12 MARCH 2006 - CAI BE, TIEN GIANG, VIETNAM: Boat traffic in a canal near Cai Be in the Mekong River delta. The Mekong is the lifeblood of southern Vietnam. It is the country's rice bowl and has enabled Vietnam to become the second leading rice exporting country in the world (after Thailand). The Mekong delta also carries commercial and passenger traffic throughout the region. Photo by Jack Kurtz