Flooded rice fields at sunrise in the Mekong Delta

by Silva Wischeropp

This analogue photographic landscape shot was taken with the Nikon FE2 and a slide-positive film during my three-month trip to Vietnam in 2000. The motif shows the flooded rice fields shortly before sunrise in the south of Vietnam in the Mekong Delta. The colour photography radiates a calm, peaceful and harmonious mood. Pure rural idyll at the river basin.

The Mekong Delta in southern Vietnam is a huge labyrinth of rivers, swamps and islands with floating markets, Khmer pagodas and villages surrounded by rice fields. Boats are by far the most important means of transport and tours in the region often start in nearby Ho Chi Minh City (the former Saigon) or in Cần Thơ, a very busy city in the heart of the Mekong Delta.

In the tropical climate, numerous canals wind through the mangrove swamps and through the rice fields - in the rice bowl of Vietnam, all life is geared towards living close to the water, as the river with its many small tributaries is the lifeline in the Mekong Delta.
The Mekong Delta is where most of Vietnam's rice is grown, but you will also discover coconuts, tropical fruits and sugar cane during a visit to the region. Experience the extraordinary way of life on and around the water in the Mekong Delta and immerse yourself in the fascinating exotic world of southern Vietnam during a visit to the Mekong Delta.

Due to its special landscape features, living conditions in the Mekong Delta are different from those in other regions. In the Mekong Delta, all inhabitants have really adapted perfectly to life on the water and quite a few inhabitants of the Mekong Delta live on charming floating houses that blend in wonderfully with the watery landscape. For example, many water buffaloes graze on the particularly lush meadows along the river banks and time and again you will see highly loaded rowing boats gliding through the water.