Another fascinating day on the Mekong. La Marguerite overnighted in Tan Chau, 20 kilometers from Vietnam’s border with Cambodia. The ship provided boat shuttle service into town last night, and about a third of the ship’s passengers visited the town.

The next morning, we shuttled ashore and boarded rickshaws to tour the town of Tan Chau. To Westerners, having another human pull you along on a bicycle-driven rickshaw may seem inhumane, but remember, this is how they make their living. The rickshaw is a common method to public transport.

The rickshaw took us to a temple, a traditional silk-weaving factory, a mat-making factory, followed by a walk through the back alleys back to the boat shuttle.

Afterward, we traveled by boat along the narrow canals to Evergreen Island (the rough translation). Our guide says the only tourists he has ever encountered here are passengers from La Marguerite.