Trip Through Vietnam

 by THE RICKSHAW 

Michael recently returned from his trip with Vietnam Travel Plan, where he visited the atmospheric cities of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, lounged on the untouched island of Phu Quoc and marvelled at Cai Rang’s floating market on the Mekong river. He kept a travel diary on his trip and has allowed us to share a few snippets of his adventure..

‘My interest in Vietnamese history has grown and with that interest a desire to see Vietnam has grown that should have been sated long before now. Now on my return to the UK from Indonesia via Singapore it seemed a very good time to make amends that miss.’

Hanoi: ‘To see throngs of people at exercise in the square lightened my day at 6am.’

Vietnam Trip- Hanoi 

Halong bay: ‘The pleasure of almost touching heaven came as I wined and dined on glorious seafood aboard a Vietnam junk at Halong Bay. And what a sunset that day gave me to complete the unbelievable serenity.’

Vietnam Trip- Halong Bay

Ho Chi Minh City: ‘Ho Chi Minh City came next. Perhaps more organised and western than Hanoi, it had its moments. I crawled inside the VC tunnels at Cu Chi, looked at all their bamboo traps for searching soldiers and was mighty glad I had not been a GI caught in one of those.’

 Vietnam Trip- HCMC

Mekong Delta: ‘I was treated to the strange and unexpected pleasure of the Mekong Delta and the wealth of waterways and rice fields that make up this unforgettable place. The floating market at Cai Rang was amongst the liveliest of memories. I actually think that this taste of river life was something I had never seen before.’

 Vietnam Trip- Cai Rang market

Phu Quoc: ‘My final days of rest were at the totally unspoiled island of Phu Quoc near the border with Cambodia’

 Vietnam Trip- Phu Quoc

‘Vietnam have just recently designated the Lotus as the national flower. They say it represents the open generous spirit and the beauty of the Vietnamese people. In my experience one can’t argue that. What a delightful way to end ones latest travels, to end in a place that seems happy and so much at peace with itself and wants the visiting world to see and share. Thank you Vietnam for making me see truism once again, even though I never need reminding about my good fortune.’

ACTIVETRAVEL ASIA would like to recommend Family Adventures in Vietnam tour.With its stunning natural landscapes, millennia-old history, exciting cosmopolitan cities, friendly hamlets and mélange of cultural influences, Vietnam has it all. And there’s no better way to become acquainted with this vibrant country than by exploring it under your own locomotion and at your own pace. Walk past pagodas and temples in old Hanoi, kayak amid labyrinthine limestone outcrops in Halong Bay, bike past vibrant green rice paddies, investigate magnificent historic sites in Hue and stroll through the enchanting city of Hoi An, one of Vietnam’s architectural gems. Round out your days of discovery with meals of delicious local cuisine and stays at warm welcoming hotels.

Highlights: 

• Kayaking in the amazing Halong Bay
• Biking in the majestic former capital of Hue
• Charming ancient town of Hoian
• Floating market of Cai Rang

Exploring the largest floating market in Mekong Delta, Vietnam

Apart from Cai Be and Phung Hiep, Cai Rang in Can Tho City is one of the three most popular and biggest floating markets in the Mekong River Delta. It is a great place for tourists in Vietnam  to enjoy exciting atmosphere during the early morning market hours.

Cai Rang Floating Market

The Cai Rang Floating Market, the largest wholesale floating market in the Mekong Delta, starts around 05:00 and runs until around midday, meaning that you’ll have to get an early start to the day if you want to visit. Most tour boats along the riverfront leave between 05:00 and 07:00, so if don’t make it to the water by then you’ll have a hard time finding a tour.

The market is about six kilometres from Can Tho, or about a 30-minute boat ride. While floating down the river, you will glimpse life along its shores. You’ll pass vibrantly painted boats anchored along the shore, merchant vessels carrying loads down the river and houses built on stilts over the water.

Cai Rang float market, Vietnam

Once you finally reach the market, it’s an impressive site. A stretch of boats selling all variety of goods lines the river. Not really a place for souvenirs, people come here instead to buy large quantities of goods, mostly foodstuffs, and you will get an idea of what water commerce in the Delta looks like. Your guide on the boat will usually give you tidbits of information about Cai Rang as you weave through the hordes. You’ll learn that boats identify what they are selling by hanging a sample off the top of a long pole; if you want pineapple, simply scan the horizon for a hanging pineapple. You’ll also get the opportunity to interact with some of these floating merchants; most commonly this happens when a small boat selling drinks latches onto the tour boat’s side.

Many kind fruits are sold

 During the early morning market hours, larger sized boats anchor and create lanes that smaller boats weave in and out of. The waterway becomes a maze of hundreds of boats packed with mango, bananas, papaya, pineapple, and even smuggled goods like cigarettes. 

Sellers do not have to cry out about their goods because their goods can be seen in a distance and their cries would not be heard in the vastness of the river and the noise of boat engines. Small boats that sell beer, wine and soft drinks go among the other boats to serve market-goers and visitors in Vietnam travel. Sellers tie their goods to a tall pole so that buyers can see from a distance what they are selling. 

Each boat is loaded with plenty of seasonal goods. Activities at the market are also an occasion for tourists to study the cultural aspects of southerners. You can see the market in the distance; it does not look like much, just a mass of boats. The boats all display their wares on a mast so you can see what they have available.

Exploring Mekong Delta

Coming to Cai Rang Floating Market, you can join a tour of the Mekong Delta. Several tour operations can arrange tours combine adventure activities like biking to explore Mekong Delta. I’d recommend you an adventure travel  company I knew, ACTIVETRAVEL ASIA (ATA).   In this special trip, ATA ride through beautiful areas of lush fruit orchards, endless paddy fields, lively floating market and busy canals.

You can refer Mekong Explore tour at: http://www.activetravelvietnam.com/tour.php?op=detail&tourId=19

If you are planning travel in Vietnam and to vist Can Tho City, let’s take a 30 minute boat ride to the market. You will be actually awake and enjoying it! You will find it very peaceful floating down the river in the early morning and you will feel how great the floating market is!