The Delta region is formed by the various tributaries of the mighty Mekong River. The Mekong is one of the world's great rivers, beginning its journey in the mountains of Tibet and winding its way for 4,500 km through China, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and southern Vietnam. The Vietnamese name for the Mekong is "Cuu Long", meaning 'Nine Dragons', symbolizing the nine major tributaries of the Mekong that flow through the Delta to the East Sea.
The Delta is an incredibly fertile region of rice paddies, fruit orchards and mangrove swamps and is known as Vietnam's "rice bowl" as it produces the majority of the country's rice supplies and exports.

Over the centuries, local residents have created an ingenious system of dykes, canals and waterways for irrigation and for transportation. Perhaps the best way to view the daily lives of the people in the Delta is to take a boat