Cai Rang float market: highlight of Can Tho unique river culture

Cai Rang floating market is located on the Cai Rang river, Cai Rang district. It is about 5 km from the centre of Can Tho city, about 15 minutes away from Ninh Kieu quay by motorbike, and 30 minutes by boat. The market is 500m away from Cai Rang Bridge, following Vo Tanh road to Ba Lang canal towards Phong Dien district. Cai Rang floating market is famous for its unique and interesting elements. Here, the simplicity and genuine beauty of the floating market remain intact from time to time, even though the trade activities are always bustling daily with customers from everywhere. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Cai Rang floating market is a top tourism destination in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho, where local and foreign tourists learn about the river's colourful life. In 2016, Cai Rang floating market was recognised as a national intangible cultural heritage. Cai Rang Floating Market is one of the most interesting tourist attractions in Can Tho city. The market is also selected as one of Asia's five most beautiful floating markets by Youramazingplaces, a tourism site. UK tourism magazine Rough Guide has ranked it among the top ten most impressive markets worldwide and the top five most interesting markets in Asia. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

The market, one of the largest floating markets in the Mekong Delta, has thrived for over a century and has been a centre for commerce in the city and its neighbouring provinces, such as An Giang, Vinh Long, Dong Thap, Tra Vinh and Soc Trang. Traders at the market traditionally sell all kinds of fruits and vegetables and recently added coffee, breakfast dishes and even lottery tickets. The main feature of the Cai Rang floating market tour is trading agricultural products: banana, orange, pineapple, coconut, watermelon, vegetables, Mekong fish and even lottery tickets. It gives a feeling of visiting a typical flea market while visitors are on a floating boat. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

The Cai Rang floating market first started over 100 years ago as a place to sell agricultural products and local cuisine. Now it is open every day from 4 am to 9 am and attracts up to 500 boats visiting the kilometre-long market during holidays and festivals. The best time to visit the floating market is from 5 am to 8 am because this is the most bustling moment of the market. Early in the morning, hundreds of boats gather to buy and sell goods in crowds. Apart from selling fruits and vegetables from the city, it also offers special farm products from neighbouring provinces. The region's foods, specialities and handicraft products are also sold at the market. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Tasting local food is an interesting part of journeys exploring local Vietnamese culture. Can Tho is a heaven of foodies. A Cai Rang float market food tour is also an exciting experience. Firstly, visitors should be ready to try a bunch of local fresh tropical fruits – green mangos, pineapples, dragon fruits, oranges, coconuts, durians, and more- at the floating market. For something different, it is recommended to have breakfast while on the sampans at the market. People can decide to treat themselves to a bowl of traditional crab noodles, BBQ pork noodles or even Banh Mi and get the exceptional taste of the Mekong river. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Each boat in the market sells various products. In the hustle and bustle of the floating market, the local sellers have unique advertisements to make visitors quickly notice their products. The most distinctive feature of the floating market is probably the bamboo pole erected on each boat called Cay Beo, a unique way to advertise goods. Cay Beo is a bamboo with a length of 3m - 5m hanging all kinds of goods to invite buyers. A forest of Cay Beo, hanging all types of agricultural products, vibrating under the undulating waves of boats, is an exciting scene, leaving an unforgettable impression on every visitor. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

The Cai Rang floating market is located on the 185-kilometre Hau River, part of the Mekong Delta river basin. Boats have always been the main means of transportation in this region. But more than that, boats are, for many, home. Waterways bustle with houseboats where multiple generations of families live and work. Toddlers learn to paddle and swim at the same time when they're learning to walk. The water is also a source of food, livelihood and waste disposal, although the government is working to curtail the latter. Visitors crowd in to see the interplay of all of these elements come together in the Cai Rang floating market. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Cai Rang float market is a trading centre of fruits and other specialities of the Mekong Delta and southwestern regions. To support traders to stabilise consumption of agricultural products, find outputs for agricultural products in floating markets and retain commercial lakes, Can Tho Department of Industry and Trade has proposed a series of solutions, including developing infrastructure such as floating market jetty, public toilets, yachts, parking lots, warehouses, cargo barns, reorganising the floating market operations, adding wholesale and retail delivery terminals, regulating traffic flow, training management personnel and trading skills for traders and coastal traders, and to applying e-commerce in the management of floating market operations. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Cai Rang floating market draws a lot of visitors. During the early morning market hours, larger-sized boats anchor and create lanes that smaller boats weave in and out of. The waterway becomes a maze of hundreds of boats packed with mango, bananas, papaya, pineapple, and even smuggled goods like cigarettes. Each boat is loaded with plenty of seasonal goods. Activities at the market are also an occasion for tourists to study the cultural aspects of southerners. People can see the market in the distance; it does not look like much, just a mass of boats. The boats display their wares on a mast so people can see what they have available. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

A petrol station is set up in the floating market to serve boats operating in the market. Floating marketplaces in the Mekong Delta continue to exist. They are playing a part in economic activity and at the same time serving as a tourist draw despite numerous changes and the diversification of methods in purchasing, selling, and exchanging commodities over time. However, many experts, management organisations, and businesses are concerned with how to sustainably protect and enhance the value of the floating markets while expanding tourist experiences. Many experts suggested that a supply chain for floating market tourism products, mainly fruit, food, and souvenirs, was also needed. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

The Mekong Delta's famed floating markets provide a unique scene that draws both local and foreign visitors. Researchers say that the floating markets were established to meet regional goods distribution and consumption needs in areas where road traffic is less developed. In addition, the markets also illustrate the southerners' custom of buying, selling and travelling on the river. Floating markets represented the cultural features, tourism specialities, and pride of the land and people of the Mekong Delta. The market is not only a reenactment or performance for visitors but also the locals' actual lives. The market demonstrates the delta inhabitants' authentic and vibrant cultural character and intriguing tourists. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Visitors enjoy To nu jackfruit, a speciality fruit of the south while floating on the river. Easily confused with durian, jackfruits are similar in size and colour on the outside but different once they're open. Jackfruits can grow to be the largest and heaviest fruits in the world. The skin is covered in ridged bumps, and the flesh has a gummy texture. Jackfruit has many fans among fruit lovers, who enjoy pulling apart the stringy meat by hand and savouring its sweet, delicate taste. Jackfruit is the most difficult fruit to open for many people, even more formidable and messy than durian. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Specialty fruits of the south are all sold at the floating market. The Mekong Delta region is a major fruit production hub of Vietnam. Vietnam is a tropical country with long latitude, sun, heavy rain, diverse ecology and clear zoning. The most prominent advantage is rich tropical fruits such as durian, rambutan, mangosteen, mango, jackfruit, guava, and dragon fruit. Not anywhere in the world can export these fruits. The region has approximately 288,000 hectares of fruit crops, which produce 3.5 million tonnes of products per year. The delta accounts for about 38 percent and 44 percent of the country’s fruit plantation and production, respectively. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Recently, Can Tho city launched a project on green tourism at the Cai Rang floating market, one of the most-visited destinations in the region. The city has asked the Cai Rang District's People's Committee to collect statistics on households living on the floating market and research their needs for clean water, power, restrooms, and other essential needs to improve their living standards. District authorities also need to develop sustainable tourism solutions, such as regularly collecting trash on the river and improving public awareness about environmental protection, food hygiene and safety, and green tourism. In addition, the city also urged the district to create jobs involved in tourist activities at the floating market. (Photo: VietnamPlus)