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Can Tho
Apart from being the provincial city, Can Tho is also the unofficial ‘capital’ of the Mekong Delta. It’s a vigorous modern place with some good hotels and restaurants, but not much else. However, it’s a useful centre for visiting the Cai Rang and Phung Hiep floating markets and cruising the labyrinth of the Mekong’s channels and canals.
Originally a small settlement in the 18th century, Can Tho expanded rapidly during the French colonial period when rice-growing was introduced to the Mekong. Now it has a population of a quarter of a million people, making it Vietnam’s ninth largest city.
The city is located on the bank of the Bassac River, about 170 km southwest of Ho Chi Minh City. It’s an important industrial and farming centre. Local manufacturing industries include shipbuilding, rice processing, textiles, and farm machinery. Agricultural goods include coconut oil and sugarcane.
It has good transport links - the river, local roads and Vietnam's major north-south highway, and a large airport serving most of the Mekong Delta. Two major ports are located nearby. The upmarket Victoria Hotel has a private fast motorboat connecting with Ho Chi Minh City and Chau Doc.
Attractions include a large pagoda built in 1946 in the style of Khmer Theravada Buddhism. It looks impressive, but the interior is very disappointing.
Much better is Chua Ong, a Chinese temple facing the river in the heart of the city. It contains a large effigy of a red-faced General Quan Cong wearing decidedly flamboyant headgear and other statues. Outside, the waterfront cafés offer drinks, coffee and a super view of the busy river carrying everything from large container ships to tiny sampans. It's a small, low-cost boat found all over Southeast Asia made from local materials to a traditional design. All are flat-bottomed for use as close inshore or river fishing boats. The lightness and ease of maintenance makes the sampan ideal for relatively calm waters.
Near the main wharf, a lively outdoor market sells a wide variety of fruit and marine products - durian, mangoes, jackfruit, melons, and many shellfish and ocean fish.
The Department of Agronomy at Can Tho University houses Vietnam's largest research centre on rice, one of the country's most important staple foods.
In recent years, a series of gardens have appeared alongside Can Tho land and water routes. One of these, the 2.2 ha My Khanh Gardens, features many different species of fruit trees and flowers, birds, fish, tortoises, snakes, crabs and shrimps. There are small rong houses (ethnic minority communal dwellings) to provide visitors with a place to rest for the night.
There are plenty of opportunities to cruise the river. A 30km drive to Phung Hiep, where a boat will take you to a nearby floating market. Closer, but much more touristy, is Cai Rang floating market.
The best river-born treat in Can Tho is a leisurely trip in a small sampan around the myriad of channels running off the river, visiting gardens and orchards on the way.
Attractions in Can Tho, theMekong 's 'capital city'
Cai Rang Floating Market, Can Tho City
Together with Cai Be and Phung Hiep, Cai Rang Floating Market in Can Tho City is one of the three biggest in the Mekong Delta. The shops and stalls at these markets are boats of different sizes.
Cai Rang Floating Market is open all day but it is busiest from sunrise to about 9am. The main items sold there are farm products and specialties of Cai Rang Town, Chau Thanh District and neighboring areas. Every boat has a long upright pole at its bow on which samples of the goods for sale are hung. 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, soft drinks and wine go among the other boats to serve market-goers and visitors. The most common goods sold are fruit. Big boats are the wholesalers, selling fruit to dealers from neighboring provinces. 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.
To visit Cai Rang Floating Market, visitors can join a tour of the Mekong Delta. On the way to Can Tho, visitors can stop to visit My Tho and take a boat trip to visit orchards, bee farms and coconut candy establishments in Ben Tre. Visitors can also explore Can Tho on their own by taking a coach. In Can Tho, besides Cai Rang Floating Market, Visitors can visit other places such as Can Tho Market, Ninh Kieu Quay, Binh Thuy Temple, and private tourist gardens. In these gardens, visitors can walk, breathe fresh air, enjoy different kinds of fruits and countryside specialties and stay at nice guest houses in the shade of trees.
Cantho Tourist Gardens, Can Tho City
In recent years, a series of modern tourism gardens have appeared on every land and water route in the Mekong Delta city of Cantho. The gardens of My Khanh, San Duong, Ba Lang and Tan Binh extend along the arched highway, as well as on the waterways of hong Dien and Phung Hiep rivers. Other gardens in Long My, Vi Thanh, O Mon and Thot Not are also developing.
