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Traveling downstream to Can Tho, you certainly can't miss Cai Rang floating market, considered a unique feature of the Mekong Delta that almost every tourist doesn't want to miss.
Cai Rang Floating Market in Can Tho is located on a branch of the Hau River flowing through Cai Rang District, about 6 km from the center of Can Tho city. It takes about 15 minutes by road and 30 minutes by boat from Ninh Kieu Wharf.
Cai Rang floating market is a unique and distinctive type of market in the Mekong Delta region.
Foreign tourists are excited to come and explore the unique features of Cai Rang floating market.
With its intricate network of rivers and canals, waterways are the main mode of transportation in this area. Nowadays, with the development and dominance of road transport, Cai Rang floating market has transformed from a wholesale market to a retail market to serve a wider range of customers, especially tourists.
At a press conference held at the Victoria Hotel in Can Tho in mid-October, Mr. Nguyen Minh Tuan, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Can Tho City, stated: "Currently, there are not many floating markets left in the Mekong Delta. Cai Rang floating market has its own unique characteristics and has been recognized by many major magazines around the world. Almost 60% of tourists visiting Can Tho stop by Cai Rang floating market, which is a positive sign. We have also attracted investors to develop and build a plan to preserve Cai Rang floating market in the future. Accordingly, there will be additional shopping areas next to the floating market for locals and tourists to enjoy shopping."
The market begins with the lively sounds of vendors and buyers greeting each other and exchanging pleasantries.
Unlike many markets on land, Cai Rang floating market starts gathering very early, around 4 am. At this time, the lights of large and small boats and canoes carrying goods shimmer along the canals surrounding the floating market. For tourists, the ideal time to visit Cai Rang floating market is around 6 am, allowing you to have breakfast right on the boat. Arriving at this time, you not only get to immerse yourself in the lively and bustling atmosphere of buyers and sellers but also admire the impressive scene of the floating market as the sun rises.
To reach Cai Rang floating market, tourists must gather at Ninh Kieu wharf to depart. After a 30-minute boat ride, they will arrive at the floating market. From there, they can rent a boat for 200,000 - 350,000 VND to explore, stop at a few food stalls, and take photos.
Cai Rang Floating Market in Can Tho is located on a branch of the Hau River flowing through Cai Rang district, about 6 km from the center of Can Tho city.
Tourists visiting the floating market often wake up very early, drifting on boats to watch the sunrise, slowly admiring the market as it awakens and begins a new day.
Cai Rang Floating Market has long been known as a place where people in the Mekong Delta buy and sell goods daily, primarily in large quantities of fruits and vegetables. In addition, numerous boats and canoes selling breakfast food, drinks, everyday items, and souvenirs appear on the river to meet the needs of locals and tourists. Visitors can also sit on boats and enjoy fresh fruit as locals directly approach the passenger boats in motorboats to offer their wares.
Enjoying a steaming bowl of noodle soup with a cup of coffee while floating on a boat and admiring the bustling scenery of Cai Rang floating market will surely be a memorable experience for any visitor to this place.
To serve both locals and tourists, many small boats weave through the river selling breakfast items such as porridge, pork ribs with rice, noodle soup, vermicelli soup with crab, stir-fried noodles, and various drinks like tea, coffee, coconut water, coconut milk, soy milk, etc. The photo shows a boat belonging to Ms. Pham Thi Ngoc.
A steaming bowl of banh canh (Vietnamese noodle soup) is served on the spot to tourists.
Ms. Pham Thi Ngoc, who has been making a living on the floating market for 25 years selling noodle soup, vermicelli soup with crab, vermicelli soup with fermented fish sauce, and rice noodle soup, said that while in the past, customers were mainly traders, nowadays the majority are tourists. A full breakfast usually costs 40,000 - 50,000 VND.
The best time to visit a floating market varies depending on the season. If you enjoy fresh fruit, the best time is from June to August. During this period, boats are laden with fruits like rambutan, durian, mangosteen, longan, and green pomelo. The flood season, from July to October (lunar calendar), is ideal for enjoying local specialties made from snakehead fish, freshwater crabs, water lilies, and Sesbania flowers.
You can buy fruit, ask the seller to peel it for you, and enjoy it right on the river.
The bustling atmosphere, the lively shopping scene, and the daily life of people in the Mekong Delta on Cai Rang floating market in Can Tho create curiosity and attraction for tourists from all over.
Compared to the past, the number of boats and barges trading in typical goods of the Mekong Delta region is now significantly reduced. The market mainly consists of boats and barges carrying passengers and selling small quantities of fruit and food to tourists. There are many reasons for the absence of merchant boats at Cai Rang floating market.
Locals say that nowadays, with the development of road transport, fruit and agricultural produce vendors have traders bringing their goods directly to their farms, eliminating the need for boats on the river. Along with the development of modern and convenient supermarkets, people have gradually changed their shopping habits compared to the past. Tourists are a key factor in increasing revenue for street vendors and retailers, and provide a decent income for some locals who work as boat carriers.
Buying and selling goods from large boats to small barges.
The appeal of Cai Rang floating market to tourists from all over lies in its preservation and promotion of the unique characteristics of the riverine region. In addition, the sincerity, simplicity, and rare hospitality of the people of the Mekong Delta are also a plus, making many tourists want to return.
Besides showcasing the cultural beauty of the riverine region, floating markets today are an attractive tourist destination that visitors, especially foreign tourists, love to explore and experience.
Thanks to its unique cultural and economic values, Cai Rang Floating Market was voted one of the 10 most impressive markets in the world by Rough Guide (UK), describing it as a strikingly unique spot with its boats selling goods in "vibrant tropical colors." The website youramazingplaces also listed the 6 most beautiful floating markets in Asia, mentioning the floating markets of the Mekong Delta region, of which Cai Rang Floating Market is a prime example.
Cai Rang Floating Market in Can Tho was selected by Rough Guide magazine (UK) as one of the 10 most impressive markets in the world, with its unique feature being the boats selling goods in "vibrant tropical colors".
