First-time visitors to Can Tho Province always want to experience the floating market, and those who have been there before are often eager to return to enjoy the charming moments on the waterways of Southern Vietnam.
With its mild climate and convenient transportation, Can Tho is a year-round travel destination. Summer is the peak season for ripe tropical fruits, the flood season brings an abundance of fish and shrimp, and in the few weeks before the Lunar New Year, the city bursts with the vibrant colours of spring flowers. To rent a boat for a trip to Cai Rang Floating Market, many visitors ask their hotel’s staff to book a tour, while others head directly to Ninh Kieu Wharf, where boats are readily available. The ideal time to depart is around 5:00 am, just before sunrise. Despite the lingering darkness and morning chill, the river is already bustling with the lively hum of boat engines as dozens of vessels make their way to the market. The boats come in all shapes and sizes. Large boats carry rice and wholesale agricultural products, while smaller boats selling fresh fruits and groceries, and even houseboats that serve as floating homes for entire families.
For many visitors to the floating market, even without buying or selling anything, the feeling of drifting on the shimmering pink-hued river is already an unforgettable experience. As the sun rises, the rural floating market fills with lively sounds — bustling yet surprisingly peaceful and serene.
One of the most unique aspects of this experience is enjoying breakfast on the boat, an essential part of the floating market culture that captivates both domestic and international tourists. Bowls of steaming hot hu tieu (a kind of rice noodle in the south), bun rieu (crab noodle), chao long (intestine porridge), banh canh (thick noodle soup), and bun thit nuong (rice vermicelli noodles with grilled pork) are handed to customers with warm smiles from local vendors, who invite them to savour these delicacies while floating on the water. Since both the cooks and diners sit on rocking boats that sway with the current, people humorously call it "shaking noodles" or "shaking hu tieu". After exploring and taking photos, if you are still hungry, you should not miss out on traditional Vietnamese sweet cakes such as banh mi cho noi (Vietnamese baguettes on floating market), and banh bo (steamed rice cake), adding a delightful touch to your floating market adventure. Exploring Cai Rang, despite the noisy boat engines, you can always hear songs and melodies echoing somewhere on the river if you listen closely. It might be local artists performing vong co (southern folk songs) to entertain visitors or simply the voices of Mekong Delta residents joyfully greeting the new day.
