The Floating Markets of Vietnam

I love the atmosphere of the floating markets of Asia, although I recognise that they’re not everyone’s cup of tea. A boat ride along the Mekong River is one of the highlights of a trip to Vietnam and can be combined with a visit to the floating markets. Cai Rang is the largest floating market in the Mekong Delta and is located about six kilometres from the town of Can Tho.

Setting out from Can Tho.

You can reach it by boat from Ninh Kieu Wharf in Can Tho and it takes about half an hour to get there. Can Tho itself can be reached relatively easily by bus from Ho Chi Minh City, although it has to be said the ride is quite uncomfortable.

The Mekong Delta is one of the largest and most fertile deltas in Asia, covering an area of approximately four million hectares. It supports a population of about 18 million people, estimated to grow to 22 million by 2050. It contains almost 500 species of fish and is classified as ‘vulnerable’.

The tangled network of the Mekong River and its tributaries developed a waterway transport system that, over time, has shaped the habits of the local people here. Trading a vast range of goods from boats is what created these huge floating markets.

While motoring down the river to the market, visitors should take the opportunity to observe the local way of life along the delta.

Cai Rang, like many other floating markets in the Mekong Delta, began as an important trading hub. Rice farmers and owners of fruit orchards and local factories could load their goods directly from their properties onto boats which would take them to the markets. Buyers would then transfer goods directly onto their boats and take them to their shops or in some cases overland to Ho Chi Minh City, or Saigon as it was then.

Now 150 years later, these floating markets still exist. However, the infrastructure has of course improved exponentially, resulting in more and more products now being transported by road. Fortunately, the Cai Rang floating market remains an impressive sight to see where hundreds of boats gather every day to trade locally picked fruits and vegetables and other local produce.

The products traded on the Cai Rang floating market all come from local factories, plantations, farms and orchards. Most of all fruit in Vietnam comes from the Mekong Delta, so you can see boats filled to the roof with fruit including the exotic durian, jackfruit, rambutan, mangosteen and dragon fruit. In addition to fruit there are also abundant vegetables, processed foods such as coconut sweets, dried fish and fish sauce, as well as clothing and more.

Many boats have a high pole on which they hang some of their produce. This gives them a competitive edge as it means buyers can see from some distance away what each boat is selling.

The Cai Rang floating market starts very early in the morning – about 5am – and some enterprising owners of traditional sampan boats sail between the larger market boats offering a local breakfast, bringing new meaning to the term ‘floating restaurant’.

From Ho Chi Minh City there are plenty of bus services to Can Tho, but from other parts of the country you can fly if you want to bypass Ho Chi Minh City. Can Tho has its own airport and there are domestic flights from most major cities.

Unlike most of the other floating markets in the area, Cai Rang stays open till at least noon. It is advisable to go in the early morning though, before it gets too hot and while other facilities are still open.

You can make the early start more worthwhile by combining a visit to the Cai Rang floating market with a boat trip through the Delta around Can Tho. For example, before going to Cai Rang you could visit the Phong Dien floating market – a smaller and less touristy market – which is only open between 5.00 and 6.30am. You can then explore the narrow channels between the floating markets of Cai Rang and Phong Dien.

Along the way you can stop at fruit orchards, local villages and small factories where they make rice paper and other local products in traditional ways. It gives visitors a unique insight into the local culture.

Above and below: the Dragon Eyes.

We recommend a longer boat trip of the broader delta beyond the floating markets, which is what we did. We cruised for three days on the Dragon Eyes, a very comfortable boat that served delicious meals and afforded us some interesting sights. You can travel all the way to Cambodia if the mood takes you.