On the River

This woman was a delight.

She barely spoke and I never did get her name, but she gave me a tour of the floating market at Cai Rang, near Can Tho on my last full day in Vietnam.

She confidently ran her small boat up and down the river alternating between a gas powered engine and two long oars she used while standing up, depending on river congestion.

At one point her engine died and it took her about 15 minutes to get it re-started. I offered to help, but she said no. She just kept at it until it fired up again. We were on the water together for three hours and she was smiling that gentle smile the whole time.