Day Four - 24/11/25
Goodbye Ho Chi Minh City
We started with one last breakfast on the rooftop, sharing the space with a big group and navigating the organised chaos of the buffet. After packing up and heading downstairs, we learned our driver had been sent to the wrong address. By the time they finally reached us we were already an hour behind schedule, and heavy traffic turned the three-hour journey to the Mekong Delta into four.
When we finally arrived, we met our guide, dropped our bags, and went straight onto a ferry bound for San Jun Island. Lunch was served at a floating pontoon restaurant, followed by a hammock break — a surprisingly welcome pause before the next wave of activities.
From there, the day became a blur of incredible experiences:
• Picking fresh coconuts and drinking them straight from the tree
• Watching a local cat chase off a snake
• Learning to roll traditional coconut-wafer biscuits
• Blasting a canister of puffed rice so loud my ears rang for five minutes
• Sampling local cakes and desserts while learning how villagers are breeding and re-releasing native frogs
• Feeding buffalo and watching the kids sit proudly on their backs
At a floating fish farm, we discovered archerfish — clever little creatures that spit water to knock insects into the river. The kids thought it was the best thing ever, especially when the fish splashed us. There was also a “fish spa” where tiny koi swarmed our feet, nibbling away while the kids laughed uncontrollably.
By the time we returned to the mainland it was already dark. We hopped into a taxi thinking our hotel was nearby… only to end up 30 minutes away, dropped in what looked like the middle of nowhere. A man emerged from an alley, grabbed our bags, and motioned for us to follow. The path ended at the water’s edge just as a small ferry appeared. With translation apps doing the heavy lifting, we crossed the river, loaded our bags into a golf buggy, and took a final ten-minute ride through the darkness to our hotel.
We checked in, ate a late dinner, and crashed hard.
A massive day — exhausting, confusing at times, but absolutely unforgettable.