A Glimpse of the Countryside

A scenic drive takes you through the Vietnamese countryside past small villages and some rice fields. Vietnam is still very much an agricultural country and is the 2nd rice exporter in the world. Your guide will tell you how farmers plant the rice, and if it has not been harvested, you might have a chance to stop along the road to photograph the rice fields. Along the way, you’ll make a brief stop at a rubber plantation and have a chance for more photos. Rubber industry contributes much to the national economy and brings jobs to locals. If you’re lucky, you may even catch a glimpse of the workers collecting latex from the rubber trees. Stop at a Buddhist meditation center built in the forest with two large temples, one for monks and one for nuns. Here, you’ll visit the largest pagoda of Zen Buddhism and you may even have the opportunity to chat with the nuns and monks when they are not taking lunch or naps and cannon-chanting . Another stop of your countryside exploration is a farmer’s home where you’ll be able to walk around the garden and see the different kinds of fruit trees grown here; many which you might have never seen before. Locals also cultivate lots of cashew nuts for export. You will stop at a local coffee shop to enjoy some drinks like coffee or coconuts. Vietnam is the 2nd country in the world to export coffee. On the way back to ship, you have chance to explore a local market.