Day 16 - June 19 - Saigon -> Bac Lieu

Today, we visited Theresa's mother's home town of Bac Lieu. We rented a 15 passenger van for the 5 hour trek south to accomodate the members of the family who wanted to join us. After picking everyone up, we headed into the Mekong Delta. The Mekong region produces a large portion of Vietnam's (and the world's) rice so paddies are everywhere. As expected, there are many streams, rivers, and bridges.

We made several stops in neighboring towns to see sites from the past and tearfully reunite with old friends and family unseen in 35 years. It gave me goosebumps to witness the reactions and joy from these people I had never met at the sight of my mother in law.

Our main objective was to visit the tomb of Theresa's grandfather. Unbeknownst to us, the tomb is located in the middle of a swamp that requires a trek over terrain that is muddy, slippery, and filled with underbrush. I was concerned for the several older folks that were traveling with us, but they handled it better than I did.

We made it safely to the tombs and I paid my respects to the ancestors while the family prayed and performed rituals for the souls of the departed. By American standards, the tomb seems very misplaced. I have seen this several times before, with tombs appearing randomly in roadside rice paddies or in back yards. This one was surrounded by rivers and near a group of homes. It was in a bit of disrepair and the surrounding area is slowly being eroded by the waters. I believe the faimly is considering options to correct this.

We headed back toward town and had dinner at the home of some relatives. We had fresh crab and huge prawns that the family had cultivated. After another motorscooter ride (this one out in the country with much less traffic), Theresa, Thieu, and I found a hotel while the rest of the family stayed to chat, drink, and spend the night catching up with each other on the past 35 years!