イラワジ・サルビン・メナム・メコン・ソンコイ・・高校の地理で習ったインドシナ半島の５大河川。なぜかしら熱帯の風に呼ばれている気がして、現地情報を得るために定番の”地球の歩き方・ベトナム編”を購入するも、この年になると文字を辿るのがしんどい。ならばネットで・・と、探し始めたのが2024年の夏の終わり。LUCというツアーガイドに辿り着き、いろいろ情報を提供いただいたにもかかわらず、I couldn't make it at that time.
これではいかんと奮起したのが去年の9月。途中で心折れないように、先に航空券を手配。再度ネットでLUCを見つけて連絡すると、快くガイドを引き受けてくれた。
最低気温が氷点下、最高気温も一桁の日本を発ち、ついたホーチミンは最高気温が32℃。空港で出迎えてくれたLUCのガイドで5日間の旅が始まった。
ホーチミンの市街、メコンデルタの島めぐり、カットティエン国立公園での鳥探索、クチトンネルでのベトナム戦争の跡、旧市街の雑踏・・文字にしてしまえばこんなもの。でも文字にできない思い出は無限。帰国して落ち着いた今でも、思い出すたびに目頭が熱くなるシーンが山ほど。必要な時に、ふさわしい場所で、逢うべき人と逢った。本当にメコン川に呼ばれたんだなと、感傷にふけっています。
早速次のベトナム行を計画している私がいます（笑）。
あなたも如何ですか？メコンに呼ばれていますよ。
**“Irrawaddy, Salween, Chao Phraya, Mekong, Red River…
The five great rivers of the Indochina Peninsula that I learned about in high school geography.
For some reason, it felt as if the tropical winds were calling me. So I bought the classic guidebook ‘Globe-Trotter Vietnam’ to learn more about the country—but at my age, following tiny printed letters has become a challenge.
‘Then I’ll search online,’ I thought, and that’s how, in the late summer of 2024, I came across a tour guide named LUC.
He kindly provided me with so much helpful information, yet at that time… I couldn’t make it.
Determined not to let that happen again, I made up my mind last September and booked my flight first—before I had any chance to lose heart.
Once again, I found LUC online and reached out to him.
He warmly agreed to guide me.
Leaving Japan’s sub-zero mornings and single-digit afternoons, I landed in Ho Chi Minh City where the temperature was a balmy 32°C.
That’s where my five-day journey began, with LUC welcoming me at the airport.
The streets of Saigon, the island-hopping in the Mekong Delta, birdwatching in Cat Tien National Park, the remnants of the Vietnam War at the Cu Chi tunnels, the bustle of the old quarter…
Written out like this, it all seems simple.
But the memories that cannot be put into words are infinite.
Even now, back home and settled into my daily life, there are countless moments that still bring tears to my eyes whenever I recall them.
At the right time, in the right place, I met the person I was meant to meet.
I truly feel I was called by the Mekong River, and that thought fills me with gentle nostalgia.
And now, here I am—already planning my next trip to Vietnam. (laughs)
How about you?
The Mekong is calling you too.”**