Sai Gon tours

The provincial capital, Can Tho city, plays the role of a transportation, educational and bureaucratic hub for the Mekong Delta. If you’re arriving from the bus station, the city seems larger than you may expect, but while it does sprawl, the area of interest to independent travellers is all within easy walking distance of the riverfront.

The main reason visitors come to Can Tho is to tour the nearby floating markets. While these are highly recommended, the riverfront promenade itself is also pleasant with some good places to eat and relax in. The city has a good range of accommodation from cheap backpacker haunts right through to comfortable mid-range digs and its urbane atmosphere contrasts to the more rural feel of the towns further out in the Delta.

Cai Rang floating market is situated about 8 km from Can Tho by t is quite nice and sells a variety of fruit and vegetables and operates from 5 am to 11 am, though the markets are better the earlier you can get there. A cyclo from Can Tho will take about 15 minutes to get to Cai Rang Market. Another market, Phung Hiep market, is 31 km from Can Tho. This is the snake market, selling a plethora of living, wriggling and often poisonous snakes. Pythons and Cobras are sold here by people from the countryside who have caught them by hand, whilst others have come to purchase snakes for restaurants, medicinal reasons or personal consumption. This market is open from 5 am to 5 pm. If travelling by boat, you can add a dimension to your day by stopping and visiting some of the fruit gardens, which sell pineapple, rambutan and papaya amongst many other fruits.

A comprehensive and colorful museum of local history, industry, custom, Chinese population, and the region’s role during colonial repression as well as during the war years with the United States. Maps are detailed but indecipherable. You won’t find any signs in English, but that doesn’t matter, as most exhibits, like the scenes and images of the delta’s history, are interesting and self-explanatory. Go with a guide if you want to get background information. The second floor is a patriotic display of war remnants. There’s also a model Chinese apothecary and temple in homage to the region’s large Chinese population, local musical instruments, and a large diorama of a wedding procession. You’ll see a bust of Sai Gon and other Vietnam patriots in the lobby. A visit here combined with a tour of the Army Museum is a good little city walk.

The city’s Ho Chi Minh Museum was under major renovations at the time of research, but the Army Museum next door is an interesting visit and just across Hoa Binh Street (away from the river) from the Can Tho Museum . An interesting display of weaponry, maps, photos, stained glass, and memorabilia from Vietnam’s long struggles are on display. At the center is a small “hooch” or thatched building housing a mannequin meeting of high level Viet Cong guerrillas on the delta. Outside is a rusty missile, a crashed “Huey” helicopter, a U.S. recon plane, and a few Peugeot cars up on blocks (not sure if they are an exhibit or a repair project).

Note that the upper floors are closed and locked. Wonder what goes on up there?