When tourists visit Can Tho city, they should visit Cai Rang floating market or Phong Dien. Market is still … well like that, like a hundred years ago, like every day. Busy and crowded with a lot of boats. It is noisy with buyers and sellers, making such the wave rise up on the river. Only when stopping at My Khanh tourist village, you can see the scenery much different. Tourists come from all parts of the country; foreign visitors are all nationality and skin color. It is not coincidentally they get together here…
After a long trip on the river, when setting the foot in the entrance of My Khanh tourist village, visitor immediately feel comfortable. The air is fresh and cool, the trees are in the line, rustic houses hide under the blue canopy … We don’t know what interesting things are waiting us inside?
Ancient and modern characteristics of the South in My Khanh
Entering the tourist village, people often visit the fruit garden first and then they finish the journey in the culinary garden. The road is swept every hour which do not have a bit rubbish leading us go from this interesting thing to the other. Over 20 specialty fruits of Me Kong river area, some rare animals such as: herons, monkeys, gibbons, bear … were gathered here.
Fruits are common everywhere in the Southern. But in My Khanh tourist village, fruits are full and plump of vitality. The ripe papaya is yellow, jackfruit entwines each other, and the orange fruits are heavy bending bough and wobble on the head making everybody want to pick them. That is the original scenery of My Khanh till now. If the owner still keeps that situation, it will certainly create boredom for guests. My Khanh now added in land around of 7 hectare an old house and traditional craft village. It became a landmark for half-time on the way sightseeing in tourist village. The old house was built by a landowner in Binh Thuy (now is Binh Thuy District – Can Tho City) and gave to his mistresses. After 98 years of existence, the house severely degraded. The daughter of homeowner sold to Eco-tourism My Khanh Ltd. with the price of 850 million VND. So, the house was restored and moved to this area.
The house is hidden behind a row of silky betel leaves and bonsai pots. Square yard littered the warm sun light of the South. Step over the threshold, tourist is reached in the ancient space. These horizontal and parallel sentences have the meaning of educating descendants, the sculptures have phoenix and dragon shapes on wood are exquisitely and meticulous along swooping and house columns. The house is divided into three sections that focus is a long table. The right side is a cupboard with ceramic plates and bowls from century XIX, XX and cabinets were used as a mirror. The left side is the couch. The two sides are symmetrically by two round tables. One more tables were used for living room, and the rest side is for the family having meals. All the furniture in the house is from Nhong wooden and ironwood 100 year-old. Over time, wood color became old but it makes silver color of pearl lacquer sparkling, pieces of pearl are inlaid carefully and crisp with flowers shape.
The countryside flavor of rustic dishes in the village
Inside My Khanh tourist village also have traditional rice paper making and rice wine making. Wood stove is ablaze. Awkwardness in the role of rice paper making artisans, visitors understand the heat rising from the stove, the dexterity and professional hands of craftsman to make rice paper round and flat. People can taste the rice paper rolls washed fried meat and gouramy fish here or buy rice paper was dry as a gift for relative and friend. Men can buy sticky rice wine. “The warm spicy is heady and radiating warmth down the body. It is unable to be confused with Western liquor”. A French visitor both described his feeling and sipped a bit rice wine. And ancient Vietnamese called it: “tears of homeland” because it is clear like tears and people always want to drop their tear when somebody give them rice wine of their hometown.
From traditional craft villages, the way ahead take tourist to the culinary world characterized the South. Family and friends gather beside round table in bamboo houses with thatched roofs along small ditch which is muddy with sediment. According to many visitors commendation, processed foods are rich with affordable price as: steamed snails with pepper, steamed shrimp with coconut, fried gourami fish … Foreign visitors feel the price is very cheap. A tray of rice with a hot-pot of red tilapia, butter-fried crickets and some Saigon beer bottles cost only VND 160,000. Thus, workers can still come here to enjoy. As for the students and pupil, they can choose chilled fruit or share a hot-pot. While eating, sometimes guests suddenly stop their chopsticks: the guitar sound rang out and a singer sings. Between calm noons, the sound moves the people’s hearts! If the original plan (siesta time) evaporated.
The interesting afternoon
From midday onwards, the garden becomes extraordinarily funny. People like to sing more than the noon. Some people sing in microphone resounding to the end of the garden. Someone does not have microphone also sing following, singing out loud. A middle-aged guest after 20 years away from the land of Can Tho to settle in Australia, his heart burst out, so he sang a long song. “If I do not come here, I definitely do not have the opportunity to sing Vietnamese songs. I have to sing more to bring a little longer echo of Vietnamese soul to other country” – he said.
In the evening, guests return to the house with cement materials are painted in wooden color, visitors will hear the wave rushes into the boat, waiters in traditional uniforms seem to say goodbye and hope to see again.
