Visiting the Unicorn Island with Daniel!

Early in the morning, around 6:45 AM, our group met up with a number of TDTU students for our annual Mekong River Delta tour. After a 90 minute ride in TDTU’s amazing mini-bus, we arrived at a port. We took 10 minutes to browse some shops before boarding a boat to Unicorn Island! A TDTU student explained that the island’s name does not explicitly mention a unicorn, but instead evokes a legend of a mystical tiger (in a way, a Vietnamese unicorn). 

We rode in a horse-drawn cart until we reached a beautiful path shaded by fruit-bearing trees. The path led us to a bee farm, where we sampled delicious teas and snacks like ginger candies and banana chips. Our tour guide passed around a snake for all of us to pet to end our pit stop. 

We continued until we reached a coconut-based vendor, where we saw how the famous coconut candies are made. Our guide stripped a coconut and explained the process. We sampled some coconut candies before moving on to a fruit-based cafe for a refreshing snack. Singers performed traditional Vietnamese songs while we ate.

To leave Unicorn Island, we had to ride through a narrow stream on a smaller boat to reach our main boat. After we settled back on our boat, we traveled to another nearby island. Our guide showed us ponds with native fish and alligators on our way to a historical site. Nine dragon statues lined a beautiful Buddhist temple.

Finally, we returned to our boat and traveled to a waterfront restaurant for lunch. We feasted on elephant-ear fish, shrimp, chicken, and tons of delicious vegetables. Crisp watermelon and fresh coconut milk marked the end of a sunny, fantastic excursion.