Rent a Boat, Bike & Local Guide at Can Tho Floating Market by Yourself

Rent a Boat, Bike & Local Guide at Can Tho Floating Market by Yourself

Today, a lot of tourists travel to Can Tho by themselves. It's easy to take a boat, a bike, and a local guide to get around and see the Can Tho Floating Market, small canals, orchards, animals, forests and other best things you must do in Can Tho.

1. When should I go, and which floating markets should I visit?

In Can Tho, you can find both the Cai Rang floating market and the Phong Dien floating market.

The Cai Rang floating market is a lively and bright place where many wholesalers come together. The largest floating market in Can Tho is one of the most well-known in the world. It's noisy and loud because there are so many tourist boats, but it's still interesting. The market is about 6 kilometers (3.75 miles) away from Ninh Kieu Wharf, or 30 minutes by boat.

It opens at 4 a.m. and usually closes at 10 a.m. If you want to see the sun rise over the market between 5 and 6 a.m., you should get up extra early. It's a place where farmers sell their goods, mostly veggies. There are hundreds of different kinds of tropical fruits, such as mangoes, mangosteens, rambutans, dragon fruits, longans, and more.

The Phong Dien retail floating market is about 20 kilometers (12 miles) away from Ninh Kieu Wharf, or two hours by boat. It is also less crowded with tourists who usually go to the Cai Rang floating market, which is closer to Can Tho. This market is a must-see for many tourists and reporters who want to see how people really live on the Can Tho River. The best time to see it is before 8 a.m., preferably before sunrise. Every day, about 30 cute little sampans go by. Sampans are traditional farmer's boats that are used in small towns and canals.

2. How do you get to the Can Tho floating market by yourself?

From Ho Chi Minh City. It's the best way to keep track of time, save money, and push yourself. Take a sleeping Futa bus to Can Tho for 120,000 VND each way. The trip will take about 5 hours total, including 3-1/2 hours on the bus plus time spent waiting for it to leave, rest, pick up, and drop off.

From the bus stop in Can Tho, it takes a taxi about 15 minutes, or 6 kilometers, to get to Ninh Kieu Wharf. The fare is about 80,000 VND. Call taxi Mai Linh at +842923656565. Call Khanh Cuong taxi (+842923868686) if you have time. You can wait and then start your trip by taking the free Futa ride to Ninh Kieu Wharf.

>>Read more: Top 5 Best Taxi Brands in Vietnam

You can rent a sampan for about 300,000 vnd ($13) for two or three people or a boat with a roof and life jackets for about 500.000 vnd ($22) for seven people. Groups of four or five people will need to pay an extra $5. One more choice is to book a deal. There is a four-day tour from Ho Chi Minh to Can Tho that Vietnam Car Rental provides you.

From the town of Can Tho. We think you will either take the Futa bus or a flight to Can Tho and then spend the night there. There are many floating market tours that leave from Can Tho city center at 4:30 AM, 5:00 AM, 6:00 AM, and 7:00 AM. The next early morning tour will be great for seeing the beautiful views of the markets from 5 AM to 9 AM, when you can see how the locals live their busy lives.

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You can see a lot in one day if you can rent a car, have a boat, a bike, or a motorbike. But Can Tho isn't just a place for tourists to visit. Make sure you have enough time to experience and Learn about the culture, food, music, animals, and forest. Helpful hint: Stay in a hostel close by so you can see more of the area around it.

3. Which activities should I add to the floating market tour?

There are both set and custom trips to the floating markets. 

For example, you can take a sampan with a guide to the Cai Rang floating market and tiny canal from 5 a.m. to 8 a.m.

You can take a sampan with a guide from 5 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. to see the floating markets, fruit garden, local noodle plant, and little long canal in Can Tho.

Animals and forests at Cai Rang (sampan, boat for jungle trip, guide, 5 a.m.–12 p.m.)

You're able to take a sampan with a guide from 4 a.m. to 12 p.m. to see two floating markets, a fruit garden, a local noodle plant, and a short canal.

Take a sampan ride in Can Tho to see the sunset and see how people live there (3 p.m.–6 p.m.).

A trip on a sampan with a guide and a bike to the Cai Rang floating market (7 a.m. to 11 a.m.).

There is a floating market in Cai Rang, rice fields, and a motorcycle trip from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m.

In Can Tho, there are many things for you to find out on your own. From Son Islet to Binh Thuy's old home, the Can Tho museum, the Tarrot museum, the Can Tho Giant Ficus heritage tree (a secret VC base), and so many other places, Can Tho has a lot of real street food.

4. What to eat and see at Can Tho floating market?

At the floating market, you can get special dishes only in Mekong Delta like rice noodles, soup, pho, or rice for breakfast for about 20,000 to 500,000 VND ($1 to 2.5 USD). You can buy pineapple, mango, or mangosteen for about 20.000 vnd to 50.000 vnd [1$ to 2,5$ per kilo] and drink Vietnamese coffee or fresh coconut for about 10.000 vnd to 25.000 vnd [0.5$ to 1,10$].

There are two boat markets on the Can Tho River, so we call this tour the Can Tho River Tour. A part of the Mekong River is followed on this one-of-a-kind trip. There are also many interesting things in these places that will surprise you, like why every boat has a bamboo stick, why boats have eyes, and how people in the area spend their whole day in a boat.

5. Useful tips you may want to know

If you want to stay at the Can Tho homestay, you should bring cream that keeps bugs away.

Choose well-known companies that offer boat trips with lifebuoys and jackets, as well as motorbike and riding tours with helmets, if you go to Can Tho or have a custom tour made just for you. Safety is the most important thing! Pick sensible trips in Can Tho that let you give back while you're away. It's an overused phrase, but it's true.

>>Read more: Transfers From Ho Chi Minh To Can Tho By Car, Van, Taxi, Bus

The food and drink guide for Can Tho covers all kinds of food, from Vietnamese street food to high-end, traditional, and fusion food. Can Tho is in a tropical area with lots of fresh vegetables and fields. There are Can Tho foods & restaurants you cannot ignore as they are always fresh, close to nature, and very traditional. Don't be afraid to put Cong cake in Can Tho and Ut Dzach Fine Rice Vermicelli on your list if you like food.

You should bring a hat, sunglasses, sunblock, and a scarf with you when you visit temples, pagodas, and the church.

If you're going to Can Tho during the rainy season, don't forget to bring a jacket. The city is beautiful, rain or shine.

Even though Can Tho's tourist spots are beautiful on their own, if you have time, don't miss adding Can Tho Rice Noodle Factory, Can Tho Forest and Wildlife, Can Tho's Floating Markets, Can Tho's Small Canals and Sampan Ride, Can Tho's Fruit Garden, Can Tho's Paddy Rice Fields, Can Tho's Giant Ficus Tree (a secret VC camp), Cai Rang Floating Market, Can Tho Old Market to your visiting list.

So we have told you everything if you want to Rent a Boat, Bike & Local Guide at Can Tho Floating Market by Yourself. We hope that you are going to have the best time traveling here. If you have any questions or you want the services from us when coming to Can Tho, don't hesitate to contact us, Vietnam Budget Carrental.