From Lena in Ho Chi Min City

After Thailand we all knew that Viet Nam would be hard in comparison because we didn't have as many connections or any set itinerary. Even though we didn't meet as many good people to interview and film, it was still worthwhile to come here.

The last couple of days we spent further south of Ho Chi Min City, formerly Saigon, in the Mekong Delta area. I liked it heaps cos it wasn't as hot and humid and even if it was, we usually had a breeze to cool down. We had a guide and driver and it was basically like in Hue, just taking our chances when meeting farmers.

Dad especially had to work real hard to get the right sort of information out of people. We noticed that although a lot of farmers were noticing changes in terms of hotter weather, we didn't meet anyone who was doing anything about it. Yesterday, our last day there, we talked with a guy who grew fruit trees along with his mother.

His mother said it was hard for farmers to find solutions to their problems because whenever they went to the government with their problems, the government people wouldn't listen to them. So the farmers don't go to the government anymore and nothing is really done about the problems they are experiencing.