Five Floating Markets of the Mekong Delta, From Cai Rang to Long Xuyen
Cai Rang is the famous one, but the delta has several river markets, each with its own character: wholesale boats, a market at a canal crossing and a quiet one known for its hospitality.
Floating markets are one of the sights of the Mekong Delta, where goods have long travelled by water. A Vietnamese regional newspaper lists five that give a picture of the range, and the national tourism site adds practical detail on the best known.
Cai Rang, near Can Tho, is described as the most famous and largest floating market in the delta, about 6 kilometres from the city. It starts around 5 a.m. and runs until midday. Hundreds of boats crowd the waterway, and sellers hang samples of their goods on long poles so that buyers can see them from a distance. The produce is mainly farm products and specialities of Cai Rang town and the surrounding district. The national tourism site adds that large wooden boats carry fruit and vegetables while smaller ones sell noodle breakfasts and coffee between them, and that many tours continue along the small tributaries.
Cai Be, in Tien Giang Province, stands on the Tien River where it borders Vinh Long and Ben Tre. It is said to have formed under the Nguyen dynasty in the nineteenth century and is described as the biggest wholesale market in the region. Fruit, vegetables and other goods all arrive by boat, and some 400 to 500 boats are anchored along the banks, a few of which work as taxis for visitors. A Can Tho television report adds that boat and raft traffic is busy from about 3 a.m. and that vendors from the Plain of Reeds bring produce along the canals.
Phung Hiep, also called Nga Bay, in Hau Giang Province, is described as the most unusual market of its kind in the delta. It sells seafood, farm products and household goods as well as live animals such as snakes, turtles and lizards, with buyers and sellers bargaining loudly from their boats.
Miet Thu, in Kien Giang Province, sits within a network of rivers and canals. Locals travel by canoe and wooden boat, which also serve as their homes. The market forms at river intersections, where large boats act as shops for produce and food and smaller ones supply distant households along the canals.
Long Xuyen, in An Giang Province, is less famous than the others but known for the hospitality of its people. Houses line one bank and paddy fields and stilt houses the other, and activity is busiest at the river mouth, where boats selling the same produce are tied together in groups, some selling fuel and offering repairs.
Markets change with the seasons, the harvest and the tides, so check current conditions with a local operator before planning a visit.
Sources
Binh Duong Newspaper, Top 5 attractive floating markets in Vietnam; Vietnam Tourism; Can Tho Radio and Television, Cai Be floating market.
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