The My Khanh Gardens occupy 2.2 ha and feature more than 20 species of fruit trees and flowers, as well as diverse species of birds, fish, tortoises, snakes, crabs and shrimp. Under the shade of lush green trees, there are small rong houses to provide visitors with a place to rest for the night. Ba Lang is located 9 km from Can Tho (on Highway No. 1 towards Soc Trang), and has an area of 4.2 ha. There is the animal sanctuary of Ao Sen Lake, two lakes for swimming, an outdoor stage and mini-hotels. Gardens here combine agricultural potential with tourism.
130-year old house in the Western Southland, Can Tho City
It deals with an ancient house in Binh Thuy. The owner is respected Mr. Duong Minh Hien, an old sentimental man, by chance, remaining in the XX century. It is just thanks to its maintained ancientness that this house was chosen as one of recording sites for the romantic film "Lover "of producer J. Annaud.
The native homeland of the Duongs 'family was originally in Nha Man, Dong Thap province, but they moved to Binh Thuy, Can Tho and installed themselves here more than 100 years ago. They are so considered as "creators of heaven and earth "in this region. By the end of XIX century, this family became quite rich. At that time, the head of family, called by contemporary people as "Mr. Ba - council member", decided to spend his money and efforts in building a house "for nothing "(?), only for showing antiquities. The construction was started in 1870 on an area of approximately eight thousand square meters. According to respected Mr. Duong, at that time, a master with the name of Ba Nghia - but people used to call him by master Lo Ban - lived in this region, who was able to make very nice houses.
It was noteworthy that he had a strange physiognomy. His height accounted only for one meter and some centimeters, while his backbone was so twisted that his silhouette looked like a "question mark". Throughout the years, he remained half-naked wearing only black satin breeches and wound a red silk turban round his head. The master Lo Ban had two inseparable things: a marker and an axe. With this "treasure", he completed an uncountable number of perfectly round ironwood pillars. The conditions that the council member Mr. Ba posed were quite serious – "You should make my house splendid much more than others', it is unquestionable; but the problem is to make it sure that after the house is finished, I should become richer". The master Ba Nghia thought for a long while and said: "But, but, in my profession, if the customer makes his fortune, I'll immediately fall unlucky". "No, no, don’t worry. I guarantee that I'll monthly provide you with 3 pecks of rice and some pieces of silver whenever you're alive".
Nobody knew exactly how this story continued, but local people blabbed that the master Lo Ban certainly used amulet or talisman, because otherwise, the council member Mr. Ba couldn't become rich so fast. Letting aside these rumors, one must acknowledge that the master Ba Nghia was a top-ranking artisan-artist, when he was able, only with an axe, to construct a 5-compartment house with all close-fitting joints. It was said that the construction lasted for 20 years. In the house there is a coach set placed just before the altar. It is a souvenir of the respected Mr. Duong's grandfather. It is said that to make this set of ironwood chairs, a craftsman, native in southern provinces, had to carve dragon- and phoenix-shaped details as precise as in millimeters. One particularity is that while the chairs are so big and so heavy, their legs are as thin as children's wrist. Another craftsman named Dong Van Chiem, native in northern provinces, was charged of inlaying pearl vignettes. Nowadays, after more than hundred years, these vignettes are still brilliantly shining with their "five colors". As other houses of landlords in the "region of six provinces "(Mekong Delta), the owner of this house also hired craftsmen to make a balustrade, connecting the ironwood pillars in front of the altar. In this case, however, the originality resides in the fact that the vignettes on this balustrade do not comprise any old Chinese classic references as others. Instead, all vignettes included here represent daily popular scenes of the common people: from crabs, chickens till ivory bamboo branch or clump of trees. Is it true that the craftsmen’s inspiration was to glorify the peaceful atmosphere at that time dominating rural areas in the southern provinces?
According to the respected Mr. Duong's stories, his grandfather was named Duong Chan Ky, whose souvenir is a portrayed picture, now solemnly hanging just in the middle room. An originality of the picture is that it was made in enameled terra-cotta with details as veritable as that of present photographs. It is said that such a technique of making pictures was known only in France and China since the end of the 18th century. However, the writing in Chinese on the picture confused me, whether the craftsmen from Ben Nghe knew this technique. If it is true, the issue needs to be more studied. The picture has experienced so many events; there was a time when it was buried into mud to avoid bombing, but did not suffer from any harm. This family still keeps numerous cups, bowls, plates; all of which have a noble origin. The oldest objects are a bowl from the Ming dynasty in China with an age of 572 years and a big flower-vase with an age of nearly 533 years.
Binh Thuy Communal House Festival (Thuong dien), Can Tho City
The festival is held from 12th to 14th day of the fourth lunar month in Binh Thuy Ward, Binh Thuy District, Can Tho City. It worships Thanh Hoang Bon Canh (God of Land).: Thuong dien ceremony (worship God of Land after harvesting rice), praying for peace, sacrifice ceremony, procession of god on dragon and phoenix-decorated palanquin, welcoming royal ordinance on three splendidly-decorated boats, bôi singing in three nights.
