Cai Rang Floating Market is the only Southeast Asian representative to break into the list of the world’s 19 must-visit food hubs, as rated by British travel publication Rough Guides. The market is the biggest of its kind in the Mekong Delta, where trading on waterways has been a way of life for generations.
About Cai Rang Floating Market
Location: Downstream of Can Tho River, 46 Hai Ba Trung Street, Ninh Kieu District, Can Tho City
Cai Rang Floating Market has been around for almost a century, making it one of the Mekong Delta's oldest cultural spots. The Mekong Delta Floating Market was initially created to meet the locals’ demand for trading and exchanging goods, when streets and vehicles were not yet developed. At present, the road traffic networks have been extensively advanced, but the floating market still remains and develops.
Cai Rang is becoming more and more alluring to travelers thanks to its huge spread of produce on sale from a fleet of brightly colored boats. From early morning, traders gather to buy fresh vegetables and fruits, handicrafts, and daily essential household goods to resell elsewhere, creating a bustling and joyful atmosphere. The most crowded time is from 5:30 to 6:30 a.m. when a great number of boats clog the waterway.
Highlights of Cai Rang Floating Market
Once visiting the Cai Rang Floating Market located in Can Tho province, you will be amazed by how crowded and lively this market is. 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 mangoes, bananas, papaya, pineapple, and even smuggled goods like cigarettes.
Sellers do not have to cry out about their goods because their goods can be seen in a distance and their cries would not be heard in the vastness of the river and the noise of boat engines. Small boats that sell beer, wine and soft drinks go among the other boats to serve market-goers and visitors. Sellers tie their goods to a tall pole so that buyers can see from a distance what they are selling.
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. You can see the market in the distance, it does not look like much, just a mass of boats. The boats all display their wares on a mast so you can see what they have available.
Best things to do at Cai Rang Floating Market
Discovering the intriguing trading method
At this bustling floating market, the cries of the sellers seem to be swallowed up by the river's immensity and lost in the noise of the boat engines. The disadvantageous situation appears to favor the emergence of a unique advertising method: the sellers advertise their wares from the top of a long pole attached to their boats.
Every boat has a tall upright pole with samples of the goods for sale hung on it, so the sellers don't have to cry out what they are selling and buyers can easily see the goods sold on that boat from a far distance. Just look up and one will know exactly which boat is providing the products they are looking for.
While shopping on a boat, travelers can also explore life along the waterways, as it passes houses built on stilts over the water and boats of all sizes, shapes, and colors docked along the shore.
Trying local food and drinks
Besides seeing how people sell and buy products at Cai Rang Floating Market, you will also have a chance to taste the freshest fruits harvested from nearby farms: durian, milk fruit, rambutan, mangosteen, grapefruit, etc., or even other processed specialties like fish sauce, coconut candy, or dried fish. Many local delicacies are also available, such as “com tam” (broken rice with grilled pork and egg), “pho”, “hu tieu”, and “bun rieu” - some kinds of noodles that are served with beef, pork, and crab… With only 25,000 VND (around 1 USD), you may easily fill up your stomach with a hearty meal.
Enjoying Southern Vietnamese folk music (Đờn ca tài tử)
One of the most expected events at Cai Rang Floating Market in Can Tho is that very weekend (Saturday, Sunday), a boat of artists will go along the river performing "đờn ca tài tử" - the Southern Vietnamese folk music. Đờn ca tài tử is said to reflect the lifestyle of Southern people who live and work in the Mekong Delta region. Its melody aids the locals in expressing all sentiments and emotions, as well as their diligence, kindness, and courage, and has grown popular among both domestic and foreign tourists.
Cai Rang Floating Market is a must-visit place in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. You will have a unique experience seeing how the locals grew up and made a living along this river. The rustic scene of buying and selling goods on the boats, as well as the locals' kindness and warmth, will undoubtedly make you fall in love with this land.
