11 MARCH 2006 - MY THO, VIETNAM: Boat traffic on the Mekong River near My Tho, the capitol of Tien Giang province, on the Mekong River delta in Vietnam. 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