Originally a small settlement in the 18th century, Can Tho expanded rapidly during the French colonial period when rice-growing was introduced to the Mekong. Now it has a population of a quarter of a million people, making it Vietnam’s ninth largest city.
The city is located on the bank of the Bassac River, about 170 km southwest of Ho Chi Minh City. It’s an important industrial and farming centre. Local manufacturing industries include shipbuilding, rice processing, textiles, and farm machinery. Agricultural goods include coconut oil and sugarcane.
It has good transport links - the river, local roads and Vietnam's major north-south highway, and a large airport serving most of the Mekong Delta. Two major ports are located nearby. The upmarket Victoria Hotel has a private fast motorboat connecting with Ho Chi Minh City and Chau Doc.
Attractions include a large pagoda built in 1946 in the style of Khmer Theravada Buddhism. It looks impressive, but the interior is very disappointing.
Much better is Chua Ong, a Chinese temple facing the river in the heart of the city. It contains a large effigy of a red-faced General Quan Cong wearing decidedly flamboyant headgear and other statues. Outside, the waterfront cafés offer drinks, coffee and a super view of the busy river carrying everything from large container ships to tiny sampans. It's a small, low-cost boat found all over Southeast Asia made from local materials to a traditional design. All are flat-bottomed for use as close inshore or river fishing boats. The lightness and ease of maintenance makes the sampan ideal for relatively calm waters.
Near the main wharf, a lively outdoor market sells a wide variety of fruit and marine products - durian, mangoes, jackfruit, melons, and many shellfish and ocean fish.
The Department of Agronomy at Can Tho University houses Vietnam's largest research centre on rice, one of the country's most important staple foods.
In recent years, a series of gardens have appeared alongside Can Tho land and water routes. One of these, the 2.2 ha My Khanh Gardens, features many different species of fruit trees and flowers, birds, fish, tortoises, snakes, crabs and shrimps. There are small rong houses (ethnic minority communal dwellings) to provide visitors with a place to rest for the night.
There are plenty of opportunities to cruise the river. A 30km drive to Phung Hiep, where a boat will take you to a nearby floating market. Closer, but much more touristy, is Cai Rang floating market.
The best river-born treat in Can Tho is a leisurely trip in a small sampan around the myriad of channels running off the river, visiting gardens and orchards on the way.
Attractions in Can Tho, the
Cai Rang Floating Market, Can Tho City
Together with Cai Be and Phung Hiep, Cai Rang Floating Market in Can Tho City is one of the three biggest in the Mekong Delta. The shops and stalls at these markets are boats of different sizes.
Cai Rang Floating Market is open all day but it is busiest from sunrise to about 9am. The main items sold there are farm products and specialties of Cai Rang Town, Chau Thanh District and neighboring areas. Every boat has a long upright pole at its bow on which samples of the goods for sale are hung. 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, soft drinks and wine go among the other boats to serve market-goers and visitors. The most common goods sold are fruit. Big boats are the wholesalers, selling fruit to dealers from neighboring provinces. 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.
To visit Cai Rang Floating Market, visitors can join a tour of the Mekong Delta. On the way to Can Tho, visitors can stop to visit My Tho and take a boat trip to visit orchards, bee farms and coconut candy establishments in Ben Tre. Visitors can also explore Can Tho on their own by taking a coach. In Can Tho, besides Cai Rang Floating Market, Visitors can visit other places such as Can Tho Market, Ninh Kieu Quay, Binh Thuy Temple, and private tourist gardens. In these gardens, visitors can walk, breathe fresh air, enjoy different kinds of fruits and countryside specialties and stay at nice guest houses in the shade of trees.
Cantho Tourist Gardens, Can Tho City
In recent years, a series of modern tourism gardens have appeared on every land and water route in the Mekong Delta city of Cantho. The gardens of My Khanh, San Duong, Ba Lang and Tan Binh extend along the arched highway, as well as on the waterways of hong Dien and Phung Hiep rivers. Other gardens in Long My, Vi Thanh, O Mon and Thot Not are also developing.
The My Khanh Gardens occupy 2.2 ha and feature more than 20 species of fruit trees and flowers, as well as diverse species of birds, fish, tortoises, snakes, crabs and shrimp. Under the shade of lush green trees, there are small rong houses to provide visitors with a place to rest for the night. Ba Lang is located 9 km from Can Tho (on Highway No. 1 towards Soc Trang), and has an area of 4.2 ha. There is the animal sanctuary of Ao Sen Lake, two lakes for swimming, an outdoor stage and mini-hotels. Gardens here combine agricultural potential with tourism.
