Looking down on a map of the Mekong Delta, one of the most notable features is the extensive network of waterways, fanning out like so many long fingers. Not only does it add to the natural beauty of the region, these waterways are also its lifeline, irrigating countless fruit orchards and rice fields that make the Delta “The Rice Bowl of Vietnam”, providing a watery highway for transport and commerce, and feeding the people with an abundant variety of fish, crab and shrimp.