Come glide down the muddy Mekong river in Vietnam with staff writer Chin Liang, and discover the scents, scenes and sweetness of coconut candy and a river boat ride. Visit a bee farm for a honey treat and feel what it's like to have royal jelly massaged on your hands.

Join us as we venture into the serene beauty of the Mekong Delta in Vietnam, leaving behind the hustle of Ho Chi Minh City for a day filled with exploration and indulgence. In this episode, we accompany senior writer Chin Liang on a captivating trip that highlights the region's lush landscapes, vibrant culture, and delightful flavors.

From the sun-dappled orchards bursting with tropical fruits to the tranquil boat rides across the chocolate-hued river, every moment is a sensory experience. We visit a bee farm to enjoy honey tea and learn about the benefits of royal jelly, and witness the process of making coconut candy at a local factory. As we navigate through narrow canals and vibrant celebrations at the Grand Vinh Trang Pagoda, we are reminded of the importance of slowing down and savoring the simple joys that the Mekong has to offer.

Chin Liang Teh

Teh Chin Liang is a long-time travel journal contributor to Dave’s Travel Corner and Global Travel Insider. Besides travel journals, he loves writing prose and poetry. When he is not writing, he enjoys reading and traveling to get inspiration for his writing. He lives in Penang, Malaysia, a scenic island city that is also a UNESCO heritage site.

Today on Go Nomad, we leave behind the neon pulse of Ho Chi Minh City for something slower, sweeter and sunnier.

Join senior writer Qin Liang on a day trip through the Mekong Delta, a world of swaying palms, earthy temples and brackish canals that wind like veins through the countryside.

We begin in a sun dappled orchard where waxy leaves shimmer in the heat and the air smells faintly of ripe mango.

Unwoven rattan trays, tropical fruits, some spiked, some smooth, some glowing like jewels, await.

You'll bite into a jackfruit with its gummy texture and candy like sweetness, mango with a citrus tang and sapodilla, a creamy caramel like treat with rough brown skin and custard inside.

Cicadas trill overhead like tiny electric violins, their hum constant and hypnotic.

Then it's a short boat ride over to Unicorn Island.

As we glide across the silky, chocolate hued river, the dragonflies skim the surface and wooden houses peek through the jungle green.

At the island, a bamboo pavilion shaded by banana trees welcomes us with plates of fruit and cups of chilled tea.

Local musicians dressed in flowing tunics gather and play ancient tunes on the Don Kim, a delicate, round bodied instrument that emits plucked notes like falling raindrops.

At one point, the goop breaks into the song.

If you're happy and you know it, their voices twinkling with mischief as the tip box dances between hands.

We pass under archways of leaves toward a bee farm where the air smells thick with nectar and the buzz feels alive.

You'll sip honey tea that tastes sun warmed and slightly floral, served in tiny porcelain cups that feel cool to the touch.

Want a photo op?

Hold up a golden slab of honeycomb, glistening like amber in the light.

Interested in bee alchemy?

Locals offer royal jelly, a pale, creamy substance fed to only the queen bees.

It's rumored to smooth skin and soothe blood pressure.

Now on to Ben Tray Village, famed for its coconut candy.

Inside a small factory, the scent of toasted sugar and coconut milk swirls around as workers stir bubbling pots with long wooden paddles.

Malt syrup gives the candy its signature stretch.

You watch as the warm mixture is poured into trays and sliced into chewy squares.

Samples are abundant.

Sticky fingers are guaranteed.

We pause briefly at Phoenix island, once home to the curious coconut religion, where a local mystic lived on coconut meat and milk alone.

His teachings centered on moderation, and his followers donned robes and worshiped beneath palm thatched sanctuaries.

Though the movement dissolved in the 70s, whispers of its philosophy still float through these palm fronds Next, a sampan ride through the canals so narrow the nipa palm brushes your shoulders.

These low wooden boats, each holding no more than five people, gently drift over brackish water.

Look up dragonflies falling leaves and curious birds overhead.

Look down reflections of sky rippling in muddy currents.

Don your nan la, that iconic Vietnamese conical hat, and snap your river photo.

It's a tradition.

Then lunch.

The elephant ear fish arrives, crisp, upright and statuesque on its wooden stand.

Its golden skin crackles with practiced precision.

A server debones the fish.

The flaky meat collapses onto a plate.

Roll it with herbs and rice paper and dip it into fish sauce and taste the river's bounty.

The final stop is the Grand Vinh Trang Pagoda.

Today is Weesak Day, Buddha's birthday, and the temple grounds pulse with celebration.

You walk past paper lanterns swinging in the breeze, volunteers serving sweet drinks and vegan dishes, children laughing under the strings of flags.

A float glides past, petals cascading around a porcelain baby Buddha whose smile seems to bless the air itself.

If you choose to stay longer, you can board a boat at dusk and watch the fireflies blink like stars in the mangrove shadows.

But even a single day in the Mekong gives you enough to carry home the scent of coconut candy, the shimmer of river light, the sounds of monks chanting beneath gilded spires.

It's not just a trip.

It's a reminder to slow down, sip deep, and let the Mekong's current carry you.