130-year old house in the Western Southland, Can Tho City
It deals with an ancient house in Binh Thuy. The owner is respected Mr. Duong Minh Hien, an old sentimental man, by chance, remaining in the XX century. It is just thanks to its maintained ancientness that this house was chosen as one of recording sites for the romantic film "Lover "of producer J. Annaud.
The native homeland of the Duongs 'family was originally in Nha Man, Dong Thap province, but they moved to Binh Thuy, Can Tho and installed themselves here more than 100 years ago. They are so considered as "creators of heaven and earth "in this region. By the end of XIX century, this family became quite rich. At that time, the head of family, called by contemporary people as "Mr. Ba - council member", decided to spend his money and efforts in building a house "for nothing "(?), only for showing antiquities. The construction was started in 1870 on an area of approximately eight thousand square meters. According to respected Mr. Duong, at that time, a master with the name of Ba Nghia - but people used to call him by master Lo Ban - lived in this region, who was able to make very nice houses.
It was noteworthy that he had a strange physiognomy. His height accounted only for one meter and some centimeters, while his backbone was so twisted that his silhouette looked like a "question mark". Throughout the years, he remained half-naked wearing only black satin breeches and wound a red silk turban round his head. The master Lo Ban had two inseparable things: a marker and an axe. With this "treasure", he completed an uncountable number of perfectly round ironwood pillars. The conditions that the council member Mr. Ba posed were quite serious – "You should make my house splendid much more than others', it is unquestionable; but the problem is to make it sure that after the house is finished, I should become richer". The master Ba Nghia thought for a long while and said: "But, but, in my profession, if the customer makes his fortune, I'll immediately fall unlucky". "No, no, don’t worry. I guarantee that I'll monthly provide you with 3 pecks of rice and some pieces of silver whenever you're alive".
Nobody knew exactly how this story continued, but local people blabbed that the master Lo Ban certainly used amulet or talisman, because otherwise, the council member Mr. Ba couldn't become rich so fast. Letting aside these rumors, one must acknowledge that the master Ba Nghia was a top-ranking artisan-artist, when he was able, only with an axe, to construct a 5-compartment house with all close-fitting joints. It was said that the construction lasted for 20 years. In the house there is a coach set placed just before the altar. It is a souvenir of the respected Mr. Duong's grandfather. It is said that to make this set of ironwood chairs, a craftsman, native in southern provinces, had to carve dragon- and phoenix-shaped details as precise as in millimeters. One particularity is that while the chairs are so big and so heavy, their legs are as thin as children's wrist. Another craftsman named Dong Van Chiem, native in northern provinces, was charged of inlaying pearl vignettes. Nowadays, after more than hundred years, these vignettes are still brilliantly shining with their "five colors". As other houses of landlords in the "region of six provinces "(Mekong Delta), the owner of this house also hired craftsmen to make a balustrade, connecting the ironwood pillars in front of the altar. In this case, however, the originality resides in the fact that the vignettes on this balustrade do not comprise any old Chinese classic references as others. Instead, all vignettes included here represent daily popular scenes of the common people: from crabs, chickens till ivory bamboo branch or clump of trees. Is it true that the craftsmen’s inspiration was to glorify the peaceful atmosphere at that time dominating rural areas in the southern provinces?
According to the respected Mr. Duong's stories, his grandfather was named Duong Chan Ky, whose souvenir is a portrayed picture, now solemnly hanging just in the middle room. An originality of the picture is that it was made in enameled terra-cotta with details as veritable as that of present photographs. It is said that such a technique of making pictures was known only in France and China since the end of the 18th century. However, the writing in Chinese on the picture confused me, whether the craftsmen from Ben Nghe knew this technique. If it is true, the issue needs to be more studied. The picture has experienced so many events; there was a time when it was buried into mud to avoid bombing, but did not suffer from any harm. This family still keeps numerous cups, bowls, plates; all of which have a noble origin. The oldest objects are a bowl from the Ming dynasty in China with an age of 572 years and a big flower-vase with an age of nearly 533 years.
Binh Thuy Communal House Festival (Thuong dien), Can Tho City
The festival is held from 12th to 14th day of the fourth lunar month in Binh Thuy Ward, Binh Thuy District, Can Tho City. It worships Thanh Hoang Bon Canh (God of Land).: Thuong dien ceremony (worship God of Land after harvesting rice), praying for peace, sacrifice ceremony, procession of god on dragon and phoenix-decorated palanquin, welcoming royal ordinance on three splendidly-decorated boats, bôi singing in three nights.