Manoj Saldana: Floating Market, Vietnam

Water, water…everywhere..well it’s the Mekong delta in Vietnam. Its water everywhere here. Its full of the mighty Mekong river, small rivers, their tributaries, lakes and canals.

If you want to enjoy sea food, floating markets, cruises, boats and farming then Mekong delta is the right place for you.

Mekong delta is the catchment area of River Mekong in South Vietnam. It is three and half hours by bus from Saigon city. Can Tho is the nearest city to visit Mekong delta.

From China to Vietnam, the Mekong River is the lifeblood of Southeast Asia and offers a glimpse into the long history and diverse cultures of the region. Mekong is the 12th longest river in the world and the 7th longest in Asia. Mekong river which flows down six countries from China , Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia finally winds up its journey by joining the sea in Vietnam.

The major attraction in the Mekong delta is the floating markets on the river Mekong. It is called as Cai Rang floating market.

The floating markets should be visited early morning at dawn. This is because the farmers and wholesalers bring the fresh produce from the farm at dawn. Farmers and wholesalers sell vegetables and fruits in their small boats to retailers on the river. The retailers also buy the produce and load in their boats to sell to their customers far away.

Farmers come from faraway places to Cai Rang to sell their produce. There are hundreds of boats in the river every morning waiting for customers to sell their produce. Fruits sold here include jackfruit, watermelon, dragon fruit, rambutan, mangosteen and others.

Get up early in the wee hours of the morning and walk to Ninh Kieu dock in Can Tho to board onto a motor boat and travel to Cai Rang floating market. It takes thirty minutes by boat to reach there.

A big board `Cho Noi Cai Rang’ on the bridge welcomes you to Cai Rang floating market. There are floating petrol stations on the river here to refuel the boats. You will be surprised to see vendors selling tea, cigarettes, snacks and lottery tickets here on the river.

Stop at the rice paper factory in the river side to see the demo of how rice paper is made. Rice paper is a delicacy in Vietnam. You can also make a rice paper and rice noodles here. The next stop along the river is the fruit orchard. Fruits like dragon fruit, rambutan, jackfruit, mangosteen can be seen and tasted in the orchard.