That first night in Cần Thơ I went to the tenth floor of our hotel to photograph the night scene. The city had grown a lot since 1969, with many tall buildings in Ninh Kiều district, where we stayed, and in the neighboring areas. Pop music and singing could be heard from several spots. The district was popular with foreign tourists who dined, walked around, and some even danced here and there.
At 6 AM the following morning, I took a small boat to go to the famous Cái Răng floating market about half an hour away. The hotel arranged for a boat, a driver, and a guide who came along with a new guide in training. The two guides and I sat on cushioned seats, while the driver stood and drove the boat with a small outboard motor called a “shrimp tail”.
The photo below gives a general view of the floating market which only catered to wholesale customers. The larger boats were loaded with fruit or vegetables, with samples tied to long poles sticking out of each boat to advertise their goods. Smaller boats would approach the boats that had what they wanted to buy, did their haggling and then transferred what they negotiated into their boats.
We weaved our way around all the boats several times to allow me to shoot as many pictures as I wanted.
Tiny said:
The floating market is marvelous! So much fresh produce – and I like how they advertise 🙂
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bayphotosbydonna said:
A very interesting post, Hien. Your photos are wonderful, really giving a sense of the wholesaler floating market.
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Amy said:
Can’t imagine to be back there decades later. The floating market is fascinating. Beautiful photo captures!
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you Amy! Glad you like the pictures.
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Eliza Waters said:
Fascinating view into the food trade there. I love the advertising produce on the poles!
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neihtn2012 said:
There are now many daily tours to these floating markets in South Viet Nam. The only drawback is that one has to get up very early, like 5 or 6 AM. By mid morning the markets would be over.
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Indah Susanti said:
Great images! It’s amazing how they can put so many things in one boat!
My husband just returned from a business trip in Vietnam. He loved it so much that he suggested that our next holiday perhaps should be Vietnam, especially to buy our new fave coffee. He brought us Vietnamese coffee (four huge boxes) – and now we got addicted to it 🙂 We drink it almost every day, hopefully, it will last until we can visit Vietnam 🙂 Have a great travel!
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you Indah. Viet Nam is now the second exporter of coffee, after Brazil and before Colombia. You can find Vietnamese coffee in stores, especially Asian ones, in the US.
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Indah Susanti said:
Impressive but it is no wonder due to good quality of the Vietnamese coffee! We will look into it for sure. That will be our first option 🙂 Thank you! Have a lovely Thanksgiving!
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quietsolopursuits said:
First of all, great photos!
It must be quite a shock for you to see how much your homeland has changed since you’ve been gone. I like the blend of modern, as in the city, along with keeping the old, the floating market.
I couldn’t help but think that such a market couldn’t exist in the US, the government regulators would shut it down as unsanitary. 🙂
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you Jerry. The floating markets exist because there are so many rivers and canals in the Mekong Delta that it is more convenient, and efficient, to use boats rather than trucks to carry produce to markets. These floating markets are for wholesale only, and their goods are eventually sold in land-based markets in towns and cities.
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Sue Slaght said:
Would so love to experience this! Your photos make me feel as if I am with you in the boat.
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neihtn2012 said:
You would enjoy it, Sue. The views are quite different from what we are used to seeing on land.
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huan ngo said:
WELCOME HOME!
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you Anh Huan!
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katelon said:
Great photos. I had no idea Vietnam had such cities. I’ve only seen the gorgeous rural photos.
Why do they use a floating market vs. having it on land?
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you Katelon! In the Mekong delta, it is often easier to use a boat to get around since there are so many rivers and their branches. There are also many markets on land where consumers can shop for their daily needs. The floating markets are for wholesalers only.
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