Mekong Delta, Vietnam's seminal rice basket, offers sustenance for both body and soul, captured during a recent trip by photographers Huy Le, Le Tuan Anh and Tran Minh Luong. 

Nga Nam floating market opens at around 4 a.m. and closes by 8 a.m.

Located about 60 kilometers from Soc Trang Town's downtown in Soc Trang Province, the market acquired its name from the convergence of Ca Mau, Vinh Quoi, Long My, Thanh Tri and Phung Hiep canals in Nga Nam Commune.

The markets of Cai Rang (Can Tho City), Nga Bay (Hau Giang Province) or Cai Be (Tien Giang Province) are similarly gemlike and draw many visitors to the Mekong Delta.

Nga Nam is a transit point for locals from different provinces through which the canals cut.

A wide variety of goods are traded along the waterways, including vegetables, meat, salt and clothes. Fruit is one of the best-sellers at the market with watermelon, coconut, banana, pineapple and many others produced across the delta.

This Sakyamuni Buddha, under construction at Som Rong Pagoda in Ton Duc Thang Street, Soc Trang Town, is 63 m long and 22.5 m high, weighing 490 tons. On completion, is will be the largest reclining Buddha in Vietnam.

The pagoda, named after local Som Rong trees, was built 600 years ago from bamboo and wood, covered by simple leaves.

The pagoda is redolent of ancient Khmer temple architecture, featuring sophisticated craftmanship.

Vendors at the "country market" in Vi Thanh Town of Hau Giang Province set up shop at fixed intervals of 2 - 4 square meters.

This market is busiest at 2-3 a.m, with fish like basa, snakehead, perch and vegetables trading fast.

Phong Dien floating market in Can Tho City is at its most bustling at 4-5 a.m. before closing at 7-8 a.m. The market is a traditional trading spot of local people where mostly ordinary daily products are sold right on the boat.

Sa Dec flower village in Dong Thap Province is considered the floral capital of Mekong Delta with around 2,500 varieties grown on a total area of 600 hectares.

Just a few weeks before Tet, or Lunar New Year holiday, local farmers work from dawn to dusk to prepare flowers and bonsai plants for sale.

Vietnamese hold a long tradition of offering fresh flowers to deities and ancestors in prayer for luck, using some as home decorations during the country's biggest festival.

 Photos by Huy Le, Le Tuan Anh, Tran Minh Luong