern side of the closest of these distributaries to the city of HCM.  Lonely Planet Vietnam recommend this town for whirlwind visitors on day trips to the Mekong Delta.  It's a market town with a population listed anywhere from 120 - 220 000 people, depending on what website you look on.  We can apparently get a boat tour to a floating market from My Tho.  We can also hire bikes to ride around the town.  I am planning on taking a bike helmet along for each of us.

My other option is to continue on a further 3.5 hours to the heart of the Mekong Delta to a town called Can Tho.  Population about 330 000.  It is described in my readings as a lively town - the epicentre of the Mekong Delta with a nice mix of narrow back streets and wide boulevards.  The major drawcard that Can Tho has over My Tho for me though, is the there is a place in Can Tho called Van Tho 2 - an employment agency for the blind which employs professional (blind) massage therapists.  It's like a dream come true!  These massages are listed in Lonely Planet as being an absolute bargain and "a good way to put some money into a worthy project".  Yes yes yes, I get all that.  What I can't get over, is that I can finally get a massage from someone I DON'T have to show my body to.  Finally, I won't have to worry about my dimply, hairy, veiny legs.  When he/she says roll over, I don't have to worry about my hairy bikini line.  So based on this wonderful bit of information, I think we are heading to Can Tho on Day 3.  I wonder if there is any chance of something like this catching on in Australia.

Apparently there is a low risk of Malaria in the Mekong Delta, but the occasional risk of Bird Flu if I choose to visit one of the many bird sanctuaries.  I choose not to visit the bird sanctuaries.  

Actually a good point to think about is how the hell will the 6 of us fit into one of those boats to get into the thick of the floating markets?  What is the chance of drowning should we capsize?  I'm guessing life jackets aren't an option.  How likely is it that we get eaten by one of those huge catfish things that they pull out these waters occasionally?  And finally, how the hell do we meet up again if we get separated on the river from each other if we are in 2 boats?  And finally finally... can I just look and not buy?  I'd rather save my $ for prepared food such as this (not me in the photo).