Story by Leah Olson
Photos by Emily Hutto
Small Bikes, Big Rush
Pint-sized motorbikes flow through the streets of Vietnam’s cities amidst a non-stop urban pulse. The gush of traffic crashes and writhes through Vietnamese streets like a turbulent river after the winter snow melt.
Riding motorbikes in Vietnam, which involves dodging rickshaws, cars, pedestrians, and dogs, is a rush even for the most seasoned adrenaline junky.
The motorbike, known locally as the “moto,” is the vehicle of choice for Vietnamese. A compact, sleek design allows for stealthy maneuvering in overflowing cities.
At first sight, the thousands of motorbike riders seem reckless, but Vietnamese moto drivers are seasoned pros who rarely crash.
In big cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, motos prove to be more economical and quicker than bulky cars. Some novice entrepreneurs use their vehicles as taxis, zipping customers to their destinations.
Some families pack their motorbikes like 16-year-olds pack their first cars.
It’s not uncommon to see a sizable family stacked on the moto’s seat. The father drives, the mother sits behind him, and two children clutch one another behind her, while a baby naps placidly in the moto’s front basket.
Mekong Delta
As a thick fog rises over the brown, meandering web of waterways, locals crouch on the back of their boats, faces shrouded in the shadow of their conical rice hats.
In the Mekong Delta, it is as if highways materialized into a network of muddy canals, streetlights changed into billowy palm fronds, and the urban ruckus morphed into warbling birds.
The lush Delta spans through 13 provinces at the southern tip of Vietnam. It is home to about 16 million people, roughly 20 percent of Vietnam’s population.
The Mekong River begins on the Tibetan Plateau and flows through Southeast Asia, splitting in Vietnam before spilling into the South China Sea.
The Mekong Delta lies only a short distance south of Ho Chi Minh City, which contains a 24/7 cacophony of urban bustle, while the Delta lulls visitors with an infinitely slower pace of life.
Rice cultivation thrives on the Delta’s moist land; almost half of the country’s rice grows here. Because of the tropical environment’s ideal growing conditions, the fruit farming business on the Delta yields coconuts, mangos, longan, and dragonfruit.
Fishing the vast waterways is also lucrative. According to the Mekong River Commission, up to 1,700 species of fish live in the Mekong River, around 120 of which are commercially traded.
The people of the Delta have adapted their lives to the water. Everything floats—houses, markets, even gas stations. The Delta is famous for its floating markets, especially those in the Cai Be and Can Tho provinces;
Atop the murky Mekong waters, hundreds of local merchants meet every morning to sell brilliantly-colored fruits, vegetables, and fish from their boats—a unique spectacle that draws foreign tourists and photographers daily.
Delectably Digested Coffee
Only a handful of cafés around the world dare sell a cup of this special brew, which many say has a full-bodied, rich flavor. Others say it tastes like old dishwater.
The process begins with a breed of Vietnamese palm civet, commonly called a weasel, that lives on coffee plantations and feeds on berries. Digestive enzymes strip each berry of its flesh, leaving the hard bean. Many swear this leads to the coffee’s unique flavor.
The weasel then throws the beans up.
Some local vendors sell beans that instead have passed through squirrels or bats.

Gallery • 3 Photos

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA