When I travel solo, I prefer to do-it-yourself. Take public buses and ferries, book your own hotels, map out things to do on your own. It’s a good rule of thumb if you have the time and energy.
If you don’t do some research beforehand, some guided tours just are the absolute worst. The one was advertised by my hostel, Toi’s Travel Home Central, confirmed this belief. I won’t go into it but let’s just say my tour guide lacked attention to detail and positive energy in his attitude, and there was constant pressure to buy souvenirs at pitstops during the bus ride.
However, the boat ride itself to Cai Be floating market and along the Mekong River, which begins in China and ends at the “Nine Dragons” mouth of Vietnam’s southern river delta, was interesting. According to my tour guide, in 1975, there were 10 floating markets on the river. Now, there are just four. He says they are still used by locals. But he acknowledged they will continue to disappear. “They’re still natural, not like Thailand, for tourists,” he claimed. “Now there are four. But soon it will be three, two, one, zero.” Any that survive in Vietnam, would become just for tourists too, he said.
