The Mekong Rivers floating markets.

In Can Tho head over to Ninh Kieu Quay, the river front area, its land marked by the gigantic statue of Ho Chi Minh. As you look past Ho and down the river front you’ll see the larger tourist company boats tied up. Closer to you you’ll see a few small long tail boats pulled up to the shore and these are what you want.  Though, probably at this point even if you don’t see the boats the independent boat operators will have found you. I used a lady by the name of Huong. She was friendly, cute and gave me good couple hour tour of the Mekong and channels around Can Tho on day one. Day two was a long one, spent 7 hours on the river and visited Cai Rang and the Phong Dien floating markets. 

As far as what the cost is for hiring an independently run boat, bargaining is required but the bottom line should be around $ 7.00 an hour. However, like any transaction in Vietnam, make sure you have an agreed up on price before you set foot on the boat and pay when the trip is finished. 



A couple things about the floating markets, you need to get an early start and I'm talking 5:30 early. Vietnamese are up early and do their marketing first thing in the morning and the boat trip from Can Tho is an hour or so to the closest market and two plus hours to Phong Dien. So if you lolly gag around in Can Tho and arrive at the market late morning, you just might miss out. After all the floating markets are just that and its boats are free to come and go at will. Lastly you need an early start to get a jump on the Saigon based tour buses and the hordes of tourists disgorged into large tour boats over running the markets.

If you’re a fan of boats and enjoy time on the water like me, you'll find the Mekong, its people and boats plying its waters mesmerizing. The floating markets are interesting but being part of what's moving on the river is the real trip. Things like the floating gas dock where our boat lady bought a liter of gas in a reused plastic soda bottle. 

The soup lady at Cai Rang market ladling out hot soup when her boat leached and the hot liquid poured over her hand, only to wince and refill the bowl and pass it over to the boatman. Tough people these Vietnamese are. While visiting the markets it boats supplied us with great tasting iced coffee, had bowls of really great tasting soup, shared a fresh pinnacle prepared by a passing boatman with a very large knife and shared a lot of smiles.  

While in one of the cannels, Huong chopped a palm prong off of a water side plant, striped the outside away and fabricated an adjustable bracelet for me as she ran the boat. 

Then Can Tho comes back in view, she noses her boat up to the bank, ties a line, hops ashore and reaches her hand out to help you scramble up the bank and your land based again with uncle Ho smiling down on you.




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