The Mekong Delta is famous for its floating markets, where local specialties are sold on boats, an indispensable part of the daily lives of local people for generations.
About five kilometers from downtown Can Tho and 30 minutes by boat from Ninh Kieu Wharf, the Cai Rang floating market is gradually dwindling as demand wanes.
Nguyen Vu Thinh, a seasoned tour guide who specializes in taking tourists to the Mekong Delta, said most domestic tourists skip Cai Rang.
Thinh now mainly takes groups of foreign tourists to the floating market because they want to explore the daily lives of Mekong Delta people on small boats loaded with agricultural products and fruits.
Photo by Duy Hieu
Boat vendors at Cai Rang floating market on Sunday morning (Oct. 15).
In the past, traders always gathered to buy fresh vegetables and fruits to sell and the busiest time was from dawn to around 9 a.m., when boats clogged the waterway. But things are different now.
At 8 a.m. only a few boats line up along the floating market and vendors chase after tourists to sell their products.
Photo by Duy Hieu
A couple sell hu tieu (noodle soup) and bun rieu (tomato-based crab noodle soup) on their boat, where they have been earning their living for over two decades. They have witnessed the rise and fall of the floating market.
One of must-try experiences at the market is to eat breakfast from these floating eateries. Boat vendors dock their boat next to yours, prepare the food and wait until you finish your breakfast.
Hung pours broth into a bowl of hu tieu noodle soup that costs VND45,000 (US$1.84), similar to the price at street-side eateries in HCMC.
The couple can earn up to VND300,000-400,000 a day on weekends. Most of their customers are foreigners who want to try Vietnamese food on the river.
Hung said he doesn't know English and only can communicate with basis sentences like "Hello," "Vietnam hu tieu soup" and most of transactions or customer preferences are interpreted by tour guides.
John (L) from New Zealand and his girlfriend enjoy bowls of hu tieu on a motorboat.
Hu tieu is a popular breakfast among southern Vietnamese people.
The dish's most popular toppings are pork, pork ribs, pork innards, shrimp, squid, wonton dumplings, fried garlic, fried shallots and scallions.
John said the noodle soup was "really great" and it was the first time he had tried it.
"Vietnam is so beautiful. I love Vietnamese people for their friendliness and warmness. Such a great trip!" he said.
A foreign couple sit on a motorboat as their tour guide tells them about the history of the floating market.
According to official statistics, Can Tho welcomed 5.1 million tourists last year, and more than 70% of them visited the Cai Rang floating market.
From Ninh Kieu Wharf, it takes 30 minutes to travel by boat to Cai Rang.
Foreigners visit a boat selling pineapples.
In Vietnam, farmers cultivate pineapples throughout the country, but mostly in the Mekong Delta area.
A family runs a motorboat carrying small children to sell fruit such as durian and longan at the market.
Tran Thi Que, 42, said she can sell 20-30 kg of fruit per day on weekends for a profit of VND200,000-300,000. That's enough to take care of her family.
"The market has been decreased for many years now and my business is really gloomy. We don't know what the future holds, but we still try to maintain business at this floating market," Que said.
Foreigners watch boat vendors chase after tourists to sell their products, a common sight at Mekong Delta’s biggest floating market these days.
Jimmy from the U.K. said she was impressed by the hospitality of people in the Mekong Delta as they wave and smile to her and have even invited her to try some local specialties.
"This was the second time I have visited the floating market and the scene has become more deserted compared to 2018 when I first came here with my husband," she said.
Tourists can rent boats available at the market for a tour, or book one with their accomodations.
Several resorts near the market, like Victoria Can Tho Resort on the banks of the Hau River, as well as Con Khuong Resort and Azerai Can Tho Resort, offer boat services carrying guests to visit the market and noodle vendors on raft houses in the morning.
