We were taken to Ben Tre district in The Mekong on a privately tour with Thang as our guide. He was excellent in explaining about everywhere we went. About 1.5 hour drive from HCMC with a stop at a beautiful 'eye' temple then boarded the motorised Sampan at Ben Tre down a main tributary of the Mekong. First stop was a brick factory - actually very interesting- then off down a smaller tributary to a village making coconut candy. We were serenaded by some musicians (they seemed a little disinterested ) but an insight into their culture nonetheless. Next we walked about a kilometre to visit villagers weaving mats etc. Be prepared to buy something small at least as they make so little money from their craft and allowed us to photograph them. We then ride bicycles through more villages and down quiet lanes to our lunch stop in the middle of a coconut farming area and had the most delicious meal of fresh scampi, fish, prawns and Vietnamese dishes- so much beautiful food! A short walk through back lanes of farms brought us back to the Mekong and we boarded small sampans paddle driven by local ladies - a real highlight!!! Back to the main sampan and escorted to our car for the drive back to HCMC. Can highly recommend this tour to an area with very few other tourists and the local villages (although welcoming the tourist trade) seems very unspoilt. Thank you Thang for an enlightening day at the Mekong!