Large ship filled with passengers and four small motorboats in Mekong at Mytho

A large ship at Mytho is filling with local passengers to travel along the Mekong River. Men deliver people or things to and from the ship in four small motorboats moving in the water below the ship. The ship has two indoor upper decks seen at the back, while the front deck shelters passengers from the sun and rain with a large blue plastic tarp. Laundry can be seen hanging at the back of the upper deck, suggesting a multi-day journey. The waterways of the Mekong are the region's primary conduit for local trade and transportation.The Mekong River flows approximately 2,800 miles from the high plateaus of Tibet to the fertile delta regions now within southern Vietnam and Cambodia. The rich river delta soils allow up to three crops of rice per year and form the major food-producing regions of both countries. Almost 2/3 of Vietnam's food supply is grown in the Mekong delta area southeast of Ho Chi Minh City.